Model 41 Feed ramp: to polish or not to polish?

[Mr Brick]

Been having some failure to feed and failure to eject. Gave the old 41 a good cleaning and noticed a blemish on the top of the feed ramp. It appears to be rough in texture, just before the chamber.

Would polishing the feed ramp improve performance? Should this be done by a gunsmith or could I try my hand at it?

I took some images with a borescope, attached below.

Mr Brick

 

[armorer951]

You don't mention if this feeding issue is new, or if you are the original owner, and it's always had this problem.
If this is a "new" malfunction, and if a thorough cleaning doesn't help, you might try replacing the recoil spring first, before making any alterations to the feed ramp. Replacing the recoil spring may solve the problem without further intervention or alteration.

Unless you have experience and the proper tools, taking it to a trusted and trained local gunsmith may be the best next step.


Carter

 

[gwpercle]

Polishing the feed ramp will not hurt a thing ...
Go For It !
Gary

 

[Mr Brick]

You don't mention if this feeding issue is new, or if you are the original owner, and it's always had this problem.
If this is a "new" malfunction, and if a thorough cleaning doesn't help, you might try replacing the recoil spring first, before making any alterations to the feed ramp. Replacing the recoil spring may solve the problem without further intervention or alteration.

Unless you have experience and the proper tools, taking it to a trusted and trained local gunsmith may be the best next step.


Carter

I am not the original owner, and the problem has been present since I got it last year. I think this 41 is from the mid to early 1960s.

Thank you for your help. I think replacing the recoil spring is a less invasive solution I'll try before anything else.

 

[maxfam]

You don't mention if this feeding issue is new, or if you are the original owner, and it's always had this problem.
If this is a "new" malfunction, and if a thorough cleaning doesn't help, you might try replacing the recoil spring first, before making any alterations to the feed ramp. Replacing the recoil spring may solve the problem without further intervention or alteration.

Unless you have experience and the proper tools, taking it to a trusted and trained local gunsmith may be the best next step.


Carter

You don't mention if this feeding issue is new, or if you are the original owner, and it's always had this problem.
If this is a "new" malfunction, and if a thorough cleaning doesn't help, you might try replacing the recoil spring first, before making any alterations to the feed ramp. Replacing the recoil spring may solve the problem without further intervention or alteration.

Unless you have experience and the proper tools, taking it to a trusted and trained local gunsmith may be the best next step.


Carter

So hard to find a trusted and trained gunsmith, so many people claim to be gunsmith's.

 

[malph]

So hard to find a trusted and trained gunsmith, so many people claim to be gunsmith's.

If it were me, I would send it to a gunsmith that has lots of experience with the 41.

There are still guys out there that have a following in the Bullseye community for their work on 41s.

 

[armorer951]

If you choose to send it to someone for repair, Clark Custom would be a good choice in my opinion......

Clark Custom Guns | Established 1950 | Princeton Louisiana

clarkcustomguns.com

 

[505Gibbs]

IF you choose to replace the recoil spring check the previous forum posts regarding spring orientation so you don't bind up the action!!

 

[65-2x2]

So hard to find a trusted and trained gunsmith, so many people claim to be gunsmith's.

In my area, "gunsmiths" are the folks that swap parts on ARs and apply Ceracoat. Our last real gunsmith, and he was a damn good one, up and died on us a couple of years ago, and I have yet to forgive him for it.

 

[Rule3]

Don't know if the OP has had this fixed, but he never mentioned what ammo was used?
First clean the bore
Also if replacing a recoil spring , may as well get magazine springs
If you know what you are doing, you can polish the ramp lightly. Polish not removing metal!

 

[Jimbo41]

It's been a while, but since the problem is described as both failures to feed and to extract, I doubt that polishing the feed ramp will significantly improve things and it won't do anything for extraction.

What ammo are you using?

I'd do more testing, specifically do you have the problem with all magazines, with all rounds in a magazine, with rounds in a half-filled magazine, problems from slide release or only from recoil?

 

[Eddie Southgate]

So hard to find a trusted and trained gunsmith, so many people claim to be gunsmith's.

Looks like you are not particular who you allow to monkey around with your carburetor .

 

[Dave Haynes]

In the 60s-70s I always went to my gunsmith Andy at Cinnabar Rifle Shop in Petaluma. He would look at something like a broken friction piece and fix it on the spot and charge a small fee. He used to sell us kids .22 shorts by the round so we had ammo. I started to notice other new gunsmiths wouldn't do anything in front of a customer, it was always leave it and I'll call you. I suspected that some of these people were amateurs and didn't want us to know it.
A Dremel with a cloth tip and a little lapping compound is not going to wreck a pistol. But sending it away to someone might.

 

[MyTurn]

That looks like it will be difficult to just 'polish' out. Deep enough to make a difference in feed ramp geometry if you try to remove it. I wouldn't.