![]() Proper extractor tension and shape is also critical, to allow the cartridge case rim to easily slide under the extractor claw as the case travels up the breechface during feeding. The breechface on the slide should also be polished, and the upper edge of the firing pin hole slightly relieved with a needle file, to keep case rims from hanging up on it as they slide up the breechface. The abrasive paper roll should be snug in the chamber, and it should be inserted only until the shoulder at the chamber mouth is felt. #Gun jam smoke stack professional#The absence of such a gap can produce feeding problems and must be remedied by a professional pistolsmith.įeeding is also facilitated by polishing the chamber, accomplished by chucking a 3/16-1/4-inch wood dowel in an electric drill, wrapping the free end of the dowel in a strip of very fine (1,200- to 2,000-grit) abrasive paper, and running it in the chamber at low to moderate speed for a few seconds. When the barrel is placed in the frame and pushed all the way rearward, there should be a gap of about 0.030 of an inch between the feed ramp and the barrel. ![]() A mismatch of caliber and feed ramp can produce a nosedive jam, in which the bullet nose hangs up on the feed ramp instead of sliding into the chamber. I usually start with 600- or 800-grit paper and use successively finer grits until the desired polish is attained.įeed ramps differ depending on chambering and frame manufacturer. Run a 1/2-inch wooden dowel wrapped with a piece of abrasive paper along the ramp, maintaining the original 31-degree ramp angle, and avoid creating a funnel. It is not necessary to remove all the machine marks in the ramp all that’s needed is to smooth the overall surface. Polishing the feed ramp in the frame is equally important. Don’t overdo it: Too much of a chamfer reduces case head support. Without this chamfer, the cartridge may partially enter the chamber but fail to go fully into battery. To complete the job, the corner of the barrel throat leading into the chamber must be very slightly chamfered. This creates a reference mark not to be crossed when grinding the throat. Trim an empty case until its rim is even with the original bevel, insert the case into the chamber and scribe a faint line around the case rim at the chamber mouth. To keep from cutting it too deeply into the chamber, it should not be funneled. The throat must be ground flat at the same 35 degree angle all the way around. This can be done with a Dremel tool, performing the initial shaping with a grinding bit, smoothing the contour with a grit-impregnated rubber Cratex bit and hand-polishing to a mirror finish with fine (600- to 1,200-grit) abrasive paper. This bevel or throat should be extended all the way around the chamber mouth. ![]() Original factory barrels have a minimal bevel leading into the chamber, sufficient for 230-grain ball loads but often unreliable with other bullet shapes. If you lack confidence in your own skills, leave this to a gunsmith lest you ruin these expensive components. Generally, any of these problems should be corrected by a qualified M1911 pistolsmith, although some are not beyond the scope of an experienced home gunsmith.Įnsuring feeding reliability usually begins with throating the barrel and polishing the feed ramp in the frame. The following is a summarized version of that checklist, covering some of the major causes of-and fixes for-M1911 reliability problems. The skilled ’smiths in our custom shop, under the tutelage of famed pistolsmith Austin Behlert, developed a comprehensive M1911 reliability checklist. ![]() Compounding the problem was the abundance of different chamberings and barrel lengths, as well as the proliferation of aftermarket M1911 parts and magazines made to varying tolerances.įortunately, the M1911 design is endlessly adaptable and is easily tuned for virtually faultless functioning. Originally designed for a 230-grain FMJ bullet, the M1911 had difficulties feeding the hollow-points popular with police and defensive shooters. Although the Government Model was (and arguably still is) a top contender for the title of “best combat pistol,” the reliability of the original mil-spec design was less than stellar. Back in the early ’90s, when I was a gunsmith at Behlert Precision in Pipersville, Pa., I performed quite a few reliability upgrades on M1911 pistols. ![]()
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