I know this isn't really a pistol oriented forum but I would like to do some do-it-yourself feed ramp polishing on my Springfield Armory 1911A1. What materials to use, how much can you polish this area, can you take any material away (the top edge on mine is quite sharp and putting a crease, sometimes a dent, in my brass). I hope some of you out there are willing to give me the "Guide for a compleat idiot version". I do have a Dremel tool but won't fire it up if an emory cloth and my fingers are just as good.

A dremel tool & the rubber polishing cylinders to get the tool marks out then a polishing wheel with polishing compound. Be carcul not to change the feed angle.

Welcome:
Gunsmithing is gunsmithing and pistol smiths are welcome in the forum too. I enjoy 1911s and have polished and smothed mine without a problem. Just go slow. I have found that using crocus and emry cloth and working by hand is the easiest way not to screw something up un til you think you know what you are doing.
Good luck
Judge Sharpe

Wink,

Is it the frame ramp or the barrel ramp that has the sharp edge that is creasing your cases...and are you sure that this is what is doing it?

I’ve worked on allot of 1911’s and have had more than my share of “learning experiences†over the years if you know what I mean!

As simple as they are in design, 1911’s have some critical areas that you can really screw up when polishing if you aren’t careful and if you don’t understand how the parts function together.

Before you grab that Dremmel or Foredom you need to have a good understanding of the geometrical relationship between those two ramps and how they effect the feeding and chambering of cartridges. Change that relationship, and you may solve one problem and create another that is much harder to fix. There is a critical gap (1/32â€) that has to exist between the frame ramp and the barrel ramp...and any polishing that you do can alter that and have a very bad effect on feeding and chambering.

My suggestion for an “idiot proof†process would be to first establish that your problem is being caused by what you think, and not by something else. Once you have done that, careful[!!!!!] use of Arkansas stones or a tri-angled scraper, followed with feeding dummy rounds coated with Dykum slowly through the weapon is the safest way to go. Do a little smoothing, cycle some rounds and check them for creasing, and then do more smoothing if need be.

Dremmel and Foredom tools are great...but they can remove allot more metal, and allot faster than you may think, even with the finest grit tips on them.

Rick, I am talking about the feed ramp on the frame. The barrel on my S&W 1911 is throated and polished just fine. It was fairly easy to diagnose the problem by by relieving the recoil spring (remonving the barrel bushing) and closing by hand the slide with a cartridge and watching its motion at several speeds. The barrel is definitely not in question. I think I will try polishing by hand the feed ramp first before anything else. What do you think about emory cloth or a fine grit?

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Rick, I am talking about the feed ramp on the frame. The barrel on my S&W 1911 is throated and polished just fine. It was fairly easy to diagnose the problem by by relieving the recoil spring (remonving the barrel bushing) and closing by hand the slide with a cartridge and watching its motion at several speeds. The barrel is definitely not in question. I think I will try polishing by hand the feed ramp first before anything else. What do you think about emory cloth or a fine grit?

Wink,

If it is a sharp edge on the frame feed ramp you can use a scraper to remove it. I’m talking about the hardened steel ones used for cleaning up steel edges. You can buy them at most good tool stores and they will shave metal and burnish it to a very smooth surface. I learned that trick from Jim Hoag and the smiths at Wilson’s Combat. What’s good with the scrapers is you just seem to have more “feel†control with them than you do with most other tools.

If you do use abrasive paper make sure to back it with something hard (wood dowel, drill rod, etc) so you get good even contact with the metal, and where you will have some feel and control.

Hard Arkansas stones will work well because they work by feel also.

Again...just keep the overall geometry in mind when removing or altering the metal and you should be okay. It’s also a good idea to use Dykum so you know exactly where your tool is making contact...and where it isn’t.

Just my opinion...but save the power tools for something else at this stage in the game.