Feed Ramp Polishing

[AnklePocket]

I've got a new Kahr PM9 that has a hard time chambering the first round. It hits the face of the feed ramp and just sits there (in the correct position, but it doesn't get chambered without hitting the bottom of the mag). I'm sure that it'll break in and be fine, but I was wondering how to best make the feed ramp perfectly smooth by hand, if possible, without any power tools.

 

[mete]

If you don't have suitable stones take a dowel and wrap it with abrasive paper . Pick a dowel and paper that will be just under the diameter of the ramp . work it parallel to the barrel. 400 grit paper should be fine enough. Just polish, don't change angles or surfaces.

 

[J.Gillespie]

Anklepocket,
I have a PM9 also and have the same problem as yours. I ended up polishing the feed ramp and the exterior of the barrel with my dremel tool ( I know you said no power tools) with felt tip pads and blue magic polish. Turned out great! And now my PM9 feeds that first round like slicing through butter. Took about a half an hour to do and made a HUGE difference! Just my .02 worth.

 

[jrhines]

Mete has it right - You can get fine abrasive paper at automotive repair shops. Use the wet/dry type, starting with 400, then 600 grit. - I use a drop or two of Remoil or the like. The important thing is to polish the feed ramp in the same direction that the rounds chamber, that is, as Mete said, in line with the barrel! I finish off with a patch with a little jewelers rouge and get a mirror like finish. No power tools needed or should be used, you want to polish the surface, not remove metal. Clean up like you just shot a match - you should be good to go.

J.Rhines
Seneca, MD

 

[Nero Steptoe]

You'd be a lot less likely to remove metal using a Dremel, felt wheel, and Simichrome polish than any of the sandpapers mentioned. Simichrome is fine enough to polish plexiglass. Try that with sandpaper.

 

[Desert Dog]

...and once your done with the Simichrome polish, put a new felt wheel on the Dremel with a dab of Flitz, and bring out a mirror finish on it. I do this to all my semi-autos, even those without feed problems, and I do not get misfeeds or stovepiping...

YMMV,

 

[AnklePocket]

Hope you don't mind me asking, but is a basic Dremel setup from Sears Hardware good to go? And can one get Simichrome and Flitz there or at Pep Boys? Sounds like the way to go is to very carefully use Simichrome on a felt wheel with a Dremel Tool and then repeat using Flitz. Yes?

 

[Edward429451]

Dremel, Simichrome, Flitz. Tada! I do not go over 15000 rpms when polishing with a Dremel. Possible to burn the finish of the metal. Ask me how I know.

 

[mete]

Mirror polish ? you going to shave with it? The ramps are cut with a milling cutter leaving transverse machining marks in the ramp. It's these machining marks that can catch the bullet and cause problems. Polishing with a dowel , parallel with the barrel will remove the machining marks while keeping the ramp straight.Thats more efficient and does better job than dremel. Anything beyond 400 grit is just for show.

 

[Desert Dog]

Hey, mirror finish guarantees there are no axial grooves from the machining process... thus no feed issues... with any shape bullet.

My Ruger P90 that is done that way will feed handloads with 255 gr LBT's...

Try that with your racegun... or any gun for that matter.

YMMV,

 

[jrhines]

I think I remember that the original question was without power tools. Yeah, boy, you can use a 10hp gas powered grinder if that's what you want to do. I prefere to clamp the barrel in my lead-jawed vise, turn on some music, put on the optivisors, get a wood dowel & some fine grit wet/dry paper...you know the drill! I'm not in a rush, I'm not going to heat up the metal, the tool is not going to get away from me, and the results will please me and so far, my customers.
Again, I agree with Mete, you need to remove the transverse machining marks. I like to bring it to a high polish, and again Mete is right, just for show. Never had a customer to run his thumb along the feed ramp and ask if that was smooth enough!
And when someone asks advice and stipulates "without power tools", I'll first try to give 'em a workable solution the way they asked. Using the Dremel is a two step process, first learn to use the Dremel, then learn to polish a feed ramp. You guys using felt wheels are doing it right, but I've seen a few feed ramps polished with rubber abrasive wheels that, IMHO, simply made the problem worse.

J.Rhines
Seneca, MD

 

[AnklePocket]

Thanks. Done. Used a thin dowel (maybe 1/4") and some 400 and 600. Worked it gently until all seemed uniform to include rounding a tiny bit entering into the barrel (made sure to finish with movements in the same direction as the barrel). Then switched to 600 and repeated. Then got out the Sig.
Not yet sure if that did it, but it didn't hurt.

 

[Nero Steptoe]

None of my Glocks had machining ridges in the feed ramps, so the Dremel/Simichrome worked fine for me. I did notice the subject ridges on the feedramp of my Colt 1911. I didn't have any sandpaper of the proper grit, so I just polished aggressively with the Dremel/Simichrome, and it worked out fine.

I agree that the felt wheel/Simichrome method wouldn't do much for smoothing out machining marks.

 

[bountyhunter]

"Polishing with a dowel , parallel with the barrel will remove the machining marks while keeping the ramp straight.Thats more efficient and does better job than dremel. Anything beyond 400 grit is just for show."

And, since most people don't have a full selection of dowels handy (but do have a set of drill bits) you can use the smooth end (shank) of the drill bit as a sanding tool with the paper wrapped around it.

 

[hansolo]

Feedramp Polishing

I did the sandpaper-on-dowel/Flitz method and brought my CZ 75B ramp to a mirror shine. HERE IS MY QUESTION: as it's obvious that many of us semiauto owners have this to deal with, you would think the pistol manufacturers would get a clue and SEND THE DARN GUNS OUT WITHOUT THE NEED OF US BUYERS TO DO SOME GUNSMITHING JUST TO GET THEM TO FEED!

 

[jrhines]

Good question hans-
I would suspect that more than a few semi owners are content to have the occasional miss feed, 'cause they don't shoot that often, and don't think they will ever need the gun to perform anywhere but the range. For the typical massproduced pistol they simply don't spend that mush time on fit and finish beyond the basics. If you want hand fitting, polished feed ramp, consistant lock-up, a trigger that feels like a glass rod breaking, trit sights, milled backstrap, etc., you can get it, but now you are no longer in the $350 CZ range, but in the $1000 Kimber range. But many of these chee-chees you can do on the trusty carry gun yourself. A nicely finished feed ramp is a great place to start. And the result is a gun that performs the way you you need and expect it to.

J.Rhines
Seneca, Md