HELP! Stop me from doing something stupid!
OK. Let's start with my Colt Defender, which, instead of "breaking in," is "breaking out."
It's been back to the store because it was having trouble ejecting/feeding. After they "tweaked" the extractor and after I researched and (oh-so-slightly!!!) radiused the bottom of the extractor recess, it now throws brass to virtually the same spot every time.
HOWEVER ...
This gun has ALWAYS had trouble with JHPs, and it has now gotten unmanageable. It is NOT the mags --- we tried Colt, Springfield, Wilson, etc. --- all the same. As mentioned, it is NOT an FTE problem --- yesterday, I rapid-fired/upside-down fired/etc., and the gun works beautifully with FMJs. I mean, perfect.
BUT --- put JHPs in, and it gags --- the live round either jams horizontally or stovepipes nose-up.
I did some research (sight1911.com), downloaded the 1942 blueprints, stripped my Springfield 1911A1 and the Colt Defender, and took out the calipers.
The space between the frame ramp and the barrel ramp is greater on the SA (supposed to be 1/32"+ ?) It is negligible on the Colt. The distance from the back of the barrel link ears to the edge of the SA barrel ramp is 0.222" --- the distance on the Colt is 0.247".
So it seems to me that my Defender's barrel throat is coming into battery at least 0.025" too far back. Which would be, what? --- about 80% of the tolerance out? When I strip the Defender, mount the barrel (without the slide), and put a mag with JHPs in and "hand-feed," I can feel the bullet grabbing on the throat.
SO --- how idiotically, insanely stupid
would it be to gently file down the bottom of the Defender's barrel ramp, then re-bevel and polish?
(Oh, I can feel the love, here ...)
The barrel throat currently has what appears to be the correct 18-degree bevel running around from the hood, and at the bottom --- the ramp --- there's a smooth, narrow half-moon indent (about 0.004" deep), all polished nicely.
After reading a number of horror stories
here, I'm a little slow to trash a $200 barrel. On the other hand, it looks (deceptively?) simple to correct this. I also don't want to wait til July to get the gun back ...
Either that, or live with ball ammo. Sure.
OK. Let the cussin' begin ...