Ive got what I believe is an overly long recoil spring (new) and Im trying to figure out how-much to shorten it to make it work.
The recoil spring that came with the gun (disassembled) I suspect was too long as well, leading to a failure in the spring. Bear with me here.
Im trying to restore my dad's Hi-Standard HD .22 semi-auto.
When I picked the gun up it was in a cigar box and broken down into all the small component pieces. Dad had taken the pistol to a local hobby type gunsmith who returned the gun to him in pieces and he wanted me to refinish it, replace any needed parts and put it back together for him.
The recoil spring was very difficult to install, and when I tried to cycle the action it did not slide back all the way, and would not return to lock up. I disassembled and saw that the recoil spring had buckled and doubled on itself. Not sure how to describe it other than it looked like a "herniated" gut that bulged out of alignment then the coils of the spring interlocked along the bulge.
I ordered another recoil spring (they come in a 2-pack) from Brownells. The springs came with a note that they would have to be modified for the particular model of Hi-standard.
The spring I originally tried to install was about 2mm shorter than the new springs from Brownell. Im thinking that it was too long and therefore buckled when crammed into position. If I am correct the new spring will have to be shortened to work properly.
Are there any rules of thumb for determining a starting point for shortening the spring. Im afraid if I take off too little it will just "herniate" again and I'll have ruined another spring.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Silvertp
