1911 polishing

[f155mph]

My first post here

I am wondering if it is a good or bad idea to polish the ramp area on the frame to get smoother loading. If it is good idea what grit should I use? I am thinking 1000 then 2000 then polishing cream.

Also can I do this on the sear, disconnect, and hammer? I plan to use just the cream on these parts unless they are really rough.

 

[Rambosky]

I would recomend a gunsmith who works on 1911's to do this. This doesn't mean that you are not capable of doing it yourself, I just know too many guys who have ruined a good 1911 by doing what you stated above.

Is there a problem with your pistol feeding rounds now?

 

[1911Tuner]

Polishing

I would recomend a gunsmith who works on 1911's to do this. This doesn't mean that you are not capable of doing it yourself, I just know too many guys who have ruined a good 1911 by doing what you stated above.

Is there a problem with your pistol feeding rounds now?

Ay-GREED! Very few 1911 pistols built since the early 80s need any sort of ramp and throat work at all, and not many before that unless firing lead semi
wadcutters was anticipated. Going at a the frame and barrel ramps without a full understanding of you're doing is a short road to ruin.

 

[f155mph]

No I am not having feeding issue. Its just that the ramp is not very smooth. I am the only owner of my 1911s and it just look like the factory didn't do too good of a job.

 

[1911Tuner]

Smooth

No I am not having feeding issue. Its just that the ramp is not very smooth. I am the only owner of my 1911s and it just look like the factory didn't do too good of a job.

Brother...If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[greatgoogamooga]

If it's feeding fine, then I say go ahead and polish it. A Q-tip with some flitz would be nice.

Goog

 

[1911Tuner]

re:

Lord, give me strength...

 

[JerryM]

It is interesting at the talk regarding the smoothness of the feed ramp.

When I go to the range and shot 200 - 300 rounds of ammo; some of which might be lead, the feed ramp is caked up, and anything but smooth.

If it has to be so smooth, then why doesn't the gun malfunction as carbon builds up on the feed ramp?

Jerry

 

[HSMITH]

If it isn't smooth already all Flitz on a q-tip is going to is brighten the finish, not alter it to any significant degree. It will look a lot better but it won't be much different in reality.

Flitz does zilch-point-doodoo to the actual surface other than clean it unless used on high speed tools like a dremel, even then it takes a LOT of passes to significantly change anything.

If it isn't broken don't fix it.

 

[Choctaw56]

If you round the top edge of the feed ramp in your polishing work you may cause the bullet tip to catch on the bottom of the barrel ramp. Then you will have a feeding problem, especially if you like to reload with lead SWC's or if you want to use hollowpoints.

 

[1911Tuner]

re:

At the risk of offending...

Best not to cut, file, grind, lap, or polish anything unless:
A...You have a problem, and

B...You've determined that this problem can only be corrected by cutting, filing, grinding, lapping, or polishing, and

C...You know where and how much to cut, file, grind, lap, or polish.

Or...You can go with the doctrine of:

"If it ain't broke, keep fixin' it until it is."

Decisions, decisions...

Cheers!

 

[Iron bottom]

Well, I polished the ramp in the frame of a 1911 I'm fitting up. Got it together and off to the range. Got the magazines Tuner recommends. Metalform, flat dimpled follower and Wolff extra power magazine springs. Fifty rounds of hard ball functioned perfectly. Gold Dots all hit the frame ramp and stopped. Got home, took the slide off and slapped in a magazine of Gold Dots. Push a bullet out of the magazine and they all stop when they touch the ramp as they did when the slide pushed them at the range. So I got my bevel, set it to the same angle as the ramp and made a jig to guide a drill bit just a little bit smaller than the ramp in diameter with a peice of sand paper wrapped around and polished the ramp. I can now push a Gold Dot out of the magazine and up the ramp. Haven' fired it anymore , so I don't know if I cured the problem or not. I did get those Gold Dots moving up the ramp and I didn't ruin anything. Well, I don't think I did. I may have to go and get Tuner a switch. If I can reach another one.

 

[1911Tuner]

Polished

Good thinkin' Iron Bottom. As long as you maintained the ramp angle, the corner at the top, and the gap between the ramp corner and the lower edge of the barrel ramp/throat, you likely nailed it. Polishing alone usually isn't the cure though. What you may have done was to decrease the ramp angle a half-degree or so, or widened it out in the radius just a tiny bit...and that lets the Gold Dots run. That ramp angle is pretty critical at 31 degrees, and it can't vary a lot...and I mean minutes of angle rather than degrees.

While pushing on the slide isn't definitive, it's a good indicator. Proof of the puddin' is when you fire it.

 

[greatgoogamooga]

If it isn't smooth already all Flitz on a q-tip is going to is brighten the finish, not alter it to any significant degree. It will look a lot better but it won't be much different in reality.

Flitz does zilch-point-doodoo to the actual surface other than clean it unless used on high speed tools like a dremel, even then it takes a LOT of passes to significantly change anything.

If it isn't broken don't fix it.

Which is why I reccomended it. Some people gotta polish the feedramp because that's what they've read. If you gotta do it, use something that will make it look nice, but won't do any damage. Then you can sleep at night.

Goog

 

[Iron bottom]

I measure about .400 at the widest point of the frame ramp. About .050 between the barrel and frame ramp. Good corner at the top of the frame ramp. I used a black marker and 2000 grit paper and kept a close eye as the roughness was removed. I don't think the original ramp angle changed. I couldn't locate my protractor head, so don't know the exact angle.

Tuner; If those measurements don't sound right, Would you let me know, please Sir? I'll keep your recommendations in mind. Thanks.

 

[1911Tuner]

re:

The radius sounds okay. Angle of the ramp and the corner at the top is the most critical part. .050 inch of jump? That thing oughta feed full wadcutters once ya get it past the ramp.

Not meaning to jump so quick whenever somebody starts talkin' about
"Ramp and Throat" work, or polishing the same. Just that so many will read into it that polishing the ramp and barrel throat area to a mirror finish will magically cure all feed/return to battery issues...and when it doesn't, they'll too often do more of the same. Especially true when a small improvement is noticed, and it naturally follows that: "If a little bit is good, then a whole lot will HAVE to be gooder"...and the next thing they know, they've got one that won't run at all...and may never run again without expensive machine work to install a ramp insert.

I try to explain as gently as I can that polishing these areas is icing on the cake AFTER correcting the problem...not a cure-all...and that few misfeeds and/or failures to go to battery are caused by lack of ramp or throat smoothness alone...and even fewer are cured by polishing. I've seen too many unaltered USGI pistols eat almost everything that I could throw at'em
like green grease through a goose...hollowpoints and even lead semi-wadcutters...to buy into the wisdom that "All 1911s need a mirror-like ramp and throat job in order to feed anything but hardball."

Luck to ya!

 

[f155mph]

I did it! I sand the crap out of it and not it doesn't feed right!

JUST KIDDING!

I took some Fritz stuff and polish it. Like the other guy said, it don't do much but it looks nicer. I did install a C&S trigger pull reducer kit and it didn't reduce any pull at all. Oh well, I guess it at least made the trigger smoother and no creep.

 

[1911Tuner]

re:

Excellent news! Carry on, lad!

 

[Iron bottom]

The reason I decided to polish the frame ramp was I was pretty sure the magazines were OK since they functioned perfectly with hard ball. The Gold Dots were pushed partially out of the magazine by the slide and then stopped by the frame ramp. Since the round never got close to the breech face, extractor or barrel, I ruled those out. I figured the ramp should be the first thing to get some attention. Gold Dots can now be chambered by sling shoting or the slide release. Haven't fired the pistol with Gold Dots yet, but I'm happy with the rusults so far.

 

[1911Tuner]

Polishing

Sometimes it works well if the ramp is really rough or too steep...which occasionally they are. The reason that I cringe whenever somebody mentions polishing a feed ramp is because there's no 3-day waiting period on Dremels...