45acp 1911 question: Do ramped barrels increase reliability or decrease it?

Depends on what kind of bullet you're feeding it.

IIRC ramped barrels were developed because wadcutter-style rounds wouldn't feed right out of the magazine (where ball ammo would) causing a jam-o-matic.
 
i have 1911s with both and notice absolutely no difference in feeding any sort of bullet type. RN, TC and SWC all function pretty much the same in both style barrels. i suppose it is somewhat like the debate over short and full length gruide rods, which i also have both of. some people say the full length will be more reliable. in theory it makes sense. i have never had a malfunction i can trace back to a short guide rod.
 
They are definitely high-speed-low-drag items...wait, is this still 1997?

There was a period where lots of guys did this. It is definitely not an improvement in terms of reliability with normal ammo. I guess I could see it with wadcutters...but IMO if you really want to shoot wadcutters, man, buy a revolver!

I have a Norinco that (last time I was using it, anyway, probably two years ago) fed SWCs fine but full wadcutters is asking a lot. If you build a 1911 to run them, IMO it's a specialty gun.

People have different applications for their guns...to me, all my guns are "emergency-worthy" guns where if something somehow happened where I needed to use one to defend myself, it would be a good choice. I would never put a ramped barrel in a fighting gun.

That's my take on it, anyway.
 
Generally speaking - neither. Some companies sell ramped guns (STI for example) and some never have (Colt, Springer). Ramped barrels were designed to try and get better reliability with certain short OAL rounds, many of which are no longer used (wadcutters, as noted and 155 grain 45acp+P hollowpoints anyone ever see those??). Either can work well, it's all in how the frame cut is done and how the barrel is fitted - either can also suck based on the same criteria. Is it necessary? Nope. Will it, on it's own improve a functioning 1911? Nope. Do they provide work and income for gunsmiths? You bet. Are they more expensive than a properly done ramp and throat job???? Of course they are. If your 1911 came from the factory with a ramped barrel, it will work - if it didn't it will also work. We're long past the days when a shooter went out and paid $1100 for a Colt 1911 and then gave a gunsmith another $1000 to make it function - before it ever saw a range.
 
i would question the value over a "traditional" barrel- the other half of the equation is a QUALITY magazine- i have a 1911 mk4, series 70, that's been tweeked to feed the 200 grain swc- however, my dead stock 1911 remington rand also does the same thing, so much that i would consider the remmy as a back up gun if the colt went down- in other words, as far as feeding goes, they're IDENTICAL
 
i have both & find no diff in feeding. i shoot 200swc, 225tc, 250 rnfp , in all of them [ 4 ] i think the ramp was invented in the 60's/70's by Jim Clark as a bullseye/swc thing.
 
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