Maccool: if your spring sits right against the barrel link you are missing a part, the 2" guide rod. If this is the case, do not fire the pistol again until you have replaced that part - without that part, and under vibration, the spring can wind its way around the barrel link and either jam the piece or break off and jam the piece. If you are not certain about the nomenclature of the 1911 parts then go up on line and find a diagram - Numrich Arms is one good place - and see what the guide rod is that you are talking about. If you have one in your piece then that is the only one you need.
Full length guide rods, that come in two pieces, are not original equipment and I doubt that if the piece was refinished at a factory they forgot to install the guide rod - if it is not in the firearm, someone took it out and forgot to put it back in. And for that era 1911 - any mil-surp guide rod will suffice - the internal pieces of wartime, and even commercial 1911s and 1911A1s were not numbered; they are/were 'bin guns' - all the parts used to complete them came out of bins full of those parts - they were not lovingly hand tooled and then assembled by the same team of gunsmiths who made the parts, they were literally slapped together by gunsmiths who only needed to assure the pistols functioned properly (one magazine of ammo through a bullet trap without concern as to grouping or accuracy).
Check your pistol now for the part we are discussing and cease fire if it is absent until you replace it. Mikey.
