Alum. Frame on the Kimber Pro Carry

[manwithoutahome]

1911Tuner, have a question.

Besides not being very good eye candy when you break down the Kimber after using CMC mags, is the damage that the mags do to the frame going to buckle or destroy the gun at a later date? I don't know if you know but the follower on the CMC mags "nick" the frame and make really ugly indentions. Also, the feed ramp was "polished" on this one, it was bought used. I can see where the hollow points/ammo have made a few dings into the alum. It still seems to feed well but the looks are just not good.

Any worries or should I just enjoy the gun and continue to entrust it not to fail (it hasn't yet)? I'm just "paranoid" about such things.

Thank you in advance.

Wayne

 

[1911Tuner]

Nicked Feed Ramp

Howdy Wayne,

You've just seen another reason that I don't care for the Devel follower. They're not stable enough on the last round because the shortened rear
leg doesn't have the length to get three full spring coils against it...and the
last round rocks it right into the frame. Powermags are the worst offenders. The extra-power spring that is part of the reason that they work well is also part of their downfall with alloy frames.

The damage to your feed ramp isn't destructive enough to cause the frame to break any time soon, if at all. Also, because the front of the follower noses down into a deeper part of the ramp, it probably won't affect feeding
as long as it isn't allowed to continue.

Run your finger around the damaged area to feel for metal displacement.
Often, a gouge will also raise material above the surface. Take a small
pocketknife and lightly scrape any sharp or raised areas to smooth them.
Don't try to remove the marks, and don't change the angle of the ramp.
Be especially careful to not round off the top edge that leads to the barrel throat. If you do, the bullet won't deflect off the top of the ramp at a sufficient angle to enter the throat, and will be pushed into the edge instead, making for a pretty hard jam.

If the damage is bad enough to cause feeding problems, you can have the
frame cut for a steel insert that will make it as durable as a steel framed gun. Try Evolution Gun Works...I believe they offer that service there for a
reasonable price and turnaround time. There are some others that do that operation too...I just can't think of any more right off the top of my head. Somebody else will soon chime in and provide more names, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, you can salvage your magazines by ordering standard 7-round followers from Metalform. They'll probably drop right in and go, and the
Powermag spring is compatible. If your magazines are Shooting Stars, I
recommend swapping the springs out for Wolff 11-pound springs along with the standard followers.

Hope this helps. Luck!

Tuner

 

[Kruzr]

The typical nicks caused by the older style Kimber mags with the split follower is below the feed ramp and is cosmetic only. But it isn't pretty.

(Photo from sticky on 1911forum)

 

[Dave Sample]

LW Lower End 1911's are meant to be carried a lot and not shot much. If you want to use one as a shooter, you have the option of installing a ramped barrel or having a steel feed ramp inserted in the frame. Don Williams and Chuck Rogers prefer that latter, I think. I like the ramped barrel idea but there is very little difference in price as with the feed ramp insert, you do not need a new barrel. The steel ramp does not add any appreciable weight, either. I do not think the followers are going to hurt the part of the ramp that counts.