Buddy's Kimber needs help

[Skpotamus]

Posted on behalf of a buddy of mine who bought a Kimber Ultra Compact II about two months ago. He's put 600 rounds through it with a helluva lot of problems. I'ts failing to feed every couple of shots.

He noticed that if he slowly cycles the gun with the thumb saftey depressed, he can stop the slide's forward movement about a quarter inch before it goes into battery. He just got it back from Kimber, but it has the same problems when he hand cycles it, it looks like they haven't done anythign with it.

It sounds like the Kimber firing pin safety isn't fitted properly from what I've been reading online, but how can he go about fixing it since kimber apparantly won't? Can he just polish part of the gun, or should he send it back to Kimber again? He's put well past what they recommend through the gun in every brand he can put his hands on and has the same problems with everything.

Thanks a lot

 

[1911Tuner]

Klutzy Kimber

The disconnect is probably stopping the slide. Likely the thumb safety lug is out of spec, alllowing the safety to overtravel slightly. The top point...the one opposite the bottom one that blocks the safety...is putting pressure on the sear and disconnect and forcing the disconnect upward against the rail. This is a best guess, not bein' able to see the gun. Not an issue anyway, since that's not normal operation.

On the Failure to Feed issue...Need more info. Top round? Last round? At random throughout the mag? Does the round enter the chamber and stop short of battery or does it stop before entering the chamber? Nose dive or nose up bolt-over-base type feed? With any failure to feed, suspect the magazine first. The extractor is the next likely suspect. Check to see if the barrel is riding the link hard as the slidestop pin starts around the foward radius of the lower lug. Sharp corner at the top of the barrel throat where it breaks over into the floor of the chamber?

 

[ulflyer]

Good Grief Tuner

The stuff you come up with! How about I set up shop and rent you out?

 

[Old Fuff]

Yes, if I could bottle Tuner and sell the stuff I'd make a fortune ...

Before going too far, consider the possibility of a too-tight or tapered chamber, so far as the feeding problem is concerned.

As for the safety, if Tuner's right Kimber should replace the safety.

I cannot for the life of me understand why people keep buying this suff and then don't DEMAND that the makers make it right.

 

[ken grant]

1911's that work

Boy, wish I could bring in a boatload of Norinco 1911's and M-14's.
An inexpensive 1911 ,made of good materials as they should be and most likely to work right out of the box.
I believe that if an American factory would worry less about being purty and more on proper methods and materials,they could sell a boatload of 1911's .
It is a proven fact that 1911 pistols don't have to be pretty to work well. I would like to have less bling and more sing
Spent another day with "HOOK" BOUTIN in his shop and also went to his range to shoot some.
In his 80's and can still shoot great!

 

[1911Tuner]

Grief

Ted axed:

The stuff you come up with! How about I set up shop and rent you out?
*********************

Naw...That's the simple stuff...Might as well get that outta the way first. Most of the time, it's the simple stuff anyway. Can't remember how many guys had a pistol that was "jammin"...sold it, and came to find out it was a bad magazine or the extractor. Good mags...A good extractor with the right tension...Decent ammo. If ya see to that and it won't run, THEN you can start lookin' for somethin' more complicated.

Rent? If you'll get the FFL and pay the overhead, I'm game.

 

[Kruzr]

If it's the Series II push rod causing the problem, you will be able to see it on the back side of the push rod. Is it battered? If it still has the smooth blue finish and no sign of being hit, then it is probably the disconnector. If the push rod shows signs of being battered by the plunger in the slide, then the front edge of the plunger needs a bit more bevel. Look at the outside edge of the front of the plunger........that's where you will usually find the "edge" rather than the radius. This edge needs a slight radius so it rides over the push rod. Not much, just break the sharp edge if it's there.

 

[1911Tuner]

Kruzr's Kimbers

Thanks Kruz!

Kruzr here is our resident Kimber man. I'm not up on the Series 2 systems...Don't see many around here. Run the checks that he suggested and report back. Kimbers are generally good pistols in function and accuracy. Whatever bug is, it's likely somethin' simple.

 

[ajax]

Skpotomus what type of ammo is your buddy shooting. The reason i ask is that my kimber will hang up on any soft lead reloads. Lead ball and trunncated is the only lead it shoots. Not to mention kimber doesnt recommend any thing but fmj. This probably not useful info but i figured id throw my two cents in.

 

[1911Tuner]

Kimber Hate

Agree with Ajax...I don't see many Kimbers in this area, but the ones that I have seen seem to be of a little higher grade fit and finish than the norm. Most are also wicked accurate. To say that they're all show and no go is a stretch.

They're production guns, to be sure...but with a little more attention to detail than most in their price range. Have noted no serious function issues with any except a rare few, and those were easily corrected...usually by handing the owner a good magazine. I do have reservations over the external extractor that's shown up recently, but that's just me. Some work perfectly and some don't. Nature of the mass production beast...Always has been.

Note that I'm not a great fan of Kimber's...but that can be said of a lot of 1911 variants these days, and each gun is judged on its own merits rather than touting any one brand name. I tend to hold'em to the standard set by the original USGI pistols...WW1 and WW2 era. That's a tough act to follow.