kamikaze1a Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I believe it's a given that Glock factory chambers are looser than most aftermarket barrel's chambers. It is definately the case for my LW barrel in 40. I've been getting an occassional failure to return to battery during shoots and after trying a bunch of different remedies, the only thing I can think of is that the tighter chamber is the cause. I know some will probably say, "let a pro do it" but just wondering if anyone has any tips for DIY chamber polishing? I don't intend to remove any metal, but rather smooth the transistion from ramp to chamber and smooth the chamber walls. The ramp and chamber is already pretty smooth but not really polished shiny. How polished do the pro gunsmiths go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01G8R Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Can you list the other things you have tried to fix your issues. With the combined knowledge here someone might be able to suggest something you haven't tried before you start polishing your chamber. I'm not an expert, but I believe most chambers have a taper to them and a reamer is used to cut them to a finished dimension. I don't think polishing the chamber without removing any material will help much. If the chamber is tight and then you polish it then you will just have a shiny tight chamber. Have you measured the LW barrel and compared it to the factory barrel? Have you compared the measurements to the SAMMI specs? Maybe you can call LW and get their specs. You may have a barrel that is not cut correctly from the manufacturer, but my guess is that it is an ammo issue. Does this happen with factory ammo and reloads? There are some really good threads about 40 ammo on this site. I believe that the CZ pistols are really finicky with 40 ammo. A couple guys came up with a way to re-size the brass and get perfectly straight case walls so that it would feed in the CZs. Maybe they have a tight chamber too. I can't find the thread right now, but a search might pull it up for you. Hope this helps and sorry for the drift because I didn't answer your question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Thanks for the reply. I have been running this barrel for a while now. Thousands of various cast bullets down range already, mostly my cast but have tried store bought cast too. Since it's a 40, just about all that is available is Truncated cone. It doesn't happen all the time and somehow, happens once or twice a match. Problem with that is that since I am under the clock, I can not really stop and check it out closely. What is happening is that the round will be about halfway in the chamber, round not quite perpendicular to the bore yet and slide less than an inch from battery. It looks like the side of the shell is touching the feed ramp transition and the shell mouth/bullet is touching the chamber. Not totally sure because it's during a COF and don't/can't stop and really look. Racking the slide ejects that round and the following round chambers fine. So I'm not totally sure if it's the base of the shell catching on the extractor or breech face or bullet/shell is catching the inside of the chamber. Looking at the ejected round gives me no clue as it looks perfect when I pick it up after the COF. And it chambers perfectly if I load it into a magazine later. I've tried polishing the breech face a little, running lighter or heavier recoil springs, various bullets, Lee Factory Crimp Die, polishing feedramp, different mags, increase/decrease powder charge and even tried shooting limp wrist to force it to jam... It's a good match if I don't get at least one FTRB... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calishootr Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 just an idea here, but are you gaugeing your ammo at all either by the barrel your gonna shoot the ammo in or a case gauge???? glocks are notorious for having a casehead 'swell' that most if not all sizer dies really cant get out???? a failure to return to battery mite be due to a fat casehead???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Great question but I did/do drop into chamber test to determine OAL for bullet seating and do use the Lee FCD. The ejected round from the FTRB will drop into the chamber perfectly after the fact so I do not believe it is a problem with the/that round. IF it happens during range time (hardly happens during practice), a small tug on the slide and release it goes to battery without ejeecting that round.... It only happened once or twice outside of a shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I had a similar problem with my Trubor (38 super). The rounds chamber checked perfectly, everything was within spec, but some rounds just wouldn't go into battery. Turns out, on some of the brass, the extractor groove was not as deep (it was a total of .008 larger over all diameter than what specs said it was supposed to be). What was happening was the the extractor was forcing the case to the side, trying to wedge it into the chamber.Weeded out those cases, no more problem. My .02.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Thanks, that's worth looking into. I often wondered if it was the extractor that was hanging up on the rim but never had chance to loos at that. I even thought that the firing pin might not be retracted but after looking where the round would be when it hung up I realized that it could not be that. If it was out of spec extractor groove and out of round, it would only hangup when it out of spec part was position at the extractor. Thanks, I'll check it out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 If the firing pin hole has sharp edges, the brass can hang up on the top edge of the hole as it moves up across the breechface. A small chamfer on the hole cures the problem. This may or may not be what is happening in this particular situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Other things to consider: If it happens more and more often, or just with certain magazines, you might need to respring the gun/mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmantwo Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 If the rounds are hanging up nose up in the chamber, then polishing will make a huge difference. And that's something that's fairly easy to DIY. You need a wooden dowel rod a bit smaller than your chamber and at least 6" long, to get a good grip. Wrap the last couple of inches of it in a couple of layers of 240 or 320 grit paper, just enough that it moves easily in the chamber. This is of course with the barrel out of the gun. Lay the barrel on a table or work surface. That way you only have to concern yourself with keeping the dowel rod in line, not both of them moving around. Put the top of the chamber down toward the table. Move the sand paper rod in and out while slowly rolling the barrel from side to side, covering the top half of the diameter. It usually doesn't take much to make a huge difference, I usually make about 20-30 strokes. The in and out motion removes any striations left by the chamber cutter, something going around and around won't do as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 If the firing pin hole has sharp edges, the brass can hang up on the top edge of the hole as it moves up across the breechface. A small chamfer on the hole cures the problem. This may or may not be what is happening in this particular situation. You know, that might be it. I had looked into the shell catching on the firing pin but ruled that out because the point where the slide would stop would be more out of battery. But catching on the upper edge of the firepin hole is just about right. I do not see or feel any thing that might snag the shell and I had "polished" the breech face with Never Dull but that didn't really do anything for the pin hole edge. It might have something to do with certain shells and the edge for the rim. Will have to look at that more closely. As for the mags, it happened when the mags were new too. I have numbered mags and it does not seem to happen with the same mag so can't rule that out but I think unlikely. Thanks guys (or gals if applicable)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigar Guy Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 You might also try a Lee "U" sizing die, which will resize your brass .001" tighter than other dies. These will iron out the Glock bumps on the cases and eliminate one potential cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Cigar_guy, I use the Lee FCD after bullet seating. It makes the cases uniform and smooths out any bulges or bumps. I'm looking at the face of the breech right now. Don't see any place for the shell to hangup but if the shell base is catching there, it actually stops the slide pretty much exactly in the position I find when it "jams". Not sure if it's the face of the breech face or the extractor yet... And there's nothing like a good cigar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calishootr Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 It might be a burr on the extractor not letting the rim of the round cam up the breechface properly, LIGHTLY polish the extractor hook area??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RufDog Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 sooooo, back to the question..... Any body have DIY chamber polish advise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 sooooo, back to the question..... Any body have DIY chamber polish advise? I agree with the others: it is more likely an ammo problem so polishing won't help. BUT, you seem determined to try it anyway so here you go: http://www.varmintal.com/arelo.htm#Polish_Chamber I've been wrong before. Let us know how it turns out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Get a bronze brush (old used is good) that's a couple calibers under the size you're polishing, cut a strip of maroon Scotchbrite and wrap it around the brush. Screw the brush on a straight cleaning rod (no handle) and chuck it in your drill. Run the drill as fast as it will go as you run the brush with Scotchbrite in and out of the chamber. If it's an auto, stay out of the rifling. If it's a revo, stay out of the throat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 11, 2009 Author Share Posted September 11, 2009 Well, I took the plunge and polished my chamber. My G35 did not blowup and it functioned fine. Since the problem I was trying to fix rarely shows up during range time I should know if the polishing helped after this Sunday's match. The chamber was already pretty polished so did not have to work too much there but I did relieve some of the sharp edge at the feed ramp transition. I used a Dremel with a bullet shaped felt tip dipped in some creme metal polish. I might try going over the breach face and extractor a bit with buffer too when I do my before match detail strip this week. Hoping for the best... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddler Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Found this I can't remember where when I was trying to get my M&P to run. Worked for me. Take a piece of brass and knock out the primer. Find a bolt that will fit thru the primer hole or drill out the hole to fit a bolt you have. Use a nut and lock washer to tighten the bolt down. Chuck it up in your drill. Make a soupy paste of Flitz and fine jeweler's rouge. Apply a thin layer of this mix to the case, put it in the chamber and spin it. Be conservative. Clean up, go shoot, repeat if the problem is not fixed. YMMV. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Any news to report from the match? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) If the firing pin hole has sharp edges, the brass can hang up on the top edge of the hole as it moves up across the breechface. A small chamfer on the hole cures the problem. This may or may not be what is happening in this particular situation. Well, it's the good news/bad news thing...I did not have any FTRB problems at yesterday's match, after the latest round of polishing. Some time back, when I first experienced the problem, I thought perhaps the firing pin was snagging the shell. But when I chambered a round by slowly racking the slide I realized it would stop too soon in the cycle. At about that time, I tried polishing the slide face where the shell's base slides using a patch and metal polish. It felt a lot slicker after the polishing when I slid a shell over that area. Obviously that did not cure the problem. After Toolguy's post, I ran a shell over that area trying to duplicate how the shell would slide. The shell slid pretty well but I could feel a slight bump when the rim past over the firing pin hole. I took a closer look at that area and realized that the upper and lower end of the firing pin slot (hole) was peened outwards ever so slightly by the firing pin's strikes. It was not enough to really be seen but I could see that the metal was shinier there than the rest of the slide's face. It may be enough to snag the shell as it slid up the face of the slide and would cause a stopage exactly where I was experiencing. Using a Dremel and a felt wheel, I polished the face of the slide making sure that the wheel's rotation would be against the upper edge of the firing pin hole (slot), radiusing the edge in addition to removing that peened metal. After the polishing, the shell slides perfectly and I no longer feel that "bump". No FTRB the whole match... Now the bad news, I had experienced a few stopages from what I believe was magazine issues in the past. I would see two bullets stripped during a cycle, or a live round ejected along with the empty shell or a round sticking out of the mag lips when I drop the mag. I "thought" I had the problem isolated to two of my mags but yesterday it happened twice with some of the "good" mags. And like the previous problem, it doesn't happen every time... I am in a limit 10rd state so I am forced to use inline 10rd factory mags. The mag's lips look good and look to be tighter than another club member's 40 mags (he has no problems). The really odd part is that it usually happens when the mag is down to the last round or 2nd to the last. The mags are pretty new so it would be hard to believe that the springs are worn. I have one brand new mag so will be testing that one out and if it's good, I guess new springs are in my future. Anyone ever had problems like that with their mags? I had heard that the inline mags are not as good as the double stack but can't possess hi-caps without breaking the law... Edited September 15, 2009 by kamikaze1a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y. Koester Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 What size lead bullets are you using? .401-.402?? maybe you need the led of your barrel cut?? I have ran into this problem with my 2011 when shooting cast lead bullets. For me it didn't matter what length they were loaded to. Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinj308 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 If it only happens on the last round or two you might try swapping out the recoil spring. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 Thanks for your reply...I am not sure what you are referring to but if you mean that my bullets are hitting the rifling/throat, they are not. The problem for the feeding was that the slide would stop with about 1/2 of the shell in the chamber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 If it only happens on the last round or two you might try swapping out the recoil spring. Kevin I think you are right. I got my first Glock about a year ago and I find it hard to believe that the mag springs are tired already. Some of the other Glock shooters have not changed springs after years of shooting so do not understand why mine would be worn so soon. I store my mags empty so could not be memory. Also find that it does not make sense that the rounds are popping through the lips due to a weak spring. I would think that it would happen more due to a heavy spring but because the problem is happening when empty or near empty, it would seem to indicate too soft... I do vaguely remember an article about soft springs and the following round bouncing in the mag after the top round was stripped... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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