E36M3
Member
Are MIM parts really that bad? My Ultra CDP is as perfect a handgun as I've yet had. Other than a slightly off sight, I've had zero problems and nothing but shear shooting joy. Am I missing something?
Why All The Negative Waves On Kimber?
- Thread starter E36M3
- Start date
- Status
Our shop stopped carrying the Kimber line when we had problems with the products and then had problems getting the company to resolve the problems.
Brand new Kimbers are expensive, there should be no quality problems to begin with.
Quality control issues have plagued this company even going back to the time that they were strickly a rifle producer.
I ain't making that up, that's just the way it is.
A young man brought his brand new Kimber II Tactical problem into our shop last week because he attempted to diassemble it and the firing pin safety let go and jammed the slide onto the frame in a semi-diassembled state.
He had not fired the pistol and had done nothing wrong in his diassembly attempt, the firing pin safety was incorrectly installed at the factory.
$1400.00 pistol and he was upset, justifiably so in my opinion.
Really became flustered when I suggested he take the gun back to the dealer he purchased it from and have them send it back to Kimber under warranty.
I explained that even if we ahead and diassembled the gun for him, the firing pin safety would still need to be repaired before the pistol would be safe and able to fire.
If an outsource gunsmith does this work it voids all Kimber warranty and responsibility thereafter.
He brought the pistol to our shop because he didn't want to drive the 20 miles back to the original point of sale, but in the end that is what he had to do.
I feel for him and any customer who buys a new gun that causes problems right off the bat.
I accept and expect problems from $200.00 guns.
$800.00-$1600.00 guns should not have problems right from the box, period.
For those that will tell us that the US Marine Corps is buying the Kimbers as is the FBI blah, blah , blah let me point out that the MEUSOC guns have no firing pin safety, neither do the FBI pistols and both parties have trained gunsmiths who tear the weapons down and replace some factory parts with outsource parts before they ever see issue.
The pistols aren't just yanked from the box and stuffed into the holsters of these professionals.
Please don't think I am slamming Kimber just to slam Kimber.
I like their ideas and still feel they brought the 1911 to the state of perfection that we see today.
Older non-firing pin safety Kimbers are wonderful platforms for gunsmiths to perform their magic on.
But the fact is Kimber in house QC could be a whole lot better and their service should be willing to back the product up and to do so in a timely manner and without cost to the customer and without the need to send a product back more than once.
Brand new Kimbers are expensive, there should be no quality problems to begin with.
Quality control issues have plagued this company even going back to the time that they were strickly a rifle producer.
I ain't making that up, that's just the way it is.
A young man brought his brand new Kimber II Tactical problem into our shop last week because he attempted to diassemble it and the firing pin safety let go and jammed the slide onto the frame in a semi-diassembled state.
He had not fired the pistol and had done nothing wrong in his diassembly attempt, the firing pin safety was incorrectly installed at the factory.
$1400.00 pistol and he was upset, justifiably so in my opinion.
Really became flustered when I suggested he take the gun back to the dealer he purchased it from and have them send it back to Kimber under warranty.
I explained that even if we ahead and diassembled the gun for him, the firing pin safety would still need to be repaired before the pistol would be safe and able to fire.
If an outsource gunsmith does this work it voids all Kimber warranty and responsibility thereafter.
He brought the pistol to our shop because he didn't want to drive the 20 miles back to the original point of sale, but in the end that is what he had to do.
I feel for him and any customer who buys a new gun that causes problems right off the bat.
I accept and expect problems from $200.00 guns.
$800.00-$1600.00 guns should not have problems right from the box, period.
For those that will tell us that the US Marine Corps is buying the Kimbers as is the FBI blah, blah , blah let me point out that the MEUSOC guns have no firing pin safety, neither do the FBI pistols and both parties have trained gunsmiths who tear the weapons down and replace some factory parts with outsource parts before they ever see issue.
The pistols aren't just yanked from the box and stuffed into the holsters of these professionals.
Please don't think I am slamming Kimber just to slam Kimber.
I like their ideas and still feel they brought the 1911 to the state of perfection that we see today.
Older non-firing pin safety Kimbers are wonderful platforms for gunsmiths to perform their magic on.
But the fact is Kimber in house QC could be a whole lot better and their service should be willing to back the product up and to do so in a timely manner and without cost to the customer and without the need to send a product back more than once.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
"Are MIM parts really that bad" ?
NO, not necessarily if done properly. The problem begins when
the investment castings are done incorrectly; thus weaking
the part or parts, usually causing breakage. I have firearms
that have MIM small parts, and I've never had a problem with
them.
As too the Kimber line, we sell not only the entire line of Kimber
pistols; but also the rifles as well, and I can't recall any of them
ever coming back in for repair.
Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
NO, not necessarily if done properly. The problem begins when
the investment castings are done incorrectly; thus weaking
the part or parts, usually causing breakage. I have firearms
that have MIM small parts, and I've never had a problem with
them.
As too the Kimber line, we sell not only the entire line of Kimber
pistols; but also the rifles as well, and I can't recall any of them
ever coming back in for repair.
Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
Tag
Member
Chupacabra
Member
I have a Custom II and it's allright. A joy to shoot but it has reliability issues. I think that can be cured with a extractor tune-up though.
Chupacabra
Member
Metal Injection Molding.
Here's a link that explains it pretty well.
http://www.mpif.org/design/metal_injection_molding.htm
All manufacturers make lemons. Every single one. This board has a pretty good list of the more common complaints.
If you have a 1911 and the slide and frame are good, the rest can be dealt with by any competent gunsmith.
As far as MIM stuff is concerned, I am slowly approaching the 30K mark with a series 1 Kimber (not counting over 20K out of a .22LR conversion kit on the same frame) and the only piece I have had to replace was the slide stop.
Seems to work OK for me.
If you have a 1911 and the slide and frame are good, the rest can be dealt with by any competent gunsmith.
As far as MIM stuff is concerned, I am slowly approaching the 30K mark with a series 1 Kimber (not counting over 20K out of a .22LR conversion kit on the same frame) and the only piece I have had to replace was the slide stop.
Seems to work OK for me.
warddc
Member
I love my kimber royal II. It is reliable and very accurate. It is a real pleasure to shoot. I have had no problems with the firing pin safety.
dave.
dave.
BerettaNut92
Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2002
- Messages
- 9,723
What BigG said..some guys like 45R have good luck with their.
Skunk's MIMber was a lemon
Skunk's MIMber was a lemon
Last week I was sitting at a stop light when a wrecker went by. It was towing a brand new BMW (7 Series I think) that still had the price sticker on the window. Right behind the BMW was a Chevy Chevette chugging along on it's own power. Lemons happen in all machines. You "DON'T" always get what you pay for. I carry my Kimber Custom Defender II every day. I bought it used so I have no idea how many rounds went thru it before I bought it. I've shot 5000 rounds of various ammo thru it without a problem. I guess the point I'm trying to make is "Don't beleive everything you hear. When you find something that works for you, stick with it."
Old Dog
Member
Zero negative waves here. Love Kimbers. Part breaks -- fix it. A well-crafted 1911 may require occasional maintenance ... so what? They're good pistols. MIM? So what? Replacement parts are inexpensive.
My take: a lot of Kimber-bashing comes from those who just can't get the whole 1911 thing (folks whose first 1911 was a Kimber or folks who started on Glocks, SIGs or Berettas) ... A previous poster noted his shop quit stocking Kimbers ... I submit you'll find far more shops that will rave about Kimbers ... And my experience: a lot of savvy 1911 shooters favor Kimbers over other production 1911s, although personally, I'm a Springfield Armory guy ... and Colt's is making quality 1911s again too ...
My take: a lot of Kimber-bashing comes from those who just can't get the whole 1911 thing (folks whose first 1911 was a Kimber or folks who started on Glocks, SIGs or Berettas) ... A previous poster noted his shop quit stocking Kimbers ... I submit you'll find far more shops that will rave about Kimbers ... And my experience: a lot of savvy 1911 shooters favor Kimbers over other production 1911s, although personally, I'm a Springfield Armory guy ... and Colt's is making quality 1911s again too ...
I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you on this. I personally spoke to Pat Rogers about the Kimber pistols the Marines bought back in August. They are quite happy with them right out of the box. Pat and I discussed the new Kimber Warrior and he said if it turned out as good as the ones the Corps bought it would be a good pistol.
Jeff
WhoKnowsWho
Member
I am happy with my line new Eclipse, I plan to shoot it a ton!
Once again, anyone care to tell me about the FBI buying Kimbers? As said before, I've never heard of that and, to the best of my knowledge, the only 1911s they've purchased where either the PO that HRT bought (and didn't like) and the SA Pro that is currently issued to SWAT members.
I think the citations to Pat Rogers has put the ICQB issue to rest.
I think the citations to Pat Rogers has put the ICQB issue to rest.
ggamyang
Member
I am surprised......no one mentioned the name "Dennis" yet?
Alfadog
Member
I'm very pleased with my Kimber 25th Anniversary Custom. Here's a link to a range report I posted at 1911forum.com:
http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95807
http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95807
silent one
Member
Say all,
I have been an avid shooter of most 1911 platform handguns for many years, and have yet to find ANY company that makes a finer weapon than Kimber. I own pre series II Kimbers, as well as their series II weapons, and haven't had a problem with any of them. The only part I change is the
recoil spring after approx 5,000 rounds. I use nothing but Wolff springs in any of my weapons. If shooters clean, and lube, their weapons after each use, I think many of the so called problems would go away. I have seen shooters with a $1,000.00 weapon, who never clean it, blame the manufacturer when it malfunctions. These are the same people who own a
high dollar car, and never change the oil. Guess who gets blamed when it breaks down.?
SILENT ONE
I have been an avid shooter of most 1911 platform handguns for many years, and have yet to find ANY company that makes a finer weapon than Kimber. I own pre series II Kimbers, as well as their series II weapons, and haven't had a problem with any of them. The only part I change is the
recoil spring after approx 5,000 rounds. I use nothing but Wolff springs in any of my weapons. If shooters clean, and lube, their weapons after each use, I think many of the so called problems would go away. I have seen shooters with a $1,000.00 weapon, who never clean it, blame the manufacturer when it malfunctions. These are the same people who own a
high dollar car, and never change the oil. Guess who gets blamed when it breaks down.?
SILENT ONE
Gixerman1000
Member
I have a Kimber "Custom Shop" Gold Combat Stainless and it has been perfect.
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
Amen!
My Kimber has been fine since day one. I bought it because of Kimber's reputation for quality. Since then, I've heard praise, horror stories, more praise, and complaints. I have a hunch success may have gone to the company's head.
If I buy another—I'm thinking about a .38 super—the first thing I'll do is have my gunsmith remove the firing pin safety.
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