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Polishing the ramp on a semi-automatic pistol

3K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  Lancebear 
#1 · (Edited)
I was in the store the other day looking for some ammo and got talking to the sales person and we got on to the conversation of polishing the ramp on my semi-auto pistol to improve cycling of rounds.

Has anybody done this? To me it does not sound too difficult. What should I watch out for and what would the best approach be? I am very handy and mechanically inclined, just not real brave when I'm not sure how to do something.

Thanks in advance,

Grey
 
#2 ·
I have done a few, but the key word is polishing. I use my dremel, cloth polishing wheel and a couple different grits of clay(harbor freight or Ebay). Your barrel will get pretty warm, so I clamp them in my vise with some heavy 1/2" thick nylon blocks.
You don't want to take any real material off, so little by little and keep checking your work is the best way to learn. You could pick up a couple old barrels @ a show to practice on. I learned by doing Hi Points, so there wouldn't have been a loss anyway.
Tony
 
#3 ·
Are you having a feeding problem? Is it ammo brand/type specific? Is the ramp damaged, rough or scored?
If the answer is no, don't fix what ain't broke!
If there is some obvious pitting or scoring hanging reliable feeding, a Dremel with the fine grit polishing wheel followed by 1600 grit wet/dry sandpaper should smooth out any rough spots.
 
#4 ·
I've used a ceramic knife sharpening rod by hand to avoid the Dremel out of control syndrome. On a pistol like an unramped barrel 1911 it'll prevent a step from the frame part of the ramp to the barrel part.
 
#6 ·
Dremel makes polishing tips. They come in different shapes and are made of a felt type material. They also have the polishing paste. It's looks like clay as Tony said. I just used them to polish the sear spring on my MN 91-30. You would have to polish for days with these to "remove" any amount of metal so I think it would be perfect for doing a feed ramp. The chance of doing any harm from a "slip" is minimal at best.
 
#7 ·
The chance of doing any harm from a "slip" is minimal at best.
Obviously you haven't seen me at work with a Dremel, blowing up a polishing tip and then spending a couple hours polishing out the track the shaft made.
 
#9 ·
Most people hear "polish" and think..."like a mirror".
That's incorrect. What we mean is that the ramps should be smooth and any machine marks should be leveled just enough to prevent a bullet nose from catching.
a better term is "honed" or "de-burred".

Trying for a bright mirror shine is how barrels and frames get ruined.
So why do custom guns have a mirror-like shine?
Simple. Because if we didn't put on a mirror shine the customer will think we either forgot or we're trying to cheat them by charging for something we didn't do.

The difference is, we know how to do it without ruining the parts.

I did my work with a Foredom Flex-Shaft, hard felt "bullet" tips, and jewelers polishing media. Brownell's also sell good polishing media.

But, as above, if the gun is working properly and no bullets are failing to feed due to a rough ramp, exactly how is polishing the ramp going to "improve" it or make it work "better"?
 
#10 ·
Most people hear "polish" and think..."like a mirror".
That's incorrect. What we mean is that the ramps should be smooth and any machine marks should be leveled just enough to prevent a bullet nose from catching.
a better term is "honed" or "deburred".

Trying for a bright mirror shine is how barrels and frames get ruined.
So why do custom guns have a mirror-like shine?
Simple. Because if we didn't put on a mirror shine the customer will think we either forgot or we're trying to cheat them by charging for something we didn't do.

The difference is, we know how to do it without ruining the parts.

I did my work with a Foredom Flex-Shaft, hard felt "bullet" tips, and jewelers polishing media. Brownells also sell good polishing media.

But, as above, if the gun is working properly and no bullets are failing to feed due to a rough ramp, exactly how is polishing the ramp going to "improve" it or make it work "better"?
Very good post. We also call it blending. I know it's hard for the average person to get what we are describing. Very often a machined and blended surface is actually a lot smoother than it looks. As the above states you should try to achieve a smooth consistent surface without sharp edges.
 
#11 ·
My problem is the snubbed tip of a hollow point or JHP causes the round to drag as it is being loaded. So I was looking at 124gn JHP rounds for my 9mm. All I need is just a slightly rounded tip or slightly longer tip. They feed as is but I would feel a little more at ease is they would run a little smoother.
 
#12 ·
If they will feed now, but its kind of clunky, just run a bunch through it by hand and get the exact polish you need in the right spots.
 
#13 ·
I read somewhere that is was a bad idea to run live rounds through a gun like that, that it could make them unstable or undependable or something.
 
#14 ·
Whatever the pros and cons you guys come up with, here are two more: don't do it to a Walther P1 and don't ask how I know this.
 
#16 ·
Thank you, after I read about the problems of cycling rounds, I could not understand why it would cause problems. What you said makes sense as to why it creates a problem.
 
#17 ·
I think you are describing an ammo problem rather than a feed ramp problem. Plain and simple, if the ramp was designed to feed a particular bullet weight, with a round nose or particular shape, angle and mechanics may not match lighter, shorter or more flat nosed JHP rounds.
Back in the day when the great migration to semi-auto 9mm was sweeping the police community, and is was soon discovered 9mm was not reliable as a man stopping round, makers started churning out all sorts of 9mm load with every configuration under the sun. Some guns, designed for a full size round nose, just flat out refused to reliably eat them. I recall going through that with several brands that were totally unreliable for feeding.

dfariswheel is correct! There was very good reason why we routinely replaced all ammo twice a year at qualifications and made sure all old ammo was shot during the qualifications. Cycling rounds through the gun without firing will eventually lead to nicks and dents in the case and bullets pushed back deeper than they should be seated.
Which reminds me ... that I am guilty of doing this right now charging my 1911 before I put it on and emptying it when I put it away! I'll empty that magazine next range trip!
 
#19 ·
The bottom line is, guns can be maddeningly perverse.
Not all guns "like" all ammo.
It's common to see a gun that will shoot one brand or type of ammo and choke on another of the same type.
Try them in another gun of the same brand and type and both may shoot, neither may shoot, or the one that failed in the other gun will shoot and the one that didn't will.

This is why a smart shooter gives a gun, magazine, and ammo combination at least a 100 and better 200 round verification.
A number of people simply decide they're going to use a specific ammo in a gun and when it won't work, they get determined that it's GOING to work or else, instead of simply choosing another ammo from the huge number available.

These days, bullet technology is at the point where virtually any brand of premium American made defense ammo is about as close to 100% effective as we're going to get.
Worrying about what's "the best" ammo is an exercise in futility.
Test fire until you find ammo that's RELIABLE in your specific gun and buy lots of it.
Accuracy in a real defense gun is of very little importance.
 
#21 ·
I have seen myself shooting a hundred or two rounds through a jam o matic of something it loved to feed, and then switch to the things it didnt like, and have them work then.
 
#22 ·
You really need to address the basics before you start cutting into the feed ramp.
This addresses 1911 types but all the Browning designs and most other autoloaders have similar issues.
First, the recoil spring has to fit the load and heavier isn't better. Too heavy causes jams. Too light, it'll run fine but batter the frame. Look for tables of spring weight vs loading.
Second, you need good reliable mags with spec springs. Many aftermarkets stink, plus mag lips wear and bend or are bent, and springs wear out if cycled a lot. I've found all sorts of strange problems showing up with extended capacity mags especially.
Third, you need a good extractor, not sticking, not worn, with a spring or bend that exerts the proper amount of pressure.
Fourth, a lot of pistols will not work with a weak grip.
Get these worked out with a rounded nose bullet loading and then you can think about ramping and throating to get it to work on various hollowpoints.
 
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