1911 Smith and Tuner

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steve4102

steve4102

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I have a Kimber Pro that is giving me some issues.

It would not feed Semi-wadcutters. It would feed 230gr Ball.

It ejected the brass into my face, or over my head.

I replaced the extractor with a WC Bullet Proof Extractor, tuned it according to WC. No Change.

I Did some modifications on the ejector, it now ejects the brass to my right about 90% of the time, the other 10% in face.

I polished the feed ramp and the breach face and it now feeds semi-wadcutters about 95% of the time, still not right.

I think I have done enough damage to this pistol and need some professional help.

Any Smiths here have time to work on this Kimber to make it sing, feed Semi-Wadcutters and consistent ejection?

Thanks
 
drunkenpoacher said:
Have you adjusted the COL of your semi wad cutters?
I took me a while to find a length my Kimber likes.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have experimented with OAL from 1.250 down to barely any shoulder exposed at all. They all feed the same, nose up with a big smile in the case just below the crimp.
 
Ramone said:
Maybe a Small Radius Firing Pin Stop would help with your ejection issue?

In addition to slowing the slide, it might provide a better fit at the extracter eliminating any chance of it rotating, which would cause erratic ejection. In any case, it makes enough of a difference that I automatically do it to any 1911 I own.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/small-radius-firing-pin-stop-for-1911s.719278/
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link, good read.

My Kimber is an Eclipse Pro II, do I need the 70 or 80 series stop?
 
I believe that is a series 80 type stop from Kimber, but that a series 70 can be used.

Kimber uses a Swartz (?) Safety in some models, which blocks the Firing Pin until the grip safety is depressed, the series 80 blocks the Firing Pin until the slack in the trigger is taken up.

Maybe someone who's more of a Kimber guy can give a better answer. To be on the safe side, I'd use a 80 Firing Pin Stop. The visual difference being the cut away at the lower right corner of the FPS when looking from the rear of the slide, the 70 has a notch left only, 80 is cut away both sides.
 
Ramone said:
I believe that is a series 80 type stop from Kimber, but that a series 70 can be used.

Kimber uses a Swartz (?) Safety in some models, which blocks the Firing Pin until the grip safety is depressed, the series 80 blocks the Firing Pin until the slack in the trigger is taken up.

Maybe someone who's more of a Kimber guy can give a better answer. To be on the safe side, I'd use a 80 Firing Pin Stop. The visual difference being the cut away at the lower right corner of the FPS when looking from the rear of the slide, the 70 has a notch left only, 80 is cut away both sides.
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
Kimber builds a really nice gun, but they (like other manufacturers) have their idiosyncrasies. The barrel chamber is bored with a boring bar vs reamed. That is OK with a fresh, sharp boring bar, but they don't change them often enough and you end up with some tight chambers that need to be measured and cleaned up with a proper reamer. They also cut corners on fitting the lower lugs and many show signs of lug battering after few rounds. Again, easily fixed, but aggravating. Then there's the firing pin stop.....

steve4102 said:
My Kimber is an Eclipse Pro II, do I need the 70 or 80 series stop?
Click to expand...

You definitely need the Series 70 stop. Kimber uses the WRONG stop on all of their guns. The Swartz system does not require the S80 cut stop as there are no S80 levers to clear and, more importantly, the lifter rod for the Swartz safety can become trapped in the little square hole created by the use of the S80 stop, shearing off the tip and rendering the gun unusable until repaired.
 
Last edited:
BBBBill said:
Kimber builds a really nice gun, but they (like other manufacturers) have their idiosyncrasies. The barrel chamber is bored with a boring bar vs reamed. That is OK with a fresh, sharp boring bare, but they don't change them often enough and you end up with some tight chambers that need to be measured and cleaned up with a proper reamer. They also cut corners on fitting the lower lugs and many show signs of lug battering after few rounds. Again, easily fixed, but aggravating. Then there's the firing pin stop.....



You definitely need the Series 70 stop. Kimber uses the WRONG stop on all of their guns. The Swartz system does not require the S80 cut stop as there are no S80 levers to clear and, more importantly, the lifter rod for the Swartz safety can become trapped in the little square hole created by the use of the S80 stop, shearing off the tip and rendering the gun unusable until repaired.
Click to expand...
OH crap, I just ordered an 80
 
Have you tried a different magazine to correct the SWC feeding? They have a different follower for SWC. Magazines will make a difference with SWC. Also if for some reason the magazine is setting too low, there are a few magazines catches that raises it of 0.015" or more if needed. Can make a big difference in getting one to feed right.
 
steve4102 said:
Yes, I have experimented with OAL from 1.250 down to barely any shoulder exposed at all. They all feed the same, nose up with a big smile in the case just below the crimp.
Click to expand...
How about your crimp? I had to get the crimp down to .471" or .470".
 
Many Kimber barrels have chambers on the short side . Sounds to me it needs to be throated too . For SWC you want mags with the rounded top follower . I only put small radius firing pin stops in Hardball / Duty guns , not needed for SWC target loads . Start with OAL of 1.250 for SWC or thickness of a thumbnail proud of case mouth . .469 crimp is what I use on my target loads . Where the ejector contacts the casehead determines the ejection path . Extended or Commander length ejector with nose shaped correctly will stop the brass in the face .
 
Blue68f100 said:
Have you tried a different magazine to correct the SWC feeding? They have a different follower for SWC. Magazines will make a difference with SWC. Also if for some reason the magazine is setting too low, there are a few magazines catches that raises it of 0.015" or more if needed. Can make a big difference in getting one to feed right.
Click to expand...

I have a {once cantakerous} rare Springfield 1911 Ultra Compact Carry (circa 1980s production), bought it just 3 years ago almost brand-new. It had less than 50 rounds pass thru before I got it, and it would NOT feed LSWC, period. I happened to get a Wilson Combat mag (for an extra round, 7 rounds in it instead of the stock 6 round mag) and magically, it fed EVERYTHING. So, I got to studying things: the stock magazine was tuned at the lips to feed hardball 230 (which it did well), as this was probably the main stuff available in the 1980s. I ever-so-slightly tweaked the lips of the mag to look like the WC mag lips, and it worked 100%. So, I ordered a [modern] EMP Springfield 6-shot mag for it (for carry, to fit the holster) and had to do the same thing, plus I had to sand off the little bump on the feedplate, which snags the rim of the round to slow it down in the EMP gun, to get the same performance. Now this pistol eats everything except uncrimped rounds (...don't ask about those... :( ).
 
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