Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Need some advice in a Coonan .357 pistol I just bought

LarryG

I bought a Coonan Classic .357 pistol recently from a local gun store, used as a firing range rental. Decided to give it a good cleaning and change out the recoil spring with a new Wolff spring. The spring arrived a couple of days ago and I saw a second much spring that looks like a Coonan firing pin spring.

When I pulled the old recoil spring out, it was a good one inch shorter than the new Wolff spring, I was thinking the spring might have been clipped? But why would someone cut off nearly 20% of the recoil spring? The new one I installed and racked it a few times, pretty stiff but I expected that for a new spring,

Second question concerning the smaller firing pin spring..I swap out recoil springs every 4000 rounds,,,am I missing something by not swapping out the firing pin spring too?

Appreciate you help in advance. Thanks

0

Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow

    Range rental guns, normally have thousands of rounds fired through them. Semi-autos in 357, require hot loads to function correctly. Back in the day. I had one of the early Desert Eagles in 357. It would only work with hot loads. I tried to reload some easier shooting loads, it choked on them.

    I hope your Coonan works OK, and you got some sort of a functioning guarantee from the range.

    3
  • charliemeyer007

    Springs can be interesting, especially in autoloaders. Length, diameter of the wire, material its made from and temper are factors in the design. You have a used gun, who knows what was done to it or why? Perhaps the spring was cut to make it a 38 Special +P.

    Back in the day when I ran a 1911, I put in a heavier recoil spring to replace the GI one. I have no idea of the round count except that I shot that pistol enough to make it a smooth bore using mostly cast bullets. I never changed the firing pin spring.

    3
  • LarryG

    Gents, thanks for the feedback...yes, I imagine this ex-range pistol has had it's share of rounds run through it. I was very surprised when I swapped out the recoil spring with the Wolff full power replacement. Guess it really does not matter why someone clipped the old one, the Coonan now has a new 22 pound one installed now.

    As long as I'm messing with springs I might as well change out the firing pin spring while I'm at it and give this thing a complete cleanup. Thanks again.

    0
  • Grasshopper

    When Coonan was in business they shipped a 38 spring with them. Might be what you have. They MAY have rented it to shoot 38's. A question worth asking. I checked a couple months ago and Coonan was still not shipping, maybe changed?

    0
  • LarryG

    Found that in December 3rd of 2019 the entire Coonan business and equipment was auctioned off. Coonan Arms is gone.

    Coonan, Inc.
    Hoff Online Auctions specializes in machinery auctions, used machinery, appraisals and liquidations


    I actually thought that the recoil spring may have been the one furnished by Coonan for .38 rounds. I have an original Coonan .38 spring to compare with, is not the same. It doe'st matter now anyway, I have a standard full power spring already installed and have changed out the firing pin spring as well.

    0
  • dfletcher

    The simplest suggestion is probably the correct one - lots of rounds through it. I suppose the range could have left a 38 Special specific spring in the gun. I have an older Coonan and pretty sure that's only swap out needed.

    I hope they gave you plenty of magazines - they ain't cheap. Makes me not feel so bad buying mags for the Steyr GB. :)

    0
  • charliemeyer007

    Not sure about them, their website is still up but last copyrighted 2015 and isn't secure. no https:

    http://www.coonaninc.com/

    0
  • rufe-snow

    I don't know if it makes a difference? Or if you even know? But their are different generations of Coonan's. The first ones, I remember, date to the mid 80's. They were out of business for awhile, after that first run. Then they started being made again.

    Don't know if there is any difference. Between the early 20 th, and later 21 Century production Coonan's?

    From my experience, with the 357 Desert Eagle. Semi-autos, chambered for magnum revolver cartridges. Are heavy clunkers, that have limited real world useability. If you want a heavy hitter in semi-auto. 10 mm is shaping up, to be the only game in town.

    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?