I just got back from the range. 20 rounds of CCI Maxi-Mag 40 gr JHP ran perfectly, as fast as I could shoot it. Speer 40 gr Gold Dot Short Barrel did not do well. Failures to feed with the nose hitting above the chamber and also short-stroking. One round even suffered bullet setback. Old Fiocchi (box was marked $5.01) 40 gr jacketed soft point, made in the Philippines, probably by Armscor, shot well until the gun jammed open. It looked like it had locked back on an empty magazine, but the magazine was not empty, and the bolt was not being held by the bolt catch. I pulled it back a bit further, and it felt gritty and it stayed back. It would not go forward. By it's design, you can't push the bolt forward with the operating handle.
When I got it home, I took out the takedown pin and pulled the grip off. I pulled the bolt out with no trouble. I put it back together and it seems fine. I didn't see any foreign matter in the area where the bolt moves, or scratches that could have been caused by this, or anything fall out of it. I don't know what caused this strange stoppage, but I don't think it was related to the feed ramp.
As far as the parts of the trunnion that protrude beyond the feed ramp are concerned, they are now shiny, looking like little silver triangles. Cartridges don't seem to be snagging on them or leaving metal. On the contrary, it looks like just shooting the rifle will cause these to wear down to where they need to be. Since the feed ramp is harder than the trunnion, this wearing should stop as soon as it's level with the ramp. Even if I went back to the stock feed ramp, I don't think this wear would be an issue.
I am going to clean the action thoroughly, examining it again for any obstructions and evidence of whatever bound it up. I plan to leave the metal feed ramp in, and shoot it some more. I had never shot the Gold Dot in it, but it was handy, so I grabbed some. It's not loaded for rifles, and I normally shoot it in a North American mini revolver or a Single Six.
buzzsaw
