First 1911... Talk me out of (or into) this Kimber

[GHinNH]

In 25 rounds of 230 gr. FMJ, I did get 2 or 3 Failures-to-Feed. I'm hoping that turns out to be the fault of the Kimber (not Kim Pro) Magazine that came with the gun.

I don't have a Kimber, mine is a frankengun that is the culmination of many many years. Colt slide (ported), Auto Ordinance frame, a bunch of Wilson goodies sprinkled in and now has a new Remsport SS barrel and bushing.

It may just be as simple as the magazine you're using. A while back I saw a deal on mags and bought 6 or 8 of them without thinking... turns out I'm stupider than I give myself credit for because I even tried using them without a thought.

I pretty much exclusively use 200gr RNCP and was having awful feed problems. I finally pulled my head out of my butt and noticed they were hybrid mags of some sort, and they did not play well with the extra length of a 200gr/230gr RN bullet.

I don't remember the brand, but I replaced them with SS GI feed lip mags and voila..

 

[Racinfan83]

Well the weather finally warmed up a bit today, and I managed to sneak away for a little while this afternoon to try this thing out. There were a few requests for range reports so I figured I'd give you all an update. The gun went BANG on every trigger pull, so I'm calling it a success, lol. Seriously though, it did just fine. I've sent my share of 9mm downrange, but this was my first experience with a 1911 and with .45acp so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. There was definitely more recoil than I expected, but nothing outrageous - just something different/new to get used to. My first few shots were kind of all over the place as I got used to it, but my group settled down nicely after that. I don't have the steadiest of hands so my group was nothing to brag about, but by the end of 25 rounds I was doing pretty much as well with it as I can do with 9mm.

I only put 25 rounds through it today. I had to set my target up in 2 feet of snow, and kept losing hot brass in the snow. Besides, my main goals only to a.) make sure everything works as it should, and b.) make sure I don't dislike shooting the .45acp cartridge (I had all the dies, shell plate, and other goodies necessary to start loading .45acp sitting in my Midsouth Shooter's cart, but wanted to make sure I liked .45 before spending all that money for nothing). In 25 rounds of 230 gr. FMJ, I did get 2 or 3 Failures-to-Feed. I'm hoping that turns out to be the fault of the Kimber (not Kim Pro) Magazine that came with the gun. Getting some better mags for this gun is high on my to-do list. It's also very possible I was limp-wristing it too much while getting accustomed to a new recoil impulse. I'm just hoping there's nothing wrong with the feed-ramp geometry.

This trigger is going to spoil me rotten though.... switching back to my cz-85 after shooting this for a while made that CZ single-action trigger feel like a double-action, lol. I had no idea what I was missing out on. I'm going to have an awful lot of fun with this thing... Needless to say I placed that order for dies as soon as I got home

I would suggest the 8rd mags from Wilson Combat. I have a TLE Pro II and love it. I leave the Kimber mags in the safe and use nothing but the Wilsons. You got a fair deal on that one. I would have jumped on it myself. I'm always looking for a good deal on a 1911 style Kimber...

 

[JTQ]

I would suggest the 8rd mags from Wilson Combat.

Realize Wilson Combat has a large listing of magazines. Not all are created equal.

The 47D ( https://shopwilsoncombat.com/MAGAZI...ZE-8-ROUND-STANDARD-BASE-PAD/productinfo/47D/ ) is a nice mag, but it is a modified 7 round mag, using a lesser spring and follower than their 7 rounder using the same mag tube.

If I needed an 8 round mag from Wilson Combat, I'd choose a model from the ETM ( https://shopwilsoncombat.com/45-ACP-Elite-Tactical-Magazines/products/378/ ) line-up. These models have a longer tube and are designed from the ground up as 8 round mags and not converted 7 rounders.

 

[Charlie98]

My Kimber magazine didn't work well, either... I bought a dozen Chip McCormick PowerMags and life is good.

 

[JTQ]

It may just be as simple as the magazine you're using. A while back I saw a deal on mags and bought 6 or 8 of them without thinking... turns out I'm stupider than I give myself credit for because I even tried using them without a thought.

I pretty much exclusively use 200gr RNCP and was having awful feed problems. I finally pulled my head out of my butt and noticed they were hybrid mags of some sort, and they did not play well with the extra length of a 200gr/230gr RN bullet.

The hybrid lipped mags are a Colt design, but I believe CheckMate is the only company currently producing the design, though they are mag suppliers to several gun makers including Colt and Ed Brown. They were a personal favorite of late forum member 1911Tuner. They should work fine with a variety of bullet shapes, that is by their design. Many folks have excellent success with these mags. I would not dismiss them out of hand without trying them in my gun.

I've had better luck with wadcutter feed lipped mags, and they have fed all bullet shapes for me. They are also the most common 1911 feed lip design on the market today being primarily used by makers such as Chip McCormick, Wilson Combat, Tripp Research, ACT-Mag, etc.

I would not buy a bunch of any kind of mag based on mine, or others recommendation. I'd buy one of some highly regarded mag, see if your gun works with your chosen ammo and that mag, then buy more.

 

[brutus51]

in my limited experience they don’t care to warranty a new pistol.
To be fair it has been a long time, I’d say at least a decade. but their CS convicted me to never own another Kimber.

^^ This^^
I'm on my third set of adjustable sights on my Kimber Super Match, according to their customer service that's considered normal wear. Second sight fell apart after about 1k rounds.
The ejector snapped off on my new 10mm target II and the initial supplied magazines were horrible had to buy some Colt mags and another delightful encounter with Kimbers customer service.
Needless to say no longer a customer.

 

[GHinNH]

The hybrid lipped mags are a Colt design, but I believe CheckMate is the only company currently producing the design, though they are mag suppliers to several gun makers including Colt and Ed Brown. They were a personal favorite of late forum member 1911Tuner. They should work fine with a variety of bullet shapes, that is by their design. Many folks have excellent success with these mags. I would not dismiss them out of hand without trying them in my gun.

I've had better luck with wadcutter feed lipped mags, and they have fed all bullet shapes for me. They are also the most common 1911 feed lip design on the market today being primarily used by makers such as Chip McCormick, Wilson Combat, Tripp Research, ACT-Mag, etc.

I would not buy a bunch of any kind of mag based on mine, or others recommendation. I'd buy one of some highly regarded mag, see if your gun works with your chosen ammo and that mag, then buy more.

Um... OK, but I did not say to buy anything. All I said is I made a stupid mistake long ago and the ones I bought did not work for me. I know why it was happening and what was causing it. In my case it was the mag geometry so I mirrored the OP thought that it could be likely for him also.

Maybe they were made on a monday or something.... truth be told I can't say with absolute certainty if they were hybrid or wadcutter because it was a few years ago. Whatever the case I solved it long ago and sold them all to a guy who was very happy to get them, even after I told him why I was selling them.

 

[JTQ]

Um... OK, but I did not say to buy anything. All I said is I made a stupid mistake long ago and the ones I bought did not work for me.

I didn't say you said to buy anything. However, that's how these things work. Folks recommend a mag as being the best and folks will buy a bunch of some great mag only to find out they don't work for them. You bought a bunch of some kind of mag that didn't work, I've done it too.

My point being for the OP, as I mentioned, don't buy a bunch of any mag before figuring out if they work in your gun. That specific comment from my post wasn't directed towards you, just a comment in general, I quoted your post in reference to hybrid lipped mags and their design feature.

Racinfan83 told the OP to buy Wilson 8 rounders, Charlie98 suggested CMC PowerMags, brutus51 thought his Kimber mags were awful, but had success with Colt mags, and both are probably made by the same manufacturer, CheckMate. You can see how somebody new to the 1911 could end up buying a bunch of any type of mag only to find out they don't work in their gun.

 

[GHinNH]

I didn't say you said to buy anything. However, that's how these things work. Folks recommend a mag as being the best and folks will buy a bunch of some great mag only to find out they don't work for them. You bought a bunch of some kind of mag that didn't work, I've done it too.

My point being for the OP, as I mentioned, don't buy a bunch of any mag before figuring out if they work in your gun. That specific comment from my post wasn't directed towards you, just a comment in general, I quoted your post in reference to hybrid lipped mags and their design feature.

Racinfan83 told the OP to buy Wilson 8 rounders, Charlie98 suggested CMC PowerMags, brutus51 thought his Kimber mags were awful, but had success with Colt mags, and both are probably made by the same manufacturer, CheckMate. You can see how somebody new to the 1911 could end up buying a bunch of any type of mag only to find out they don't work in their gun.

Yeah I get it... No offense intended but I was quoted and perhaps took it out of context.

I've been around a time or two myself, that's why I don't generally recommend any brand anything. That whole "one mans trash" thing always wins.
If I were to be given a chance to bet, I'd put money on CheckMate and Mec-Gar pretty much cornering most of the market.