Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing How to modify a feed ramp?

Ok, here is the story.

I have a bolt action rifle that was rebarreled from 30-06 to 35 Whelen.

First: It will feed spitzer bullets just fine.

I would like to shoot a rather blunt nose bullet in it.

When the bolt is pushed forward, and the cartridge is engaged the nose of the bullet hits the side of the feed ramp and "hangs".

I see where I have to remove some metal but the question is HOW?

What is the best way to do it?

I do not want to change the angle of the ramp just recess it a bit more so the nose will start hitting the ramp instead of the lip of the ramp.

The place on the ramp it hits is at about the 4 o'clock position.

what tools or method do you suggest?

What do you mean by "and the cartridge is engaged"? Engaged with what? The extractor, the bolt nose?

Feed ramps can be cut using anything from needle files to high speed rotary carbide burrs like those dentists use, and everything in between. I would recommend the needle file route first since it will do the least amount of damage if you slip. You need to make sure that it requires a modification of the feed ramp and not the feed rail.

You didn't say what kind of action it is, so I'll assume it's a Remmie. Try different followers first, you can also work a bit on the magazine box just forward of the shoulder area. Believe it or not I had to do this with a LA Remington that was barreled to 280AI. I never would've believe it would be a problem, but it was. Didn't take much to fix. Hope it helps.

I had a similar situation with a .338 Win Mag mauser re-chambered to .458 Win Mag. It fed spitzers like melted butter, but round nose and flat nose bullets hung up just as you describe. To me, the fact it fed spitzers meant the feed rails didn't need to be modified.

I put lipstick on the tip of the most offending bullet I intended to use and attempted to chamber it several times form both sides of the magazine. I was left with marks indicating exactly were it was hitting.

I then used a dremel tool and several different abrasive bits to remove the metal, starting with most aggressive and working down. Then I used the dremel felt pads and three different polishing compounds.

I had never modified a feed ramp before, but polished several. Frequently while using the first abrasive bit I checked feeding. I again applied lipstick to the bullet and would occassionally find it would stick on an area of the ramp. I could not just remove the metal from the lip of the feed ramp, instead I had to blend it into the rest of the ramp.

Once it fed without hanging up I stopped removing material. After that I just smoothed out the areas I touched with the less aggressive bits and polishing pads.

I was cautioned on a few boards to just take it to a smith and told the dremel tool would remove too much material, causing irreparable damage. Based on my experience, go slow and check often, and you won't have a problem.

If you must use a Dremel grinder, I would suggest a coarse Cratex point before using a stone. They are much more forgiving and will probably remove enough to do what you need. Before you grind on a feed ramp, make SURE that's where your problem is first. You can't put the metal back once it's off!

ok, when I say the "cartridge was engaged" it meant that the bolt was pushing on the back of the cartridge and the cartridge was moving foward in the magazine "box".

I can clearly see that the nose of the bullet is hitting the feed ramp and getting 'hung' or 'stuck'.

This is a Marlin XL7 bolt action rifle I had rebarreled to 35 Whelen.

Paiting the nose with lipstick sounds like a good idea, I'll have to give it a go.

So far some good ideas. Thanks guys.

Not necessarily so. It's much more difficult to get a "beer can" to feed than it is a sleek, pencil shaped projectile. The shape of the feed rail has a lot to do with directing the round into and up the ramp. If the rail releases early the round can simply pop up out of control and jam. If it releases late, the bolt can jam the nose of the bullet into the side of the ramp, or over ride the round completely causing a jam.

It's sometimes a delicate balance to get certain rounds to feed. My professional opinion would be to recommend that if a person is going to attempt to correct this themselves, that they study the problem first before making any cuts.