[kgunz11]

So I got my STI Edge .40 back from being lightened by Matt Cheely and I'm wondering how you know what slide to use. I don't have a bag full of springs but I'm guessing I need to get a few to try out.

How do you know when you have the right one?
What's up with the progressive springs?

BTW, I did a search, and most of the posts are related to non-lightened slides. Even then then replies are a # spring but not an answer on how to know when you have a right one other than timing your Bill drills.

This post has been edited by kgunz11: 27 December 2008 - 12:22 PM

[Merlin Orr]

Ahhh... How about a caliber .?

Anyway. 12#...for a .40 is the place to start for your USPSA handloads.

OK ... try this

Start with a 12# - make sure it is cut right with no solid stacking.

Aim at a 5 yard target. Good normal grip - fire one aimed shot then trigger off a Fast second shot..an Unaimed double if you will.

First shot should be right on - of course. Second shot high - too much spring. Second shot low. Up on poundage.
A little high - cut a coil.

Season to taste...

This post has been edited by Merlin Orr: 27 December 2008 - 12:29 PM

[Chris Keen]

It's an Edge Merlin ................ what other calibers are there ???

[Merlin Orr]

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

It's an Edge Merlin ................ what other calibers are there ???

Well... 9 m.m., .38 Super, .40 S&W & .45ACP are the ones I have owned...

[kgunz11]

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 02:18 PM, said:

It's an Edge Merlin ................ what other calibers are there ???

Thanks Chris, that's what I was thinking!

edited for Merlin

[Chris Keen]

Merlin Orr, on Dec 27 2008, 02:25 PM, said:

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

It's an Edge Merlin ................ what other calibers are there ???

Well... 9 m.m., .38 Super, .40 S&W & .45ACP are the ones I have owned...

Well, the whole forum knows you Merlin ..................... you probably bought them ALL for $200.

Me I can only afford to buy 1 Edge and it aint gonna be no sissy 9mm. You can only make MAJOR with a .40 or higher in USPSA so ......... my only Edge is a .40

[Chris Keen]

PS Bobby I would ask Matt what he recomends ............ since he did the work on it.

My guess would be a 12#

[Merlin Orr]

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 01:28 PM, said:

Merlin Orr, on Dec 27 2008, 02:25 PM, said:

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

It's an Edge Merlin ................ what other calibers are there ???

Well... 9 m.m., .38 Super, .40 S&W & .45ACP are the ones I have owned...

Well, the whole forum knows you Merlin ..................... you probably bought them ALL for $200.

Me I can only afford to buy 1 Edge and it aint gonna be no sissy 9mm. You can only make MAJOR with a .40 or higher in USPSA so ......... my only Edge is a .40

Consider me informed on your personal finances, your preferences and also updated on USPSA rules regarding allowed calibers...
Your $200.00 jab noted and chuckled over.

[kgunz11]

Matt said 12.5# should be good, but that doesn't really tell me how I know when it's right.

Anybody have experience with the variable weight springs? How do you like them? Does it make the timing on the gun seem funny?

[Chris Keen]

Yeah sorry for the thread drift about finances, rules, and available calibers from STI.

Like I said I would ask the smith who did the work. Aside from that you can try an 11, 12, 13, etc. and run some bill drills, or a simple standards type stage and using your timer, see for yourself.

I started out with an 8 # spring in my lightened Edge (.40 of course) using a shok-buff. After a number of unexplainable jams I moved up to a 9, and then a 10. I then did some drills myself using a 10, 11, and a 12# spring and finally settled on a 12.

YMMV of course so try it yourself.

[Merlin Orr]

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 01:40 PM, said:

Yeah sorry for the thread drift about finances, rules, and available calibers from STI.

Like I said I would ask the smith who did the work. Aside from that you can try an 11, 12, 13, etc. and run some bill drills, or a simple standards type stage and using your timer, see for yourself.

I started out with an 8 # spring in my lightened Edge (.40 of course) using a shok-buff. After a number of unexplainable jams I moved up to a 9, and then a 10. I then did some drills myself using a 10, 11, and a 12# spring and finally settled on a 12.

YMMV of course so try it yourself.

I know you are just hating me for my extraordinary avatar...... Don't be a hater.

My thinking on this - If your gun's normal recoil is to a POA close to where it started from it seems a lot easier to get the proper second (aimed) sight picture for your following shots... Less recovery time for getting a sight picture - faster splits...

[HSMITH]

Spring it so that the front sight returns to POA for the first shot without bouncing, dipping, wiggling or any other garbage. The springing is right when the front sight returns by itself. Of course this assumes you can call a shot, have a decent grip and stance, etc.

The track of the front sight and reliability are the only things that matter.

[Chris Keen]

Yeah, what they both said.

Especially Merlin.

Most notably about the avatar.

Who's a hater ?

[kgunz11]

Matt said put a 12# in it and shoot it. I'm not sure spring is in it at the moment so I'm going to have Mikey send me a 12# ISMI spring and learn to shoot the dang thang!

This post has been edited by kgunz11: 27 December 2008 - 07:44 PM

[Matt Cheely]

CHRIS KEEN, on Dec 27 2008, 02:40 PM, said:

I started out with an 8 # spring in my lightened Edge (.40 of course) using a shok-buff. After a number of unexplainable jams I moved up to a 9, and then a 10. I then did some drills myself using a 10, 11, and a 12# spring and finally settled on a 12.

I told you to shoot it with a 12lb

[G-ManBart]

Sort of a fun test for everyone to try....yes, you'll all go do this eventually and find that it works

Load a dummy round in a magazine, lock the slide back, put the mag with the dummy in the gun. Take as normal a grip as possible and get a nice sight picture on something. Now, keeping the front sight in place, trip the slide release with your support hand (for a righty) and watch what the front sight does. It should stay on the spot you've selected. If the spring was too heavy the front sight would dip noticably when the slide went forward.

It's certainly not perfect, but it'll get you in the ballpark and for most folks will likely match up with the spring that you've found works best after doing timing drills. If you're a really big person, really tiny, or have an unusually strong or weak grip this might not work, but for most folks it's usually pretty close. R,

[00bullitt]

I tried all the timing drills and several different springs. A 14# worked well and then I tried a 15# and it was much better. Its never going to be the same for every shooter.Grip,stance,trigger control,ammo and all sorts of variables change from shooter to shooter. Remember the day I shot some of your ammo at Cherokee and I said it was horrible in my gun. I'm sure I could spring mine to work well with your load of N320 but for my Clays load it is perfect for me.
You just need to go out and shoot some timing drills and see how the POA/POI is for the pair or group of shots. Also....try it with more than two shots. I would shoot 2-5 rounds rapidly and see how the shot pattern clustered. I settled on the 15# ISMI recoil spring with 5 coils clipped off and using a 17# ISMI mainspring. I tried a 15# mainspring one day and it dramatically changed the sight track. Put the 17# back in and all was well again.
Some folks get the sights to track with light recoil springs and some with heavy. Just remember the MS is a variable as well. Todd Jarrett runs like a 10# spring in his guns with a 15# MS. It works for him. It works awful for me. I've tried all kinds of combinations. And for me....I personally only use ISMI springs. I've never been able to tell any difference in progressive rate springs over fixed rate. I just know the ISMI springs outlast Wolff 10 to 1.

This post has been edited by 00bullitt: 30 December 2008 - 06:08 PM

[kgunz11]

I don't know what spring was in the gun but I took it and the FLGR out and put in a RM and the gun is shooting better for me. I am planning on calling Foley and ordering up a set of ISMI springs so I can try them with the FLGR. For Saturday's match I plan on using the RM. With it in the gun, I could see it rise and come back down on the target. With the spring that was in the gun, the recoil was kind of snappier and more aggressive. I don't know if that means it was too light or too heavy. I'll try a few springs that I know the weight on and see which one tracks the best for me. Right now, I can't find much wrong with the RM, but I would like to have the little bit of additional metal up front with the FLGR.

What does Benny Hill normally use in a standard STI Edge? He put the GR and Spring in there when I sent it to him after I first got the gun.

[00bullitt]

Recoil masters are not bad at all in sight track and feel. I just have an issue with their durability. The light RM is like 12# and the heavy is 14#. When you get oyr springs you need to shoot some timing drills on paper and see how your shots are grouping according to what your seeing in the sights. Start with an 11# and then try a 14 or 15# so that you can immediately see the big difference in what your supposed to be looking for. Then go incremental. It may take you shooting a few matches with each spring to see what you like. But don't get caught up in thinking you need the lightest spring like the internet has taught you.
I did and it couldn't have been more wrong for me.

Benny usually puts the 12.5# or 14# ISMI in EDGES.

This post has been edited by 00bullitt: 02 January 2009 - 09:14 AM

[RC51_Texas]

Lightning cuts in the slide require a heavier spring since some of the slide mass has been removed.

I'd say a least a 14# an maybe even try a 16#. Sounds crazy, but that's quite a bit of weight off of the slide from stock. My 2 cents ...

[mike4045]

I just use 12# ISMI springs. Probabaly because Merlin and Benny told me to. I did shoot the gun I got from you with the rm in it. I went back to a plug and rod. I like the feel of the gun. I do like the sights on it much better than the bomars on my other gun.

Mike

[kgunz11]

Yeah that adjustable Heine is the cats ass ain't it!

[openmike]

I go lighter and lighter (keeping my grip and stance constant) until the gun won't feed reliably and move up 1#.

[Claus Rittig]

I do like OpenMike.
My black STI Edge 9mm with a seriously lightened slide ran best at 10 pounds. It would actually work "almost reliably" with an 8 pound recoil spring, but I settled for a 10# to be on the safe side. I use a Brown extractor.
Someone said you need a heavier spring for the lighter slide... Why is that?

On my other STI Edge (exact same slide lightening) I use an Aftec extractor, and here I had to go up to 12# when I put in the Aftec, otherwise it wouldn't reliably go into battery. It used to run just fine with a 10# and an Ed Brown extractor, except I had occasional extraction issues. That's why I went to the Aftec extractor

This post has been edited by Claus Rittig: 11 February 2010 - 03:16 AM

[Josh Biondi]

STI Edge .40S&W lighten slide P.F. 174, recoil spring 13 lbs Wolff (changed every 5000 rounds) and mainspring Ismi 15 lbs.
For me this way works fine....