1911 issue?

[emfneal08]

Ok to start off with I'll give you a little background info, I bought a used Taurus PT 1911 about a month ago and was given about 50rds of winchester white box 185 grain hard ball and 50rds of remington UMC 230 grain hard ball. I just recently picked up 2 new wilson combat mags and 25rds of remington golden saber 185 grain hollow points to use when I open carry my pistol.

My issue is that on three different occasions with the three different types of ammo and using my stock mags and the wilson mags, after chambering the same round 2 or 3 different times I have had the projectile pushed into the casing on all 3 types of ammunition. Weird? or maybe not so says my local gun shop. The man told me that with the force of chambering the same round 2 or 3 times could very well cause this but I seem to think its the feed ramp because I have found shards of casings inside the chamber on numerous occasions when safety checking and cleaning. What do you guys think? Should I take my pistol to a gun smith and get the feed ramp polished or is this a non existant issue?

[herohog]

It is normal for the bullet to be beat back into the casing a LITTLE each time it is loaded. You should ALWAYS rotate the rounds if you repeatedly loaded and unload your pistol because of this. If the bullet gets pushed back far enough, it can result in a kaboom as it drastically increases the pressure of the fired round.

[ProShooter]

Its called bullet setback. It happens when the bullet strikes the feed ramp. A round shouldnt be chambered more than once or twice, as a general safety rule.

[gfost1]

Howdy, Eddie,

If the setback is obvious from visual inspection after just 2-3 cycles, you might have a problem. If the feed ramp has machine marks where the bullet slides on it, it could need some polishing.

Some other things to look at:

Does the nose of the bullet(s) show any indication of catching on something?

Could the "shards" you have seen in the chamber be jacket material being scraped off as the bullet is pushed back in the case? If they really are coming from the case, the chamber mouth might have a sharp edge.

Does the gun function well when firing?

As was pointed out in other posts, bullet setback can cause excessive chamber pressure and for safety's sake you will want to find the cause or a work-around.

Regards,

George

[allingeneral]

What's the best way to polish the ramp?

[herohog]

I used my Dremel tool and cloth polishing bits with the red polish they come with. You do NOT want to change the angle of that ramp or you will have all sorts of issues! I also throated mine but again, be careful! It helps to have someone show you the right way or have experience with a throated and polished example to work from.

[emfneal08]

I just did a test with the remington ball ammo I have and after the 3rd chambering it is somewhat obivious compared to a fresh un-chambered round. Funny thing is that I am no longer seeing any shards of metal from the casing or nose of the bullet. The chamber mouth doesn't have a sharp edge but rather a rough edge maybe I have worn it down a bit from shooting and chambering rounds.

I would say the rem. ball ammo doesn't have as much backseat as the winchester and rem. hollow points. As for functioning properly I can't really say to a certain extent since I've only put about 25 rounds thru it so far. I am definently discarding all the rounds that are backseating for safety, I'll just have to keep an eye out for bad rounds and get to the range for a couple hours to see how well it functions.

[herohog]

If they are only SLIGHTLY backseated, go ahead and shoot them. Use your head and if you feel safe with it, shoot it.

[Palladin]

put the rounds you are discarding in a baggie with "Glen" on it ... I'll pick them up the first chance I get!

[emfneal08]

put the rounds you are discarding in a baggie with "Glen" on it ... I'll pick them up the first chance I get!

4 rds isn't really worth the trouble is it? haha

[Palladin]

Well, I didn't know how long you planned on having this problem, and I've been wanting a kinetic bullet puller...