Question On Kimber Firing Pin Spring(s)

[Specialized]

I just traded for a Kimber TLE II that has been worked on by Wilson Combat, and took it out for a test run today. The gun worked great, and I am excited about the deal I made. I did notice, however, when I took it apart that it has a firing pin and spring set that I've never seen before. There are actually two springs on this thing, one that's a traditional spring (goes most of the length of the firing pin) and the other that is about an inch long, and looks to be a secondary spring for the forward inch of the pin. Can anyone answer the following for me:

1. Is this a stock Kimber TLE II firing pin setup?
2. What in the heck is that second spring for?
3. Why did Kimber (or whoever) have to monkey around with a perfectly fine 110 year old design?

Okay, that last question was rhetorical, so you don't have to answer it. But I am puzzled by the first two. Any (knowledgeable) ideas? Please resist the temptation to posit any novel, but unfounded, theories you might have -- mine have already run the gamut from farfetched to stupid. Thanks!

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

My Kimber has only one firing pin spring. Mine is also a series 1 gun. Maybe it's a series 2 thing? Something to do with the firing pin safty?

 

[Ken Rainey]

They come from the factory with a traditional spring....

 

[lycanthrope]

My Series I and Series II both have the standard firing pin return spring.......

 

[Bwana John]

Are you talking about the goober that blocks the firing pin untill the grip safety is depressed?

 

[Specialized]

"What Can You Sit On, Stand On, And Lay Down On?"

LOL! Okay, mystery solved. Ever make something waaay harder than it really is?

A month ago, when I posed this question, I hadn't really taken a good look at this spring "set", I just took the extra spring out and went with the standard FP spring and FP. Well, it occurred to me what that additional spring had to be, and when it came to me I just had to bust out laughing. This gun had had a reduced-power mag release spring installed. It occurred to me that, with the addition of an extra spring, if someone got the gun and old spring back they might be tempted to mistake it for a botched reassembly job... And voila! The only place you could really put the extra spring (and still have the gun work) would be on the end of the firing pin, under the FP spring!

The remarkable thing is that the gun fired this way. The previous owner had, however, made a comment that every once in a while he'd get a light primer hit. Well I should think so! What a riot...

Anyway, thanks to everyone who chimed in. Always good to get fresh eyes and minds on a conundrum.

Oh by the way -- the answer to the riddle? "A chair, a stool, and a bed." Sometimes the answer is so obvious that it makes the question more mysterious. LOL!