POLISH the feed ramp, do not remove any metal!!!
1911 hollow point help
- Thread starter hillbillydruggist
- Start date
POLISH the feed ramp, do not remove any metal!!!
TAJ45
Silver $$ Contributor
Having used a lot of 400, not knowing the amount of hands on, abrasive detail work OP has under his belt, start w 600. It will take a bit longer but quite a bit safer. Use magnification to check progress. The high spots are what you are after.
Don't be shy about wiping clean and checking often.
Don't be shy about wiping clean and checking often.
Sorry Hillbilly, the mags I recommended previously are for 45acp.
Wilson 9mm mags have a good reputation.
https://shopwilsoncombat.com/9mm/products/364/
I haven’t used them, I got a deal on several Pachmayer 9mm mags before Wilson had 9mm mags. All of the Pachmayer mags needed adjustments to work reliability but have held up for thousands of rounds.
Wilson 9mm mags have a good reputation.
https://shopwilsoncombat.com/9mm/products/364/
I haven’t used them, I got a deal on several Pachmayer 9mm mags before Wilson had 9mm mags. All of the Pachmayer mags needed adjustments to work reliability but have held up for thousands of rounds.
I am going to be "odd man out" here {there's a fn' surprise!!} and say a few things different...first off, if the gun will not feed and the rounds are sticking hard on the ramp then polishing it to a mirror is very likely not going to be the answer. You may ultimately want/end up with it that way to make you feel better because so many have conveyed that it is so necessary, but at the end of the day it is extremely very doubtful it will prove the sole answer to the problem. Just like first shooting a given number of rounds thru it to "break it in".....if the gun wont feed no amount of rounds fired are going to change or alter it enough so it does.
Second, does this jam happen when you first rack the slide to load the gun, or does it happen when the gun is being fired?? If it is happening such that you cannot load the gun initially then I suggest you find someone with a working, functioning 1911 that has proven to feed the bullets you want to use and copy the shape of the breech. If you can find a Kimber that would probably be ideal. As above, they are very reliable and will feed everything you want to ever shoot. Short of that, I suggest you take it to a known good smith that knows what he is doing.
Kimber, McCormick, Wilson and Mec-Gar all make excellent magazines. Many gunsmiths will take on this job, but you need to make sure you get one that knows what he is doing because ramping out a barrel until it "works" could leave you with a dangerously unsupported case to the point it will rupture and blow. A circus chimp can grind on it until it feeds, but getting it to feed and not blow up on you might take a good smith.
Second, does this jam happen when you first rack the slide to load the gun, or does it happen when the gun is being fired?? If it is happening such that you cannot load the gun initially then I suggest you find someone with a working, functioning 1911 that has proven to feed the bullets you want to use and copy the shape of the breech. If you can find a Kimber that would probably be ideal. As above, they are very reliable and will feed everything you want to ever shoot. Short of that, I suggest you take it to a known good smith that knows what he is doing.
Kimber, McCormick, Wilson and Mec-Gar all make excellent magazines. Many gunsmiths will take on this job, but you need to make sure you get one that knows what he is doing because ramping out a barrel until it "works" could leave you with a dangerously unsupported case to the point it will rupture and blow. A circus chimp can grind on it until it feeds, but getting it to feed and not blow up on you might take a good smith.
I have tried several different brands /styles of hollowpoints they won't feed from top of mag on first round or in the middle of a mag. when i first purchased i ordered 2 Wilson mags(9mm) and they sometimes hiccuped on regular ammo, i returned them. a long time instructor told me the follower was the problem and that they would send me more (and i am sure they would have).
i ordered an extra MecGar magazine which is identical to what came with.
with the 2 Mecgar mags , it has run flawlessly with regular ammo, only problem was with the hollowpoints
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my 1911's feed hollow points no issues, but they are real 1911's in 45acp!
starting a conversion with 1911 and hp and then saying 9mm is way off base.
if you like 9mm and you like 1911 look at star b /bm.
1911 scaled to 9mm, I shoot 140 xtp's in mine ( designed for 39 spcl, work great in THIS GUN.)
starting a conversion with 1911 and hp and then saying 9mm is way off base.
if you like 9mm and you like 1911 look at star b /bm.
1911 scaled to 9mm, I shoot 140 xtp's in mine ( designed for 39 spcl, work great in THIS GUN.)
GotRDid
Gold $$ Contributor
Agreed. The one older Browning High Power I got to play with would only cycle fmj ammo. We tried the latest Hornady Critical Defense and we were pleasantly surprised that she ran like a top. Not really affordable as a regular diet, but the owner was happy.
I shoot/carry a .45 ACP Wilson, she eats everything.
GotRDid.
If you go back and take a look at the photo "Rick in Oregon" was kind enough to post you see a 1911 barrel that has the so-called "full ramp". I am guessing your RIA doesn't have this type barrel??? Many smith's as well as manufacturers have gone to this type for the 9mm because of the superior design when trying to feed different bullet shapes.
This barrel style is readily available, but it need some milling work done to the frame to work. You also cant just go back to the old style once the work has been done. I don't know why anyone would want to once you have this style. The point being that this may be what needs to be done to get the bullets you want to use to work.
If you can find a smith nearby that is not too proud of his work it might be worth a try to see if a simple custom ramp on your barrel will do it. If not, then you wont have lost too much and you know you need this style barrel fitted up. Best of luck sir. The kick in the tail is that if you ever saw what an Uzi uses for a feed ramp....a dented up section of sheet metal on the bottom of the receiver that the bullets bounce off of and into the breech...it's ridiculous that this works so well. It really looks like some idiot took a big punch and hammer and gave it two whacks.
Edit: I will say too that 147 grain bullets in a 9mm, whether hollow point or not can be especially difficult sometimes to get to feed. My Hi-Powers and Sigs all eat them right up, but even an Uzi has difficulty with the heavier bullets.
several builders of high quality 1911's recommend to run 4 or 5 hundred hardball loads before expecting 100% reliability.
I refuse to spend $300 of ammo to attempt to "break-in" a brand new semi-auto pistol when many other pistols work right out of the box 100% reliably from day 1. Give it shot, but then cut your losses early on. There's no guarantees it will EVER work reliably.
I once owned a 5" Colt 1911 in .45cal that had 3 different well-know smiths work on phantom feeding problem that plagued the gun about once every 50 rounds. No smith is going to fire hundreds of rounds of ammo through your gun to make sure it's 100%. They often don't bother to test their work but will surely charge you for the repair and the shipping, and you discover you're back to square one again. That was the most frustrating waste of range time, ammo, and gunsmithing charges I had ever pursued. By all means, see if you can fix it, but also know when to cut your losses early on!!
I once owned a 5" Colt 1911 in .45cal that had 3 different well-know smiths work on phantom feeding problem that plagued the gun about once every 50 rounds. No smith is going to fire hundreds of rounds of ammo through your gun to make sure it's 100%. They often don't bother to test their work but will surely charge you for the repair and the shipping, and you discover you're back to square one again. That was the most frustrating waste of range time, ammo, and gunsmithing charges I had ever pursued. By all means, see if you can fix it, but also know when to cut your losses early on!!
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I can'f find the article but this article stated that since the 1911 was designed for ball ammo, that in order to feed the new variety of ammunition it needs a HYBRID type magazine where the feed lips are different, and shorter in design which allows the bullet to have a higher angle in the magazine which allows hollow points and semi-wadcutters to be fed.
thanks im going to look them up
TAJ45
Silver $$ Contributor
Good point XTR. Reminds me of club days when a H. Standard would have feeding probs. Try diff ones from diff shooters. Sometimes a swap would occur when both would run 100% in the different gun.
Also why a serious shooter will number his mags. Start w simplest fix first.
I have three 1911, 3 sizes and they all run like a Singer. Probably only one massaged and that belonged to Mississippi state IPSC winner, back in late 70s.
Also why a serious shooter will number his mags. Start w simplest fix first.
I have three 1911, 3 sizes and they all run like a Singer. Probably only one massaged and that belonged to Mississippi state IPSC winner, back in late 70s.
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