compact colt ?

[co4life]

Which weight recoil spring do I need for a carry gun?

[stans]

Which ever one gives you 100% reliable functioning with your carry ammo. And no, that is not a smart a$$ed answer, it is the truth. You may have to try several weights in order to find the one that is best for your pistol and ammo combination. My preference in spring manufacturers is Wolff.

[Brian D.]

Actually, the Wolff spring comapny that stans mentioned has a good website, with their recommended recoil (and main) spring weights for most sizes and calibers of 1911. Sadly for me, they show no listing for a 5" gun in 9x23 Winchester, but they can fix you right up co4life.

[stans]

9x23 is a bit hotter than 38 Super, I'd say 16 pounds would be about right for 9x23.

[Hawkmoon]

The Colt "Compact" is an Officers size pistol and the factory recoil spring is a 2-piece, composite spring. Wolff doesn't have one. They recommend their one-piece spring instead, but other sources suggest that the 2-piece spring is more reliable.