[Barang]

I didn't take note when this issue came up here. So today, I was checking the recoil spring and it was very tight and almost binding. Is Wolff recoil spring a good replacement, if not, what is?

 

[hauki]

How new or how used is your current spring? And do you mean binding with shooting or hand slide manipulation? TG

 

[Barang]

I'm estimating 1,500 rounds. It's binding when removing it from guide rod. I have to use something to grab the guide rod to separate the two. Miraculously, it's not giving me any problem but I want to replace it with a better one.

All my other Sigs don't do that. they are moderately tight on one end and gradually loose towards the other end.

 

[GoneBallisticInAlabama]

The .40 springs are very tight on the factory hollow guide rods.
It caused a hesitation you could feel in the cycling of my 40 P229s with some ammo. Never caused a single failure though with any ammo for a long time, until one day I tried Lawman 180gr TMJ. I had multiple FTRBs. Since I have a bunch of spare springs, I decided to try an aftermarket solid stainless steel guide rod. Black Nitride finished from ssguiderods. The hesitation with some ammo went away (same used factory recoil spring) and the Lawman TMJ functioned 100%. My .40 P229s have never run so smoothly. And it is easy to slip the springs on/off.

 

[DansSIGs]

I'm estimating 1,500 rounds. It's binding when removing it from guide rod. I have to use something to grab the guide rod to separate the two. Miraculously, it's not giving me any problem but I want to replace it a better one.

All my other Sigs don't do that. they are moderately tight on one end and gradually loose towards the other end.

Op,
As I discovered months ago & posted here on Sig Talk that fell on deaf ears-

You have 1 of the 2 variants of the Made in United States P229 357/40 light Blue color coded twisted wire recoil springs that were improperly manufactured & act better as Chinese finger locks than a recoil spring.

I called them what they are-JUNK.

I would suggest that you purchase a Sprinco recoil system to use w/an OEM SIG spring.
Twisted wire/multi strand recoil springs have benefits that a single wire or flat wire spring can not duplicate.

 

[bblr]

I have found the P229 .40/.357 recoil springs very difficult to get off the guide rod. My springs are blue German braided springs, not the junk springs.

 

[GoneBallisticInAlabama]

I don't have the junk springs either. They are all perfectly round and evenly wound. They just fit too tight on the cheap hollow stamped guide rod.

But the perfectly machined solid stainless rod I bought provides a perfect fit that the spring easily slips over. Worth every penny for enhanced reliability.

 

[Toolfool]

There was another thread a few days ago where JackJack was having a similar problem.

He posted a photo that showed the spring partially compressed on the guide rod.

I initially thought there was a problem with the recoil spring after seeing the photo of a compressed spring on the guide rod. However, I found this discussion interesting enough to dig out two P229 .40 S&W pistols to check their recoil spring fit.

I observed the same thing on both of my pistols. The springs were very tight on the guide rod and the coils were partially compressed. I measured the diameter of each guide rod to be about 0.330", which seems to be consistent with information I found in other posts.

One of the pistols was purchased new in 2016 and still has the blue paint on the spring. So I knew it was the correct spring.

The other was a 20 year old used pistol. All of the paint was worn off of the spring, but suspect it was the original spring. This was based on the assumption that any person that lets their pistol get this dirty would never replace the recoil spring. This spring was also the same length and had the same number of coils as the spring from the other pistol.

Neither of the springs were distorted as described by DansSIGs.

I re-assembled both pistols with a plan of observing how the spring slides over the guide rod while manually forcing the barrel forward in the slide. However, I observed something interesting before attempting to slide the barrel forward. The spring was now loose along the entire length of the guide rod.

It appears the inside diameter of the spring increases when compressed and it no longer drags on the guide rod. The same was observed on both pistols.

So my initial conclusion after seeing the photo of a compressed spring on the guide rod may not be valid once the spring is installed in the slide assembly.

I suspect this may be the case for the older recoils springs, but may not for the newer recoil springs.

Barang, can you try this with your original recoil spring and guide rod to see you experience the same effect?

I would not be concerned with your observation if the spring is free along the entire length of the guide rod once installed in the slide.

 

[Taskotzke59]

Toolfool, interesting observation on the recoil spring to guide rod fit. I wonder if the braided RS is designed to expand and contract on the GR during live cycling or if that’s a natural function of the braided RS. I have several Wolff springs on order and will report my findings once I get to the range. My 229 Elite .357 Sig has the braided RS and fits very tight on the original GR and the GG solid rod. Both measure .330. The gun however functions perfectly. Welcome to the forum.

 

[hauki]

my P229 357 sig's recoil spring is doing the cobra in front of the snake charmer with the center wire starting to protrude. It is the dark blue paint spring, a 2008 make, but was new in the box (sat on a LE shelf for a decade). I've only got a few hundred rounds through it and the spring is failing.

The current guide rod is hollow and the spring is very tight at the rear, but looser in the front.

so, I'm watching these threads closely to figure out the best overall solution. maybe not the least expensive, but the best for the weapon. like, maybe, a new guide rod and where to get the best spring... TG

 

[GoneBallisticInAlabama]

I can tell you that the ssguiderods dot com solid stainless is a better fit. I could always feel a slight hesitation in my .40S&W P229 SAS Gen 2 as it returned to battery. It was something you couldn't see during cycling but could feel. Never failed to function though except with the Lawman TMJ. Now it never hesitates. It cycles smoothly, like it is supposed to. I've never bought into solid stainless guide rods for their "weight" controlling recoil, and I steel don't. It just isn't enough difference to matter. But having an accurately-machined, smooth-surfaced guide rod of the proper diameter has had a positive impact on reliability. I have the good recoil springs that I bought some time ago. I'm still using the one that came in my P229 SAS Gen 2 .40S&W from the factory. The colored (tight) end, still fits properly at the base, but I no longer feel the urge to get a set of pliers to pull it off the guide rod and put it back on. (I never actually did that, but I wanted to once or twice. Instead, I nearly pulled my thumb nails off working it free.)

SIG just recently started having problems with the source of their recoil springs and started transitioning to a new source. I have a thread on here somewhere about the recoil springs for the Carry size P220 (red colored end). They also were starting to have a strand walk out on them but the spares I ordered actually have both ends soldered to keep the strands in place. So far, they are holding up.

 

[markm]

A lot of my Sig springs are tight on the guide rod, never caused a problem as they loosen when compressed. As far as getting them on and off, as with a lot of gun springs like 1911 FP springs, just twist them in the direction of the spring, like tightening and the come right off or go right on.

 

[hauki]

GoneBallistic Do you think that if I tin/solder the strands they will hold? TG

 

[Barang]

Thank you all for your feedback. I'm still undecided whether to get Sprinco (DansSIGs), SS guide rod (GBA), or just get one recoil spring from Wolff to see if it works like the P226. My cheapo brain tells me to start with the cheapest route.

@markm: The rest of my Sig's are slightly tight maybe 2-3 coils toward the back and loose for the rest the coils. But this P229 .40 recoil spring is vise grip tight towards the back and tight all the way to the end. You'll end up loosing your nails (exaggerating of course) if you don't use tool to take it off.

@Toolfool: While it's true that the inside diameter increases when compressing, I don't like how the spring is dragging while it compress' & decompress' back and forth. It doesn't give enough clearance for the spring to slide smoothly. I can hear the spring dragging unlike the rest of my P-series.

Although, the gun is not giving me any malfunction, I like a little looser spring just for my peace of mind. Also, GBA brought up the malfunction with Lawman ammo, I haven't use them yet but have tons of them. It's good to have this future issue fix now.

 

[dpadams6]

I can tell you that the ssguiderods dot com solid stainless is a better fit. I could always feel a slight hesitation in my .40S&W P229 SAS Gen 2 as it returned to battery. It was something you couldn't see during cycling but could feel. Never failed to function though except with the Lawman TMJ. Now it never hesitates. It cycles smoothly, like it is supposed to. I've never bought into solid stainless guide rods for their "weight" controlling recoil, and I steel don't. It just isn't enough difference to matter. But having an accurately-machined, smooth-surfaced guide rod of the proper diameter has had a positive impact on reliability. I have the good recoil springs that I bought some time ago. I'm still using the one that came in my P229 SAS Gen 2 .40S&W from the factory. The colored (tight) end, still fits properly at the base, but I no longer feel the urge to get a set of pliers to pull it off the guide rod and put it back on. (I never actually did that, but I wanted to once or twice. Instead, I nearly pulled my thumb nails off working it free.)

SIG just recently started having problems with the source of their recoil springs and started transitioning to a new source. I have a thread on here somewhere about the recoil springs for the Carry size P220 (red colored end). They also were starting to have a strand walk out on them but the spares I ordered actually have both ends soldered to keep the strands in place. So far, they are holding up.

One strand has always walked out in the German made multi strand spring. I worked at a police department where we had the p226 357sig. All the springs eventually did this, but we never had any problems with them and just ignored that one strand that always walked out a little bit.

 

[GoneBallisticInAlabama]

One strand has always walked out in the German made multi strand spring. I worked at a police department where we had the p226 357sig. All the springs eventually did this, but we never had any problems with them and just ignored that one strand that always walked out a little bit.

That's interesting. I wish we had a mechanical engineer that understood what drives that. I love learning that kind of stuff. I don't shoot .357SIG anywhere near as much as the other calibers. I've never witnessed it in the ones I have in .40S&W, 9mm or full-size .45ACP. I'm sure it happens, but I haven't seen it in any of mine. The only ones I've ever had that did that were the ones in my Carry size P220 in .45ACP. And all the spare springs I've bought for it have been soldered on each end. The couple of spares for it that came in P220 parts kit are not soldered.

It is good to know that it didn't cause your department problems.

I've seen some multi-strand springs in other guns on the web jam up the slide when one or more strands get wedged between the front end of the guide rod and the slide.

 

[tadawson]

As I have noted in other threads on this topic, Sig has dropped the multi wire 229 357/40 springs and gone to a flat wire, and those fit and run fine. I've also got a Wolf, but it has a very sloppy fit and has caused my slide to mildly bind on occasion, so I def prefer the new Sig springs myself, fwiw . . .

On my multiwire, they had degraded/deformed to the point that it was weak getting the slide to lockup, and deformed to the point that is was almost impossible to get to slide latch open on the other end of travel. I am of the opinion that it is "when, not if" that happens, and agree with others that Sig just had a big run of defective multistrand springs.

(Note that no other caliber or model of P22x pistol I have seen has a recoil spring that is in any way snug on the guide rod . . . that just isn't normal, and being a P229 in 357/40 does not change that . . .)

 

[Barang]

As I have noted in other threads on this topic, Sig has dropped the multi wire 229 357/40 springs and gone to a flat wire, and those fit and run fine. I've also got a Wolf, but it has a very sloppy fit and has caused my slide to mildly bind on occasion, so I def prefer the new Sig springs myself, fwiw . . .

Forgive my ignorance. Where can I buy the new recoil spring? I went to Sig/TGS sites and they're both still showing the old blue twisted wire.

 

[GoneBallisticInAlabama]

True statement that SIG had a bad run of springs.
True also that they have been switching to flat wire or single strand wire because of that. Nothing wrong with those at this time.
But the multi-strand springs have not always been bad. I don't have any recoil springs made since the problems started, except for those Carry length P220 springs, and they haven't done what others have written about wrt the 40 springs. I have a large stock of spare parts made well before that.

 

[tadawson]

Midway has the new one, although I think they have the old photo as well (got the new one from them 3 or 4 weeks ago). I also got one from Sig CS as a CPO warranty replacement, and it was the only one they had stock in as well. I suspect that the part number may have stayed the same when the spring was updated. (New one is blue as well.)