1911 Project?

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jcsturgeon

New member
I did dremmel it a little, but just the felt wheel with no polish. I've tried a bunch of different mags too. You guys have convinced me to give it another go with the RIA.

I've been looking at a lot of videos on youtube and I'm going to try this again. I got some 600 and some 1500 grit sandpaper, some flitz polish and here's what I've done so far:

-Smoothed the ramp with sandpaper. (Both in the frame and on the barrel.
-Polished an aluminum trigger with sandpaper to a high shine. Also gently buffed the assembly to eliminate burrs.
-Sanded the sides of a blued skelteonized hammer so it shines like the trigger.
-Sanded the top of the barrel to remove the Parkerization. Improving look and operation.
-Gently buffed the grooves on the slide where metal is in constant contact.
-Installed a #10 recoil spring.

The plan is to do the actual polishing with flitz and new Dremmel buffer wheels today. I just bought a new beavertail grip safety, and an extended thumb safety from Cheaper than Dirt so when it's all said and done, it should be pretty smooth.

Worst case, it still jams but I'll have learned a ton about the 1911.

Best case, it doesn't jam anymore and I'll have a nicer gun than the one I bough originally.
 
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WC145

New member
No offense, but if you don't know what you're doing chances are very good that you're not doing your gun any good. You might just call RIA and speak to them about it.
 
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tahunua001

New member
Well, my RIA jams. A lot. I've used 400 grit sandpaper and a dremmel to polish the feed ramp but it still hangs up sometimes. It gets worse as it gets dirty. If it was more reliable I might consider it as a good starter piece.
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I've never done any polish work on any of my guns but on "the ship" when we "shine the knee knockers" we use 400 grit or finer and it still leaves a number of scratches in the steel and leaves it in quite a mess, damn sight better than full out rust from exposed steel but not something I would want to see in a working firearm...you may have just chosen an overly aggressive grit. 800 or finer would be my recommendation but again, I am not an expert at all things shiny.
 
J

jcsturgeon

New member
No offense, but if you don't know what you're doing chances are very good that you're not doing your gun any good.
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No one ever learned how to do anything by not doing it. I'm not offended. I've done a lot of research on this and I feel comfortable. If I junk my gun, it would be sad, but I won't go nuts over it.

you may have just chosen an overly aggressive grit. 800 or finer would be my recommendation but again, I am not an expert at all things shiny.
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I switched to 800 grit and got some 1500 grit too. I polished the barrel with flitz and it shines like a mirror. I can't wait to put it all together. Currently I am cleaning it with the ultrasonic. I plan to dry it out, lube it and put her together next.
 
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KyJim

New member
Maybe too little, too late but dremels on feed ramps are not a good mix. Too easy to screw it up. Use the 800 grit sandpaper and/or jewelers rouge very lightly.
 
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jcsturgeon

New member
I actually bought my dremmel on the advice of a gunsmith. Told me that it would take so long to do any damage with the felt wheel that I'd get bored of doing it long before that happened. In any case, I wasn't using it to remove any material. Just polishing. Looks and works great now.

So far I've had experience reducing the whole frame to its base components but I've never done anything to the slide itself. I don't see much reason to, as the firing pin and extractor are in good shape. It's a neat study though, amazing to see the intricacy in a 1911. So many delicate looking parts and pins, and yet... it's still one of the toughest and most reliable semi automatic pistols ever.
 
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Turbocharged

New member
Yea, I highly doubt you will remove too much material with a felt wheel with no polish unless you go at it for a good while.
 
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twhidd

New member
Why don't you try tuning the extractor? If all your doing is polishing the feed ramp and not having success then it's obviously not the problem. It's been my experience that most FTF jams on modern 1911s are either the magazine or the extractor.
 
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PT-Partners

New member
How basic do you want to get?? I was talking about this with a friend at a recent Gun Show and he mentioned there were some frame and slide sets on the Wilson Combat Site for under $500. $427 but with shipping and transfer to your dealer you will be at $500

http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Full-Si...-45-ACP-No-Rear-Sight-Cut/productinfo/440CFK/

Yes, I am a dealer and this is NOT a schill for them. But if I was going to do a project piece I would get the best in basics to start off. Learned that from way too many DUH !!!!!!!! :eek: I have done.
 
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KyJim

New member
Chuck Rogers, a top 1911 gunsmith suggested the following procedure for most of us in smoothing/polishing a feedramp:

I use abrasive papers wrapped around a 6" length of 7/16" diameter wooden dowel.
I start with 150, then 220, then 600 and finish up with 2500.
Cut the paper into 1" wide strips and pre-roll it so it kinda fits the dowel.
Before any stroking, rock it until you can feel it lay flat against the ramp.
Make careful note of the angle on which you are working.
When stroking avoid rocking. Maintain the angle. This is a combo of feel and visual indicators. Be careful to not remove material from the top of the ramp.

A polished feed ramp will not correct bad geometry.
But it won't hurt either.
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http://forums.1911forum.com/showpost.php?p=3367047&postcount=60
 
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