My 229, bought from a forum member several years back, has the original-style braided recoil spring despite being a CPO (per the member who I got it from). I'm wondering if I should replace it, and if wear can be judged by overall length.

There's no way to estimate total rounds fired with the current spring, and I'm hesitant to replace the original with the new flat spring if I don't have to.

Anybody know if OAL is a valid way to estimate wear, and if so, what the OAL should be? If not, I'll just replace it.

Thanks in advance.

The guidance given to armorers by SIG was to replace based on round count. Although it may exist, I have never seen any guidance based on spring length.

What cartridge is the P229 chambered for?

The length of an unused multistrand white paint recoil spring for the 9mm P229 that I measured was 4.0"

The length of an unused multistrand blue paint recoil spring for the 357 SIG or 40 S&W P229 that I measured was 4.6".

Thanks, sigfreund! Mine's .357 Sig with a spare .40 S&W barrel.

I'll pull the spring later tonight and see if it's close to 4.6" and if not, I think Sig still offers a spring replacement kit.

You’re welcome, and I’ll use this opportunity to address one of my pet peeves.

The reason I opened your thread was because the title indicated what it was about. If you had simply posted “P229,” or even “Recoil springs,” which are the sorts of thread titles I see here all the time, I would have deliberately not opened it to see what it was actually about.

And because of all that, if you cannot find a multistrand recoil spring for the P229, email me and I'll send you one.

Thanks for the kind words! I always try to eschew obfuscation!

My old spring measured 3-3/4" so I definitely need a replacement, and a search for Sig original multi-strand yielded no result. I really appreciate your offer, and will e-mail my address.

FYI, Sig sells the new-style spring as an individual item on their website for $14.99 plus shipping ($10!!! Haa!!!) but even though my 229 is pretty worn, I carry it frequently and will most definitely use yours.

Again, many thanks!

My g-mail didn't recognize your g-mail. Would you mind e-mailing me and I can just reply to you?

I hope I’m not drifting the thread, but I’d like to ask: why has the multi-stranded spring been superseded?

Email sent.

My guess about the springs is that the multistrand version was more expensive to make. But that's just a guess.

At the risk of taking his name in vain, I seem to recall that Bruce Gray said the multistrand types were superior to the coiled flat springs.

^ thanks for the opportunity to ask AI another gun question

My first thought was money and technological advances

Sig Sauer's transition to flat-wire recoil springs is primarily driven by manufacturing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and consistent force management rather than an inherent, sweeping performance upgrade over braided wires. [1, 2]
## Why Flat-Wire Springs Are Used

* Consistent Force Curve: A [flat wire spring](https://egwguns.com/blog/1911-recoil-springs-a-gunsmiths-comparison-of-flat-vs-round-wire/) provides a more uniform resistance level throughout the entire compression and return cycle of the slide. [3]
* Longevity and Durability: The rectangular cross-section handles stress efficiently, allowing the spring to maintain its tension and resist setting or sagging over a high round count. [4]
* Supply Chain and Cost: Sig shifted away from multi-strand braided springs—which historically originated from European manufacturing partners—because flat-wire alternatives proved easier and more cost-effective to source and manufacture in large quantities. [1, 2]

## Braided vs. Flat-Wire Performance

* Braided (Multi-Strand) Springs: Made of multiple twisted smaller wires, braided springs offer great flexibility and a smooth compression feel, but they can be significantly more expensive to produce and replace. [2, 5]
* Practical Differences: While flat-wire springs stack compactly and offer a predictable life span, many shooters note that the real-world difference in felt recoil between a healthy braided spring and a flat-wire spring is minimal. [3, 4]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SigSentry,

The reason it’s always better to go by round count is because even a fresh spring will set when left inside a pistol. It could have 0 rounds on it, but when you remove it to inspect it, it will be slightly shorter than an identical spring that has never been installed. It may even be as short as a well-used spring that would need replacing.

As for why SIG moved away from the braided one? Probably cost. Braided springs are better than single-wire springs in a number of ways.

^^^^^
All that occurred to me, but considering what I did know (short by nearly an inch) against what I didn't know (round count) safe was better than sorry.

^^^Always is for these things. If it's short by nearly an inch, I'd say that's pretty excessive. Anyway, I don't know that I'd have a problem with using the newer styles of springs, but I'd take advantage of their availability and just replace them more often.

Oh, yeah. Since we are on the subject (and thanks for all that, SigSentry), the older recoil springs consisted of multiple wire strands twisted around a central axis or core; they are not braided. (A retired 357/40 P229 spring.)





Braiding consists of the strands interwoven among each other:





More of my terminology persnicketiness coming out.

Thank you.

a lot of people here used to swear by Wolff springs. https://www.gunsprings.com/

I guess I am not a good enough shooter to tell much difference.

YMMV

I used Wolff springs in my competition Colt Mk 4 Series 70 many years ago and liked them.

More recently I got some for my pre-war Walther PPK and the recoil spring was too thick, so not so happy.

OP,
You'll have 3 options for OEM SIG P229 357/40 recoil springs.

The LIGHT Blue color coded twisted wire springs made in the USA were wound for a P226/P220 that is of smaller diameter than a P229 guide rod.
The above act like chinese finger locks.

The DARK Blue color coded twisted wire springs made in Germany are wound correctly for the P229 357/40.

I do not have part numbers in front of me or I'd post them.

I'll have to pull my spring out again in the morning, I know it's blue but don't remember light or dark. From memory, I think it's light, which would indicate the 220/226 but my 229 functioned fine with whatever it has in it.

Do you mind if I ask where you got your info?

Thanks

In all my experiences with Classic line SIG pistols either on the Internet or in factory armorer classes, I never heard any discussion of light blue versus dark blue color coding on recoil springs. In inspecting my stash, though, I did note that the springs for use in 357 SIG or 40 S&W P229 pistols have dark or light blue paint markings. They are, nevertheless, all for the same pistols and they are all the same length. They were purchased directly from SIG years ago when the pistols themselves were still available as factory models.

In fact, I still have a couple/three 357/40 P229 recoil springs without any color code paint at all; that was the practice before SIG evidently felt it was necessary to help people identify the springs by a more obvious method than looking at the number of strands and the length. In any event, multistrand springs with blue paint, either dark or light, are for the 357/40 P229.

Multistrand recoil springs for 9mm P226s are marked with orange paint. Similar springs for 357 SIG or 40 S&W P226s are marked with green paint; those springs are also used in P220s chambered for 45 ACP. FWIW, multistrand springs for the 9mm P229 have white paint, and those for 9mm P226s have orange paint.

As for the diameter of recoil spring guides (rods), they are the same for P226s and P229s. I just measured two solid guides, and both were 0.3235". I didn’t bother to try to find any hollow rods to check, but they would have to be the same diameter or close to it to permit using either type with standard recoil springs. According to my parts number list, P226s and P220s use the same guide rods.

The “Chinese finger lock” thing is evidently a misunderstanding about how the multistrand springs are to be installed on the guide rod. Most, but perhaps not all of those springs have an end that’s wound tighter and the other end is looser. The proper method is to insert the guide rod into the tighter end. That permits the slide to cycle freely when the gun is fired. If the rod is inserted into the looser end, the tight end at the front of the rod will tend to impede the movement of the slide and can cause slow slide speed malfunctions. That was something I always stressed to my students when my agency’s issued handguns were P220s. It’s possible to make a slightly salacious joke about how “Tight is right” as a memory aid.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
As for the diameter of recoil spring guides (rods), they are the same for P226s and P229s. I just measured two solid guides, and both were 0.3235". I didn’t bother to try to find any hollow rods to check, but they would have to be the same diameter or close to it to permit using either type with standard recoil springs. According to my parts number list, P226s and P220s use the same guide rods.

The “Chinese finger lock” thing is evidently a misunderstanding about how the multistrand springs are to be installed on the guide rod. Most, but perhaps not all of those springs have an end that’s wound tighter and the other end is looser. The proper method is to insert the guide rod into the tighter end. That permits the slide to cycle freely when the gun is fired. If the rod is inserted into the looser end, the tight end at the front of the rod will tend to impede the movement of the slide and can cause slow slide speed malfunctions. That was something I always stressed to my students when my agency’s issued handguns were P220s. It’s possible to make a slightly salacious joke about how “Tight is right” as a memory aid.

FYI-
I am capable of determining the tighter end of a recoil spring & how it is to be inserted onto the guide rod...
OEM SIG P220/226 hollow guide rods measure.312" diameter.
OEM SIG P228/P229 hollow guide rods measure .321"diameter.

The Light Blue color coded Made in the USA P229 357/40 spring part number is spring 28.
The Dark Blue color coded Made in Germany P229 357/40 spring part number is 342245750R.

Clowns on the inetrnet claimed the Light Blue "JUNK" springs were damaged in shipping!
(One can NOT fix stupid)