Do I need frame polishing to feed hollow points? Pics attached.

[RJ24]

I've got a question about my beloved springer. It feeds FMJ's flawlessly but will not hand feed or cycle hollow points well. The seem to get hung up on the lip of the frame before hitting the ramp. Please see the pics below and you will notice an obvious wear mark on the frame where my ammo is hitting it.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/rj24/feedramp.jpg

My frame is aluminum and I was wondering if it needs to be modified? If so should I send it back to Springfield or can it be done by any gunsmith? Thanks.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/rj24/Springer.jpg

[Jim Clark]

Hi
I polish all of my pistol ramps just as a matter of coarse. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself. Take it to a competent gunsmith & let them do it. I'm assuming the gun is broken in & works fine with military type ammo.

I have 3 Springfields that eat any factory ammo & most of my reloads :) .

Just go slowly & make sure you have good mags.

jim

[John]

As far as I know, polishing an aluminum frame is not what you want to do, something to do with the surface of the metal being coated with something to make it harder (whatever, I don't have enough coffee in my system to remember the exact terminology).

But there is something else that draws my attention: in that first picture above, it looks as if the barrel is a ramped barrel. Unless my eyes are also still asleep, that long ramp there, looks as if it is leading directly into the chamber. Is that so?

[stans]

Don't mess with an aluminum frame. The surface is anodized to give it a hard exterior, if you polish it, the anodizing will be removed and the underlying aluminum is soft and anything impacting or digging into that area will chew up the metal. Send it back to Springfield. If they need to modify the frame they can also re-anodize it.

[John]

Ah, thank you Stans, I knew it all along, just too sleepy to put it into .... words!

[Mtrclass]

Since your pistol has a ramped barrel the cartridges should not be contacting the frame at anytime during the feeding cycle. They should only be hitting the barrel ramp.

Depending on what hollowpoints you are using it may be necessary to modify the barrel ramp to ensure 100% feeding. This is not uncommon, especially with the more aggressive hollowpoint designs.

Unless you are very familair with modifing the ramp, it would probably be best to have a knowledgeable pistolsmith do it for you. A little to much in the wrong place on the ramp can cause more problems then it fixes........

[RJ24]

Thanks for your replys. I am convinced to send it off to Springfield if I want to feed JHPs. I wonder if the warranty will cover it since I do have a ramped barrel and my cartridges are contacting the frame. Some extra info, the feed ramp is already highly polished and I only use Wilson mags with JHP's.

Thanks,
RJ

[Tom]

Just curious, have you tried different brands of JHP ammo?

[RJ24]

I have only tried the following JHP's;

Speer Gold Dot 230gr
Winchester White Box 230 gr
Black Hills 185 gr.

I plan on trying more. Any suggestions for some less aggressive designs that might feed a little easier? My best luck has been with the Speer Gold Dot's.

[CoastieN70]

RJ,

Try a different magazine. If you are using stock Springfield mags then try a Wilson. If you are using Wilson's than try Cobra Mags (Tripp Research). Most times the slight change in follower/feedlip angle is all that is necessary. I have a Colt that only feeds JHP's from Cobra mags. A cheep alternative to expensive Smithing...

[Sifu]

Production weapons don't get the same detailed attention that a custom weapon receives. As such, you will notice the feed ramps & throats on all production weapons to be rougher and in need of attention. I polish the feed ramp, throat and all rough areas on productions guns & mags I purchase. I use a dremmel and beware a little goes a long way especially with aluminum frames.

On the GoldenLoki website http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep.htm
the author demonstrates on a Keltec but the pics and writeup show you the auto-frame's internal areas of engagement. Disassemble and check all these areas of your pistol. If they are rough, you want to consider it.

After a fluf & buf, the pistol feeds more consistently and smoothly. When fired, the slide operates more smoothly and feed problems dissipate. This procedure can be repeated from time to time as needed.

Regards

[sevenL4]

RJ24, try reading a book. Kuhnhausen's Shop Manual is one that has good illustrations and instructions regarding modifying the 'release point' of your magazines by adjusting the feed lips. Compare the shape of the FMJ bullet to the JHP. Check the OAL (overall length). Noting the differences, you can see how to modify themags. There's lots of different bullet shapes and it's rare to find a pistol/mag combo that will feed everything reliably. Determine what ammo gives you the best performance and tune for it.

[swampertwo]

If your HPs are feeding 'nose down', I'd look real seriously at your mags/mag springs being weak. Try Wilson 47Ds or McCormick Powermags or get a couple Wolff +10% mag springs and your problem should go away.
Ramped barrels normally have less feed problems than a standard non-ramped ones.