Polishing feed ramps....worth it or skip it?

[Argonaut]

I think most new guns (as well as most mechanical devices) can Benefit from hand fitting and liberal use of Prussian Blue dye. That is best done before use, Parts with a minor misfit unseen by your eye easily produce poor wear patterns that are difficult to remedy. That is the difference between a hand fit gun to a factory fit one. That is the primary work done by high end pistolsmiths like King. They can spend hours applying dye to contact surfaces assembling and disassembling doing fine polish to high spots producing a perfect even fit. Even companies that build custom rifles.....many on Remington 700 actions......spend a lot of time squaring and fitting everything befor starting the build. That is how they improve the smoothness and consistent accuracy on a gun that is already accurate from the factory. The labor costs can seem like a lot.....the work requires a lot of time......but in the long run worth it.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Slide to frame fit should be very smooth, and barrel bushing should have zero play when locked in battery! I have seen some that had the rails polished, some were just stoned, and some were rough cut. All ran fine, but the wear will be excelerated on the rougher finnish! The old arguement of a loose 1911 running better is completly false, a proper fitting and SMOOTH finish is what it all about!
I took the Front Sight challenge of running a 1911 through the full defensive coarse, and i had zero failures, with a really tight 1911. They were more then happy to honor the challenge and paied for the full class and ammo!!!! All the instructors were google eyed at a tight 1911 that had no failures, none could believe that was even possable! And for those thay say a 1911 isnt good for carry duty or combat, i say go pound sand!

 

[Alexx1401]

Slide to frame fit should be very smooth, and barrel bushing should have zero play when locked in battery! I have seen some that had the rails polished, some were just stoned, and some were rough cut. All ran fine, but the wear will be excelerated on the rougher finnish! The old arguement of a loose 1911 running better is completly false, a proper fitting and SMOOTH finish is what it all about!
I took the Front Sight challenge of running a 1911 through the full defensive coarse, and i had zero failures, with a really tight 1911. They were more then happy to honor the challenge and paied for the full class and ammo!!!! All the instructors were google eyed at a tight 1911 that had no failures, none could believe that was even possable! And for those thay say a 1911 isnt good for carry duty or combat, i say go pound sand!

I am a VERY big 1911 fanboy. I of course have seen my share of problems with them too. Always could be fixed and once working they work. I have long said though that I do know there are better designs. There are many autos that have a far more simplified system that makes them easier to mass produce and have them work. As I have said if I had to run into a shop and grab a gun I had not tried it would be a Glock. I DO NOT like Glocks, and don't own one. If I had to grab a pistol I could not try first though I would be looking for the case where the Glocks were kept. That said if they ever invent a phaser we can carry I will probably still be caring one of my 1911's

 

[teflon6string]

Purchased my first 1911 recently and have been looking for some function / reliability upgrades to do to it. I have seen a lot of chatter saying polishing the feed ramp is a necessity for most firearms, especially 1911's to improve feeding of hollow point ammo. So my question is for those who have polished feed ramps...is it worth it? If so where to get the materials and what has worked best for you. Thanks in advance!

First, I have to wonder if you have experienced any failure to feed thus far, and if the weapon has been "broken in." The latter means different things to different shooters, but probably includes firing 2-3 boxes of rounds through it. I've had brand new magazine and tube-fed weps that got smoother and smoother every time I used them to turn money into noise.

I bought an antique Woodsman that was a little "grumpy" (understandable since it's even older than me). Not a self defense carry piece, but 100% reliability is the goal with any weapon. Someone recommended before trying anything else that I work out on the ramp with a simple pink pencil eraser. So I did - with nary a misfeed in 500 rounds since then.

Whatever you do, start with something gentle and passive so you're not changing the shape of the ramp in any way. And don't forget that fresh springs now and then are also part of a happy ejection/feeding equation.

 

[Cerberus Group]

I do not believe in "breaking in" a pistol. Take it out of the box, clean and lube...no break in period needed.
If the maker tells you that it needs a break in period, what they are saying is...we really didn't put a whole lot of love in making our products, so hopefully with a few hundred rounds it will work itself out.

It's a machine, if it's made correctly it will run, it doesn't have a choice. But, if you treat your 1911 like your cheap lawnmower, get a Glock, M&P or the like instead.

 

[ron]

Slide to frame fit should be very smooth, and barrel bushing should have zero play when locked in battery! I have seen some that had the rails polished, some were just stoned, and some were rough cut. All ran fine, but the wear will be excelerated on the rougher finnish! The old arguement of a loose 1911 running better is completly false, a proper fitting and SMOOTH finish is what it all about!
I took the Front Sight challenge of running a 1911 through the full defensive coarse, and i had zero failures, with a really tight 1911. They were more then happy to honor the challenge and paied for the full class and ammo!!!! All the instructors were google eyed at a tight 1911 that had no failures, none could believe that was even possable! And for those thay say a 1911 isnt good for carry duty or combat, i say go pound sand!

A tight 1911 won't run? A fellow club member had purchased a brand new Les Baer 1911.
I had the pleasure of handling it right out of the box. OMG this 1911 was so tight I could hardly
rack the slide??It was smooth but real tight? How did it run? No Problems or failures
digesting reloads, full power, or light target loads. And super accurate.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Here's an article on a 1911 I wrote a few years back. If they're made right, they'll run...right thru dirt!

Berryhill AFP = Dirt Tough!

 

[ikemay]

I do not believe in "breaking in" a pistol. Take it out of the box, clean and lube...no break in period needed.
If the maker tells you that it needs a break in period, what they are saying is...we really didn't put a whole lot of love in making our products, so hopefully with a few hundred rounds it will work itself out.

It's a machine, if it's made correctly it will run, it doesn't have a choice. But, if you treat your 1911 like your cheap lawnmower, get a Glock, M&P or the like instead.

Not trying to start a fight or anything, but I fail to see your reason for negative comments directed at manufacturers who recommend a "break in" period or round count. Not sure those that do are trying to tell you their product is substandard or that they don't care about it's quality. I would imagine it's more a lawyer thing, customer service thing, or possibly a way to encourage their customers to get familiar with their new firearm ...... maybe a little of all the above. This might be particularly true for new firearm owners, or those simply having less experience with a firearm. More time spent with it in a safe environment and non mission critical situation (like self defense) the better.

Personally, I don't "break in" a gun because of anything the manufacturer recommends. I do it because it's a way to get familiar with it's safe operation and find out which ammunition it shoots the best, and to ensure there are no manufacturer defects that might need addressing. And the fact that it's just kind of fun to go shooting once in awhile is also a bonus.

 

[Argonaut]

Not trying to start a fight or anything, but I fail to see your reason for negative comments directed at manufacturers who recommend a "break in" period or round count. Not sure those that do are trying to tell you their product is substandard or that they don't care about it's quality. I would imagine it's more a lawyer thing, customer service thing, or possibly a way to encourage their customers to get familiar with their new firearm ...... maybe a little of all the above. This might be particularly true for new firearm owners, or those simply having less experience with a firearm. More time spent with it in a safe environment and non mission critical situation (like self defense) the better.

Personally, I don't "break in" a gun because of anything the manufacturer recommends. I do it because it's a way to get familiar with it's safe operation and find out which ammunition it shoots the best, and to ensure there are no manufacturer defects that might need addressing. And the fact that it's just kind of fun to go shooting once in awhile is also a bonus.

Sounds like you are breaking yourself into the gun.......not a bad thing. I suppose that is why we old guys tend to stay with things that are already familiar. It is simpler than learning a different or new system. (Sounds like we are talking about Women)

 

[ikemay]

Sounds like you are breaking yourself into the gun.......not a bad thing. I suppose that is why we old guys tend to stay with things that are already familiar. It is simpler than learning a different or new system.

I like that way of putting it ..... "breaking yourself into the gun". Yeah, I was pretty much a revolver guy, pretty simple stuff really. When I started trying those new-fangled semi-automagic pistols, I had to get up to speed on things. Still prefer my revolvers though.

 

[Alexx1401]

Not trying to start a fight or anything, but I fail to see your reason for negative comments directed at manufacturers who recommend a "break in" period or round count. Not sure those that do are trying to tell you their product is substandard or that they don't care about it's quality. I would imagine it's more a lawyer thing, customer service thing, or possibly a way to encourage their customers to get familiar with their new firearm ...... maybe a little of all the above. This might be particularly true for new firearm owners, or those simply having less experience with a firearm. More time spent with it in a safe environment and non mission critical situation (like self defense) the better.

Personally, I don't "break in" a gun because of anything the manufacturer recommends. I do it because it's a way to get familiar with it's safe operation and find out which ammunition it shoots the best, and to ensure there are no manufacturer defects that might need addressing. And the fact that it's just kind of fun to go shooting once in awhile is also a bonus.

Most new guns I buy I expect them to work from round 1. I will take one down to clean, lube, and inspect. If nothing looks rough or such I do expect them to work and most do. There have been exceptions. My Kel-Tec Sub 2000's were one. They came from factory dirty and rough as a corn cob. This did leave them not wanting to feed first time out. After another take down and clean and lube they ran like tops. Then the TNW PCC's I bought. Same thing. The parkerizing on them was left on the feed ramps intact. This did cause a couple early hang ups as I expected it would. By the time I bought the stuff to shoot 10mm in them that barrel did come with the finish polished off the feed ramp. It of course just worked from first round. Guess they must have got some complaints. Over the years I have had and helped with a few 1911's that did not work at the start. On them it was always something was not right and it was normally easy to find. Once that was found the pistols ran like tops. If I was say 50 rounds into some new gun, then got a hang up, then another 50 or so and another, I would start looking for something not right.

 

[ikemay]

Most new guns I buy I expect them to work from round 1. I will take one down to clean, lube, and inspect. If nothing looks rough or such I do expect them to work and most do. There have been exceptions. My Kel-Tec Sub 2000's were one. They came from factory dirty and rough as a corn cob. This did leave them not wanting to feed first time out. After another take down and clean and lube they ran like tops. Then the TNW PCC's I bought. Same thing. The parkerizing on them was left on the feed ramps intact. This did cause a couple early hang ups as I expected it would. By the time I bought the stuff to shoot 10mm in them that barrel did come with the finish polished off the feed ramp. It of course just worked from first round. Guess they must have got some complaints. Over the years I have had and helped with a few 1911's that did not work at the start. On them it was always something was not right and it was normally easy to find. Once that was found the pistols ran like tops. If I was say 50 rounds into some new gun, then got a hang up, then another 50 or so and another, I would start looking for something not right.

Firearms, like most things are mass produced and can have issues, some minor, some major right out of the box. Things as simple as being dirty, or various things like cerakote, parkerizing, etc being done inconsistently. Could be some tiny little burr somewhere hanging things up a bit. This is stuff that happens on rifles, revolvers, semi-auto's, etc.

I can get scopes, boots, dishwashers, you name it, that might have a slight problem right out of the box. Some I can live with, some I fix myself, some I exchange for another one. Same with firearms. For firearms, that's one of the reasons we try to handle them first and do an inspection before we buy .... try to pick the best of the litter.

Either way, I like to do a shake down cruise on my firearms for a variety of reasons. Those being simply personal preference, over anything the manufacturer recommends.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Being a yuge fan of J.M. Brownings greatest firearm design, i have seen the very best and the very worst to come from that design. Having spent 35 years with this awesome pistol, i have a strong understanding of them, how they work, how they should be made, what should be done by the manufacture and what is just flash! When i buy one, i can feel it and with a quick strip, i can tell if im holding not just a serviceable unit, but a quality unit! When i build one, i know the tricks and tuning to improve on simply serviceable and how to not only make one run flawlessly, but last and be absolutely reliable! The arguement for break in is valid, like any machine, they need time to wear in, for all the parts to take a set with each other in order to work as intended. Some modern designs like Glock dont require as much work, they use different materials in construction, and they have a designed tolerence that removes a lot of tightness in parts fitment. Ever tried to shoot nice tight little groups with a box stock Glock? Not likely going to happen, while a servicable 1911 will easily do that all day long! You wouldnt buy a new Vette and go out and hammer on it right off the show room floor, and then expect it to perform at 100% the rest of its life, why would you expect a hand built and fitted pistol ( or any other gun) to be the same?!?!?! For those who dont bother with break in, thats entirely on you, and if you get one that runs 100% then your lucky, but if you dont, i have seen shelves full of those that got traded in because they dont run perfectly, and its pretty fun to strip one down and see what issues might be causing failures and every once in a while, one follows me home and a few hours of gentel masaging will almost always get it running perfectly, as it would have had it been broken in!!!!

 

[Cerberus Group]

Not trying to start a fight or anything, but I fail to see your reason for negative comments directed at manufacturers who recommend a "break in" period or round count. Not sure those that do are trying to tell you their product is substandard or that they don't care about it's quality. I would imagine it's more a lawyer thing, customer service thing, or possibly a way to encourage their customers to get familiar with their new firearm ...... maybe a little of all the above. This might be particularly true for new firearm owners, or those simply having less experience with a firearm. More time spent with it in a safe environment and non mission critical situation (like self defense) the better.

Personally, I don't "break in" a gun because of anything the manufacturer recommends. I do it because it's a way to get familiar with it's safe operation and find out which ammunition it shoots the best, and to ensure there are no manufacturer defects that might need addressing. And the fact that it's just kind of fun to go shooting once in awhile is also a bonus.

Years ago one never saw the term "break in" The recommendation was simple...remove from box, clean off packing grease/lube...clean, lube and shoot. It's not a high speed machine like an engine...I also do not use solvent in my barrels. I learned about barrel fitting and care from Will Schuemann in person, in fact his shop was just a few miles from me growing up. So ya, I'm a bit old school that expects quality out of the box.

No fight picking harm here, just some explanation...it's all good.

Not impressed with a lot of production 1911's out of the box...there's only a handful I would recommend.

 

[EPS]

I have a old Star 380 that I was having problems with feeding a friend said polish the feed ramp I did it helped a little bit but the problem turned out to be the recoil spring was weak and old

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have a old Star 380 that I was having problems with feeding a friend said polish the feed ramp I did it helped a little bit but the problem turned out to be the recoil spring was weak and old

Huh, I never heard limp wristing called that..











JUST KIDDING! lol

 

[EPS]

This what I would get then if I just barely push on the back of the slide with my thumb it would go

 

[EPS]

The problem with the star firearms is finding parts for them

 

[Argonaut]

Star used to be manufactured by a guild. Various families would build individual parts. They were assembled by the company and sold under the trade name. Many were great some were problematic but with that kind of busisness plan, Parts are bound to be a problem. That is a traditional way for the Spanish to make guns. Like AYA shotguns, some are masterpieces and some not so much.

 

[EPS]

Star used to be manufactured by a guild. Various families would build individual parts. They were assembled by the company and sold under the trade name. Many were great some were problematic but with that kind of busisness plan, Parts are bound to be a problem. That is a traditional way for the Spanish to make guns. Like AYA shotguns, some are masterpieces and some not so much.

YEP it's not a bad little gun it is very accurate I had to make a firing pin for it and that was one of the parts I could not find someone on here told me how to make one so I did and works great I found a guy on eBay selling part's from a Star so I bought it lol a zip lock bag showed up in a box full of old rusty parts most I can use except it's shorter barrel I put them in. A coffee can with some diesel fuel for about a week then scrub them clean lol