1911 damaging ammo

[cch2a]

I have a 1911 that I have noticed is pushing the bullet back in the casing. It is also slightly crushing the hollowpoint. I leave the pistol loaded chamber empty then chamber a round when I carry it. The ammo is hornady tap. I do have a ramped barrel. Question is what is causing this and how do I fix it? Also what problems can this cause? The pistol functions flawlessly. Thanks for the help.

[Garufa]

Are you constantly chambering/unchambering the same round or is every round chambered pushed back?

Whatever is going on you need to address it. Bullets being pushed back in the case is not good at all. Leads in increased pressures.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Is the ramp polished?

Can you take pictures of the ramp?

What type of gun is it?

There is some sort of resistance causing the bullet set back. I know it happens but I have never seen it with any of my 1911's. Because of how the 1911 chambers it could be the ramp or the top of the chamber that is rough enough to cause the resistance need to set the bullet back. It could also be that the ramp is too steep for some reason.

I would polish the feed ramp and throat the barrel. Slightly break the edge at the top of the ramp at the chamber. I would also put a polish on the chamber but nothing too crazy, especially the roof. This can ease the strain on the bullet as it is chambered. It doesn't take much to fix the problem and too much can ruin a gun quickly. Take your time and you should be fine.

There are plenty of how-to's on the net.

Dolomite

[cch2a]

Thanks guys. I won't be able to post picks till tommorow. How much does it cost to get a barrel throated? Also it doesn't seem noticeable until after about 5 chamberings and seems more noticeable with hollowpoints than ball. I do rotate the ammo about every week thats when I noticed it. The ramp is polished but I think you all might be right about it catching on the top of the barrel. The gun is a single stack para ssp. I hate this because the gun runs 100 percent.

[nightrunner]

This was happening on an officers frame 1911 that i had for a very short time (short enough i never shot or carried it only kept as a nightstand gun). I experienced bullet setback on both 230gr. Fmj and 185gr. Jhp. Never figured out a fix just attributed it to either the bull barrel or it being a charles daly.

[cch2a]

Yeah I can't bring myself to get rid of it. It is incredibly accurate and been rock solid reliable. Now if I could get a higher end 1911 I would but I have no funds for that.

[timcalhoun]

First, any round that is pushed back in the case get rid of. Bullet set back will cause the case pressure to go through the roof and very bad things can happen.

You may want to try putting one round in the mag, chamber that. Then fill the mag up and then put it in the gun. That will really help with the bullet deforming.

[cch2a]

Thanks for the advise. I might have some funds freed up after Christmas. Here's the million dollar question, should I keep the 1911 and get a glock 35 or trade the 1911 with the money I would use on the glock 35 and get a higher end 1911? What would be the most reliable 1k or under 1911? I have a glock 19 and 22. Or option c, use the money to fix this problem? Sorry for all the questions.

[Guest TresOsos]

See if we can get a clarification here. It sounds like you are unloading your 1911 every day and then rechambering the same round over and over.

If this is the case you don't have a problem, repeated chambering can cause bullet setback.

If this is the case why are you constantly loading and unloading your weapon. Be it a 1911 or whatever there really should be no need to do that.

Load your weapon, holster it and leave it be.

Now if you are getting bullet setback everytime you chamber a round the first time, you my have weapon issue or are using ammo with a weak crimp.

[cch2a]

Yeah, I don't keep it cocked and locked at the house because my primary is my glock. But every now and then it makes it in my rotation so I chamber a round. After about 5 chamberings of the round I get noticeable bullet set back. One chambering shows no bullet setback it takes about 5 to be noticeable.

[Raoul]

Thanks guys. I won't be able to post picks till tommorow. How much does it cost to get a barrel throated? Also it doesn't seem noticeable until after about 5 chamberings and seems more noticeable with hollowpoints than ball. I do rotate the ammo about every week thats when I noticed it. The ramp is polished but I think you all might be right about it catching on the top of the barrel. The gun is a single stack para ssp. I hate this because the gun runs 100 percent.

Well here's your answer. Rechambering a round will cause the bullet to be pushed back into the case. It can't help but slam into the feed ramp to load. And that is a problem because it causes higher pressure when fired. Quit chambering the same round repeatedly.

[cch2a]

Ok. I just didn't know if setback after 5 chamberings was normal it seemed low to me. None of my glocks do this and this is my first 1911.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Repeated chambering of the same round can and does cause bullet setback. There are some things that can mitigate this but in the end you are still going to experience it but maybe not as frequently as now. Here are some of the things I normally do as part of a reliability work up on my pistols.This is how I do it. I am not saying you need to do this or follow it to the letter. This is only a guide and should only be attempted by those who feel comfortable doing it. And if you do decide to do it you need to realize what you do and how well you do it is on you and not me. I would recommend having a smith do it if you have never done anythign like this before.

And as others have said, NEVER fire a round that the bulelt has been set back on. The increased pressures can cause case failure with catastrophic results.

Put on your safety glasses.

This is how I have throated barrels and broken the edges between the feed ramp and chamber on previous guns I have owned. I only do this if I am having problems. I take some 1000 grit sandpaper and roll it up to a slightly smaller diameter than the chamber. I will slowly sand the edge between the ramp and the chamber. I start at about the same angle as the ramp and tilt it towards and into the chamber as I move the sandpaper up. You just want to slightly round the edge without removing a lot. The area you are sanding does support the cartridge so you want to go slow. Taking too much off can ruin the barrel. Do not use any power tools for this step or you will have problems. After I have a good rounded edge I follow it up with 2000 grit sandpaper to put a polish on it.

Here are a few pictures of how you want it to look:

http://www.gunblast.com/images/Kimber_ProCDPII/MVC-015F.jpg

Feed issues using 200gr SWC in a 1911 - AR15.Com Archive

Like I said you just want to break the sharp edge if there is one. And these are pretty easy to see.

Polishing the chamber is a bit easier and cheap. Take a bore mop for a 45 and chuck it into a drill. Load the mop up with metal polish like Flitz. Stick it into the chamber making sure not to get into the rifling. Spin the drill and move the bore mop in and out, Do this for about 30 seconds and check. You also want to reload the mop with Flitz at this time. Next time spin it the opposite direction as you move it in and out. You just want to polish it up some. If you have machining marks in the chamber they should still be there but the high spots smoothed and polished. It would take a lot to screw this up because it is a very slow process. It will also polish the edge you just slightly rounded.

While you are at it take the same bore mop and hit the ramp some more. It may seem polished to you but if it isn't mirror like it could help.

Something else you might want to do is polish the breechface. Remove the extractor and firing pin. Then take the 2000 grit sandpaper use it to polish the area where the catridge case rides up and under the extractor. You do not want to remove material, just polish the area a bit smoother than it is right now. And after about 10 or so strokes with the sandpaper hit is with the Flitz embedded bore mop to put a final polish on it.

Also, making sure your extractor has the correct bevel can help this issue. Here is a good read on what to do with it.

Extractor Tuning Tips

These steps also help the reliability of the 1911 platform.

This is just how I do it and like I said unless you feel comfortable doing it yourself take it to a good smith to have it done. As a matter of fact I would recommend taking the gun to a competent gunsmith for a once over before attempting this yourself. Although it seems simple enough it can render your gun unsafe if done incorrectly. It literally takes years of practice and experience to know if it is done correctly. I have given you these instructions so you may attempt it yourself. And because of this I have no way to monitor your quality of work or any problems you may have caused to your firearm. With that being said if you do attempt it on your own, you and you alone are responsible for your own actions, damages or injuries and not me.

Dolomite

[Dolomite_supafly]

Ok. I just didn't know if setback after 5 chamberings was normal it seemed low to me. None of my glocks do this and this is my first 1911.

Glocks are known for not suppoerting the rear of the catridge cases. This means the chambers tend to be a bit looser and because of this they are a bit more reliable than most other pistols. They also have a shallower ramp angle that helps keep the bullet from being setback.

Dolomite

[Guest TresOsos]

Well if you must load and reload repeatedly, then take the round you ejected and move to the bottom of your mag or to your spare mag,

The key is to minimize the chambering the same round over and over.

Some ammo is more suseptible to setback than others, I've rechamber Golden Sabre several times with no setback, Federal Hydra Shok would set back after just a couple of chamberings. If there is any way to just load it lock it(set thumb safety) and leave it that will solve the issue.

[Dolomite_supafly]

One more thing.

Never put a round in the chamber then drop the slide on it. Doing so with a 1911 can ruin or break your extractor. The extractor is designed for the case rim to slide up and under the extractor hook. Most modern guns don't have this issue but it is a big issue for 1911's.

Dolomite

[k9wh91984]

I had this happen to me alot with my TRP. I found it was some cheap ACT mags with cracked feedlips which caused the first chambered round to setback and hang up and sometimes not go into battery. I switched to Wilson Combat mags and the issue disappeared. Try some new mags!

[cch2a]

Thanks everyone. And a special thanks to Dolomite, your responses always seem well thought out and informative. Don't worry I'm not the type that would sue for something I did to my gun because of advise you give. I am a huge believer in personal responsibility.

[Jonnin]

Thanks guys. I won't be able to post picks till tommorow. How much does it cost to get a barrel throated? Also it doesn't seem noticeable until after about 5 chamberings and seems more noticeable with hollowpoints than ball. I do rotate the ammo about every week thats when I noticed it. The ramp is polished but I think you all might be right about it catching on the top of the barrel. The gun is a single stack para ssp. I hate this because the gun runs 100 percent.

My para ssp had similar issues and they were caused by the poor factory magazines, swapping mags cured it.

[Guest carter]

I polished mine with really high grit sand paper... I took my barrel and sat down watched tv and went to town.... After that I got a stick of polish compound and a good dremel polishing bit and polished the hell out of it... Thing is like a mirror now ... Not are if its good or bad to do this... Buy haven't had one issue yet... Did the same thing for my 4006 that had issues with fle and stove pipes ... Works like a Chinese boy in a sweat shop ...

[EastHipster]

Do you have a spare empty mag?

Try using that mag to fill your chamber (load one) and then insert a full mag under it.

I know that my 1911 feeds the first round more smoothly on a downloaded mag.

[eapking]

For carry, I don't rechamber the same round after unloading. That one goes into a "to be shot at the range box".

[cch2a]

Thanks for the answers everybody. I polished the ramp and hand racked a mag through it with no issues. I think I am just going to go with not reusing any rounds. Though that will get expensive, so I will probably leave it cocked and locked a lot more at home.