Feed ramp work

[jonk]

My RIA .45 will not reliably feed semi-wadcutters. I bought the mold, and duh, then see it says right in the book, "the feed ramp is designed to feed round nose ball ammo. Use of semi wadcutters or wadcutters will require feed ramp modification by a qualified gunsmith."

So here is my thinking. If getting the ramp ground and polished is equal to or less in cost than a new 6 cavity mold, I'll do that; otherwise I'll get a new mold in a RN profile.

How much do you reckon such a job would be?

[CSH]

It depends on who does the work. The better known shops will charge $50 - $60 (plus the cost to overnight it to and from, which would add another $60 - $70), while a local smith might do it for $30 - $40. For a RIA I would just buy a RN mould. You can always sell the SWC mould and get some or most of your money back.

[nicholst55]

Back when I had the keys to the Arms Room, I used to shoot SWC boolits, both cast and J-word, through a USGI M1911A1 all the time. The ONLY mods done to the feed ramp was to polish it with a rubber polishing tip from Dremel. I did have to modify the GI mags to get them to feed SWCs, but commercial mags should be fine.

I'd suggest trying it first, before spending the money - you may be pleasantly surprised.

[jonk]

Well, what usually happens is that the slide starts to close on the round, and the nose gets jammed in the top part of the chamber, not against the ramp. Which makes me wonder. But I will try the 'cheap and harmless' mod first. Thanks!

[fourarmed]

Jonk, if the bullet is jamming against the top of the chamber mouth, that usually means that the magazine feed lips are too far apart, releasing the round too soon.

[jonk]

Hmm. I tried it with 2 different mags, but one is just a cheapo $6.95 one from a gunshow; I'll try bending them in. The other is a Novaks. I don't have this particular problem with jacketed ammo.

[ReAX222]

You might also try putting a little polish on a q-tip and smoothing the chamber out. I usually q-tip/wenol the ramp and chamber to a near mirror finish, bullets go in and out very nicely after wards. I wouldn't try it with power, you don't want to remove much metal.

I am not a reloading expert by any means, but have you tried shortening the round a couple of thousandths?

[mtgrs737]

From my experiance if the round is jamming into the top of the chamber the round is either too long, or the feed lips on the magazine are not releasing the round soon enough for the cartridge to ride up the breach face and aline with the chamber, shorter feed lips are in order.

[fourarmed]

Wouldn't shorter feed lips let the round stand up sooner, raising the nose higher? Shortening feed lips was always the fix for the Houston High Standard magazines, and their problem was that the bullet jammed against the bottom of the chamber mouth.

[AZ Pete]

could also be a burr around the firing pin hole catching the rim. If you rub your thumb nail across the firing pin hole and it shaves the nail, you can lightly chamfer the hole, that is what worked on my Gold Cup.

[KCSO]

The new RIA's are all throated and mine feeds semi's just fine, as soon as i used a quality magazine. I would first invest in a good Wilson magazine. Although the mags that come with the gun are marked Novak's I don't think much of them, they work best with 7 or less in the magazine. As to the throating job I would try some polish and some rouge first and see if smooth and a new mag do the job. If you dont have a dermel use crocus cloth and a dowell and then go to canvas rubbed with tripoli or rouge.

[Single Shot]

Try a fluff and buff.

I have reworked many autos and my RIA 45 this way and they feed semi wad cutters fine. The key is a smooth polished feed ramp. Check mag lips too. Polish them if needed.

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/fluffandbuff.htm

[35remington]

Do not alter the feed ramp angle or polish it back excessively. The feed ramp must have a gap between it and the start of the barrel ramp or the 1911 will not feed as intended.

Try different magazines before altering anything on the gun. Polishing the ramp is very overrated as a cure for misfeeding. The vast majority of the time it's caused by something else.

Try the magazines the gun was originally designed to run with - the tapered lip style. These offer the best chance for reliable feeding in any gun. Despite the high cost, "brand name" magazines often make the gun more likely to jam. Wadcutter magazines like McCormicks force the cartridge to climb more steeply up the feed ramp, making the gun more likely to misfunction, as opposed to the magazines the 1911 was designed to run with.

Try the longnose SWC style like the H&G 68 pattern - this caters to the 1911's preference in overall length. Usually, rounds loaded to 1.22 inches or longer most nearly duplicate the feeding characteristics of rounds the 1911 was designed to run with.

I've seen more 1911's ruined by overzealous feed ramp polishing than any other cause. It don't have to have a mirror finish to run reliably - just the proper ramp angle and magazine, assuming all else is okay.

[7s&8s]

No expert by any means, but a couple of thoughts...
Is slide recoiling far enough back? Had similar situation while working up the first cast loads in both beretta92 and cz97. Feeding was problematic until you got to sufficient power. SWC in 92 and rn/rnhp in 97.
Also had experience with the beretta failing to cycle with factory ammo for wife and son. 100% reliable for me; same ammo, same mag. Son cured it with stiffened wrist, couldn't cure wife's woes till rangemaster suggested additional lubrication applied to slide and frame. 100% thereafter.
Best Regards,
Tom

[jonk]

The slide is operating far enough, yes. I can't shorten the rounds any as they are already as short as they'll go- any more and the brass will overshoot the shank of the bullet and get up into the cone part of the wadcutter. Any longer and they won't fit in the mag- though I could let them out another thousandth or two. It is a very persnickity bullet I find.

I think I'll check the flashhole burr first, and the mag lips. Any further work I really think I'll leave to a gunsmith.