I just got my hands on a Colt Series 70 Combat Commander. The feed ramp in the receiver was mauled by what appears to be an attempt at a do-it-your-self ramp and throat job.
Now I know what you are thinking. Why did you buy it with the feed ramp damaged? Well, the Commander was used on duty by three well respected Deputies in my Department. And it was used in two officer involved shootings. So to me this Commander is worth trying to get fixed due to it's historical value. I plan on restoring it to original condition with factory parts.
So, has anyone out there had a feed ramp replaced? And if you have, who would you recommend?
It depends on how bad the feed ramp is and how much material is left to be reworked.
Evolution Gun Works (EGW) sells a steel ramp insert. They no longer install the insert but recommed this company to do the work:
From a EGW's email I got:
EGW is no longer taking in gun work.
Jim Milks who worked with us for the last 17 years is all set up. http://innovativecustomguns.com/
The insert is the way to go for an alloy frame, but this is by description a Combat Commander. If it is, it is steel, and can be welded and re-machined.
And if it hasn't been Bubba'd too terribly badly, there may be a chance a little work with a gizmo like this...
...might do the trick. Maybe.
BTW, niemis tool works incredibly good for people like me(no mill or poper tools. I had to repair one of mine but it had a bump in the feed ramp. http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=80466 is my documentation of repairing that essex and everybodys input was spot on and makes for a good resource.
Out of curiosity, was the barrel also ruined by this botched ramp & throat job?
I ask because if the barrel is to be changed, another way to go is to machine the frame for a ramped barrel.
Here are some pics, I hope they can help.
Quote:
Out of curiosity, was the barrel also ruined by this botched ramp & throat
job?
I ask because if the barrel is to be changed, another way to go is to machine the frame for a ramped barrel.
The barrel ramp was messed up pretty bad. If you look at the pics of the barrel it might be hard to see. But the bottom of the ramp has been ground almost flush to fit the barrel bed. In the 70's and 80's a majority of the street Deputies in my agency carried 1911's. I have gotten my hands on a lot of these guns and about 40% have been damaged with a Dremel tool. It's pretty sickening...
Before we get all wrapped around the axle over a Bubba'd frame & barrel ramp - how does the gun shoot? It's a little difficult for me to tell from your photos, but even though it probably looks awful - does it reliably chamber the next round?
* If it doesn't reliably chamber the next round then it needs fixing.
* But if it does reliably chamber the next round...
I will be taking it to the range this week to try it out. Once I get back I will detail the event. Sorry about the bad pics, I am a terrible photographer.
A double dose of sharpening on your fifth photo...
...seems to show the lower corner of the barrel ramp has been rounded over and that it is nearly flush with (or overhangs) the top corner of the frame feed ramp. If so, I'll predict this gun will end up in a solid 3 point jam somewhere around the middle round in the magazine. It might even do it by slingshotting in a dummy round.
I'd say the barrel would make a good pencil holder and if it overhangs the frame ramp it's because the top of the frame ramp has been moved forward - and needs an insert.
But that's just based on what I think I can see in your defuzzied fifth pic.
Quote:
Jim Milks who worked with us for the last 17 years is all set up.
http://innovativecustomguns.com/
He welded and recut a feed ramp on one of my guns that I bought pre-bubba'd too. It was a Daly and I only paid $200 for it so I wasn't hurt when I sent it off to Innovative to be reworked.
It was done beautifully and I now love the gun that I thought I was going to regret buying.
quote:
a double dose of sharpening
...seems to show the lower corner of the barrel ramp has been rounded over and that it is nearly flush with (or overhangs) the top corner of the frame feed ramp. If so, I'll predict this gun will end up in a solid 3 point jam somewhere around the middle round in the magazine. It might even do it by slingshotting in a dummy round.
I'd say the barrel would make a good pencil holder and if it overhangs the frame ramp it's because the top of the frame ramp has been moved forward - and needs an insert.
But that's just based on what I think I can see in your defuzzied fifth pic.
Sorry about the quality of the photos. I will get with one of the guys in technical investigations and have them school me with my camera. Those guys in TI are artists with a camera. I am thinking about holding off test firing the gun. The ramp appears really deep and I don't want to have a blowout and end up in the Emergency room before Christmas LOL The ramps look really really bad in person...
Thank you for the info. I have a feeling after Christmas I will be sending it back East to get fixed.
Last year I had Innovative gun works repaired a Springfield that looked that bad or worse and the final damage was $290. New insert and man does it look nice and preforms 100%. I had $250 in the firearm and I new what I was buying so when it was all over I had almost $600 in it. Today it's one of my favorite 1911's. Innovative did a great job, nice people to deal with and the turn around was a little more than 4 weeks.