Kimber Problems..........thats all I have been hearing!!

I have been reading a lot lately about brand new kimbers and all of the problems people have been having with them. From brand new guns with pitted barrels to rust problems. I am very un happy with what I have heard and I have wondered what other people have thought about them?


I was really set on a kimber custom tle 2, but now I am thinking about a para or colt. I guess this really makes me love my sig 226 .

I bypassed the entire issue by buying a Springfield!! :evil:

All manufacturers make some lemons.

I am a bit unhappy with the cost cutting and lawyer abatement changes made in what was a fine factory 1911 clone.

But they seem to work just fine, at least as far as I know.

If you have lots of money you could always have one built to your specifications. Wilson pistols are similar to the series 1 Kimber for that matter.

But if you want to find fault, there is not a single manufacturer of firearms without blame.

I bypassed the whole problem , by going Colt for my two 1911's. I know, they don't have beavertails, extended thumb safeties and such. But they work.

I watched Kimbers break repeatedly back when I shot IPSC and IDPA. When Kimber first came out they were a price leader. Came with all the bells and whistles. But folks were still breaking extractors, sears and slide stops. The stock guns failed usually within the first 500 rounds.
Some of the folks I shot with were using Kimbers as a starter pistol then handing them over to the 'smith to put hardedned sears, extractors etc. This headed off most reliabilty issues.
Of late most of the folks I know are getting Springfields, Colts or going old school Colt on the used market.

I'll keep my LW Commander running until the frame fails then get another frame and keep going.

ZM

I've been hearing about them a lot too, however I own two which run great (had to change the slide stop on my BUL-framed polymer) and I'm getting ready to buy another, they're all series I.

The biggest complaint I have about the ones I've bought is having to swap the FLGR and spring cap out for the (IMO) correct parts.

I have been completely pleased with my Kimber Eclipse Pro II, no problems at all.

I have a TLE II that has been a great gun also... no stoppages or breaks of any kind.

I haven't shot a Kimber II. Have handled a few and they seem fine.

I have 3 Kimber series one guns and couldn't be happier with any of them.

Probably not much help.

Smoke

I think Tamara said it best in this thread
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=80883&highlight=zillion

Post number 16

Took my Kimber Custom defender II with CT grips to the range yesterday. Half a dozen other shooters wanted to try it. I didn't get to shoot it much but I did get to shoot several Glocks, Sigs, XD's, and S&W's in exchange. :D
Several 1000 rounds so far and not a single problem.

You'll hear things like this from time to time. Last month it was Springfield,
and next month it'll be Colt, or some other manufacturer...and it'll eventually work its way back to Kimber again.

The problems seem to be cyclical, and much of it is due to the fact that very few of the small parts are made in-house any more, but rather are outsourced to an independent vendor. If the parts supplied are sub-standard or flawed, their function...or lack thereof...will reflect that, and the pistol will be deemed "Useless Junk."

A perfect example is Springfield. About the time they started getting serious with their place in the market again, and shook things up in the QA...
Springfield looked as though it was going to be sounding Colt's death knell...
and the extractor problem made its presence known. Now that they've gotten that squared away, they seem to be on the upswing, and few functional problems or parts breakages have spoiled their show recently.
It won't last, though...unless they put their parts vendors on notice that they
will be suing to recoup any losses incurred by bad parts.

Kimber has had these same cyclic periods of boom and bust, and this is just another one. They'll get it righted soon, and you won't hear any Kimber rants
for a while. the same goes for Colt, Chuckie D, and others who have jumped into the 1911 market.

IMO there are two direct causes of the problems with present-day 1911s,
regardless of who makes'em. One is that the gun is so immensely popular, that a blue million are sold annually. That increases the odds of a few bad ones slipping through the cracks in QA. Demand is also high, and the manufacturers often put the pressure on for production...which leads to
poorly assembled guns because the workers don't give each gun the attention
that they should. Can anyone say Vicious Circle or Catch 22?

The other part of the problem is that, in order to keep the prices competitive
so that they can sell more guns is that, most or all of the parts must be outsourced...and we all know about the "Lowest Bidder Syndrome."

The last point is that, due to the ability to browse these forums, we are privy to a lot of feedback from thousands of owners and buyers...and the old adage that "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" applies here. We hear about the "Jammin' Jennies" in no uncertain terms and we hear about it
like right now...but only occasipnally do we hear about the ones that hit the ground runnin' and never burp. One thing that you can be sure of is that
for every truly bad one that we read about, there are a thousand out there somewhere that meet expectations. If that weren't true, they would have
stopped selling years ago.

I had a pro carry II, it was my first 1911. Worked great was plenty accurate, I decided I didn't want to carry a 1911 and sold it. Haven't heard any complaints from the buyer either. In some ways I wish I kept it. It was a fairly low frills (no front cocking serrations, no ambi safety)1911 and it was pretty light.

I have an old pre series II target model coming that I will be using for limited IPSC pretty soon. It is stock except for a brown mainspring housing. I'll post about how it does when I start shooting it. I may end up adding a magwell but I haven't decided.

I guess in my mind I know that a high end 1911 can cost anywhere from $1000 (STI trojan) to $3000 (some if the brown, baer or customs) dollars. When you buy one for $500 remember that the cost savings is coming form somewhere. You aren't buying an Ed Brown quality pistol for 1/6 the price.

A lot of happy springer (and every other brand) shooters seem to replace a lot of parts anyway. Maybe these parts are getting replaced pre-breakage.

This thread is very typical of what you usually see. Somebody says something bad about a gun that they don't own. Others that don't own said gun also think they stink. All the people who actually own that brand/model chime in about how much they love that brand/model.

I guess it's human nature; we want to think that what we didn't buy isn't as good as what we did buy and that what we did buy ROCKS! Afterall, who wants to admit they made a $700+ mistake.

MaterDei

p.s. - My Kimber ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! :)

1911Tuner hit the nail on the head. It's the minority who's most vocal. Not to mention, alot of the folks who have problems turn out to be folks who have done all sorts of home-made modifications, or who have put the gun through some kind of torture regimen.

I've got a CDP Compact, and I don't treat it any better or worse than any of my Sigs, and I'm at about 1200 rounds, trouble-free. Had a couple of failures to feed at first, but this was fixed by using Wilson mags instead of the cheap factory-stock. I carry it almost as much as my P239 nowadays.

In non-internet world, I know three other folks who have trouble-free Kimbers as well, so take the criticism with a grain of salt.

I think accurate guns are more fun. Whatever you shoot has to be 100% reliable, but that's where it starts for me, not where it ends. I am a long time SIG fan when it comes to autoloaders. Having owned and shot SIG's for years, I found them to be 100% reliable, but mine, at least, and the ones I have rented or borrowed were in the 3-4" (edge to edge) group size at 15yds. If I sent enough rds. downrange, I could get a one hole group, but we are talking a 3-4" hole, not the cute little cloverleafs I get from my Smith revolvers. Then I rented a Kimber Custom. Wow! The range owner told me it had at least 100,000 rds through it. It was fabulous. Then I shot ChuckB's Springfield Loaded. Again, Wow.
So what 1911 did I end up getting? A Kimber Stainless Target II. I liked the look and feel of Kimbers and the gunsmith who works on my revolvers recommended this one. So far, so good: 5-600 rds. of various flavors, 100% reliability and enough inherent accuracy to make it lots of fun. My only complaint was the trigger which I felt had a slight bit of creep, but I think the last range session, dry firing and a G.I trigger job cured that. Or maybe I just figured out it was me who was the creep and not the trigger.

I have a Kimber Custom Target model in 45acp, I have about 3,000 rounds through it now, it has never had a hiccup of any way shape or form, zero malfunctions, I couldn't be more pleased with my Kimber.

I started out with the 1911 design in 1968 with a used Colt Commander in 38 Super, didn't shoot it much and sold it, in 1970 I bought a new Colt Gold Cup Series 70 in 45acp, shot it extensively in Bulls Eye competition, a beautiful pistol but a piece of crap! Horribly unreliable, never could get that pistol to work right, sold it and got out of Bulls Eye competition after about 3 years, I'm sure my fellow competitors appreciated it, I couldn't shoot a match without several malfunctions with that pistol, I finally got fed up with that piece of junk and sold it. I've had a few other 1911 pistols over the years, none of them were very reliable.

I kept reading all the articles about the Kimbers in the magazines, how much they liked them so I finally decided to get one with adjustable sights again, got the Kimber Custom Target, I finally have a good, dependable 1911 in 45acp! :cool:

There is a lot of dissatisfaction with Kimber. In a survey on the 1911 forum, Kimber was getting an 81 percent out-of-the-box satisifaction rating. That's not particularly good.

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80109

Going through other threads, Kimber also has a "attitude" when it comes to their guns. I have experienced this myself not with their pistols but with one of their rifles. It was well north of $1,000 yet was not terribly well executed and wasn't as good in the accuracy or functioning department with rifles that are a lot cheaper.

If your Kimber works well enjoy it. But if you have a problem like almost 20 per cent of new Kimber owners then prepare for a very high-handed and arrogant response from Kimber.

Kimber makes very good looking firearms but IMHO they are more "show" than "go."

kimber is crap and they have a crappy attitude , para's the same way...
even colt treats its victims better than kimber ... :neener: :eek: :scrutiny:

IMHO, yer a buncha clowns.

I've got a Series II Kimber that is simply fantastic.

I've shot close to a dozen Kimber 1911s and have never had one malfunction on me. I can not say the same thing about the Springfield, Colt and even Ed Brown and Wilson guns I have used.

I take this internet stuff with a grain of salt. Unfortunatley, it's an ideal media where bad news spreads like wildfire, true or not. Who's to say some if the Kimber doom and gloom talk isn't coming from somebody that has lost market share to Kimber?

I'm not saying Kimber is perfect, nobody is. I will say that in my experience, they are great guns and a real steal for the money.

I thought Kimber had been let out of the doghouse to make room for Colt with it's spotty quality, elusive production and recent $150 price increase.

I saw a nice Winchester 42 at the show today, but the guy wanted $9450.

John

I have had a Kimber Super Match for a few years. I have shot it in Limited Ten competition, as well as at the range, and it has continued to function every time flawlessly. It continues to shoot with advertised accuracy. I confess to have dumped the Kimber mags for Wilsons, but really there is nothing like Wilson mags IMHO....I'm sure there are lemons made by any manufacturer, but I will be one to stand up and say that my Kimber has been a champion. :)

From what I have read in this and other forums many Kimbers work great. Then some do have real problems. :uhoh: But from my own three Kimbers a 3"4"and 5" keeping them clean well lubed and doing the breakin using 230gr FMJ ball Ammo. Also dumping the Kimber Mags and getting Wilson Combat or MetalForm the Ed Brown Mags are Metalforms. I have had very good luck with all three Kimbers shooting great. :)

I bought my Kimber a few weeks ago & while going through my 10 day wait, I prolly ready every negative Kimber thread outh there! :what: To the point that I started to regret my purchase. Now tho, after its first few 100 rounds, it has been a great shooter & I'm very satisfied w/ it. :cool:

The 3 Kimbers I have owned have worked flawlessley. I am down to only one at the present time( 45 Custom Target ) for no particular reason. I had a minor problem with the ambi safety on it and sent it back to them for fitting. They had it back to me in less than a week with apologies and a note from the head man saying that it should have never left the shop like that. No charge for repairs or shipping either. That's good service. I own Colt, Para,Springfield Armory and Caspian in assorted configurations and calibers and have had very good luck with all of them. Joeyt

Joey said:

>The 3 Kimbers I have owned have worked flawlessley.<
**********************

There ya go...and the next one that you buy may not go through a full magazine without choking. Such is the way of mass production.

I've owned Fords my whole life...Never had a lemon. A friend has bought 3 and all have been a headache from Go Street. In his experience, Fords are
junk. In mine, they've been very good. It's mainly a matter of perception
and personal experience. When we have one or two bad experiences, we tend to draw conclusions based on that, rather than consider the nature of the beast. Ford...and Chevrolet and Chrysler has had problems and recalls...and they will again sooner or later. So will Kimber and Colt and
Springfield.

Best advice that I can offer is just this: If the gun that you buy is strictly for
recreation...shoot it until it breaks and fix it. If it will be carried in harm's way
on a regular basis....or even if only on occasion...have it tuned for reliability,
whatever it takes. ANY production line gun. They can all fail to function if things are a little out of kilter. A reliability tuneup is cheap compared to physical therapy or a funeral.

Cheers all!

Oh! As a side note...when tuning a serious gun for reliability...seek out a specialist. A general gunsmith has to be all things to all people, but he or she may not have studied any one particular design intensely enough to fully address all the possibilities. And...if you happen to get a particular gun that simply will not behave on a consistent basis no matter what...make lemonade.
Let it be your practice gun and use the occasional malfunctions to work on
malfunction clearance drills.

Cheers again! :cool:

Go ahead and think me a clown but I sold my Kimber and bought a Smith and Wesson 1911.
I don't regret the decision in any way.
The shop I work for refuses to carry Kimber products mainly because when they do go bad, the Customer Service is just plain lousy.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Since I tossed the POS factory mag away and switched to Wilson 47D's, I've never had ANY problem with my Custom Classic (series II), and I must have 10k rounds or more through it by now.

- 0 -

I've said it before and i'll say it again...

Anybody plans on tossin' a factory Kimber, Colt, or Norinco or Springfield
7-round magazine away...Send it to me. I'll give 5 bucks for it unless it's beat all to Helen Gone. :cool:

But if you have a problem like almost 20 per cent of new Kimber owners then prepare for a very high-handed and arrogant response from Kimber.

Odd, I've never experienced anything but superb customer service from Kimber,

Front tritium burned out in my Ultra Carry CDP. Repaired under warranty (and I'm not the original purchaser) fast turn around, very pleasant.

Firing Pin broke on my 84M. Again, fast turn, fixed perfectly, no hassles. Wonderful folks to deal with.

Smoke

I watched Kimbers break repeatedly back when I shot IPSC and IDPA.

And I've watched them win repeatedly. I shot one myself all last season, and the only reason I didn't take a match were my own skills, nothing to do with the gun.

4k rounds, NO hiccups whatsoever.

That said, not the gun for me. I prefer something lower maintenance, so I sold it in favor of an HK. Some days I do miss that sweet looking and better shooting pistol though.

There is a lot of dissatisfaction with Kimber. In a survey on the 1911 forum, Kimber was getting an 81 percent out-of-the-box satisifaction rating. That's not particularly good.

Remember, it's the internet. You may wonder as I do how many of the voters in that survey actually were the owners of a NIB Kimber.

Edited to make sure no one came under the wrong impression regarding my opinion of 1911forum.

To the original poster:

My NIB 6 months old 5'' Custom II went to a highly qualified pistolsmith twice for feeding and extraction problems.

Having said that, if I were to buy another one 1911, I'd still buy a Kimber, except I'd buy one with internal extractor and without FP safety.

I have a Kimber Pro Carry II and the only problem I have had was with the Kimber mag.

Wilson mags solved that problem.

I still have the Kimber mag and wont send it to 1911Tuner ;)

Have owned two Kimbers in the past , Classic Custom and Ultra Carry II. Had no problems at all with them. I just prefer Colts and the SW1911. Did have a friend who experienced problems with Kimber's customer service.

Go ahead and think me a clown but I sold my Kimber and bought a Smith and Wesson 1911
Well I sure wouldn't call you a clown because you are armed with the one of the better 1911s on the market today IMHO.

Mine is quite a piece of machinery and I like the big billboard. It lets the world know that I am NOT shooting a Kimber. ;)

I have a Kimber Ultra CDP, and it's the most expen$ive weapon I've ever purchased. Was it worth it? Well, yes. It has been trouble free, not to mention the most accurate out-of-the-box handgun I've ever shot. It's accuracy rivals my custom Colt Mark IV. It is my main carry now and the only thing I've done to it was to put more meaty grips on it. (Don't care for flat mainspring housings) After I had the gun for a while a friend of mine bought a Springfield Micro. :mad: Crap. Didn't have those when I bought the Kimber. The Micro was quite a bit cheaper. :( However, he's the one having problems rather than me, so I guess I made the right choice :D .

I have 4 Colts and 1 Kimber. I've been carrying a 1911 for the last 25+ years and the one currently on my hip is the Kimber. A Custom Carry II with 3000 rounds thru it without a bobble. :evil:

2 Kimber's and a Springfield here. The Springfield is an OLD mil-spec (small sights, etc) so it doesn't compare.

My Gold Match II is a wonderful gun and if I do my part it's incredibly accurate. I picked up a Series I "Custom" from a guy here on THR about 2 weeks ago and so far it's rock solid.

Just my .02

Regards,
Dave

I've got two Kimbers (PC10-II and Stainless PC), two Springers (5" and 4"), a Dan Wesson (PMP-3) and a Colt Commander. Of these, only the PC10-II has given me any issues, and that was traced to a burr on the firing pin safety plunger. Each of these pistols, save the Kimber Stainless PC, has seen in excess of 10,000 rounds and several of them (the two Springers) are well past 20,000 rounds.

I have a couple of rules that I follow for every pistol I buy: I replace the slide stop with an Ed Brown Hardcore and I make sure that the mags have/get flattop dimpled followers + Wolff 11lb springs. The MIM in the Kimbers and Dan Wesson has given me no issues or cause for concern, and I'd buy another of either brand again.

When I carry, it's usually the Kimber Stainless PC. I trust it.