I was trying to figure out if the ramp configuration of a .38 Super barrel on another site was compatible with my 9mm SW1911 and ran across these pictures. I figured they'd be helpful to someone else as well.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Asking because I don't know/curious........Does a ramped barrel decrease the angle the cartridge is presented to the chamber? Or asked another way, what are the benefits of a ramped barrel? Better case support? I am under the impression that the frame has to be milled to accept a ramped barrel. Just wondering if the squeeze is worth the juice.
It's been a while since I looked into it but as best I recall, it helps (or is required depending on who you ask) feeding with calibers other than .45. And yes, the frame will have to be modified if it's already set up for a standard barrel. Again, as best as I can remember.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Ramped barrels originally came about in 1911s due to IPSC competitors playing fast and loose with pressures in their handloads, trying to make the (then) 175 Major power factor with their .38 Super ammo. With a ramped barrel, the chamber could be cut to support the case almost to the extractor groove. This reduced the incidence of "Super face". Colt factory barrels of the time in 9x19 and .38 Super were non-ramped. They worked fine with factory ammo or factory-spec handloads. Colt .38 Super barrels until not too long ago headspaced the cartridge on the tiny rim rather than the case mouth and developed a reputation for crummy accuracy because of it.
My two 1911s are in .45 ACP with non-ramped barrels, and I see no reason to go with a ramped barrel in that caliber. If I were to get another 1911 in a smaller high-pressure caliber, I'd go with a ramped barrel.
Thanks all
Other than the 1911, most modern pistol designs eschew a frame ramp and make the ramp part of the barrel like Glock. Some modern designs feed the round horizontally into the chamber and do not need a feed ramp or have a vestigial ramp like the Beretta 92/M9 series. The 92-series have a polished frame ramp, but the bullet never should contact it. The almost straight in feed of the Beretta 92 makes for a much more reliable feed than the 1911 feed.
I have one .45 ACP 1911 that has a ramped barrel. It is my STI Lawman. It has fed as well as any USGI non-ramped barrel. I have 9x19 pistols with non-ramped barrels (Colt) and ones with various ramps (STI Trojan and SVI 1911). All need different magazines to handle the differences in barrels and feed ramps.
In the case of alloy frames and using HP ammo I have heard the justification for ramped barrels being protection of that feed ramp portion of the frame from dings and erosion. I have both styles (DW ramped and S&W/Colt standard) in alloy frames and I have not observed big problems developing on the unramped alloy frames. but then again I don't do high volume shooting with JHP ammo through those alloy frame guns so it might be a legit concern.