Has anyone besides me treated yourself to a Fathers Day shooting related gift? I bought a used 1911 today. I have never heard of Metro Arms until today. It's a gun made in the Philippines. Not a bad gun but it's really tight. Needs about 500 rounds through it.....for real......to settle the interfaces in. Barrel has NO THROAT whatsoever. I'll have to address that.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
.jpg?width=20 "JBinMN")
Nice looking gun Aaron. Hope it gives you good service. I wonder if it comes out of the same factory as Rock Island Armory's 45s.
Only thing I treated myself to is one of those Lee 230 grain boattail 30 caliber bullets I got from Ken Campbell. That along with a big ol' bottle of Hoppes. I'll be passing a lot of that down to my heirs.
Attached Files
It's made in Manila by Metro Arms Corp. It is a bit rougher than the Rock Island guns but I bet they are from the same production lines. Would make sense. The retail price point is a tad bit lower than Rock Island guns too. Slide interfaces need polishing as does the barrel bushing. The used price was fantastic and the gun has barely been fired.
I bought it to fire the WW1 ammo I have on-hand. It's corrosive of course and I really don't want to put that through the Wilson. This gun I can dunk in a tub of water and soap to dissolve the corrosive salts. Then into a bath of Ballistol and water. Blow it off and presto - ready for the range again.
This gun should be a solid performer and will be fun to get smoothed out.
Anybody have contact information for Doug Guy up in North Raleigh? He can throat this rascal. Before you ask, I do not visit the other Cast Bullet forum.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
I am speaking of throating, not ramping. Feed ramp is fine. Barrel has no throat. Think Freebore.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
I wonder if my 18 degree chamfer cutter will throat the barrel? I simply have to knock off a thou of impacting rifling.
Hmmm.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
Sounds to me it has no leade to the full contact rifling. This you stated correctly as no throat. The bullets jumps right into full rifling. If some had a chamber reamer that has that feature on it you could clean it up a little with that. If your 18 degree chamfer cutter fits in there nicely I don't see why you couldn't use it.
Attached Files
Fire lapping would affect the bore more than the throat. As MP1886 correctly states, it is the lack of "leade" or more correctly, "throat" that is the issue preventing chambering of the cartridge with my now swollen .453" bullets. The other members of the 1911 family have enough throat to chamber the cast RNL bullets at the correct seating depth in the cartridges.
The issue with the 18 degree forcing cone reamer is I cant see down there to ensure it bites the lands, and nothing else, like the bottom of the chamber. Throat reamers are expensive to purchase to correct one barrel. Were I a gunsmith, a reamer would be a practical item.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
I have also discovered that this barrel has an excessively tight chamber. My cartridges which pass the Wilson Cartridge Gauge test, as well as the "plunk" test in the other barrels, will chamber in this barrel, but extracting a loaded cartridge from the barrel is a problem. One has to place the muzzle-end of the slide on a brace and then force the gun down onto the now retarded slide. All this of course with a live round in the chamber. To be fair, factory loads do not have this issue since they all seem to be .002" smaller in diameter at the mouth than my handloads (which pass the cartridge gauge test).
Sure is fun figuring all this stuff out isn't it?
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
Sounds like a candidate for a chamber reamer
Attached Files
4D Reamer Rental rents reamers for I think around 40-45 bucks. I'd check with some smith to see what they'd charge to run a reamer in before renting one though. Might end up being around the same price since there's not much work involved. I wouldn't run a 18 degree cutter in there. Too much room for mistakes. If the gun's a true copy of the 45 auto you might be able to find a surplus or used barrel for cheap too. If you have other 45s you might try swapping barrels out to see if it works and solves anything.
Attached Files
I have also discovered that this barrel has an excessively tight chamber. My cartridges which pass the Wilson Cartridge Gauge test, as well as the "plunk" test in the other barrels, will chamber in this barrel, but extracting a loaded cartridge from the barrel is a problem. One has to place the muzzle-end of the slide on a brace and then force the gun down onto the now retarded slide. All this of course with a live round in the chamber. To be fair, factory loads do not have this issue since they all seem to be .002" smaller in diameter at the mouth than my handloads (which pass the cartridge gauge test).
Sure is fun figuring all this stuff out isn't it?
Aaron when Jimmy Clark Jr was still alive I got a match 45acp barrel from him for one of my Gold Cup Colts. The chamber was tight, in fact I used it to gauge 45 acp brass I fired in other guns to get an idea of how tight their chambers were. The Clark chambere remained the tightest until I got my 45acp cylinder for my 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk. It was tigther! I couldn't believe it but it was.
You have to watch 4D reavmer rental. You're at the mercy of Freddy, the guy that runs it. If he determines the returned reamer is dull or damaged in any other way he puts an extra charge on you and you're, you are at his mercy. Had it happen to me. Then later on an internet search I wasn't hearing good things about him. Just sayin, be careful.
Being your chamber is very tight I also wouldn't want to risk making it fatter with a reamer that is slightly bigger. You might look into a throater instead.
Attached Files
Sounds like a candidate for a chamber reamer
My thought too.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
I wouldn't run a 18 degree cutter in there. Too much room for mistakes.
Had that thought and discovered that the cutter won't fit in the chamber anyway. Whew.
If you have other 45s you might try swapping barrels out to see if it works and solves anything.
My next step is precisely that. I'll drop the Rock Island barrel in there and see what happens. I really think this barrel needs to have a chamber reamer run into it. I think it was the final barrel cut with the factory reamer at the absolute end of its service life.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
Being your chamber is very tight I also wouldn't want to risk making it fatter with a reamer that is slightly bigger. You might look into a throater instead.
I may just purchase another barrel and be done with it. It shoots factory fodder just fine however. All my cast bullets are giving it fits. I am going to cast some 230gr RN tomorrow and size them to .451 and see what gives. The chamber will seat Blue Bullets at .452 but will not extract them. Fussy little rascal.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
Rather than dither around with solutions to a problem that should not exist, let’s evaluate the known information.
The cartridge on the left with its cast 230gr Lee bullet in WW alloy, cast over 15 years ago, and now measures .453 just ahead of the case mouth, AND the cartridge on the right with a Blue Bullet at .452" loaded a few years ago, will fit effortlessly in a Wilson Cartridge Gauge, will chamber and extract easily in a Wilson CQB pistol, a Colt Series 70 pistol, and a Rock Island 1911 pistol. The problem is not with the cartridges, it rests squarely with the Metro Arms pistol and specifically, its barrel chamber.
It seems as though the chamber reamer was either not run into the barrel deep enough or that the factory reamer was at the end of its service life, at its smallest allowable dimensions. Factory ammunition with jacketed bullets I have tried so far will chamber and extract fine, but no handloaded ammunition with home cast or commercial cast bullets (including powder coated bullets) will function in this barrel.
This pistol needs either a chamber reamer or a new barrel. Simple as that. Having never performed a chamber reaming with a finishing reamer before, I have to ask if this is something I can do by hand or do I need a lathe or commercial type drill press to perform the reaming? I am guessing that it may be more cost effective to purchase a new barrel rather than try to ream it, ruin it, and then need to buy a new barrel to clean up my Dremel tool gunsmithing mess.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
Aaron I don't think I will buy that the factory didn't run the chamber reamer in far enough for one of the causes. Does an empty sized case headspace correctly? If so it's deep enough.
Attached Files
Well....airplanes aren't supposed to pancake in just off the runway either but they still do. I am past the point of analysis on this barrel. I'll simply replace it if I want to shoot cast bullets through it. I'm done fussing with it.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
Well....airplanes aren't supposed to pancake in just off the runway either but they still do. I am past the point of analysis on this barrel. I'll simply replace it if I want to shoot cast bullets through it. I'm done fussing with it.
I'd like to have that old barrel. I bet I could fix it. Then I'll ship it back to you.
Attached Files
New barrel is on the way.
I'll let ya all know if the rounds pass the plunk test when I get it. The pistol will be a two-tone gun now. 
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
I'd like to have that old barrel. I bet I could fix it. Then I'll ship it back to you.
It needs to have a finishing reamer run into it. I can buy a new barrel cheaper than I can rent and return a reamer. New barrel is on the way. I'll keep this one since it fires factory stuff OK. Thanks for the offer.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
Attached Files
SoreHorseman
2
cavelamb
2
OU812
2
scaglio
2
JIsabelle218
2
Feral
2
ahhbach
2
castbulletassoc9
2
pat i
1
Wilderness
1
