1911 Magazine springs, check yours

I have recently been plagued with a problem with my colt 70 wad gun. It would not eject the forth shell and the fifth would jam into it. This happened every time i shot. I finally found the problem, a weak magazine spring. Now i have never had this happen so i looked everywhere for the issue spent a lot of time and money replacing things before stumbling on a article on the internet about magazines. It seemed fine, but it wasn't, i changed out the spring with a new one and it feeds 100% now. Just wanted to pass this on with the season just around the corner, changing your springs is cheap and easy and good insurance against possible alibi's.

Thanks for sharing. I have been considering upgrading all my springs in all my guns (thats a lot of springs) just for peace of mind.

I also need to get one of those spring testers and sort out the drawer full of springs so I know what I have!

I guess it would be spring cleaning!

also consider a light coat of oil on the INSIDE walls of the magazine.  metal on metal can slow things....

I have a spring tester but it is for recoil springs. Can someone direct me to one that will do magazine springs?

Is there a weight spring we’re looking for?

I overheard 6 lb magazine springs, changed all of mine and all seems to be good so far.

Greetings,

For the "do-it-yourselfer", it may be possible to put new life into old magazine springs.

Start by measuring a brand new spring from a reputable vendor. Colt would be a good choice.

Measure the overall free length.

Now, take your old tired spring and stretch it until it is the same length, or a bit longer, than the new factory spring.

Next, and most important, place the stretched spring in the oven at 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes to stress relieve it.

Cheers,

Dave