Kimber Jamamatic

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Ankeny

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I bought a Stainless Kimber Gold Match 3 days ago. The day I bought the pistol I went out and shot about 150 rounds through it. I then posted a shameless brag about how I loved the feel of wood and steel and how beautiful the pistol is. What I didn't post is the fact that the pistol failed to feed reliably.

Today I bought another magazine and a box of 230 grain Remington FMJ and a couple of boxes of Winchester 230 grain FMJ. I went back to the range and shot again this afternoon.

My new Kimber will not even strip the first round of Remington or USA (remanufactured) out of the magazine when I release the slide. The pistol also frequently jams with all of the makes of ammo I have tried, with both magazines. Hmmm...won't reliably feed Remington, Winchester, American Ammunition or American Eagle ball with Kimber or Colt magazines. Twenty years ago I would have gone ballistic over the deal. However, I have had many 1911 style pistols and I know that they often need to be ported and polished. I also know even the best manufacturers can have a lemon slip through.

I called Kimber and all I got was their answering machine. I left a message but they didn't return my call so I can't tell you how they will respond. I assume I will simply send the pistol in and they will port, polish, and tune and I'll be a happy customer.

Now for my question. I bought the Kimber for target use so I am not too worried about a malfunction leading to my demise in an unexpected serious social encounter. However, some folks might by a Gold Match for defensive use and I don't understand how a company like Kimber can let a pistol out of their factory if it won't feed ball ammo. Also, I have always settled on a load in each 1911 style pistol and stuck with it exclusively after the pistol was tuned for it. Still, I see people posting on TFL who claim to own several 1911 style pistols and they also claim to have never had a failure to feed with thousands of rounds of all bullet configurations. Are they just spoofing me or is it true? The only pistols I have ever owned that are 100 reliable with even the crappiest ammo are H&K P7M8s and Glocks. Enough rambling, anyone care to comment?
 
My experience is exactly the opposite of yours with my Gold Match. The only suggestion I'd offer is to try different magazines. I've been unable to get mine to jam. Good luck.
 
The star mags you have with gun should be changed they are preaty korny. I would get wilson mags.
 
Thanks for the informative Post. I was very close to buying a Kimber Utra Carry. They can forget it now! If I want a "jamamatic" I will purchase a Keltec P11. I guess I will spend the money on a GLOCK G26 , because I know it will function 100%. Sorry about your Kimber , it pisses me off and I don't even own one. If I spend over $400.00 on a new pistol , IT BETTER FUNCTION PROPERLY (damn it).
 
My Kimber Classic has never jammed on me, never failed to lock back on an empty mag and been accurate as all hell (however, I've only ever used Wilson 8rd mags). Its a great value and a great pistol. I don't doubt your bad experience, but I think your bad experience is an aberation.
 
Ankeny,

Sorry to hear about your problem.

If you look through this board and others you will find many threads about Kimbers and failures to feed. There are also quite a few that fail to lock back on the last round.

The majority of them can be cured with an 18 1/2 pound recoil spring. Some need the breech face polished.

And, yes, there are 1911's that function flawlessly for many thousands of rounds - some are even Kimbers. Also, just for information, I use Shooting Star mags in my Wilson gun! I don't like the Wilson mags because they are hard to seat when full of ammo.

I know it's aggrivating to have a new gun that ain't workin' but at least you can fix a 1911.

Mikey
 
You got a lemon. Take it back to the store or at least send it back to the factory (the problems you described sound worse then a mag or feed ramp problem... the store should bear some responsibility). Kimber makes an excellent firearm. An over-exaggerated few have had some minor bugs but overall they are wonderful handguns. Don't be discouraged.
 
I purchased two Kimbers in the past 3 months. I purchased the Pro Carry and then the Ultra Elite. I have fired both of them on the range and have at least 300 rounds in each. During the first 100 rounds with the Pro Carry, it would not lock back on the last round.

I was advised by an expert that new guns require a break in period. I have since fired 200 more rounds through the Pro Carry with failure and with great accuracy.

I experienced the same failure to lock on the last round with the Ultra Elite during the first 100 rounds. Saturday, I experiences my first jam with 230 grain ball ammo.

In reading comments on Kimbers, it seems they are sensitive to some mags. I have Mccormick mags. I share my experience for what it is worth. I have only owned a Colt Agent 38 special and a Ruger 9mm. I bought my guns for carry and bet my life on them. In a cocked and lock position, the first shot is a gimme.

I hope my experience is useful to you.

Vee

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Ankeny,

I've had several 1911's built. They were fitted very tight. My 'smith tells me the same thing with each gun. Go run at least 300rds through it, then bring it back... pistols fitted tight need breaking in, especially 1911 style guns.

Don't rush to judgement on your Kimber just yet, it may settle in, changing mags might solve your feeding problems... With today's manufacturing technology, we've come to expect perfection out of the box, and with most pistols this is the case. However, the 1911 is a different beast than a Glock, Sig... thank goodness for that! Your problems can be fixed with minor 'smithing. I do, however, hate to see someone shell out the big bucks for a quality pistol that won't feed ball ammo.

My 'smith also highly recommends Wilson mags... he likes the 8rd'ers - I mostly use Wison 7rd mags.

Good Luck!
 
Never judge a new pistol for reliability untill AFTER you fire no less than 500 rounds through it. After 500 - then you can start an evaluation o fits performance.

I had a Springfield "Night .45" years ago that did the same thing. It couldnt swallow the 230 grain HPs... But it did just fine with the 185's. A simple ramp and throat job will fix it.

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
I like 1911 type pistols for looks and caliber, but I will never buy one...I shot
5 or 6 different ones, from plain Colts to
some pretty fancy match grade samples,
and all of them seem to lack what is known
as "total reliability" - those that are very
accurate seem to jam from time to time, and those that do not jam seem to have awfull accuracy. I do believe that 1911 design is
very good and caliber is very potent.

May be I just was extremely unlucky in my experience with 1911s...

If gun needs 500 rounds to be wasted before it starts working properly, I do
not want to own such gun. What if instead of
500 "break-in" rounds it will require 501
"break-in" rounds and 501st round would be the one that I need to use for self-defence?
Makes things too complicated...

In general, this "break-in period"
is not a must for NIB handgun, for example,
NIB CZ-75B does not require any "break-in".
I have no exact idea what Czech comrades
do to their CZs, but they shoot straight
and do not jam right from the start.
 
I have about 1000 rounds through my full size 1911A1 Kimber stainless Custom/Classic. During the first ~500 round it would jam 1 to 2 percent of the time -- no more -- although the jams were all easy to clear since the round had not fully seated in the chamber. This 1 to 2 percent jam rate was consistent with the Kimber factory magazine (7 round) and the McCormick (10 round) that I purchased regardless of ammunition (all major brand, factory-new 230 grain FMJ).

I then bought two Wilson stainless 10 round magazines, and have experienced NO jams in the last ~500 rounds. Whether it's the "break in" period, the Wilson mags, or -- most likely -- a combination of the two, I really don't know. What I'm certain of is Kimber's excellent quality, durability, and terrific accuracy -- even better than my Sig P-220 and P-226, and a LOT better than my Glock 23.

My bottom line: Insist the factory fix/replace your Kimber. When that's done, I suspect you'll have a .45 ACP you'll love and find to be extremely reliable and accurate.


[This message has been edited by RWK (edited November 13, 1999).]
 
My 1911 has almost 6K rounds through it and has yet to FTF or lock back after last round. I would send yours back to Kimber, sounds like they let one slip through.
 
Ankeny,
The extractor can be viewed as the culprit in "most" mis-feeding problems.
Usually it will be too tight & just needs to be tweaked (bent ;)) to give a bit less tension.
As every manf. holds different specs for their mags, you'll find that the release point in the opening (feed lips) will let the cartridge come out early, late or "just right".
Kimber tests their guns with only a few shots so if the Smith boo-booed it won't be apparent in the test firing.
All these problems can usually be solved at the Range in a few minutes if you know what to do. ;)
Grab a bud with some "reliable" .45 mags & see if that helps.
Also go to http://www.larue-targets.com/part5.html for a "how to" on extractor tuning.
Also check out http://www.m1911.org/technic.htm for other ideas.
A stock .45 ACP recoil spring is usually 16lbs & putting in an 18lb spring will FORCE the slide to close but without really fixing the original problem... :(


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ShooterDave,

I believe them to be 16 pounders - 99% certain. That's why most FTF in Kimbers require a slight bump on the back of the slide to finish seating. I also think that's why the get better as they wear-in.

Mikey
 
Ankeny, sorry to hear about your problems with the Gold Match. I have two full size Kimbers, an older Stainless Target and a newer Stainless Classic.

The Stainless Target runs like a swiss watch, feeds any decent ammo, with any magazine. I suspect the older guns, had more attention before being released for sale.

The Stainless Classic has had some teething problems. Would not lock back on an empty mag. New slide stop required. That problem solved now. New problem. In my last match with it, Tennessee State IDPA, it acted like yours. Have been informed that the newer Kimbers have very tight chambers. I was using reloads that worked fine in my Stainless Target. Do not know if this is your problem or not.

The only other thing that I can think of would be the extractor. The one on the Stainless Classic was way to tight. I had to do a little tuning on mine. I have also heard that they (Kimber) are shipping some that are a little out of spec. The slot may not be cut quite right. If you have another one from another 1911, try it.

I use Chip McCormick Shooting Stars and Wilson 8 round mags.

Yes, new Kimbers come with 16# recoil springs. Dump them. Get 18.5# springs and you will be better off.

I found that the best thing to do in contacting Kimber customer service is to e-mail them. The person to whom I was referred to was Joe Seuk. I think his email is "jseuk@kimberamerica.com".

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Johnboy
 
Not much to add except to repeat that my two Kimbers WERE totally reliable out of the box.
Neither of them is the Match gun however, and I would suspect that it does have a tighter chamber, etc, than the run of the mill pistol.
I would not put one dime into the pistol to "fix" it! Run some more rounds through it to see if it "breaks in", and if it doesn't, make Kimber fix the pistol.



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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
 
I can't resist. :D

COLT Gummint Model, 45 ACP, JMB's finest pistol: anything else is just a copy. :D

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45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel!
 
I can't resist...FOUR Kimbers, over SEVEN THOUSAND rounds, no jams. Kimber...everything else is either made in foreign countries or has already sold out to the antis.
 
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