Which 1911 hammer/main spring weight(19# or 17# for reliable ignition

Looking to create a smoother trigger pull in one of my 1911s and looking for suggestions on which weight spring to use.

Rodger Barthlow wrote:Looking to create a smoother trigger pull in one of my 1911s and looking for suggestions on which weight spring to use.

My cylinder and slide came with a 18# main spring but also included parts that were finished well—I just needed to fit the safety.  Springs require a balance for reliability—which requires systematic testing and shooting itself.

The main thing for a smooth trigger pull is the trigger and ignition parts.  They need to be smoothened enough, but not too much, to get a smooth trigger pull.  Plenty of guides out there, but keep in mind that it requires a lot of patience and time if you're not already accustomed to filing/sanding.  

Some recommendations if you decide to do it yourself:
• I'd recommend aluminum oxide if you decide to go sand paper route as it makes a better finish on metal, you can find them on amazon with enough searching(took me a while)
• Be sure to use a flat surface if using sand paper as you don't want to round out the edges
• Scratch the surface in one direction and then erase those scratches in the perpendicular direction.  This will help get a smooth surface visually easier, faster, and more even.
• If you're new to filing/sanding be sure to take it easy as it's easy to remove too much, depending on your grit/file #


I spent over 16 hours on one of my pistols getting it very smooth.  It might not take you that long for a 1911, but consider weighing the time it takes to finish it vs buying a finished one and fitting it.

Thanks for the reply

All I run in every 1911 is a 19. Never had a miss fire

I can say that with a 18# mainspring I don't have any failure to fire with CCI primers

I run 18lb in wadguns, 19lb in conversions. As previously mentioned, the mainspring will have less of an impact than the hammer and sear interface to the trigger feel.

I highly recommend C&S mainsprings, I don't know if they are 18 lbs but they are improving the pull a lot for even the stock hammers and sears.