Help with Kimber feeding problem(forward from remorse post)

[grimmysnr]

Well the Kimber, since day 1 of buying it, has had failure to feed problems. Basically, when it cycles a round on the first or last round of the mag the bullet will start feeding and then get hung up on the extractor. Its like the lip on the back of the bullet doesnt slide in there or hits at a weird angle enough to jam up the slide. Iv tried the stock mag, a wilson combat mag, a shooting star mag, and even bought a couple more wilson combats from a local shop.

So while i was still in Washington i took it back to the gunshop i bought it from and gave it to their resident gunsmith. He took out the internal extractor and "adjusted" it, he said it would .something microns out of wack. So i took it shooting and it seemed to have cleared up, atleast while i was there. Came back after a couple weeks to go shooting again and sure enough first round the slide doesnt go all the way forward. All i have to do is push it with my thumb and it will just nudge forward and i continue shooting. But it only does it once the gun gets warmed up, probably after a mag or two.

I asked the gunsmith WTFO and he says "Well the gun is still brand new, come back once u get a few hundred rounds through it". I said fair enough and went shooting. By the time i got enough rounds through it i moved to Alaska and just went shooting whenever. The gun now has over 5k rounds through it and still have fail to feed.

I replaced the extractor with a Aftec spring loaded extractor and this didnt fix the problem. Took it to a local gunshop and he polished the feedramp and bored out the chamber a itsy bit. Took it out shooting once, and started having fail to extract problems. Come to find out they took the springs out of my Aftec extractor. Discovered this after i got home to clean it. Havnt been out shooting since i replaced my springs.

But, honestly, i dont think the problem is fixed. Im past the manufacturer warranty im sure, even describing the problem takes time.

Any ideas?

Oh yeah, and i shoot PMC or whatever brass i can get my hands on. I have been a bad boy and shot wolf through it once and only once. No failures with the wolf ammo though.

 

[che_70b]

hhhmmm. FTF is not unusual with new kimbers but that goes away after a break in of 200 to 500 rounds. Once my eclipse was broken in it will feed anything. I would suggest trying some hotter loads to run the slide harder, that may generate more positive feeding. The needing a little nudge to go into battery sounds like its not broken in but REALY should be after thousands of rounds.

 

[Geno]

5,000 rounds? And still fails? It's defective. Call Dennis at the Custom Shop and request a return label to have it shipped back on Kimber's dime. Be ready for the limp-wrist theory.

Does your Kimber have the external extractor? Just curious. By the way, unless the shop was an authorized Kimber repair shop, your warranty may well be gone. Dennis alleged to me that even after warranty the company stands behind the product. My experience, they stood so far behind me I couldn't see them.

Doc2005

 

[Rexster]

My condolences. My Classic Customs would FTF with all mags I tried except stock Colt and Metalform 7-rounders with steel followers. My Stainless Gold Match only worked with McCormick Power Mags. Mine pre-dated the external extractor and firing pin lock.

 

[Captain Bligh]

5K rounds? Have you ever changed out the recoil spring? If not, you're long over-due.

 

[grimmysnr]

Yes sir, I did. Switched to a 10 pounder if i remember right. Was one of the first things i did tryin to troubleshoot this feeding problem.

Im pretty sure it was a 10 pound spring.

 

[RecoilRob]

Aren't factory springs supposed to be 16lbs?

 

[MASTEROFMALICE]

Factory is 16 lbs. A ten pound spring could be a serious problem. There would be a lot of frame-battering going on in addition to failure to feed.

 

[grimmysnr]

It could quite possibly have been more...thats was more of a guess. I did it probably about a year ago. The spring i have is noticeably more stiff the stock one i pulled out.

 

[Ken Rainey]

This is presuming that your pistol has an internal extractor, if it has the external extractor send it back to Kimber and they will replace your slide with one that has an internal one...having said that, first and last rd feeding problems sounds like a weak magazine spring, but, since you used other mags that "shouldn't" be it...however, a proper magazine (7 rd with dimpled follower) may be what you need. Next, the extractor needs to be a standard one with proper tension, sounds like the extractor could be clocking...a properly sized firing pin stop will fix that - a custom fit EGW is what I suggest - if you have some sand paper and a flat surface you can do it yourself.

There are some very helpful "stickys" in the gunsmithing and repair section. Oh, and the recoil spring needs to be the standard 16lbs, no more. Does it have the proper clearance between barrel throat and frame ramp - it needs that tiny bit of space there - if it ain't there, put all the stock parts in and send it back to Kimber, they'll take care of it even if it is out of warranty as long as no one has already removed metal in any of those places.

 

[tblt]

I was thinking of buying a kimber.
Why do kimbers jam?
they are such nice guns.
Should I just stick with a cz