Help a noob with a 1911 Kimber

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Wheeler44

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Not me, the other guy.

I am a lifelong (40 + years) revolver shooter. I have shot some of the newer Autos (Glock .40, M&P .40. and a taurus that wanted to be a Beretta .40). And back when I was a kid, in the '70's a 1911. My old man even taught me how to disassemble and reassemble a 1911. (I have long since forgot)

Fast forward to March 2008. A friend asked me to teach him how to shoot his "New Kimber 1911" (it's been in a box in his closet for over a year now) that he bought for HD purposes.

Now I know that I'm probably not the best guy to show him all he needs to know about his new gun. But I'm the one he picked and I have reason to believe that if I told him to go some place else he would just leave it in the box.

I have at my disposal a Ruger 22/45 that I intend to use to get him started. I can even disassemble and reassemble it:neener:. But I know that he will want to shoot his new pistol when we hit the range (wouldn't you? I know that I do and it ain't even mine).

So THR Gurus help a fella out and give me some direction. Anything special I need to know about function? Can you send me to a site that'll show me how to field strip and reassemble it. Do these Kimbers come ready to shoot ( after a good dustin' off and a patch or two through the bore)? Or is there somethin' else I should do before hittin' the range?

Any help would be appreciated.

Wheeler44

PS. This will be the third new guy I've taken in less than a month :D. Another is in the pipe line. Help me out with turnin' out some new shooters please.
 
Perhaps this video will help you take apart the gun for cleaning. It's not mine, I just found it on youtube and there are tons of other disassembly and reassembly videos for 1911s and other pistols too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv-h91tcEiE

Be sure to take enough .45 ammo to the range. In my experience of taking people to the range, once they start shooting the bigger calibers, they don't want to go back to .22lr ;)
 
im pretty sure my kimber pro carry came ready to shoot, but by the time i first fired it i had dissassembled and reassembled it a dozen times.

as far as the method, it varies slightly from model to model.

if he has the manual, i would start there, but if its a standard 5" 1911, it is probably just a matter of depressing the takedown plug far enough to rotate the barrell bushing out of the way to allow the removal of the plug.

be careful as the recoil spring will have enough force to shoot the plug out at you so hard you will think you have been shot, and can also damage the spring or the slide itself.

then you just retract the slide till the disassembly notch lines up with the tang at the end of the slide release and push it out from right to left.

then the entire slide/barrell/recoil spring should be able to slide forward off the frame.

putting it back together is pretty much the same just reversed, except care must be taken to line up the barrell link with the slide release hole so the slide release can be reinstalled.


these are very general assembly steps that WILL VARY FROM MODEL TO MODEL

ONLY USE THIS AS BASIC REFERENCE AND READ THE MANUAL FIRST.

and have fun. i love my kimber.
 
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Kimber's on-line manuals: http://www.kimberamerica.com/manuals.php

A quick clean and lube is a good idea before you shoot it. It helps get the shooter familiar with the gun and makes sure that there are no obvious faults from the machining of parts.

Use 230 grain FMJ and quality magazines for break-in purposes. That will minimize your chances of a malfunction, which will allow your friend to enjoy his new gun instead of cursing it all day.
 
This is a good place to learn about the 1911.
http://www.sightm1911.com/

It would be a good idea to clean his Kimber before you shoot it. My Custom II had a couple of metal shavings in the bore when I received it.

Just take him out and let him have some fun. Start him out with the Kimber if he wants. Once he sees that he's not very accurate with it you can introduce him to the 22/45.

Don't forget to teach him about the four rules. It would be better if you taught him the rules before you go to the range.
 
Thanks to youse guys that have chimed in so far.

Don't forget to teach him about the four rules. It would be better if you taught him the rules before you go to the range.
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I cover that and other safety measures before anybody touches anything. period.

Be sure to take enough .45 ammo to the range. In my experience of taking people to the range, once they start shooting the bigger calibers, they don't want to go back to .22lr
Click to expand...

Use 230 grain FMJ and quality magazines for break-in purposes. That will minimize your chances of a malfunction, which will allow your friend to enjoy his new gun instead of cursing it all day.
Click to expand...
I'll tell him to bring LOTs of ammo and suggest the 230 FMJs.

That's a bigger accomplishment than you know. If you can disassemble AND reassemble that, you can disassemble and reassemble anything.
Click to expand...
I have to admit to leaving the 22/45's predecessor the MkIII disassembled overnight until a helpful THR member told me what I was doing wrong (thanks CajunBass) Once I had it I practiced 'til it was rote.

Anyone else have a good word or two ?

Wheeler44
 
First a good cleaning... no brainer.
Unlike revolvers, 1911's require a lot of lubrication to work their best. This will be true of the Kimber because they typically are a little tight and need a little time to work in. Bring gun grease with you... yes grease.

The correct lubricant for the slide/frame interface is a light grease. Oil will simply be flung off the first couple of shots and the rest burned off soon thereafter. Use oil everywhere else anything moves against anything else... common sense really.

If you can find any, I also recommend at least a couple of boxes of 200gr FMJ's to start with. While the 1911 design is certainly not punishing, to the completely uninitiated it is a handful. And in order work at peak performance it needs to be grasped very firmly with the strong hand and all 4 fingers of the weak hand wrapped around the strong hand... not under it, not just 3 fingers around because that is how many 'grooves' your other fingers makes - all 4. You are putting your right first into your left palm.

The thumbs must also be in position which will feel awkward at first, but will absolutely start everyone in the right direction. The right thumb rides the thumb safety down and then stays there... it is not taken off the safety and then curled downward like on a revolver. If this is done, everything will work but you will very soon begin to miss shots low and usually to the left. Ride the safety down and keep it there so it is pointing forward and up. The weak hand thumb is placed on the lower frame (remember the slide is going to move) directly in front of the right thumb and it should be pointing at the target, i.e. horizontal to the ground... NOT pointing up.

This will not feel 'right', but please be patient... it will seem right in very short order and as your accuracy improves it is a lot more fun. For the uninitiated, the multiple safeties can seem like a little much so keep it simple... if you are grasping the gun, one of the safety's is OFF... the other must be manually put on OFF and that gun WILL NOW FIRE when the trigger is pressed.

Hey! Let's be careful out there!! :D
 
explain that the recoil which operates the slide will do it's job better, if it is not "LIMP WRISTED". no, a death grip isn't required either.

make sure to lock the slide back and give the iron to him for usual shooting hold. explain it travels back on this path EACH time it is fired, and that body parts in the way will suffer.

if possible for him, have him dry fire it a lot at a t.v. screen in a dark room to see if he is pulling it in any direction from poor trigger engagement. this MUST be after initial range trip fam-fire and saftey course.

tell him FEW do good with a boxcar untill they have shot one quite a bit. also, it should be shot 200rds, minimum, for break in. advise him,"do not dismay should it hic-cup before that point. it is NOT an absolute sign of a poor weapon."

{TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE ON THAT ONE.}

gunnie
 
be careful as the recoil spring will have enough force to shoot the plug out at you so hard you will think you have been shot, and can also damage the spring or the slide itself.
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It can also bust a pane-glass window a few hours before it gets replaced with 3/16 lexan...

Dont ask me how I know that...
 
The 3" Kimbers require a small tool or bent paper clip to easily field strip. The problem is the captive dual spring and barrel link. No room to wiggle it out by hand, although I managed it once. With too is much easier.

+1 on grease. I like Tetra gun grease. Not too thick or thin. Has teflon.
 
This will not feel 'right', but please be patient... it will seem right in very short order and as your accuracy improves it is a lot more fun.
Click to expand...

This is right on target. I was corrected (early on, thankfully) to using the method described above, and sure enough: accuracy improved (and stayed improved!).

A word about safety while taking down, cleaning and re-assembling: perhaps wear some eye protection while cleaning the gun. There are springs and things.

Good luck.
 
First, be aware that among different modern 1911s, different procedures are necessary to field strip the pistol. Some require nothing to field strip. Others require a bushing wrench. Others require a tool or paper clip inserted into a hole in the guide rod. Not all 1911 type pistols are the same.

Second.........Are you teaching him to shoot, or are you teaching him to shoot a 1911? In other words, does he already know basic handgun/shooting safety and marksmanship?

If he wants to learn to shoot, my best advice is to start him out on the Ruger 22/45. Marksmanship is everything. Without marksmanship a pistol is only an expensive noisemaker. The cost of learning to shoot accurately using only .45 ammunition can add up quickly.

If you are not familiar with the type of pistol he wants to shoot, learning to field strip it will not help much. You must know how to handle it safely and shoot it accurately. You must know how to resolve the common problems associated with it. Kimbers are known for a 300-500 round break-in period after which they become very reliable. During the break-in period, even seasoned 1911 shooters can get frustrated. If he is new to shooting, you want to minimize frustration and maximize success and fun.

I really believe in friends teaching friends, and all of us teaching what we know about firearms. In this case though, I think you may want to introduce him to an instructor who is very familiar with the 1911. It's a pistol with it's own quirks and a lot of BS surrounding it. If he is hesitant, take the course with him, and learn about it yourself. It's difficult to teach that which you do not know, or that which you read about on the internet last night.
 
Thanks again every body,

XBreath, I am teaching him how to shoot handgun. If I could I would keep the teaching to the 22/45 because I understand it well, 1911 not so much. I asked here because I knew I would get good help and advice, and I have. I will encourage him to learn more from someone else, but as I said if I just said "go get training" he'd just leave it in the closet. Maybe I can "borrow" it for cleaning and a function test (or 200) to re-familiarize myself with the platform. I intend to take a revolver or two on the range trip because that's what I shoot.

Snowed out this weekend, bummer, maybe I'll get to "borrow" his kimber across the week and try again next weekend.

When I was a kid I was taught to not tell anyone that we had guns or that we shot. There was probably good reason for that. Nowadays I want people to know that I shoot, with a passion, as I'm seen as a "normal" guy and am involved in my community, faith community, work community etc. and I encourage people to shoot. I hope to bring many more to the range.

Thanks again to everybody.

Wheeler44
 
Maybe I can "borrow" it for cleaning and a function test (or 200) to re-familiarize myself with the platform.
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Good idea.

I would still focus on using the Ruger for teaching marksmanship, as it is so much cheaper to shoot, giving him the volume of rounds downrange he needs to build confidence and competence.

Don't forget eye and ear protection.
 
With Kimbers, be aware of the Schwartz safety when reassembling the pistol. Do not depress the grip safetyor you will have major problems.
 
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