Brian Bilby
New member
Most high cap 45's, Para or Kimber, are more sensitive to overall length than a single stack. To get the most reliable feeding you should load around 1.250. It depends on the bullet style.
The problem that the kimber has, that para sort of worked around is that the feedramp on the frame is shallow and short. If you use a blunter type of bullet it will stop dead against the frame or with a longer length, the round cannot roll over into the chamber. It binds up on the edge of the barrel throat. Easy way to check this is when the gun jams, look at the case and see if you see a crease or bend in the case about 1/8" or a little shorter. This is where the round caught on the shoulder. Para cured this by using a ramped barrel to get around it. On most of the Kimber polymers that I see that puke, a little reworking of the feedramp on the frame a little touch up on the barrel throat will cure this. If your chamber is tight, and sometimes the Kimbers are, then it will need to be reamed to cure it. Another thing to watch, and this goes with Kimber, Para, SV/STI is to watch the mag springs, especially if you are using a high cap mag. Factory ones tend to take a set early and then the gun misfeeds because the slide cycles faster than the round can be fed up. Replace with Wolff extra power springs.
This ain't Kimber bashing, it's experience. Two local gunshops are Kimber master dealers and have a 5-10% repair rate. Mainly tight chambers, bad slide stops and loose plunger tubes.
Brian
The problem that the kimber has, that para sort of worked around is that the feedramp on the frame is shallow and short. If you use a blunter type of bullet it will stop dead against the frame or with a longer length, the round cannot roll over into the chamber. It binds up on the edge of the barrel throat. Easy way to check this is when the gun jams, look at the case and see if you see a crease or bend in the case about 1/8" or a little shorter. This is where the round caught on the shoulder. Para cured this by using a ramped barrel to get around it. On most of the Kimber polymers that I see that puke, a little reworking of the feedramp on the frame a little touch up on the barrel throat will cure this. If your chamber is tight, and sometimes the Kimbers are, then it will need to be reamed to cure it. Another thing to watch, and this goes with Kimber, Para, SV/STI is to watch the mag springs, especially if you are using a high cap mag. Factory ones tend to take a set early and then the gun misfeeds because the slide cycles faster than the round can be fed up. Replace with Wolff extra power springs.
This ain't Kimber bashing, it's experience. Two local gunshops are Kimber master dealers and have a 5-10% repair rate. Mainly tight chambers, bad slide stops and loose plunger tubes.
Brian