feed ramp polishing

[bikerbill]

I have a 1911 with a less-than-gleaming feed ramp. Can I polish it without investing in power tools, and if so what procedure should I follow?

 

[Bullseye Shooter]

The easiest way is with a wood dowel and some fine grit abrasive paper.

 

[Charley]

I love power tools! I've bought some great stuff very cheaply over the years from folks wailing away with Dremels and the like! Just polish by hand, as stated above, and it will work fine. Add some light oil to your abrasive paper, and it will cut better and longer.

 

[BT1911]

Are you having feeding problems?

 

[bikerbill]

Yes, BT1911 ... there's a sort of a dark smudge at one edge of the ramp; got most of it off with my usual cleaner and a bit of rubbing, but I want to just polish the whole ramp before I give up and either get a new barrel or look for a gunsmith ...

 

[BT1911]

Like Bullseye said, the easiest way is sandpaper. I personally would use my finger against the paper as a dowel may alter the ramp shape depending on what grit paper you start with. It will take some time. If you have a dremel, you can use Cratex tips which cuts down the time quite a bit. If there are no visible chatter marks on the ramp, giving it a mirror finish won't take care of an issue caused by a poorly throated barrel, mistuned extractor, etc. What kind of feeding problems are you having? Also, is it a steel or aluminum frame pistol? If aluminum, you may remove the anodize from the ramp if you're too aggressive.

and either get a new barrel

Unless this is a ramped barrel 1911, buying a new barrel is not going to fix the feeding problem if the bullet is entering the chamber.

 

[Texas1911]

I used a polishing compound and some elbow grease to do my Glock. It's an intermediate grit, so it's got more bite than some of the fine polishes out there.

 

[Shorts]

The easiest way is with a wood dowel and some fine grit abrasive paper.

^^^^

That is the method I use. You can start with 400 grit, then 600, 800, etc... Do no go lower than 400.

Be sure you do not round the top edge of the frame ramp. You must keep that frame to barrel ramp gap at 1/32"

It doesn't take a whole lot to get good results so don't go overboard.



I saw "or get a new barrel" up there. What's that about?

 

[navyguy]

I use Flitz and some elbow grease. A good alternate to Flitz is automotive rubbing compound, although it is a bit more abrasive so go slow if that's you're choice. Unless you have deep groves or nicks, you're not trying to remove metal, just get a good smooth shine on the surface.

When you say you might need to replace the barrel, are you saying you have a barrel with a feed ramp?

Check this page out for some good info on tweaking your 1911

1911 Reliability Secrets

 

[bikerbill]

the ramp is integral with the barrel (it's a 3-inch Kimber). It feeds FMJ fine, FTFeed with one or two JHPs; found the dirty area after taking the gun down for cleaning. Getting a new barrel is an alternative if I can't solve the problem with polishing ... but it sounds like I'll be able to fix it pretty easily ... the gun's been perfect for more than a year, about 600 rds through it with NO failures before the last trip to the range and this issue popped up.

 

[TxEMTP69]

600 rounds of FMJ or JHP combined?

 

[Shorts]

Get the feed ramp polished. Then try different brands of JHP and see if your gun finds what it likes. Between the brands there are slight differences in the shape of the nose which affect feeding and reliability. You may be able to sort out your issue by changing ammo. I don't *think* a barrel change is necessary until ammo choices are exhausted, especially if your current setup is reliable with FMJs.

 

[jake75]

My 2 cents are a little late but you can start with 320 grit, run 400 grit over it and finish it with 600 grit. To get it to shine rub on some Simichrome polish and coat it with a light coat of oil. You can get the polish at a motorcycle shop. I have done a couple of bolts on some rifles that way and they turned out really nice.

 

[ftw13]

+1 to that jake's my best bud and he should post a pic of the SKS bolt he did....slicker than hell

 

[bikerbill]

The 600 rds are combined tho most are FMJ ... It has always liked 230gr Golden Sabers, and that's what I was using for carry before the ramp issue showed up at the last range trip. I'll run a box through it after I try the polishing advice you guys have generously shared, tho I'm thinking of also trying PowR'Balls, which feed perfectly in my nightstand gun, a Springer 4-inch Loaded.

 

[bikerbill]

Just wanted to thank everybody for their help; I picked up some 400 and 600 paper, used it with a little gun oil and the ramp is now smooth and gleaming ... the JHPs that were hanging up now slide in perfectly and after a quick trip to the range and about 150 rds downrange, including FJM and a box of Gold Sabers (damn, it's cold here!), am once again content with my Kimber ... love having a place to go where all my questions can be answered by people who know, not just guess ...

 

[Sal1911a1]

Don't

Deleted,

 

[Lobo_79]

I have a 1911 with a less-than-gleaming feed ramp. Can I polish it without investing in power tools, and if so what procedure should I follow?

If you hang out at the 1911 forum you've probably asked the same question over there. I'll give away my ignorance here but I've always believed there was a point of diminishing returns on polishing the feed ramp on a 1911. This can be worsened by using rotary power tools. I'm really suggesting you use a lot of caution before you get after it with a power tool. The results may be mixed...or worse.

 

[Shorts]

Just wanted to thank everybody for their help; I picked up some 400 and 600 paper, used it with a little gun oil and the ramp is now smooth and gleaming ... the JHPs that were hanging up now slide in perfectly and after a quick trip to the range and about 150 rds downrange, including FJM and a box of Gold Sabers (damn, it's cold here!), am once again content with my Kimber ... love having a place to go where all my questions can be answered by people who know, not just guess ...

 

[Army 1911]

Remember that you want to polish and not remove metal. The angle of the ramp must be maintained. As for not liking some ammo, welcome to the world of the 1911.
Different guns have different preferences on ammo even from the same gun maker. Most top smiths have a reliability package that for a SD gun may be of advantage to you.

If you use sandpaper, try a wet dry at about 1400 grit and use oil with it. Do not use too much pressure. A metal polish and a rag on a dowel may be the safer way.