@Tom_Jones
I know you have a very technical background and you're typically very thorough. You tend to talk about topics you're familiar with and you usually are very insightful.
You mentioned in a post somewhere back about don't get you started about springs. Welcoming you into Forum Moderation retirement - I wanted to ask about this.
What're your thoughts on springs?
Let me walk you through my experience:
- I used to believe if you compressed a spring too far it wore from being that compressed.
- I was then told by various people I respected and some including well regarded mechanical engineers springs only wore/shrunk from use (like I know one who consulted on designs of AAC suppressors and he maintained this as if it was gospel) and not compression.
- I then observed 8-round magazines in 1911's that wouldn't lock the slide back after remaining loaded for like 4-5 months. I set that one aside unloaded to relegate it to non-use. I left it empty (spring uncompressed) in a range bag and went to show it to someone and how un reliable it was and why I left 1911's behind and how finicky the magazines were. And it worked ...every time I tested it - I reloaded the magazine maybe 3 times, ejected, and cycled on an empty magazine - slide locked like a champ. I then observed Larry Vickers talking about Glock 19 Gen 4's years ago (before the spring recall) needed to be left slide locked back for about a week or two and then they had no issues with the new RSA (I don't have a source - please God calm down. I'm not questioning his credentials - everybody calm down).
- I am now of the opinion that - springs of certain metals, diameter, and shape (round versus flatwire springs) (ETA: ) wear differently / all objects have some shape retention (meaning how much they can be stretched or compressed before they are permanently altered) before you can throw the wear/ number of compressions out the window / no one knows it all (myself included) / try it and find out.
I also found 1911 magazines specifically when I switched to Tripp magazines worked better - later on in a 1911 documentary someone said that the Chip McCormick 8 rounders were that size to be competition compliant. I looked and all of the most 8 round reliable magazines for 1911's have longer bodies. So, I believe that over compression plays a factor.
Is this a ball of wax you can shine some light in on?
This has always perplexed me - is there any... consistency to this or rules of thumb about this?
What're your thoughts on this?
What are other people's thoughts about this? This seems to be some wizardy in the industry...