Feed issues, geind down feed ramp?

[TheDENTist 0]

So I was having issues with drums feeding yesterday. After looking at the gun it looks like the feed ramp is blunt. Should i grind that down and smooth it out? Seems like most of the feeding issues would be solved by doing that. Thanks for the help!

[HB of CJ 1,263]

Do not touch the actual feed ramp.  The 12 gage case needs to be supported, especially at the bottom or rim end.  Instead hand cycle some loaded 2 3/4 and 3" shells slowly through the action (be very careful with this ... safety) and determine where (if) the shells are hanging up or touching.  Consider polishing the feed fingers.  Also the bolt face.  Also the extractors.  Do not remove any metal.  Just polish.  Also make sure the shells are not slightly bent or swelled.  Also make sure the mags are racking in completely.

 

Edit by HB ... forgot to also state to try turning up the gas.

 

Edit by HB; ...  First sentence correction.  I meant the chamber, not the feed ramp.

Edited December 11, 2015 by HB of CJ

[TheDENTist 0]

I had them catch at the feed ramp several times and sometimes they were pitched up too high to feed thats why i was thinking the feed ramp needs to be smoothed out. Its over an 1/8 inch of basically flat metal that the shell has to jump over to feed into the chamber.

A better view. Almost like the chamber is back too far or the lower part isnt back far enough to make a smooth feed ramp.

Gas tube setting is at 2 and cant be turned up higher.

[Heartbreaker 1,085]

Which mags does it happen with? Does the factory five do the same thing?

[YOT 3,743]

More than likely a mag issue. 

 

There used to be something about the edge of the notch catching shells while feeding. Did you read the stickies?

[csspecs 1,987]

There is NO feed ramp on a Saiga-12. If the hull hits the lower edge of the chamber it will be messed up. This is normal.

From your first post in the other thread I see you are using Winchester Super X. If I recall they have a six sided crimp, I think you would be better off buying a couple boxes of different brands and see it is just a hull problem. In our testing normal Winchester hulls tended to be so soft that they got smashed by the bolt moving over them.

Try some Federal, Remington, or Winchester AA, "high brass" is kind of a gimmick and does not indicate the actual power level of the ammo. The box will have the specs on it.

You want 3 dram or higher and 1 1/8 ounce or higher. If possible take a hull out of the box and look at it, you'll notice the suggested shells have a tapered front, these will help a lot, you will also noticed that the side walls are stiffer, this will also help a lot.

 

I also see your running a Promag 20 round drum. If I recall there is a way to reduce the spring tension of the drum. I know I had to do that on my MD arms drum.

 

 

If the shell is at to high an angle to feed, its highly likely that your bolt did not get all the way behind it. This means your not getting enough gas, or the drum has too much tension, or the hulls are spongy and are preventing the bolt from getting back. I would suggest cleaning your gas ports, making sure they are not plugged with plastic wad bits.

 

These are the shells you are using? You can see the top edge is square.

http://www.basspro.com/Winchester-SuperX-High-Brass-Game-Loads-Shotshells/product/35521/

 

Honestly most winchester hulls look like this out of the box.

http://www.basspro.com/Winchester-Xpert-HiVelocity-Game-and-Target-Steel-Shotshells/product/120829053306339/

 

Here are my suggestions (you can buy these at walmart or any sporting shop). You can see a profile of the ammo in their photos. And you will see the top edge is rounded.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Winchester-AA-Supersport-Sporting-Clay-Target-Load-Shotshells/product/67821/

 

http://www.basspro.com/Federal-Premium-GameShok-Game-Load-Shotshells/product/1206260436475/

 

http://www.basspro.com/Remington-Game-Load-Shotshells/product/28633/

[str8liner 0]

I had them catch at the feed ramp several times and sometimes they were pitched up too high to feed thats why i was thinking the feed ramp needs to be smoothed out. Its over an 1/8 inch of basically flat metal that the shell has to jump over to feed into the chamber.

A better view. Almost like the chamber is back too far or the lower part isnt back far enough to make a smooth feed ramp.

Gas tube setting is at 2 and cant be turned up higher.

I just got done working on the upper and lower edges on my Saiga 12 and it seems to have fixed all the intermittent feed problems that I was having.  I blended that lip sticking out on the bottom of the chamber to that small feed ramp looking cut in the trunnion in your first picture, and put a taper on the upper half in your second pic. The lower half is what I was primarily having trouble with pinching some of the longer shells and jamming up.

[JonWienke 131]

I wouldn't recommend "grinding down" the bottom inner rear corner of the barrel, but if 3" shells are snagging there, it would be a good idea to lightly sand/polish that corner until it is smooth and burr-free, and you can hand-cycle 3" shells without getting any scratches, gouges, or other marks on the sides of the shell case. But don't get stupid and start removing metal from the actual chamber.