Kimbers good for carry or not

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And another fellow stated:

Quote:
No gun should have to be shot 1000 rounds to make it dependable.
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Yep. It should not have to be shot that much to make it dependable. To prove its dependability is another thing entirely.

We ought to distinguish between "breaking in" on the one hand, and reliability testing on the other.
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That is exaclty what I am talking about. What round count is good enough to prove to you a gun is dependable is subjective and open to debate. I am saying it should not take 1000 rounds to make it work. I won't question anyones opinion on how many rounds to prove it reliable. To each their own on that one. :)
 
i can see that most think you need to put $1200 worth of ammo through that new $500-1500 gun just to make sure it is dependable. this might be the proper way to get an idea if your gun will be a good one or not,

however most guns that are bought most likely will never see over 100 rounds (much less cleaned) until there stolen or sold to a shooter.
As with any man made item it can/will fail at some point.

i have a SF 1911-A1 i bought back in 1980s. i have put many thousand rounds through it ,and have never had a FTF (as some listed above have), did have a K-BOOM from some fact reload ammo, only damage was to the mag and my hand.
still to this day this gun has given me no problems .do i trust it to work if i need it to, yes. will i carry it for self protection over something newer i have, no.
IM sure guns last a very long time.
but a gun with a few thousand rounds down the pipe and one with a few hundred have both showed they will both fire. this could be a 2 sided blade, the newer gun has not had many thousand rounds shot but the new one also has not received much were and tear either.
neither gun can be 100% trusted. again there all man made.
like buying a new car instead of a used one, new has a warranty but the used is broken in. both worked the day you bought them but both will and have been in the shop.

i have many hand guns , and it does not take many rounds to see what one not to grab FIRST in case SHTF.

I guess if the SHTF and my 1911 was on the table and my newer XD45 was also there. I would grab the XD first. even though the 1911 has proven itself the XD has less were and tear. AND HOLDS MORE.;)

WELL THIS IS MY DIMES WORTH :rolleyes:
 
The Slide stop is a "SLIDE STOP" not a Slide release! Proper resease of the slide utilizes the practice of grasping the slide with a firm grip, pulling it rearward briskly, and letting go of the slide.
 
The Slide stop is a "SLIDE STOP" not a Slide release! Proper resease of the slide utilizes the practice of grasping the slide with a firm grip, pulling it rearward briskly, and letting go of the slide.
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SO TRUE.
It also has an effect on some guns to run.

this is why after just a few times useing it as a release on a BABY EAGLE (maybe others as well). the slide wont stay locked back anymore. it weres the stop on the mag down.
 
I agree that the idea of a "break-in" period is (or should be) a red herring. But I generally still would not consider using a pistol for self defense until I have put it through a shakedown of at least 1,000 rounds -- using a variety of ammunition, including anything I'd plan to load it with for self defense.

The shakedown is to serve two purposes. First, it will identify any problem that may need to be remedied (on warranty). A gun is a mechanical device, and like a car, it may be delivered with faults that the maker should be expected to fix. A proper shakedown will surface any such faults so that they can be attended to. And second, a proper shakedown allows me to become thoroughly familiar with the gun.
 
From the title I thought it was a mattter of whether a
1911 is an appropriate carry/ccw choice However I think
the 1,000 rds 'break in' is over the top excessive. imo.

Randall
 
though it is not required, i test my guns alot before i descide to carry them, i go the factory recomended amount of rds and then some, and i extensivly test any ammo that i will be carrying in it, but other than that you are good to go.
 
A very high percentage of semi-auto malfunctions are caused by either bad ammo or defective magazines. Usually the gun itself is good as gold.

If you've just bought your first semi-auto and aren't familiar with how it functions, and you're having a problem with malfunctions, don't go blaming the gun and manufacturer until the problem has been correctly diagnosed.

If you don't have an experienced friend or acquaintance to help you figure out the problem, call the manufacturer. Probably 9 times out of ten, they can recommend corrective action right over the phone. If you're the unlucky one out of ten, you'll have to ship the gun to them for examination and repair.

The Golden Rules of gun break-in periods:

1. ALWAYS use brand new full metal jacket ammo from a major manufacturer like Federal, Remington or Winchester. AVOID handloads, reloads and remanufactured ammo. If you choose to break this rule and use reloads etc., don't be surprised when you get frequent malfunctions, and don't try to blame the gun or manufacturer.

2. If you're experiencing feed problems, test the gun using other magazines (smart semi-auto owners always have several spare mags on hand). If the gun feeds fine with the other magazines, you know you've got a magazine that needs to be repaired or replaced.

3. Fire at least one hundred consecutive rounds from each magazine, before testing the next one. All magazines should be tested in this manner. If there are no malfunctions after 100 rounds, you can be reasonably sure that it's a good magazine. After the break-in period, any time you go to the range, use all your magazines during a firing session. Don't just use and keep reloading the same magazine every trip to the range. This ensures that you know all of your magazines are functioning properly.
 
Posted by Springmom:
My Kimber Ultra Carry II was reliable from day one.
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As are the vast majority of Kimber handguns.

I've found that the overwhelming majority of complaints about Kimber emanate from Springfield and Colt fanboys who've never owned a Kimber, and haven't even ever shot one.

Kimber didn't become the world's leading manufacturer of 1911 and 1911-style pistols, by offering a "defective" product. Springfield and Colt have been in business MUCH longer, and both possess powerful marketing departments. Yet the "new kid on the block", Kimber, overtook and passed them in sales in a relatively short period of time.

I'm not trashing Springfield and Colt (S&C), because I've owned multiple models of both brands. From personal experience, and from listening to S&C owners at my range, and reading their posts on the internet---I've found that S&C have had AT LEAST as many quality control issues with their 1911's over the years as Kimber has.

In an age of mass production and rising manufacturing costs, it is INEVITABLE that firearms with defects will occasionally come off the assembly line and end up in the hands of gun buyers. That's regardless of the manufacturer, whether it be Colt, Springfield, Smith & Wesson, Glock, SIG, HK, Kimber etc.
 
I don't see why 1000 rounds before carrying it is a bad idea. Generally, it's 200 rounds with your specific combat load which is necessary to insure that it won't gag on what you're shooting through it.

However, 1000 rounds is enough to familiarize you with the intricacies of the pistol. Shooting is a perishable skill, and 1000 rounds is a fine refresher, and while it can be expensive with current ammunition costs, it's also fun.
 
Posted by Springmom:
My Kimber Ultra Carry II was reliable from day one.
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- as was my CDP II Ultra.

I did not "break it in" with FMJ either. I started with multiple weights of SWC's, TrFP's, & JHP's of various design. Narry a bobble from round one, and I gave it every chance in the world to fail.

I hope my new to me Colt Officers Model .45 does as well. I will see this weekend. :)
 
My Kimbers have always worked fine right from the box.

That being said...
I don't see why 1000 rounds before carrying it is a bad idea.
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It's called practice and developing faith in the system.
 
Yeah, they're good. I carry a Pre-Series II Classic Royal though. I believe the large problem was Kimber's crappy external extractor that caused the most pain. While I prefer the S80 FPS, if the gun runs with the Schwartz safety I wouldn't have any qualms of carrying it either.
 
There were only a limited number of external extractor pistols. They abandoned that component rather quickly. There are still some floating around, but I wouldn't buy one unless it was dirt cheap. Then I would send it to Kimber for a new slide w/internal extractor for free. I had the swartz on my Eclipse cause 2 failures to fire. My loose grip caused a light strike on the primers. I putt the round back through the gun and they fired just fine. All you need to dissable the swartz is a regular series 70 or 80 firing pin.
 
I carry a Kimber in 9mm. The only time it hasn't worked the exact way its supposed is when I use my old Pachmyer mag. It does not lock the slide back.

This gun is very accurate and extremely easy for me to shoot well.

Most malfunctions in semi autos are caused by a few things: Bad mags, bad ammo, or user error.
Occasionaly every manufacturor turns out a lemon not matter what the industry. Kimber sells alot of 1911s.
 
I carry a Kimber daily. But I put at least 500-800 rounds thru a gun before I'll carry it anyway, no matter what it is.

However, there's no reason for the gun store clerk to state such a thing. Take anything a gun store clerk says very lightly. So are very good. Most are not.



Proper resease of the slide utilizes the practice of grasping the slide with a firm grip, pulling it rearward briskly, and letting go of the slide
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Not true. While this is one method, it is perfectly acceptable to release the slide sto with the thumb of the left hand that just replaced the magazine. Always has been. Either way is just fine. I draw my slid eback for consistancy's sake.

however most guns that are bought most likely will never see over 100 rounds (much less cleaned) until there stolen or sold to a shooter.
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I don't understand this statement. What is this based on? 100 rounds?
 
however most guns that are bought most likely will never see over 100 rounds (much less cleaned) until there stolen or sold to a shooter.
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I don't understand this statement. What is this based on? 100 rounds?
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Based on most guns I have bought lately have only been fired a few times. I.e. PT1911 just picked it up yesterday it had only had 2 mags run through it at the most . the followers didn't have any scratches to speak of on them.

I have see a lot of people will buy something they didn't need or cant shoot, then it will be up for sell so they can get something else. Seems to me a lot of trial and error.

after any major life changing thing (9/11, katrina, Ivan, gun hating politician)
people buy guns. last month ARs were the hot gun stores could not keep them in stock, this week hand guns are 14-1 over long guns. after jan there will be more used / new guns to be bought.

but this is just what i see,;)
 
All of my Kimbers run just fine.

I am not crazy about the Swartz system, and I have had trouble with it, if I do not fully depress the grip safety..
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That firing pin block safety is very, very easy to remove or bypass.
 
I tend to fire a gun however many times it takes to feel comfortable shooting it accurately. First with both hands, and with either hand. Once I am used to the rhythm and feel of the gun, and can fire it accurately, I try for different kinds of handling: shooting faster, shooting from behind cover, things like that. Drawing from a holster (which tends to involve finding the right holster for the weapon and how I want to carry it). The whole time, I am recording how many stoppages I have and investigating why the stoppages occurred.

Since this varies from weapon to weapon, I can't nail down a specific number. Some guns take longer for me to feel comfortable and confident with them. Others seem to take no time at all (but I will put several rounds through them anyway). Comfort and accurate handling comes first.
 
Like any pistol I buy, I send 1000 rounds down range before trusting it. My Kimber Tac Cust, II has been flawless, and its the one on my hip right now.
 
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