At the Range Today...

[1911Tuner]

While I was putting the Norinco through the tortures of the 9th Level of Hell today, I met a range member that I'd seen in the past, but hadn't gotten a chance to speak to. He had a Kimber.

He told me that he'd just gotten it back from Kimber after the barrel burst...

Seems that he had fired a squib that let the next round chamber.
He had done it in a hurry during a plate match, and didn't stop to see why the gun "misfired"...and the next round told the story. Kuh-Buum!
Actually, he said that it was more of a Ka-Pffftthhhtttt with a loud pop
at the end.

The only real damage was to the barrel and a very slightly downward bend on the dust cover. Other than that, the gun was unhurt...and Kimber had the pistol back in his hands in 10 days.

I guess that lays waste to the fears that Kimber's slides and frames aren't up to snuff.

Now if they just had just used the right link, they'd have knocked a home run on the repair. The link is a shade too short, and puts the lower lug into a slight bind with the slidestop pin as it locks into battery.

 

[popeye]

And if they'd get rid of front slide serrations on at least some full size pistols, and get rid of series II safety, and quit cranking out 900 different series types, trying to create a "collector" market. It seems like they could create 3 different barrel lengths, as in 5, 4, 3, in "entry level" pistols for $550 in blue not matte. Then have 2 more levels increasing in features and cost. I have had Kimbers. I can say the early Royal blue is one I wish I still had. Also the steel frame 4" series I was a nice gun.

This is not a Kimber flame just my opinion. I have 6 Colts left including one .38 super/9X23 and 2 Combat Commanders. I'm sticking with Colt.

 

[shooter.45]

Hey Tuner

Poor Kimber I bet my GSR will never do that... Still waiting by the way..

 

[1911Tuner]

Waitin'

Me too, Shooter. Haven't heard from the proud owner yet.
He seemed to be open for it, though. Maybe a matter of schedules.

 

[Brian D.]

Not to hijack ther thread, but the last person I saw send his gun back to Kimber did so twice without them getting it fixed right. And all that it needed was a new, oversize firing pin stop. (This was pretty obvious to those of us who watched this newbie's pistol malfunction--it's a pretty distinct kind of stoppage.) Anyhow, we finally talked the owner into letting the FLG here look at it. Guess what he did? Oversize FPS installed, troubles gone.
The fact that Kimber couldn't/wouldn't fix this in two tries has soured me a l'il bit on their product. Maybe that's not fair of me, and in all honesty I wouldn't turn down a used one (especially sans paperwork) at a g-o-o-d price, I guess...