Thank you for the additional information. It does help.
OK, I DO understand your position, I also haven't bought any factory ammo in decades. HOWEVER, if I needed to make a warranty claim, it would have to be something that malfunctioned with factory ammo, as generally warranties specifically exclude anything that happens with reloaded ammo, and for valid reason.
SO, I also get it you aren't claiming anything Kimber did was wrong or defective, (which, actually we don't know with certainty, yet) so what you want is essentially a "custom adjustment" which would not be warranty covered work.
This is the main reason for having someone(s) else shoot the gun. TO be able to eliminate you being the cause, or not.
ITs more than just the way you hold the gun, its also the way you look through the sights. Even when trying to do exactly the same thing the same way, no two people do it exactly the same. I've seen this numerous times. Sometimes the differences between shooters is enough to clearly show, sometimes not, but I believe it is always there.
My father used what he said was a center hold and he would hit the center of the target. Shooting his pistols, with his sight settings I had to use a 6 o'clock hold to hit the center of the target at the same distance.
Another example was a friend and I were shooting scoped bolt actions at 100yds, and we would trade rifles. Both of us had POI exactly off POA with each other's rifles.
SO, the point of having someone else shoot the gun is to see what it does in their hands, the way they look through the sights, and how it differs from the results you get, if it does.
If everyone gets the same results, the thing that needs adjusting is the gun. IF some people get good results and you don't, the issue is the gun AND you.
Might make the difference between just a sight adjustment and chasing down other possible causes, such as a "crookedly" installed barrel, for example.
I felt that I should be the shooter when they make the adjustments, using MY reloads,
I completely understand this, as well. It is the most efficient way to do it. However, while this was the kind of thing often done in the past, today it may not be allowed by the shop's insurance. Just as today, its a rare auto shop that lets you into the garage area to watch the mechanic work on your car. Their insurance won't let them do that.
There is a way around this, but its cumbersome (and a PITA) due to current laws. Still, it can be done. Have them adjust the sight, then return the gun to you. Then YOU take it out and test it with your ammo, and if its still off, return the gun to them for another sight adjustment. If they aren't test firing it, (you are, at your range) then they can't charge you for range time or ammo cost. To avoid the crap about having to pass a background check to get your own property back (and its cost) I think you could just take the shop the slide and have them move the sight on it. That way, there's no "gun" to be checked in and out of their logs and no background check required.
This won't work if the problem is more than just the sight being off so the gun is shooting left, but if that's all it is, just taking in the slide and getting it worked on would seem a superior method over having to meet all the legal requirements for a firearm transfer. Just a thought....
Having the maker replace the "fixed" (drift adjustable) rear sight with an adjustable sight would probably be the best option, if possible.
Whenever possible, I always choose an adjustable sight gun over others, even if I never use the adjustment, I like having the option.
Good luck and please let us know how it goes.
