Kimber 45 CDP Pro misfeeding

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SkippyM

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Hi to all. New around here, novice with semi-auto handguns. Bought a Kimber .45 CDP Pro II new in Sept 2008. I clean/lube the gun "by the Kimber manual" every 150 rounds or so. Using 230 gr FMJ American Eagle and Blazer rounds (not +P) at the firing range, we had about 10% randomly timed misfeeds through first 500 rounds and chalked it up to "break-in". Now we're up to 800 rounds and we're still having misfeeds. Most common misfeed is when the next round doesn't seem to fully clear the top of the magazine, the bullet is tilted mildly downward and the slide stays back. A less common misfeed ends up with next round mid between magazine and chamber tilted upward. Misfeeds happen randomly throughout the magazine with no clear pattern. Two instructors say my form is decent and shouldn't be causing problems. Gun misfed a couple of times with an experienced instructor at the helm. Two local gunsmiths have tweaked the extractor (?) and have found no "problems". Have tried a few changes with following results:

- New 8 round Chip Mc magazine made no difference.
- New 24 lb recoil spring with Chip mag seemed to make problem much worse (although my aim seemed to improve markedly).
- New Wilson 8 round mag with 24 lb spring made very mild improvement over Chip Mc/24 lb combo.
- Going back to stock 22 lb spring (with about 600 rounds on it) with Wilson mag seemed to give the fewest misfeeds so far.
- Called Kimber, they said it was probably my shooting form, but that I could send it in for checkout.

Everything seems to suggest that the Wilson mag and a 20 lb spring might be a good combo to try. Does this sound "reasonable"? Any risk of damage due to reduced slide control? Anything I'm overlooking? Thanks for any help in advance!!
 
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i had problems with a pro carry 2 i had bought new last year. it would fail to feed in similar ways yours is now. after doing some reading i found out how to check the extractor tension. my extractor was waaaay too tight. so next was figuring out how to dismantle the slide so i could "tune" the extractor myself. i didnt take any metal off, all i did was carefully bend the extractor in the direction that would put less pressure on the casing.

i also did some reading into feed ramps and found that it helps in many cases to polish the feed ramp on the frame that leads the round from the magazine up to the throat of the barrel. this can be done with a dremel type tool or by hand with some super fine sand paper. take great care in doing either of these things because you can damage your pistol and/or void the warranty.

once i loosened the extractor and polished the feed ramp she ran 100%.

if you want to do some great reading do a search on this forum for posts by 1911Tuner. this guy is a genius when it comes to 1911's. he knows more then we could ever hope to. do some reading first and if you still have questions you can send him a message and hell probably be happy to help you as long as youve done your own reading first. good luck with your new kimber. you will get it working 100% and you will grow to love it. i promise.
 
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Stick with the Wilson Mags they are better for most 1911's than most other Mfgs . Instructors should have noticed if you were limp wristing so that should be out.

Try the Wilson Mags with the Stock Springs. The 22lb springs shouldn't cause any damage. If you are worried about it use a shock buffer on the guide rod.
 
i also did some reading into feed ramps and found that it helps in many cases to polish the feed ramp on the frame that leads the round from the magazine up to the throat of the barrel. this can be done with a dremel type tool or by hand with some super fine sand paper.
Click to expand...

Although it might be what your gun needs--DON'T DO IT YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unless you really know what you are doing or you can make your problems much worse.
 
Once again, a Kimber jams.

A few thoughts:

Short barrelled 1911s jam more often than 5" barrels

Kimbers jam more often than most other 1911s

Short barrelled Kimbers are a particularly bad combo.

The 500 round break in is a big Kimber lie. It didnt work for you, and it doesnt work for most people.

I doubt this is your shooting form. But I am not surprised the so called customer service people at Kimber told you that. They are some of the most useless people on the planet. Do not bother sending your gun back to Kimber. They will not be able to fix it. You have 2 options: find a real gunsmith who works on Kimbers or just sell the damn thing and buy a better gun.
 
I love it! Kimber CC says its you not the gun, without seeing it! Send it back, and let them get it right. Mine runs 100%, on the one mag that came with it, as it should;)
 
my experience with kimber's customer service was quite satisfactory. i accidentally stripped a grip screw bushing out of the aluminum frame on my pro carry 2. i called up kimber and told them what happened. i was told that as long as i followed the instructions for a warranty repair it would be repaired at no cost.

Alas i sent it to kimber and it was returned fixed at no cost to me. i am a happy customer.
 
Its good to know the apes in Kimbers customer service department are able to change out a screw. I am a little surprised they could do that. But I have sent a total of three Kimbers (out of 5 I have owned over the years) to them to see if they could get them running correctly, and they could not.
 
I have a kimber UCII and it had a couple problems in the first 300 rounds. After that it was just perfect. I have a little over 1300 rounds through it with no problems(after 300). However the Ejector broke, I told kimber that i had been using wilson mags and they said that I may have used the wrong ones and pushed it up too hard. Anyway I send the gun to them and within 2 weeks I have it back. For FREE! The only thing i didnt like was that they test fired it and didnt clean it. But i'm pretty sure a lot of places do that so it didn't bother me too much. I can't help with your problem but I just wanted people to stop bad mouthing kimber. Every major manufacturer has problems. I like glocks, but a police chief called them crap, because of two KB's. It can happen to ANY major manufacturer who produces a large number of guns!
 
The kimber is a lie, trade it buy a different pistol in commander length. the short 1911's suck. I have 2 Colt officer ACP's that one runs great from the day i bought it the other wont get through a full magazine without a couple jams, this one needs alot of time to get running. the 1911 was never designed to be anything other then a 5" full size fighting pistol.once everyone started to want smaller they should have looked to another platform. i love the 1911 and own many, but i will never buy anything other then a 5" gun ever again. they are hit or miss and even the best pistols with the exception of a full custom will be unreliable. And when you throw Kimber in there it gets worse.
 
I would try an 18lb or 20lb recoil spring. I would also try the Colt SP572491 7rd tapered-lip magazines. You might also use the 11lb Wolff magazine springs in your magazines.

I am of the impression that the stock recoil spring rate should be 18lb. Going heavier may cause the feed issues because the slide is trying to come forward before the next round is properly positioned.
 
Look at your slide stop lever, see if there is a brass spot on it where the rounds in the mag brush it as they come up. Had a problem with my 5 inch going to slide lock on a not empty mag. After stoning down that point the problem is gone. Apparently Kimber can send you a replacement to fix the problem if you dont want to tinker with your stock one.
 
Wow, everyone is so quick to bad mouth Kimber...for various reasons. To those who have actually owned one and had problems, this comment does not apply.

I have a Kimber CDP Pro II as well and it has shot perfect since day one out of the box. With well over 1K rounds through her, I have full confidence. Sorry to hear your experience was not the same.

If "tuning" the extractor does not work, then ship her off.
 
Mike, I think thats a perfect example of why we should always be leary of the tendency to fall into The Manufacturer-Knows-Best mindset. Although this would seem to make perfect sense, its often a logical fallacy. There might be a considerable gap between what they know and what they say, company policies often exist to keep employees from using their better judgement. For any business to be successfull, decisions must always be made with an eye on the bottom line. The cost of material, a manufacturing processes, customer service, research, etc; all these things can make or break either the company's budget or reputation. Which companies are trying to build a reputation, which ones are trying to maintain the one they have, and which are merely selling the last generation's hard work? It can be quite hard to tell. It can be almost painful to let go of a brand you have trusted for so long.

I remember my grandfather and father taking pride in their Craftman handtools. They were well built and they had an ironclad lifetime warranty. When it came time to move out and buy my own tools, I bought a 400 or so piece Craftsman mechanics set. I expected the same tools I had used all my life. At least I have the warranty. The tools aren't terrible, they are perfectly functional. They just aren't anywhere near the same quality. Side by side, compared to Dad's, they look like toys or house brand.

You can buy a name, you can buy a warranty, or you can buy quality. If you can find all three in one product these days, you've found a rare thing. If you can afford all three, you might be in a better postion than most.


All that said; I own a Kimber.
A Kimber Pro TLE. I fired 500 rounds of Winchester 230 gr FMJ whiteboxed in a hundred a piece care a Wal-mart without a problem of any kind. I started changing things arround, had a minor difficulty or two and worked them out. Bone stock however it functions flawlessly, with anything you can manage to shove in it. With $9 magazines. Purposely limp wristing it. Letting the girl friend shot it. Doesn't matter. It is the most reliable firearm I have ever owned.

Is it absolutely perfect? No. It shoots low 1 1/2" low right at 25 yards from a ransom rest. The finish started wearing off the moment it left the show case. I can't replace the fixed sights easily, Kimber uses their own oddball cut. Is it completely perfect? Again, no. Am I completely satisfied? Yeah. For what I paid for it, its a hellova pistol.
 
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Is there a reason you aren't using the recommended recoil spring? The factory spring is a full diameter 22# Officers spring. Your other choice is the Wolff recoil spring made especially for the Kimber 4" guns which will give more life than the recommended 800 round replacement interval.
 
SkippyM; Kruzr and others have suggested the Wolff replacement recoil springs. I can say from personal expereince they are top notch. I have one in mine. And I have some spairs stashed. One thing I will say about them though, they are hard. The first one I put in scratched a nice little line in the guide rod.

I ordered mine straight from Wolff, because Midway was either out, not carried, or just plain confusing me.

StkNbr 32725
Qty 2
Total Description 32725 2 $15.78 KIMBER 4IN PISTOL IMPROVED XP RECOIL SPRING

Sub Total.................:��$15.78
Shipping..................:��$8.55
UPS Fuel Surcharge:��$0.08
Sales Tax.................:��$0.00
ORDER TOTAL.......:��$24.41

Not too bad a price to fix/prevent a problem with something as expensive as a 1911.
 
Is there a reason you aren't using the recommended recoil spring?
Click to expand...
I did use the OEM Kimber 22 lb recoil spring for the first 600 or so rounds and experienced on-going FTF's with the bullet jammed against the feed ramp. A shooting range employee recommended a 24 lb spring to reduce the FTF events, but that only made matters much worse. I'm now back to the stock spring (still getting FTF's) and considering a 20 lb version, given the results of the 24 lb test.
 
The first mag I put through my Pro CDP II, there was several instances where the slide would act like it locked back, but a little tap to the rear of the slide caused it to go into batery. Now this was with the Kimber mag. I thought maybe it was my grip, like I may not have been holding it perfect. Ever since, it's been fine.

Now I polish the barrel hood and a few contact points, as that seems to always help, it did with my Kimber 10mm and so far seems to have worked with the new Pro CDP. Reason for this is that what happens when you shoot it a lot, like what Kimber recommends in their 400-500 round break in? Points of contact smooth out a little, making the pistol a little less "tight'. I figured why blow threw all those rounds to get reliability, so a little polishing turned my Kimber 10mm from a jam0matic to being reliable, just by using a little flitz, a cloth, and some elbow grease!
 
I would forgo the 20# spring and get the Wolff spring made for the 4"ers.

Directly from Wolff at gunsprings.com:

Wolff Improved XP Recoil Spring
Wolff improved design recoil spring offers higher battery pressure along with a higher recoil rating, providing optimal functioning.
For all Pro Carry and Compact 4" Kimber guns only.
Stock No. 32725....$ 7.89ea
 
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