Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Questions about an alloy frame 1911

I�m thinking about another 1911 (Smith, Kimber, Sig and Dan Wesson) a bobtail/round butt commander type this go round.

I have read conflicting reports about alloy frames and dimpling on the feed ramp caused by the rounds being chambered. My understanding is the Sig and Dan Wesson have a steel ramped barrel and the Kimber and Smith do not, and the steel ramped barrel precludes this from occurring on those pistols.

Are there issues with the alloy frames without the ramped barrel? I would be interested to hear how they hold up.

Perhaps there are others I should consider.
Thanks for the input.

AJD

I have probably 5k rds through my alloy Smith Commander and the feed ramp is as smooth and shiny as day 1 that I polished it.

I have no idea if the scandium in the Smith frame helps with this.

It depends a lot on the mags. On newer designs the follower has more stabilization than the originals

In short, the proper mag follower keeps the cartridge angle in an attitude that does not "ding" the frame.

Or at least that seems to be what I've seen over the several models I've owned.

I've got an alloy framed Kimber Custom Shop Pro Commander with the Bobtail grip frame. Tons of lead downrange with not one problem at all. Feed ramp is still as smooth as a baby's butt.

Sounds like a internet myth to me.

I've found that it mainly depends on the bullet shame. A girlfriend had two Kimber ProCarry .45s. With RN or lead bullets there was never a problem or any indication of wear. Once she started shooting a lot of jacketed HPs dings did start appearing on the feed ramps.

She had both polished out and the frames hard chromed...end of problem.

I have 5 Commanders in .38 Super. Three have hard chromed frames, one is a Colt factory nickel/Teflon and the last a 1952 that was my daily carry gun for 27 years. The ramp on that one is a little worn as it has 7K+ rounds through it and a lot of them were jacketed HPs...

So yes, it can be a problem...Bob

Thanks for the responses, it is reassuring to get the real world experiences of those who have been there done that.

It sounds like the recommendations would be:

1. Get a steel framed pistol

2. If an alloy framed pistol:

a. Get one with a steel ramped barrel
b. If not a ramped barrel use RN-FMJ or Lead for volume shooting
c. Have the alloy frame hard chromed


Interestingly my PCR and C-100 both have alloy frames and steel ramped barrels.

I believe the new Springfield Compact RO also has a ramped barrel.

Thanks again for the replies.
AJD

Added: Check Mag followers!

It's mostly about the magazine type. The 'old' McCormick style are the worst - an unskirted lil' hatchet that could chip (no pun intended) away at the frame ramp when pulled forward by the last round in the stack being stripped from the mag:



McCormick thought so much of the design they changed it to a skirted version.

An assortment of mag types with a Cobra mag at the top of the heap for obvious reasons:

Thanks for the pic very interesting.

Happened with my alloy frame Kimber. Those steel followers on the Shooting Star magazines were pecking the hell out of the feed ramp. Switching to Wilson poly followers solved the issue.

Thanks!

Great info, I had no idea!

AJD

In my earlier post, I did not consider that the problem might be caused by the magazine follower. So I'll add that I only use Wilson Combat 8 rd mags and the new Chip McCormic 8 rd Power mags in my Lightweight Kimber Commander.

And that may be the reason my Kimber shows no signs of wear on the feed ramp.

Aluminum frames should never be polished on the feed ramp. If you polish the frame you remove the anodizing, and the anodizing is what hardens the frame. A proper aluminum frame should be polished on the feed ramp before it gets anodized. If that's done and good mags are used, you should never have to worry about frame damage. Polish through the anodizing and it's something you'll need to worry about. If for some reason the feed ramp is damaged, the easiest fix is the ramped barrel. After that you can either weld up the frame, or you can have a steel feed ramp soldered in.

I have had aluminum frame 1911's for decades and I've never had any problem. My current S&W has nearly 10,000 rounds through it and the feed ramp shows no appreciable wear.

If someone is really worried about it, you could finish the frame in electro less nickel or NP3 and that would make the frame a rockwell hardness of between 45-60 which is harder than a steel frame and similar to the hardness of a fully heat treated 1911 slide.

Thanks Guys!
Some really good info on in this thread about alloy pistols, ramps, and mags.

The information allows me to be comfortable in considering an alloy pistol without a ramped barrel.

I was in the LGS a few weeks ago and held a Ed Brown Bobtail. It was sweet, and so was looking for a bobtail a tad more affordable for my budget. Several of the ones I have seen have the LW Alloy frame and gave me pause.

I don't need it for carry, weight is not an issue, it's mostly to be a "fun" gun, just for lookin at, holdin, and shootin.

I had considered taking a Ruger CMD and chopping it off. But I would have about as much in that as a Sig Carry Nightmare(the two tone-controls on it really bother me), or a S&WSC E. So......the quest continues.

Thanks again for the info.

AJD

I have two S&W Series 'E' 1911s. One is the all steel full size and after loving that one so much I bought the 4" Scandium Frame, bob tail version. Of the 4 different 1911's I've owned (Colt, SA, Para, S&W) these are by far finished the most flawlessly. The 4" is now my EDC. I use Chip McCormick mags with the ones that came with the guns.

I'm very sure that the engineers and testing labs at all these companies test fire these designs WAY more than most of ever will. I see no issues of ramp problems. I have never seen hard data that says alloy frames have a significantly shorter life than steel frames.

In showing and talking about the bob tailed grip I've come to the conclusion that unless you have hands large enough to come down to the bobing part of the grip the only thing it does for you is to reduce 'print through'.

Out all my 1911's, the ONLY ones that ever had feeding problems were two 3" models, Para & a loaner Colt Defender. They were both jam-O-matics regardless of mag or ammo. Hornady FTX bullets were the worst because of their flat sides. Even factory ball would hang sometimes.

Hard data is out there, but most of it is rather old. Shortly after WW II the military did tests of aluminum 1911 frames and found the lifespans to be unacceptably short. But understand that was with the aluminums of that era, not today's aluminum.

But when you think about it, you should expect aluminum to have a shorter lifespan. How much sorter I don't know, but the nature of aluminum is that it's much less ductile than steel, and where steel will flex, aluminum typically won't, and will eventually develop a stress crack.

Still, that would be many thousands of rounds past what most people put their guns through. Relevant to a military, not so much for civilians.

I do know some manufacturers supply ramped barrels with their alloy frames, I figure there must be a reason.

I don�t know much about it, and am just trying to figure things out, as I stated above I have seen conflicting reports.

Why do you think they supply ramped barrels on alloy frames?

Thanks for the input on your pistols.

AJD

I just noticed (probably old news) that Ruger is bringing out a
new LW (Alloy Frame) Commander.

I noticed in the specs they are to have a polished titanium feed ramp.



Article I saw.

http://www.longislandfirearms.com/forum/topic/120162-ruger-sr1911-lightweight-commander/


I have their SR1911 CMD, like it a lot, and I believe I'll have to go there.

I'll go out on a limb and say that's a typo/mistake/oops.

Polished, yes, titanium, no.

I don't know, here are the specs listed in the article.

Among the features of the new gun:
polished titanium feed ramp
titanium firing pin
stainless steel barrel
extended mag release button
extended thumb safety
oversized beavertail grip safety
enlarged ejection port
checkered backstrap
serrated front strap
hardwood stocks
skeletonized trigger and hammer
three-dot sights with Novak LoMount Carry rear
compatable with standard 1911 parts and magazines


Read the original article here: http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2015/01/05/ruger-sr1911-lightweight-commander/ . Make sure you visit GunsHolstersAndGear.com for all of the latest gun news, reviews and SHOT Show coverage.

The only maker that I'm aware of that installs ramped barrels is Para Ordnance, and they do that because they use ramped barrels on all their guns, so it makes sense they would do it on an aluminum frame gun.

Like I said, I have over 9k rounds in mine and there's really no perceptible wear on the feed ramp...if you're still worried after that, then buy a Para. I just don't worry about it, it's not an issue unless someone polishes through the anodizing.