I give up- please cure my Kimber.

A

ATTICUS

New member
I went to the range again yesterday with all of my pistols, Kimber included. I've had this pistol (Kimber classic Gov. model) for about a year and now have 500 rouunds or so through it. None of my pistols had a misfeed, until I got to the Kimber. I have had consistant failures with this pistol (5-10% misfeeds) since I bought it but have heard numerous tales of breakin periods- limp-wristing -bad mags, yadda,yadda,yadda. Well...I now have 10 mags for it, including Wilsons and McCormicks- I have tried at least 6 brands of commercial ammo, including both ball and HP's. I have at least one failure per 14 rounds regardless of mag or ammo type. The round doesn't quite make it up the ramp and the slide closes on it. I am not limp wristing, and the gun is clean and properly lubricated. Is it time to send it back to Kimber - or someone else?
I love everything else about this pistol but I'm getting a little fed up. What would you do? What have you done? And no, I don't want a Glock
 
Atticus, Even ferarri's have problems once in a while, send it back to Kimber and let them fix it. I've had my Utra CDP for 6 mos now and I've NEVER been so happy with a pistol!

PS You're right, you dont want a Glock!
 
Is the round jamming on the feed ramp, or jamming half in the chamber? Either way, send it to Kimber through a Master Dealer, and you should get it back in about a week at no cost.
 
Atticus:
I agree with Dave and Gonzo, I have two Kimbers and have never had the problems you have described that were not remedied by a quality magazine and a good clean and lube. Is the nose of the bullet deformed? There is a critical gap between the top of the ramp and the bottom of the barrel which if not there can cause this problem.
All the best
Bill Daniel

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Prosecute criminals to the fullest extent of the law and their weapons will become harmless.
 
I have several Kimbers from an Ultra Elite up to a Classic and all have been worked over by a quality pistolsmith. Brian Bilby at www.1911custom.com is great. You probably just need a reliability job that will include tuning extractor, polishing ramp, maybe reaming bore. Cost will likely be less than $100 and I'd bet your Kimber will feed anything afterwards. Good luck
 
Thanks, since it is under warranty, I'll give Kimber a shot at it first. I called their number today and the recording listed hours of operation as "New York Standard Time". I thought that was pretty funny. Now I just need to figure out how to get it there.
 
Atticus, you should be able to send it FedEx without a problem. If Joe Seuk is still at Kimber, I would talk to him or email him before sending it. He's been extremely helpful for me. Sorry to hear of your problems, though.

Dick
Want to send a message to Bush? Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/monk/petition.html and forward the link to every gun owner you know.
 
The only reason I didn't suggest sending it to Kimber is that I sent one to them twice for similar problems and it still wasn't fixed properly. I then sent it to one of my gunsmiths, Jim Garthwaite at www.garthwaite.com and it hasn't hiccupped since. Free is good but ding it right is better.
 
Couple of questions? Does it seem to make a difference on which number round does not make it in? Have you checked the slide release? I was having trouble feeding with mine and discovered the slide stop was protruding to far into the receiver area. Did a little filing and sanding and the problem went away. Seemed to affect the last couple of rounds only. Just a thought seeing as you have tried all the normal things to emliminate the problem.
 
The complaint listed here is the most common Kimber problem. It is usually one or more of these things...

Tight or out-of-round chamber (ream it)

16 pound recoil spring - (change to 18.5 pound)

Poorly adjusted extractor - (adjust less poorly ;) )

By the way Monkeyleg, I think Joe is with Triton now. That's a shame for Kimber owners.

Mikey
 
Thanks for the advice and suggestions. WalterGAII- I meant no offense to Glock owners but "get a glock" seems to be the standard reply when someone is having reliability problems. I already own one reliable, black, boxy, semi-polymer pistol (H&K USPc) and that will have to suffice for now.
 
Mikey hit it on the head. Kimber's have a tight chamber. Addressing these areas should take care of the problem. I know. I had the same problems with a Stainless Classic.

And yes, Joe Suek now works at Triton. Saw him at the IDPA Nationals last week.

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John
 
Will Kimber address the problem of a tight chamber (under warranty)if I ask about it, or is that something I have to go elsewhere for? I can't see them admitting that their manufacturing specs or process may be wrong.
 
Atticus, all I can say is call them. Tell them what your problems are and see what they say.

As I was having something else done, I had Advanced Combat Pistols, Brian Bilby, check it out while he had it. He worked his magic, and now it is extremely reliable with all ammo and all my mags.

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John
 
I suggest trading it for a Springfield Compact. I owned four Kimbers, had nothing but trouble with three of them. Got a Springfield Compact $519.00 (traded a Kimber Ultra Elite had money left over}put $400 into some custom work, over 1000 rounds later and not ONE problem. By the way the custom work was something I wanted, not needed. The gun functioned reliablely out of the box, I put 200 rounds through it the day I bought it, again, not one problem. I got tired of sending guns back to Kimber, buying different mags, experimenting with different ammo etc.
Daddycat

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"A rigid investment in flexability is but another closed system of thinking"
 
It should arrive at the Kimber Custom shop in about three hours ( New Yawk Standard time). I'll post the result in a week or two. Thanks for your input.

[This message has been edited by ATTICUS (edited September 19, 2000).]
 
Wow! These posts are scaring me from getting a Kimber. Not that I've been in the market for one.

It sounds like you've got to spend beaucoup bucks on a stock one then spend some more for it to function right.

Don't worry about the Glock, just get a SIG or a Ruger and spend the rest on ammo.


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The best weapon for self defense is the one you have when the need arises!
 
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