Any expert advice on polishing a feed ramp?

[maroonandwhite]

I just got a PF9 and I would like to polish the feed ramp and any other parts of the gun if someone recommends I do so. I have searched the net and the most cost effeective way for me to do it seems to be with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and a pencil or something of the lilke. I don't have a dremel and am not planning on buying one. I have grown to trust the opinions on this site so I'm wondering if there are any extra tips on the process? I have not had any jams yet but I've only put 10 rounds through it this morning. Thanks

[enfield]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

JMHO

[bubbadavis]

enfield has good advice for you.

What do you expect to accomplish with the polishing? You currently don't know of any problems with the gun and you could create some. I'd leave it alone unless there is a reason to work on the gun.

[maroonandwhite]

Good point I guess. I just saw more often than not that folks were doing it right off the bat. Thats why I come here for advice though! If I do end up needing it though am I on the right track?

[mikegideon]

enfield has good advice for you.

What do you expect to accomplish with the polishing? You currently don't know of any problems with the gun and you could create some. I'd leave it alone unless there is a reason to work on the gun.

+1.

I had to do it on my LCP, but there was a problem. It wasn't the feed ramp. It was the chamber. I used 600 grit around a pencil, and finished it up with a Dremel felt bullet and polishing compound.

EDIT: BTW... I did the feed ramp while I was at it. It had tooling marks as well.

Edited April 5, 2011 by mikegideon

[maroonandwhite]

Also during the "break in period" am I correct in assuming the feed ramp will become smooth on it's own? I agree with if it ain't broke don't fix it but being a defense gun I want to eliminate any potential failures that may happen. If this isn't one then great but again I trust the opinions on here more than anywhere else on the net.

[mikegideon]

Also during the "break in period" am I correct in assuming the feed ramp will become smooth on it's own? I agree with if it ain't broke don't fix it but being a defense gun I want to eliminate any potential failures that may happen. If this isn't one then great but again I trust the opinions on here more than anywhere else on the net.

Yes. I did it to accelerate the breakin. Mine would have worked itself out with use. There's nothing wrong with a properly done polish job. You can always take it to a good smith if it really needs it.

[Jonnin]

If you shoot the gun enough it will self polish. What you have is a steel ramp behing slammed by copper/lead which is much softer than the steel. It takes a long time for a softer material to wear away a harder one, but it does eventually happen (thousands of rounds to polish a very rough ramp). Polish will not hurt the feed ramp and many kel tec owners do this right away to prevent issues... for the reason you gave, its a carry gun. Polish does not mean grind; Polish means polish. I use diamond dust on these jobs, but anything that leaves a mirror finish that you can look at under magnification and cannot see the scratches from the work done is good enough. To be extra sure, polish it in the directon of feeding so that any scratches or uneven material are not making "rings" or grooves in the steel that cut into the bullet jackets during feeding (no matter how tiny). When the micro grooves (if any) are in the directon of feeding, they create less friction and problems.

[maroonandwhite]

I found a buddy with a dremel so I may go ahead and do it anyways. Should I just start with the dremel and a polishing compound or begin with sandpaper and finish with that?

[mikegideon]

Read everything you can first. Google fluff and buff. You start with the fiine grit sand paper, and finish off with the Dremel using a felt polishing tip and some compound. The bullet shaped felt tip is the best, but you can only get it by buying the Dremel polishing kit. You can usually find that at the Home Depot. It comes with the bullet tip, some felt whells, polishing compound, and some more abrasive tips that you should avoid like the plague. The light sanding should be done carefully by hand. You can really screw up if you do it wrong.

[Jonnin]

Just do the whole thing with one method or the other. By hand will be more even and a better job with less damage, the dremel will be much faster but can lead to taking off too much metal or uneven surface if you hold it in one spot too long. The dremel is almost going to force you to go the wrong direction when you polish it, due to the shape of the device and the shape of the ramp. I strongly recommend doing it by hand but if you just want to get it done, use the tool carefully and it will be ok, just be extra careful not to hold it in one place longer than other areas, etc.

[mikegideon]

Just do the whole thing with one method or the other. By hand will be more even and a better job with less damage, the dremel will be much faster but can lead to taking off too much metal or uneven surface if you hold it in one spot too long. The dremel is almost going to force you to go the wrong direction when you polish it, due to the shape of the device and the shape of the ramp. I strongly recommend doing it by hand but if you just want to get it done, use the tool carefully and it will be ok, just be extra careful not to hold it in one place longer than other areas, etc.

\

The Dremel doesn't take off hardly anything, and probably won't work for heavy tooling marks. There is a ton of stuff written on the process. Fluff and Buff

[peejman]

If you can't catch a fingernail on whatever groove/tool marks there may be on the surface, I wouldn't start with something as aggressive as 600 grit. I'd try emery or crocus cloth or scotchbrite first. Work with that for a few minutes and see how it looks. Then switch to polishing with some compound (jeweler's rouge). You only want to smooth the surface, do not change it's shape. Less is more.

[mikegideon]

If you can't catch a fingernail on whatever groove/tool marks there may be on the surface, I wouldn't start with something as aggressive as 600 grit. I'd try emery or crocus cloth or scotchbrite first. Work with that for a few minutes and see how it looks. Then switch to polishing with some compound (jeweler's rouge). You only want to smooth the surface, do not change it's shape. Less is more.

My problem was really in the chamber. It was catching the brass cases. Yep. the object of the game is to smooth the surface without changing the shape of anything.

[DaveTN]

A Dremel tool is for repair work; not for polishing. Use something that will form to the shape that is already there. Like polishing compound on a rag wrapped around your little finger.

I would trust almost any new, out of the box firearm over one that someone had taken a Dremel tool to.

[mikegideon]

A Dremel tool is for repair work; not for polishing. Use something that will form to the shape that is already there. Like polishing compound on a rag wrapped around your little finger.

I would trust almost any new, out of the box firearm over one that someone had taken a Dremel tool to.

I agree, with anything but felt. Everybody uses felt wheels and polishing componds on action parts.

[-boatman-]

A Dremel tool is for repair work; not for polishing. Use something that will form to the shape that is already there. Like polishing compound on a rag wrapped around your little finger.

I would trust almost any new, out of the box firearm over one that someone had taken a Dremel tool to.

It will take more than a dremel with felt tip and compound to change change the shape of a feed ramp. All it will do is polish it to a mirrow shine if it is fairly smooth to begin with. It will not hurt it at all and can help smooth up the feeding.

[Dave Shooter]

One technique (from Brian Enos) is to wrap your very fine (600+) grit around a shell casing and then follow the original contour of the feed ramp, moving back and forth along the feed ramp toward the chamber (not rotary). Not trying to change the angle of the ramp, just eliminate higher areas that bullet nose could catch or slow down on. Work finer and finer as you see results.

Good Luck!

[maroonandwhite]

I like the idea of the shell casing. Im going to put a few more rounds through it and see how it goes from there.

[graycrait]

Again, never believe someone who tells you that you can't do it. This site has good tips for Keltec pocket pistols : GoldenLoki.com

I have used these tips on my own Keltecs and other folks'. One thing I have learned is that the hard chrome Keltec pocket pistols are out of the box in better shape to load 'n go generally better than the blue/black ones.

The paper bullet tip that dremel sells is a great ramp throat polisher if you are careful and use non-aggressive abrasives. Otherwise 6-100 grit paper on popsicle stick works great for much of the deburring.

[leroy]

....One technique (from Brian Enos) is to wrap your very fine (600+) grit around a shell casing and then follow the original contour of the feed ramp, moving back and forth along the feed ramp toward the chamber (not rotary). Not trying to change the angle of the ramp, just eliminate higher areas that bullet nose could catch or slow down on. Work finer and finer as you see results. ...Good Luck!

We always used a variation on Dave's post here. I've done feed ramps on 1911's with a half round hard arkansas stone; all by hand, just like Dave's post says. We always polished up and down the feed ramp and DID NOT CHANGE THE FEED RAMP GEOMETRY. That means to polish the ramp, not put dips or humps in it. The idea is to make the feed ramp look like a mirror and to just barely round any sharp edges going into the chamber.

Hope this helps a bit,

leroy

[maroonandwhite]

I have decided I would like to polish the whole barrel on my PF9. It is kind of tarnished on the top so I figured I would do the whole thing while I do the feed ramp. I read somewhere that a guy used flitz, a paper towel and some elbow grease to polish his. Any comments on that? I am scared to use a dremel since I have never used on before and don't want to buy a new barrel. If this is not a good idea I guess I will buy an assortment of 600 grit and up and do it that way. Suggestions?

[mikegideon]

Good luck

[-boatman-]

On my PF9 I polished what shows through the ejection port of the slide. I used a felt wheel on a dremel and jewelers rogue. It shines like a mirror. If you use a dremel that way about all you are doing is taking the finish off and polishing. You can't hurt it doing that and it will be lots faster.

[mikegideon]

On my PF9 I polished what shows through the ejection port of the slide. I used a felt wheel on a dremel and jewelers rogue. It shines like a mirror. If you use a dremel that way about all you are doing is taking the finish off and polishing. You can't hurt it doing that and it will be lots faster.

^^^^^^^^^