'WHO' actually produces springs for Ruger, etc...

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Do our gun manufacturers, like Ruger, make their own springs are is there a company out there that specializes in the springs that are put in our guns.

 

 

..........Widder

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

Well, I can't tell you for sure who makes the springs for Ruger, but I can tell you there are many companies that specialize in making springs. Particularly coil springs as are used in Rugers.

 

It ain't like in the old days when Colt, Winchester, Marlin, S&W and all the rest did make their own flat springs. Making flat springs required cutting the spring to shape from spring steel and hardening and tempering it so that it became a spring.

 

Making coil springs requires spring winding equipment. Like this:

 

Spring Winding Equipment

 

It ain't rocket science, but there are plenty of companies out there today who specialize in coil springs so it makes sense that a manufacturer like Ruger would buy their springs from a spring company just as they buy their barrel blanks from a barrel company. It saves expense rather than investing in the equipment and training their people to make springs. With a spring company, you know exactly what you are getting and you don't have to go through the learning curve of training your own people to make them.

 

Spring companies have large catalogs of industry standard springs that a customer can choose from. Once an engineer knows the specifics of a spring he needs for a specific application it is pretty simple to choose a standard spring out of a catalog. I used to do it all the time. I would usually order a couple of springs that were close in size, so I could pick the one I wanted. In fact, I even had custom springs made up once or twice if I couldn't find a standard spring that would do what I needed. I used to buy springs from industrial supply houses like McMaster Carr too, but they were just reselling somebody else's springs.

 

In a case like Ruger's coil springs, the customer can also specify the exact parameters of a custom spring, such as diameter, uncompressed length, spring force, wire diameter, and number of coils. You can specify ground ends or unground ends and you can specify music wire or stainless.

 

With a company like Ruger, I suspect they went to one of the spring companies and specified exactly what they wanted, and got a good price because they were buying in quantity.

 

Here is a company that I used to buy springs from all the time for various engineering products. There are dozens of companies just like this out there.

 

Spec Springs

 

Frankly, I have always wondered if the aftermarket gun spring companies like Wolff were making their own springs, or were simply buying them from a spring company.

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

Frankly, I have always wondered if the aftermarket gun spring companies like Wolff were making their own springs, or were simply buying them from a spring company.

 

When I changed out the springs on my Vaqueros - I refused to pay the price for "Aftermarket Firearms Springs".

I made a trip to the local hardware store and checked out their boxes of coil springs (this is still a real hardware - that has cases of loose hardware). I had the original spring with me and compared coil diameters, wind density and anything thing else that my feeble mind could differentiate. I ended up buying four or five @25 cents apiece. Took these home and tried each one for their feel.

When I found one that felt good and reliably popped primers, I went back to the store and bought enough to change over all my (and my Dads)Rugers single actions (20+ pieces). To do all of these guns, the springs cost me less than $5.00.

I have fixed/ tuned any number of guns that required coil springs with hardware store spring purchases (Rugers, Smith J- Frames, SxS shotguns, etc.).

 

And if someone (like myself) without any engineering background or the math skills to figure spring rates can find reliable bulk springs for a little bit of nothing... I figure someone knowledgable could do the same.

And buying bulk springs for 25 cents - repackaging them and selling them for $15.00 seems like a smarter business plan than buying spring winding equipment, bulk wire and hiring trained operators.

[Marshal TKD, Sass # 36984L]

I hunted with fellar last October who owns such a company. Only his business is punching and stamping of parts. In talking with him he stated that his company, which was started by his father has made stanped and punched parts for alot of gun manufactures. Mostly revolver hands,bolts and safety parts or rifles thas well as other parts. He stated that this possible today due to the precission of stamps, dies and the tools. Bob's claim was that he could run tolerances or .001 or less in some cases. Pretty dang impressive for high speed manufacturing.

[Howdy Doody]

and it is almost unreal how having 1911 springs on hand you seem to be able to modify them to suit so many applications. Just sayin'

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

$5 isn't much to pay for a spring that is already designed with proper length and precise tension for a gun...

 

http://www.brownells.com/1/1/34031-reduced-power-hammer-springs-19lb-reduced-power-hammer-spring-wolff.html

 

GG ~

 

 

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

Springs are a commodity that is offered for sale in many configurations, and as above, can be special ordered as well (cubic dollar rules apply)

 

Look at Reid Supply http://www.reidsupply.com/Results.aspx?pid=10021841

 

For a well-done website to help you select springs. If you need several, the best way to buy springs is by the foot. You get a spring of the right diameter, wire size and strength, in 2 or 3 foot length, and use yer handy dandy dremel cut off wheel to cut as needed.

 

I would assume major makers today don't mess with making small springs. They likely buy em in bulk to order.