Thread: Time to replace the springs in my Shadow?

I've had my Shadow for about 9 months and about 6,000 rounds. Last night I had my first "stove pipe" in the pistol.

This is a complete factory standard gun, original springs, guide rod and hammer. I have replace springs for this (factory weight etc), is it time to swap them out? Don't want to be half way through a stage at NI, SI or nationals and have a problem.

What frequency do people swap their recoil and main springs?

I'm interested in what people have to say too.
Fuck me, you shoot a lot, I'm jealous.

Originally Posted by Jexla

I'm interested in what people have to say too.
Fuck me, you shoot a lot, I'm jealous.

Pretty easy to get through 300-400 in an hours or so doing drills. There are plenty of others shooting way more than me.

Its all good fun too!

I replace springs in my cz85 at 10k


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Originally Posted by Uplandstalker

Pretty easy to get through 300-400 in an hours or so doing drills. There are plenty of others shooting way more than me.

Its all good fun too!

Yeah I know what you mean ...
Have put over ×500rnds through my Colt 1911 .22 in less than two weeks just recently
And have reloaded ×1200 9mm rnds three weeks ago, of which I only have ×200 left ... shot through my pistol and carbine

It's like an addiction or madness or both

ps sorry @Uplandstalker I don't know much bout replacing springs yet ,but I might need a trigger finger replacement at somestage ... should of got them to do it when they did my knee last Monday lol

Shoot weak hand only from now on

Pretty sure I have spare main spring. Should last a lot longer than 6000 rnds tho. I run an 11lb one in my shadow with 115grn projectiles just over PF.

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Might just give it a clean. It's the first time in 6000 rounds that ANY issues has occurred. Overall, pretty impressed!

Originally Posted by Uplandstalker

Might just give it a clean. It's the first time in 6000 rounds that ANY issues has occurred. Overall, pretty impressed!

Also a spare spring here if needed.

Out of interest, what's been your cleaning (or not cleaning) process? And what's your reload components?

About every 300 or 400 rounds (or when it looks dirty enough) I do a basic strip and clean, like in the photo but also punch out the extractor. Spray each part and wipe with cloth. Add a bit of sewing machine oil(stolen from the wife's sewing kit).


Just before a match it gets a clean regardless

About every 2000 rounds the sear assembly, grips, mainspring, hammer and trigger(sometimes) comes out and all gets a good clean.

Currently running 124gn Flat nose Frontier projects (from Rusa - best service and prices in the land). 4.1gn of N320. CCI small pistol primmers. Not sure on speed, but will check this over the next week or so before NI champs in September.

Never cleaned brass and they are real dirty! Building a steel pin tumbler at the moment.

Lubing cases with Lyman spray lube (over doing with this I think too).

I have springs, just trying to understand when people change them.

Competitive shooters in the US change them fairly often 5-10K. NZ shooters tend to be less fastidious due to the PIA and cost of source replacements and tend to do it when when they start having issues. I replaced a recoil spring once in a fit of guilt, it wasn't having any issues and had a few rounds through it (read six figures). The old spring was about 2cm shorter than the new one. No issues though, that being said it may have been subjecting the pistol to excessive stresses. I started keeping a log on my low round count back up Shadow, the first slide stop went at 7880 second at 12525 currently at 5578...maybe if I replaced the springs more often I'd get fewer breakages. I'd keep spare trigger return springs, I've gone through four or five of those. Replaced the firing pin spring once. I've never replaced me hammer spring. Have broken the front sight (not the fiber). Sometimes things break no matter the preventative regime.

Originally Posted by Uplandstalker

About every 300 or 400 rounds (or when it looks dirty enough) I do a basic strip and clean, like in the photo but also punch out the extractor. Spray each part and wipe with cloth. Add a bit of sewing machine oil(stolen from the wife's sewing kit).
Attachment 52925

Just before a match it gets a clean regardless

About every 2000 rounds the sear assembly, grips, mainspring, hammer and trigger(sometimes) comes out and all gets a good clean.

Currently running 124gn Flat nose Frontier projects (from Rusa - best service and prices in the land). 4.1gn of N320. CCI small pistol primmers. Not sure on speed, but will check this over the next week or so before NI champs in September.

Never cleaned brass and they are real dirty! Building a steel pin tumbler at the moment.

Lubing cases with Lyman spray lube (over doing with this I think too).

I have springs, just trying to understand when people change them.

Thanks for that.

I also use the 124gn flat nose from Rusa - and also fully agree, great price and over the top good service! (they seem to shoot bloody well to - better than me....)
I'm using 3.9gns of N320, also need to check speed now before a another big loading session.

Also MAY need to clean the CZ.......

The coloring/change on the frame, doesn't that make it not a production gun?

Mine is a facory Dual Tone and is Production.

Originally Posted by Beaker

Thanks for that.

I also use the 124gn flat nose from Rusa - and also fully agree, great price and over the top good service! (they seem to shoot bloody well to - better than me....)
I'm using 3.9gns of N320, also need to check speed now before a another big loading session.

Also MAY need to clean the CZ.......

The coloring/change on the frame, doesn't that make it not a production gun?

CZ production list:
CZ75B Omega, CZ75 P-02, CZ75, CZ75B, CZ75B Stainless, CZ75BD, CZ75BD Police, CZ75 Compact, CZ75D Compact, CZ75 SemiCompact, CZ75 Combat II, CZ85, CZ85B, CZ85 Combat

CZ40B, CZ97B, CZ99, CZ100, CZ110, CZ2075 Rami, CZ2075D Rami, CZ2075 Rami P

CZ75 P01, P07, P07 Duty, P09, CZ75 SP-01, CZ75 SP-01 Tactical, CZ75 SP-01 Shadow, CZ75 SP01 Dual Tone, CZ75 SP-01 Sport (9x21mm version with OFM trigger stop as sold in Italy), CZ75 SP-01 Phantom, CZ75 SP-01 Shadow TR, CZ75 SP-01 Shadow Orange, Shadow 2.

Also approved: variants with original (CZUB) barrels which are longer than standard (e.g. SP-01A, SP-01DK), provided the barrel length does not exceed 127mm, and provided all other aspects of these variants fully comply with all other Production Division rules.

Also approved: original (CZUB) dual tone, coloured frame, and Shadow Line variants of approved models.

NOT APPROVED: CZ-USA and CZ Custom Shop variants (e.g. SP-01 Shadow Target, CZ 75 Shadow T, CZ 75 SP01 ACCU Shadow etc.)
NOT APPROVED: Frankonia models (e.g. Mamba, Viper etc.).