Glock Recoil Springs and Everything You Need To Know

Date Updated: December 31st 2022

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3 min read

Glock Recoil Springs: To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade?

If you're a Glock owner like me, you've probably heard people talking about upgrading the recoil spring. Some say it'll make your gun shoot smoother, while others claim it'll increase your accuracy. But is it really necessary to upgrade the recoil spring, or is it just another unnecessary modification that'll drain your wallet faster than a trip to the shooting range?

I decided to find out for myself and I upgraded to the Heavy Tungsten Guide Rod. It's an easy, drop-in part that's apparently 5x heavier than the factory plastic guide rod and 3x heavier than a stainless steel guide rod. The increased weight of the tungsten rod is said to help reduce felt recoil and muzzle flip, allowing you to shoot faster and more accurately. A high quality, American-made spring is included and captured on the tungsten guide rod, and it's easy to install - just drop it in and replace the factory plastic rod in seconds.

But did I really need to upgrade the recoil spring on my Glock? The short answer is no, probably not. Unless you're using your gun for competition shooting or you're putting so many rounds through it that you're starting to feel like a one-man army, the recoil spring that came with your gun should be more than sufficient.

However, if you're like me and you just can't resist the siren song of gun modifications, upgrading to a tungsten guide rod with a captured spring in a different weight may be just the thing you're looking for. You can fine-tune your shooting experience to get the perfect balance between recoil control and shooting speed.

For general shooting, it's suggested that you use the factory weight spring. But if you're feeling adventurous, you can experiment with different spring weights to find the best match for your shooting style, ammunition, and gun. Lighter spring weights may be easier to manipulate for those with less strength or physical disabilities, while heavier spring weights may be much harder.

HEAVY TUNGSTEN GUIDE ROD

Final Thoughts

Shooting your Glock with the OEM recoil spring and shortly after trying a different weighted spring, you can really feel the difference. Slightly less felt recoil makes a noticible difference allowing you to get back on target quicker. Its not going to be as good as adding a reflex light but it can shave off a few milliseconds.