Ace .22 mainspring???

[thegeeze]

I'm building an Essex receiver for an Ace Service Model. Anyone have a reccomendation on what weight main spring to use?

thx

[robot1911]

I'd try an 18# and see if you have any light strikes. You can always go to a 19 or 20 if necessary.

Bob

[RickB]

Why vary from the standard 23# and risk light strikes?

[thegeeze]

thx Robot,
The E.B. spring that came in the rebuild kit is demolishing the end of the casing. Besides that, I was worried about the slide being able cycle over the hammer without causing problems.

grrrrrrr... now the firing pin is broken.

[robot1911]

Why vary from the standard 23# and risk light strikes?

The Ace is a steel slide and needs all the help it can get so it can fully recoil and pick up the next round. It would be great if it would work with a 23# main, but I don't think it will. You'll have a very light recoil spring that comes with it also. Many times with the Ace, it's necessary to clip a couple of coils for it to work. The floating chamber helps a lot but quite often isn't enough. If the recoil spring gets too light, the slide will have problems getting into full battery..especially after that chamber gets caked with firing debris.
You need to arrive at a balance between the ammo's strength, the main and recoil springs. Once you've found it, the Ace will function great...until that chamber freezes and you have to fight to get it off to clean.
They're not all like that...but most are.

Bob



Bob

[John]

I do not think that Colt used anything else but 23 lbs main springs. Are we talking about the same spring here? The main spring is in the main spring housing, it's not the recoil spring which is under the barrel.

[robot1911]

I don't know what's going on with the spring definition here. EB? "End of casing"?

Colt's standard mainspring is the 23# one, but I do not know what they do with an Ace pistol...not the conversion unit, of course because it's designed to function with the standard spring in the Government Model...except for the Ace II (aluminum). That kit comes with a mainspring housing and a 14# mainspring.

Bob

[thegeeze]

We all know that the 1911 is a trusty workhorse but could use some fine tuning. (especially the Ace) This is something that needs to find a happy medium... Proper slide cycling, fast hammer, and no misfires.

I've bought and sold four conversion units in as many months and this one's a keeper. I put 800 rounds through it without any leading of the floating chamber. The bluing is 100%. Can I hear a "!!!Yeah!!!"?

[robot1911]

Right on! You obviously have a keeper there...one of those that don't get carboned-up in that floating chamber.
I'm curious. Do you know what mainspring and recoil spring you have in there? Apparently the two are balanced well so the unit functions reliably yet it gets a complete burn before the slide moves far enough to blow carbon into the chamber.

Bob

[RickB]

You need to arrive at a balance between the ammo's strength, the main and recoil springs. Once you've found it, the Ace will function great...until that chamber freezes and you have to fight to get it off to clean.
They're not all like that...but most are.

Bob

Bob

I'm using a 23# main and 14# recoil spring, (usually) so-called hyper-velocity ammo, and the gun runs fine. I prefer the way it shoots with a 10# recoil spring, but there's more recoil with the 14#, and that's better for simulating the handling of a .45. Whatever works is good, but I haven't had any problems using a standard mainspring.

[thegeeze]

Clarification 1: E.B. = Ed Brown

Clarification 2: The unit came as "upper only". I tested it with a USArmy Issue. (circa 1918) It did fit the Essex receiver with just a light chamfer on the rails and oil lapping.

I haven't live fired it with the new receiver because I'm waiting on a palm safety. Do you think anyone at the range would freak if I pulled this out without one? LMAO