[Newton]

IMHO the answer would be yes, but not neccessarily for "breaking in" of contact surfaces in the pistol alone. When using a short framed pistol, there is a "getting to know you" period shared by both the pistol and shooter. Shooting a short framed pistol isn't quite the same as a full sized pistol due to shorter recoil spring, less physical hand grip surface, lighter slide weight inertia, etc. That's why it's not recommended to do any "rework" on your pistol until you have sent a few hundred rounds downrange. Did you notice any difference in the feeding habits as you felt more confidence in your use of the pistol?

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Really interesting....Don't ya think??

 

[bad4u]

I quite agree with Newton.

My P12 became very reiable after about 150 rounds. And groups tightened as I worked on grip and trigger control.

The combination of a short-stroke action and accomodating the fat grip of the P12 requires some effort by the shooter.

My P12 hasn't missed a beat for the last 1500 rounds with ball, reloads and HP ammo.

Mine has been modified to replace the stamped recoil spring cap with an Ed Brown recoil spring assembly kit. I sometimes wonder how much the modified recoil spring assembly contributed to the reliability of the gun.

 

[Greg1911]

The one I have is the limited but now it is working great feeds everything it seems like, if I was in a shooting, That would be the gun I would want to have nothing like 13 rounds of .45 in a small package.

 

[Newton]

bad4u, I hear alot of guys are changing out the recoil springs and spring plugs for wilson combat etc. The only thing to keep an eye on when you do that is to make sure the spring lengths are the same, and there's no hard contact of the spring plug housing(back side of slide area). You'll see some wear marks form there, and then it's just a matter of time till you cause excessive wear to the slide. As a note, the spring plug isn't stamped. It's cast, then machined. Glad to hear you guys are having good experiences with the P12 too. What I like about them the most is they seem to "fall" on target all by themselves. Effortless to aim, etc.

[This message has been edited by Newton (edited 09-07-2001).]

 

[shane45-1911]

Originally posted by Newton:
The only thing to keep an eye on when you do that is to make sure the spring lengths are the same...

Well Newton, first time for everything, but I gotta disagree with you, pal.

Aftermarket springs in general (and Wolff in particular) are NOT going to be the same length as factory. It has more to do with the number of coils and tensile strength. Aftermarket springs can still be the same rating as the factory spring (and deliver the same performance), but the length is not going to be the same necessarily.

 

[Newton]

Shane, that's true, but the compressed length needs to be the same. If the replacement spring is longer when compressed, it can hard stop the slide. The wilson combat springs are a higher compression ratio spring, which by itself is fine, unless there are more turns. More turns equals longer compressed length equals less available room for the slide to cycle unencumbered. Of course, the longer scenerio would push on the spring plug which in turn would put indirect force on the slide where the retainer notch is, but a shorter or weaker scenerio would allow the slide to slam hard against the spring guide base.
Thanks for pointing out my vague definition of spring length though

PS: I see you're getting close to the all impressive 1911 posts!!! WAY TO GO

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Really interesting....Don't ya think??

[This message has been edited by Newton (edited 09-07-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Newton (edited 09-07-2001).]

 

[viesczy]

Speaking of springs, when I converted my P16 to 10mm, I picked up heavier Wolff springs and GOOD LORD those things were LONG! I had a serious time putting that back together!

But back to subject, my P12 has not had any problems in .45acp (a few FTF with light target loads after a long shooting session) and in 400 CorBon the link on the BarSto barrel need broken in (not the pistol's fault for that), but that's it.

I'd recommend the P12 to anyone looking for an officer sized pistol and high capacity.

Derek

 

[n2299]

How does one find out what the compressed length of an aftermarket spring is?

I remember reading from Wolff's site about their spring being longer in length then the factory ones?

Does counting the number of coils on the string help?

 

[bad4u]

Newton:

Thanks for the post and the advice!

I made that change after reading of Colt Officer Model recoil spring cap failures - and noting that the P12 copied that design.

I chose the Ed Brown kit, and had it installed by a competent pistolsmith (Pete Carber, www.customarms.com). I'm just barely smart enough to appreciate my ignorance!

Pete machined the forward under-side of the slide to compensate for the spring travel of the Ed Brown design. Perfect operation since.

I really do appreciate the knowledgeable info posted by folks like yourself and shane!

 

[George Smith]

Good choice to replace the reverse plug on the P12 and the officers model.

to check the spring length take the slide appart and put the plug in from the front. use the slide as a handle.
Put the spring on the guide rod and push it in. the spring has to completely fit inside the reverse plug or like the guy says it will fail.
Check it without a shock buff so you can see it is flush
geo ><>

 

[bad4u]

Great tip, George!

I did try using recoil buffer in my P12, and experienced one FTF out of 50 rounds (with the Ed Brown kit installed). Obviously, that reliability isn't good enough, but it resolved my curiousity.