KyWstJoe
US Veteran
Don't fix what ain't broke!
Polishing the feed ramp
- Thread starter dondavis3
- Start date
c.marsh
Member
polish
be safe not sorry later....send it to a factory gunsmith at s&w...
be safe not sorry later....send it to a factory gunsmith at s&w...
OP
dondavis3
Member
Thanks to everyone for your help.
Well this was a interesting post for me.
I asked the same question on 4 different gun sites to gather as much info as I could.
I got every answer under the sun
- here are a few :
If you have to ask how, you are not qualified.
It's easy anybody can do it .
Use a Dremel on low speed.
Don't let a Dremel in the same room with a gun.
Dremel tools are the reason I don't buy used guns.
Use a Dremel with the felt pad and the red polish (jewelers).
So, my 4 1/2 inch angle grinder.... too much or just right?
Use car polish.
Use toothpaste and a q-tip.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
It's a 20 minute job.
It will take a long time if done right.
Use wet and dry 600 or 1000 wet dry paper on a dowel.
Use Fitz Polish or Mother's Mag Wheel Polish or use a little Clenzoil
And on and on.
Well this was a interesting post for me.
I asked the same question on 4 different gun sites to gather as much info as I could.
I got every answer under the sun
- here are a few :If you have to ask how, you are not qualified.
It's easy anybody can do it .
Use a Dremel on low speed.
Don't let a Dremel in the same room with a gun.
Dremel tools are the reason I don't buy used guns.
Use a Dremel with the felt pad and the red polish (jewelers).
So, my 4 1/2 inch angle grinder.... too much or just right?
Use car polish.
Use toothpaste and a q-tip.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
It's a 20 minute job.
It will take a long time if done right.
Use wet and dry 600 or 1000 wet dry paper on a dowel.
Use Fitz Polish or Mother's Mag Wheel Polish or use a little Clenzoil
And on and on.
Last edited:
curioushooter
Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2010
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 2
Yes, sometimes forums are useless.
You ask a simple question and get everybody's axe they have ground into into a razor blade. Some people love to show off how rich they think they are with condescension of any non-professional work (Dremel tools are the reason I don't buy used guns. If you have to ask how, you are not qualified.). I wonder if they realize that professional means you get paid; it does not mean the work performed is better. Who bakes better bread your wife or Hostess? What about hookers? Are they better?
Some people have no clue of what they are doing (It's easy anybody can do it.).
Some people are totally illogical (Don't let a Dremel in the same room with a gun.). This may be good advice if the word "Dremel" was switched with oxygen, which is actually harmful to a gun.
As somebody that has done this successfully (improved feeding function), I would advise caution and use a mild abrasive. Jeweler's rouge (the stuff that comes with the Dremel tool) is about as strong as you want to get and you risk changing the geometry and dimensions of the ramp if you are careless or aggressive. Using a q-tip with toothpaste (which has a very mild abrasive that breaks down) is probably too cautious. A very good product is 3M Micro-abrasive, which is extremely consistent and effective if a bit of it is stuck to the end of a dowel. You can get it from auto refinish places. Otherwise use a q-tip with rouge or valve lapping compound or some other very fine abrasive. Even a finger may work well. You don't want to remove any more metal than is necessary to improve the finish. Also motion in the direction of bullet travel is good. Do not make cross-wise marks; they should be up-down motion. If the pistol works fine, then why polish it?
Better yet, read up on feed ramp polishing from an authoritative book. Public libraries often have this stuff, especially vocational college libraries. That way you will know that the person giving you advice knows more than you do, which is more important than just about anything else in this situation. That's how I figured out a method, and even then there is disagreement among established gunsmiths.
You ask a simple question and get everybody's axe they have ground into into a razor blade. Some people love to show off how rich they think they are with condescension of any non-professional work (Dremel tools are the reason I don't buy used guns. If you have to ask how, you are not qualified.). I wonder if they realize that professional means you get paid; it does not mean the work performed is better. Who bakes better bread your wife or Hostess? What about hookers? Are they better?
Some people have no clue of what they are doing (It's easy anybody can do it.).
Some people are totally illogical (Don't let a Dremel in the same room with a gun.). This may be good advice if the word "Dremel" was switched with oxygen, which is actually harmful to a gun.
As somebody that has done this successfully (improved feeding function), I would advise caution and use a mild abrasive. Jeweler's rouge (the stuff that comes with the Dremel tool) is about as strong as you want to get and you risk changing the geometry and dimensions of the ramp if you are careless or aggressive. Using a q-tip with toothpaste (which has a very mild abrasive that breaks down) is probably too cautious. A very good product is 3M Micro-abrasive, which is extremely consistent and effective if a bit of it is stuck to the end of a dowel. You can get it from auto refinish places. Otherwise use a q-tip with rouge or valve lapping compound or some other very fine abrasive. Even a finger may work well. You don't want to remove any more metal than is necessary to improve the finish. Also motion in the direction of bullet travel is good. Do not make cross-wise marks; they should be up-down motion. If the pistol works fine, then why polish it?
Better yet, read up on feed ramp polishing from an authoritative book. Public libraries often have this stuff, especially vocational college libraries. That way you will know that the person giving you advice knows more than you do, which is more important than just about anything else in this situation. That's how I figured out a method, and even then there is disagreement among established gunsmiths.
OP
dondavis3
Member
+1 curioushooter
I laughed out loud at your first 4 paragraphs ... Lot's of know it all advice available.
I race Corvette's as a hobby also and have learned from the corvette forums - It's good to ask for advice - but take the answers with a grain of salt.
Good advice with a touch of common sense seems to work on most things.
Thanks for your funny answer.
I laughed out loud at your first 4 paragraphs ... Lot's of know it all advice available.
I race Corvette's as a hobby also and have learned from the corvette forums - It's good to ask for advice - but take the answers with a grain of salt.
Good advice with a touch of common sense seems to work on most things.
Thanks for your funny answer.
BruceM
Member
I laughed at the fact that the identical question was asked on four different Forums. I see this all the time and the answers are usually all over the place.
If the question was simple and the answers consistent, why place the question in four different places? If the question is tough or controversial and nets multiple answers, what's the tie breaker in determining the correct one? This, of course, is assuming that the object is to get a correct answer and not just stir the pot in order to obtain opinions.
Incidentally, I'm in the "don't fix what isn't broken" camp.
Bruce
If the question was simple and the answers consistent, why place the question in four different places? If the question is tough or controversial and nets multiple answers, what's the tie breaker in determining the correct one? This, of course, is assuming that the object is to get a correct answer and not just stir the pot in order to obtain opinions.
Incidentally, I'm in the "don't fix what isn't broken" camp.
Bruce
OP
dondavis3
Member
I often post a question that I need / want an answer to on multiple forums because everyone is not on the same forum.
I could be wrong, but I feel I get better (more accurate) info that way.
You're correct - I get different reply's from different forums.
That's what I'm looking for.
I feel I can use my own common sense to weed my way through the internet commando answers and so I usually get a broader view this way.
It works for me - it might confuse others.
I could be wrong, but I feel I get better (more accurate) info that way.
You're correct - I get different reply's from different forums.
That's what I'm looking for.
I feel I can use my own common sense to weed my way through the internet commando answers and so I usually get a broader view this way.
It works for me - it might confuse others.
I have used a dremel on low speed using a mother's wheel polish to clean after wet sanding with a wooden dowel. Using the proper tool(s) is what separates amateurs and people that work with metals on a daily basis. People that spin a dremel to max speed with abrasives is what damages firearms.
loeman
Member
Thanks dondavis3 for your OP
I won't join the battle in what is the right thing to do and what is wrong. I think just about every possible opinion has already been expressed. However I am grateful for the OP and all the members who took the time to answer and all those who took the time to dissent. And if all of the posts were carefully read, I think it will be pretty clear to almost anyone on what to do or what not to do regarding this issue. This thread is a great example of why I love this forum.
I won't join the battle in what is the right thing to do and what is wrong. I think just about every possible opinion has already been expressed. However I am grateful for the OP and all the members who took the time to answer and all those who took the time to dissent. And if all of the posts were carefully read, I think it will be pretty clear to almost anyone on what to do or what not to do regarding this issue. This thread is a great example of why I love this forum.
bbqncigars
Member
I used a couple of Cratex bits in a rotary tool to remove the sawteeth from the feed ramp of my 2206. You have to have the right touch and take it slowly. Now the bestest way to smooth a ramp would be by burnishing it. This would move, rather than remove, metal. The downside to burnishing a feed ramp is that it would require a special tool. Such can be made w/drill rod and patience, but it would require knowledge of basic metalworking and heat treatment. I could have gone this route, but I'm lazy and going to go for the easiest fix that works.
djh1765
Member
All you need to do is polish off the burrs and you will have a pistol that will not give you a feed problem due to the ramp..
Nothing to it just take the burrs off at the edge.
djh
Nothing to it just take the burrs off at the edge.
djh
A Different Take
The potential problem with Dremels and similar tools is that the polishing action is usually "against the grain" or side to side, perpendicular to the cartridge's travel. I hand-polish using a bit of fine emory cloth followed by crocus cloth, polishing the feed ramp in the direction of the cartridge's travel.
The trick is not to take too much off. I might add that I have several guns, including my S&W M&P, that have never been polished and don't seem to need it.
I might add that since the advent of hollow point pistol ammo, starting in the 60s, gun manufacturers have since learned how to finish their feed ramps while ammo manufacturers no longer use hollow point designs with exposed lead, which, really dragged on rough feed ramps. So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The potential problem with Dremels and similar tools is that the polishing action is usually "against the grain" or side to side, perpendicular to the cartridge's travel. I hand-polish using a bit of fine emory cloth followed by crocus cloth, polishing the feed ramp in the direction of the cartridge's travel.
The trick is not to take too much off. I might add that I have several guns, including my S&W M&P, that have never been polished and don't seem to need it.
I might add that since the advent of hollow point pistol ammo, starting in the 60s, gun manufacturers have since learned how to finish their feed ramps while ammo manufacturers no longer use hollow point designs with exposed lead, which, really dragged on rough feed ramps. So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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