Random Thoughts About The Life Span Of A Recoil Spring

I was at the range a few months back while another member was there shooting his Kimber Ultra Carry. I was there with my Glock 23. We get to talking, and then he throws out a statement that really made me wonder:

The only thing that sucks about that Glock of yours is that you’ll need to change the recoil spring every 1,000 rounds.

Funny, it already has over 6,000 rounds through it and somehow still has a perfectly functioning recoil spring. “How often do you change your recoil spring in your Kimber?” I asked. “Well, I carry it, so I swap the recoil spring out every 2,500 rounds or so.”

That got me thinking, is it a good idea to replace the recoil spring of a carry firearm every xxxxx rounds? After all, they do break. While I’ve only ever had one break before, it was more of a defective spring assembly than anything, but they are still prone to failure during normal use.

I decided to give Glock a call to see what their recommendation was, if any, as far as replacing the spring assembly. I was told that for the 1-spring setup (older models), their recommendation is every 3,000 rounds. Then, for their dual-spring setup, the recommendation is upped to 7,500 rounds before a swap.

Over the years, for some reason, I’ve always purchased an extra recoil spring for each firearm that I buy… just in case the original fails. Because if it does, you’ll need to wait for the replacement to get there and I’ve come to the realization years ago that I’m pretty impatient.

But back to your carry firearm; is it wise to replace the recoil spring after, say 5,000 rounds at the range? I guess it all depends on the firearm, it’s performance, and the manufacturer’s recommendations. And how you feel.

Me personally, I may swap mine out since I have over 6k down the pipe. Am I worried about it failing if I ever need to fire in self-defense?

Here’s my conclusion:

The odds of me needing to draw my firearm in defense of my life are slim.

The odds of me needing to draw my firearm in defense of my life and needing to pull the trigger are even slimmer.

The odds of me needing to draw my firearm in defense of my life and needing to pull the trigger and having my recoil spring fail… well, if I’m that unlucky, I should probably just stay in bed.