3 point jam?

[croue]

Question - this might be a gunsmithing question, but it seems to be ammo related at least a little bit.
My 1911 is experiencing 3 point jams with varying frequency.
I have only put a few boxes of factory ammo through it when it was new. But it wasn't jamming then. Now with my reloads I'm getting a significant number of jams. Like almost every other magazine.

I'm using Rainier bullets. If you're familiar with them you'll know that they seem to have a tighter radius on the tip than your typical 445 ball ammo. I'm wondering if that is part of the issue.

When it jams, it pushes the bullet back in the casing. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. But pretty much always does this, telling me the bullet tip is catching somewhere.

When the gun is rather dirty, it happens more. Maybe the carbon buildup stickiness contributes?

My question: Is the COL affecting this? I have shortened my COL from about 1.265 to 1.255" and have a batch I haven't shot yet loaded to 1.245". Is shorter better in this case? (ammo catching because it's 'too long') Or is longer better-maybe the ammo is presenting at too high an angle to the barrel?

Thoughts? Ideas? The ramps look good with properly beveled edges I think. Is this a gunsmithing issue or a reloads issue?

C

[Enfield47]

Compare your reload COL to factory ammo and see how different they are. I have feeding problems with my 1911 sometimes with factory ammo if it is sooty ammo. The last box of Winchester white box I ran through it had feeding issues and the feed ramp was black with soot. My reloads worked better and were much cleaner using 700x. I was using Xtreme 230 gr RN bullets and 4.5 gr of 700x. My COL was the same as the factory ammo.

[croue]

My COL is less than factory. I did let it get pretty sooty last time before I cleaned it. But cleaning didn't eliminate the issue. I'm using WST powder. Doesn't seem overly sooty, but it's the only pistol powder I've used so far, so can only compare to factory.

Maybe I should go back to longer COL, but it seems like the radius of the bullet nose will have an effect on a gun like the 1911 that maintains 3 points of contact with the round during loading. I might be doing an experiment with some 1.240" and max length 1.275" I believe?

[Sleighter]

Here ya go: http://www.m1911.org/technic21.htm

[croue]

Thanks for the info.
I am shooting RN bullets. The ramp is barely broken, might touch it a bit. The Kimber's ramps come with a sandblasted looking finish. No machining marks, I don't think polishing would help and based on the lateness of the jams, this doesn't feel like my problem. Not interested in polishing the chamber myself. That would probably be a trip to the shop if it comes to that. It might.

The technic21 link is informative and sounds a LOT like what I'm experiencing. I had found other links that talked about the frame bridge and the frame and barrel ramps. But this sounds way more like what I'm having. Actually sounds like the fix f4 did would address the same thing by just reducing the friction points when you're 'riding the link'.

C

[croue]

Oh, and to make sure this stays reloading related - I plan to try even shorter rounds. That may help the geometry issue a bit as well.