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Gallery
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Gap
There should be a gap of about 0.030 inches between the bottom edge of the barrel throat and the top of the feed ramp in the frame.
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Throat the Barrel
A Dremel tool can be used to carefully throat an M1911 barrel.
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Polishing the Feed Ramp
Polishing the frame feed ramp is often best accomplished simply with 600-grit or finer sandpaper wrapped around a wooden dowel.
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Ejection Reliability
Ejection reliability of a gun with the high G.I. ejection port is enhanced by lowering the port and flaring it at the rear.
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Feed Ramps
Frames for different calibers have different feed ramps. Shown here are frames for the .45 ACP and 9 mm Luger.
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Guide Rods
Guide rod heads, particularly of aftermarket, full-length guide rods, may contact the lower barrel lugs and should be relieved for clearance.
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Proper Barrel throat
A properly throated M1911 barrel is shown next to an original G.I. barrel with its minimal throat.
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Beveling the Port
In addition to fluting the rear of the ejection port, a gunsmith will also clear or bevel the inside edge of the port to enhance ejection reliability.
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Extractor
Beveling and flaring the extractor claw helps the case rim slide under the claw.
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Slide Stop
A shallow detent or dimple in the slide stop face can prevent the slide stop from inadvertently rising and causing the slide to lock back prematurely.
While the roller-delayed blowback mechanism has proven reliable in platforms like the Heckler & Koch G3, Zenith Firearms has taken this innovative operating system and paired it with a modern, AR-style feature set in its MRDS.
Since 2019, Springfield Armory has offered its Saint Victor line of AR-15s with enhanced features, and for 2025, the company has updated those features to keep pace with consumer demands.