NEW Kimber Tactical Pro II jamming

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jcramin

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I purchased a new Kimber Tactical Pro II from a local gun shop.

We purchased a box of 50 reloads from the gun range we went to shoot at.

In the 50 rounds the gun jammed 12 times. Every time was failure to return to battery.

The slide would cycle but it would stop about a 1/4 inch from battery.

I am hoping it was the fact that the reloads did not have enough power to cycle the slide all the way and return to battery? Could this be the problem ?



Thank you,
Jay Cramin
 
I think you'll find that Kimber's former reputation for quality has gone by the wayside. There are legion numbers of threads here about bum Kimbers, poor quality control, and even poorer support.

Good luck to you.
 
Did you only shoot the 50 rounds?

I would try a few boxes of good factory ammo and see if it works better. Granted Kimber's rep has slipped quite a bit recently, maybe you got a relatively tight-fitting model that needs a "break-in" time.

One of the reasons I'm not a huge 1911 fan (although I do own them), is that, I feel, there are more reliable platforms available. But if a 1911 fits your pistol, and your willing to work with it, go forth. Many people swear by them.
 
While I am not a defender of Kimber, I would suspect the reloads before I would suspect the pistol. Take a look at the pictures in post #27, you'll see the fail-to-go-into-battery, as well as much, much more. :rolleyes:

In the event factory rounds also fail, see this thread: Since when did Kimber quaility go down the tubes? :barf:

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=3567228#post3567228

Doc2005
 
I would also run some factory ammo through it. Reloads loaded a little long, will cause your problem. A shooting buddy of mine has the same gun as yours, and I remember a few feeding problems when it was new, but has been 100% ever since. Beautiful guns:)
 
Most of today's manufacturers use barrels with tight (and sometimes too tight) match chambers. I agree with the others who say to try factory ammunition rather then range reloads before making any judgments. If the problem continues send it back, and make sure they pay the shipping costs!

Glockorama:

The 1911 pistol proved that it was as reliable as any, and more so then most through two major World Wars and numerous lesser actions. You may notice that there are few complaints about these pistols. The malfunction problems we see now is because the current manufacturers are making big-boy toys, not serious service weapons.
 
First, like everybody said, snag some decent ammo.

If a reasonable diet doesn't do it, check the type II plunger in the frame. If it gets chewed it can hang up offering up a FTRTB for your enjoyment - typically closer to 1/8", though. The projecting plunger should be smooooth and should not "hang up" on the slide mounted gizmodo.

I don't know the Tact2 but if it's their commander size, check the recoil spring for being way too (as in obviously) short.

Amazingly enough, I've seen both the short spring and gnarly type II parts in brand new product. However, the odds favor it being a simple ammo issue.
 
Most of today's manufacturers use barrels with tight (and sometimes too tight) match chambers
Click to expand...

My EMP suffered from that. SA said it cuts the EMP chambers to minimum SAMMI spec, but mine was a tad under SAMMI spec. Some of my fatter reloads, even though they were .001 under SAMMI minimum, would lock it up. Factory fodder would be fine. They fixed it and all is well.
 
+1 on the short recoil spring. I just went through a course with someone carrying a Kimber Covert. He had endless problems and took it to the gunsmith... Recoil spring was obviously short. He replaced it with a Wilson Combat spring and it fixed that problem (there were others...).

If you aren't sure how long it should be, see if a store has a recoil spring and just compare them. If you got a bad one too it should be around 1 full inch short... which looks like about 1/2 mile on a spring.
 
+1 on the short recoil spring. I just went through a course with someone carrying a Kimber Covert. He had endless problems and took it to the gunsmith... Recoil spring was obviously short. He replaced it with a Wilson Combat spring and it fixed that problem (there were others...).
Click to expand...
The sick part is that people have known about their piss poor quality springs for a long-long time now and still Kimber has done nothing to fix it.

Let's not mention that if for some reason you're dead set on getting a Kimber and not a quality 1911 for the same money, you might want to book mark this thread.

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117851
 
Old fuff, I certainly wasn't knocking 1911's and I realize that they have served our country well (I carried one in-service as well), but for me, personally, I have had much fewer problems with other designs (Glock, HK, CZ, to name a few). 1911's have always needed some tinkering/break-in for me. The others don't.
Doesn't mean I don't approve of 1911's, I even carry one at times (mine are worked on/shot-in to the point that I am comfortable with thier performance)

Again, not bashing 1911's at all, just an opinion.

And I do like the looks and feel of 1911's.
 
When I broke-in my Kimber Warrior, I wanted to reduce the cost of the break-in period. The one reason I decided to do this is that my Warrior is tightest of the 15 Kimbers that I have owned. The slide had virtually zero movement laterally or vertiacally. I broke the pistol down, cleaned, lubed and reassembled. I manually actuated the slide 50 times left-handed and 50 times right-handed. Then, I broke it down and cleaned it again. I repeated that process 5 times. Even now after 1,000+ rounds fired, my Warrior remains my tightest 1911 ever.
 
There are so many stories about problems with Kimbers. It's amazing to me that people will still pay that much money for one. I'd take a Taurus, Hi Point, Sigma, etc. over a Kimber right now.
I would really like to buy a Kimber compact for my next CCW firearm however I am going to hold off for a bit or look at the Springfield offerings.
 
Well we only have put 50 rounds all reload thru it. Thats what got the 12 jams. And it was during my wifes State Carry Permit class. But, she still scored a 95% on the shooting.

I have broke down the gun and cleaned and lubed and greased everything.

I have a box of 250 factory rounds I am going to send thru it tonight in hopes the reloads and breakin are the problem.

The instructor at the range said it was probably the reloads also.

Thanks,
J
 
Glockorama:

My mini-rant wasn't aimed at you... :)

What I was trying to point out is that none of today's 1911 style pistol manufacturers makes a pistol that's true to the original USGI blueprints and specifications. The pistols made before 1965 were true weapons, and completely reliable - even under the worst of circumstances. Companies such as Glock, SIG, Beretta, Ruger, H&K, etc. make pistols that are designed to be used as weapons. The current 1911 pistols on the market are made to look like a centerfold or cover on American Handgunner magazine. They are often too tight in the wrong places and lack the calculated clearences that made the true 1911 and 1911A1 pistols a landmark in reliability - without any tinkering, or breaking in.

While at least some of the current crop do work, buyers should be aware that an unusually high number of them have reliability problems. Most of them can be traced to overtight slide/frame fit (which by the way only accounts for about 3 percent of the improvement of a complete accuracy job), misfitted extractors, poor magazines, and tight chambers. None of these conditions are likely to be found in the products of the other companies I mentioned above.

This is why I say that current 1911 pistols are nothing more nor less then big-boy toys, and not practical weapons. :cuss:
 
My experience with Kimber turned me off from 1911's as a daily CCW piece. Even though the trigger was great and laser accurate, it wasn't reliable. And I'll fit Old Fuff's mold, I'll be buying a 1911 purely as a range toy and not as my defensive weapon.
 
Old Fuff:

I think my Colt WWI reissue is all genuine to blue print, even the Carbonia finish. But, that is a 4,000 pistols limited edition. At least Colt says it is 100% from original blue prints and even used the original tooling.

Back to the Kimber, I would be willing to bet a cup of coffee that using factory ammo will resolve the issues completely, by the time you get 250 to 400 rounds through it. Until you have that many rounds through it, I would not even consider sending it back to Kimber, nor would they be willing to pay shipping at a mere 50 rounds.

Doc2005
 
A lot of sub compact 1911's seem to have some teething issues. Most are usually ammo and spring related.
I've picked up a half dozen Kimbers, and have not had any problems with any of them. Then again, I don't have any of the sub compacts.
 
Doc2005:

I think my Colt WWI reissue is all genuine to blue print, even the Carbonia finish. But, that is a 4,000 pistols limited edition. At least Colt says it is 100% from original blue prints and even used the original tooling.
Click to expand...

Well first of all they haven't built any true 1911 pistols since 1919, and the tooling of any consequence is long gone. Some inspection fixtures and guages might remain. Most of the tooling used to produce 1911A1 pistols during World War Two was either junked or returned to the U.S. Government.

The 4000 pistol limited edition was made using current day parts at the time the issue was made; with minor modifications, correct grip & manual safeties, grips, triggers, hammers, mainspring housings and sights. Then of course, period stamps to mark the slide and frame. Also the original guns were not Carbonia finished.

So does the external gun "look right?" You bet, at least to the untrained eye. But the internal dimensions and tolerances are current day. If you should happen to lay hands on a mint condition U.S. 1911 .45 pistol from the World War One period you'll quickly notice some differences. Fortunately for Colt, very few people get too do this.
 
Thread veer: what was the finish on the pre-A1? I went looking and came up empty. Found one place that indicated it was all kinds of different finishes (Adair?) and one other that did the carbonia for Colt but didn't seem to be claiming it was historically accurate.

Also, anyone know offhand if the dimensions listed in Kuhnhausen are the same as the original blueprints?
 
Thanks for the clarification Old Fuff, and I would say we are in total agreement. Those older looser 1911's definitely have the reliability edge on any of the newer models. My Springfield GI model has been shot-in very well and is loose, but solid. It's really the only one I will carry. I rely on my Glock and CZ to protect my bacon. Or my S&W 686--that hasn't jammed once! ;)

As to the 1911 in question, it seems the concensus is to shoot it more with factory ammo and see if it breaks in to the point you feel comfortable with. It may just do that, but if it doesn't, relegate it to range duty or return it. Only trust your life on something you have complete confidence in.
 
I love 1911s, but they can be unreliable as heck!
The ones that you normaly hear as being more reliable seem to be older Colts that are true to the original design. Springfield seems to be pretty good as well.
This is why I carry an XD that has been proven at the range.
Glocks, XD, Sig, H&K are not a nice looking as 1911s, but IMO they are more reliable.
As bad as I hear Kimbers service is I'd take it to a local smith to look at it if you can afford it.
 
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