Sell Kimber, buy Springfield Compact?

D

Daddycat

New member
Here's the situation. In the last year I've owned four Kimbers. I've had problems with three of them. Currently I carry a Ultra Elite. A few weeks ago the extractor broke.
George at the custom shop sent me a new one and I installed it. The first day on the range the pistol had four failures to extract
out of 150 rounds, 2nd day ran fine for 50 rounds, third day four failures to extract out of 100 rounds. While I'm sure George would take another crack at fixing the pistol
I'm a little tired of sending pistols back and forth. I'm thinking of selling the Ultra Elite and buying a Springfield Compact.
I would be interested in any feedback anyone would care to offer, particularly on the reliability and accuratcy of the Springfield
Compact. This is my first time on the Firing line and I'm looking forward to learning from the rest of you!

------------------
 
Check out this thread on TFL: [Link to invalid post]
Also, use the search engine on the words "springfield compact" to peruse previous postings. A number of shooters have had problems with reliablility with the Champion. I have owned 3 full size Springfields and they were always reliable. Can't speak for their smaller guns. I have a Colt CCO that is extremely reliable (commander length barrel and aluminum frame). It is my favorite "light" M1911. It is also simple to field strip without any tools.
 
Well, I for one haven't had one problem with my Champion...in fact, I've never heard of a problem either...however, before I bought it I asked Springfield if there were any probs, they said to watch the ogive on bullets and you'll be alright...well, I'm carrying Speer Gold Dots and I don't know of a more open hp thtan that, and I have no probs...the darn thing runs great. My wife has a Ultra Compact, and it runs great too...as long as you let the slide "fly" forward loading first round...it needs to slam...no functional probs though.
 
How about these "two" choices instead?

1) Colt Defender ?

2) Para-Ordnance ?

--------------------------

Wackem , rackem , smackem...say what?
 
Hey Daddycat

I purchased a Kimber Custom Stainless Covert and love the accuracy but at about 300 rounds I noticed the Kimpro finish flaking off on some areas and out of 200 rounds shooting session I'd get 4 to 5 failure to fully go into battery. I already have almost 1000 rounds through it and still get the same malfunction. A friend of mine who has a lot of experience with .45's is helping me solve the problem and he's helped diagnose and eliminate what could be causing it and I'll be checking it out this week to see if we took care of it.

But back to you're question, I like the Kimber and haven't given up on it yet..........BUT I went ahead and purchased a Springfield Armory Champion last weekend also. After I put a couple of hundred rounds through it I am sending it off to get customized. If I have better luck with the Springfield in the first hundred rounds than I have in the Kimber it's gonna be hard to keep carrying it and depending on it. After it gets customized I'm sure it will really be tough to keep using the Kimber and relying on it if it still hiccups every now and then.

I'll post on the comparison of accuracy between the two by the end of this week. I'll also let you know if the Springfield hiccups also.

Good luck,
Ross T.
 
I have a Springfield Compact. It has a steel frame and a 4 in. barrel and slide. The only problems I had with it was a recoil spring that was a tad too light. Added a 24# spring from Wilson Combat and a two piece full length guide rod. Runs good now.

For comfort, replaced the grip safety and thumb safety with those from a Springfield Ultra Compact and went to a flat main spring housing.

Only complaint I have with it is it could use a de-horning. Some edges are a little sharp.

I am editing because I sold the Compact last night. One of those things where they ask you how much you want for it, tell them, and they said OK. So now I am looking for another compact.

Johnboy

[This message has been edited by johnboy (edited December 18, 1999).]
 
A friend of mine bought a new Springfield
Compact and had some feeding problems, so
he took it back where he got it and traded
for a Glock G30 which he likes very much.
I didnt think he gave it a real chance to
break in.

I recently bought a Kimber Custom Compact
that I really like but it occasionally
doesnt fully chamber with American Eagle
ball ammo. This doesnt happen w/ Federal
HP's. I've ordered a Wilson Combat mag to
see if that helps. It could also be the slide
spring or the ammo.
I havent given up on it as it is a very well
made and accurate pistol.

Dave
 
I have a Kimber Custom Stainless. Utterly reliable, will shoot 1 inch groups at 25 yards. All I did was put in an Ed Brown memory tab Grip Safety. Love the gun.

Ben
 
Thats what I did...
No more Kimber for me.
I like Springfields much better.

------------------
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
We, the people, are tired of being taxed, penalized, supervised, harassed,
and subjugated by a federal government which exceeds the powers
enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.
 
Selling the Kimber is a good start... Might want to consider a good used Colt Commander, the original, not a copy. JMHO :)

------------------
Be mentally deliberate but muscularly fast. Aim for just above the belt buckle Wyatt Earp
45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel! BigG
"It is error alone that needs government support; truth can stand by itself." Tom Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1785
 
Well Daddycat

I took the Springfield Armory Champion/compact to the the indoor range Wednesday morning and noticed a couple things and wanted to let you know about the reliability, accuracy, overall performance and quality I had with it.

I was going to do a side by side comparison between my Kimber Covert vs. the Springfield A. Champion but it just wasn't going to happen today. The Springfield just ate up too much of my time up to do anything else. It must have been set on JAM-O-MATIC. I was getting anywhere form 2 to 5 jams with every magazine I shot through it.

I ran just under 300 rounds of Federal American Eagle 230gr. FMJ about 50 of those rounds were Federal 230gr. Hydra Shoks w/a handful of Golden Sabers thrown in too.

50% of the problems for the malfunctions were that the slide stop would engage when there were still rounds to feed into her. To see if I was inducing the problem I tried different holds and kept my thumb away from the slide stop and had my friend watch closely to see if I was and it still happened. So, I'm sure it wasn't operator error.

The other 50% were the rounds (both FMJ and HPs) getting hung up on the feed ramp. It couldn't have been magazine induced. I had used 4 different magazine brands. 4 Shooting Star 7 rounders (which never caused a jam in my Kimber that was mag related), 4 New Mag-Packs 7 rounders with Wolff extra-power springs, 2 new Springfield factory 6 rounders, and 1 New Kimber factory 6 rounder. The problems occured with ALL of them. The gun wasn't able to shoot thru one mag without hiccups. I'm going to test these same mags this Saturday, with my Kimber which is a lot more reliable, not 100% but far from being as bad as the Springfield.

I thought a couple rounds into the shooting session it just needed "Broken in". I think IT just settled for being "BROKEN".

I didn't think the sharp edges would bother me, but they did........a lot. I'm sure having to clear jams every other round didn't help matters either.

The allen screw on the rear sights weren't tightened down and after about 70 rounds my shots were all over the place. I noticed it was off center, estimated where it needed to be and tightened down on it. Not a major headache but another annoyance, that contributed to the whole migrane and that needed to be mentioned. The groupings were decent after the sight incident. Regardless of the feeding problems.

Once I took it apart an started cleaning it. I noticed that there were small nicks on the frame's feed ramp. Hmmmmm.....this could be the reason for the rounds hanging up and possibly the slide stop engaging. My shooting buddy, sho has a lot more experience with 1911's, saw that there were unusual wear marks on the dust cover saying possibly the lugs weren't cut right or aligned right. When I talk to the gunsmith I'm sending it to,to hopefully get customized, Saturday I'll have him see if he can give me a more definite answer on the problem.

The link pin was never peened and will fall out if you tilt the barrel, slightly while apart.

Most of these problems could have been discovered before this pistol left the plant for the real world if they just would have run 1 measly mag of ammo through it. If they did, they still sent it out.....making you wonder about THEIR quality control.

I too primarily bought the S.A. Champion because of the slight disappointment with my Kimber, which is now been downgraded to an 'extremly slight' disappointment compared to the Champion. The disappointments with the Kimber just needed a little stronger recoil spring and their Kimpro finish was flaking off.

I don't claim to know a lot about 1911s and my small experience I have with them have been learned recently, but I do know enough to tell you is that "IT'S NOT WORKING RIGHT! HECK IT'S NOT WORKING AT ALL!" There didn't seem to be any quality control done on Springfields part. Sorry for the yelling but I'm not too happy with this gun. This pistol is a very big dissappointment.

The only plus I can say about it is It got me to work on my TAP, RACK, BANG skills. I think I got enough reps in to hold me over for 3-4 months :)

These are my humble observations and I strongly suggest looking elsewhere.

Good luck with your search Daddycat
Ross T.

[This message has been edited by ROSANGHAL (edited December 16, 1999).]
 
Get a Colt, with Colt magazines! Lose the K!M3ER and Spr!ngf!eld jamamatics!

If it's not a COLT 45 Auto, it's a copy!

------------------
Be mentally deliberate but muscularly fast. Aim for just above the belt buckle Wyatt Earp
45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel! BigG
"It is error alone that needs government support; truth can stand by itself." Tom Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1785
 
ROSANGHAL,

I noticed you were using 6 round mags. That seems to be an Officer sized frame. Are you sure you have an SA Champion and not a Compact? The Champion is a full sized frame that takes 7 and 8 round mags similar to a Colt Commander. The Compact is an SA equivalence of a Colt Officer. Last question. Did you get one of the new "loaded" models that has the Novak sites, beavertail grip, etc...?

And about the Colt. Unless you're buying an older Series 70 forget it. My friend just bought had a Series 80 Officer that jammed about as much as you had described with your Springfield. Another had bought a 1991a1 against my advice. Had 3 stovepipes, one ramp hang up and a failure to extract within the first 50 rounds. The next 250 had 5 failure of the slide to completely go into battery. We had tested with 8 round Magpacs, Wilson Rodgers 7 round mags and the factory 7 round mags. Each had one or another type of jam.

I have a Springfield Milspec 1911 with just a ramp and throat job. I've not 1 failure of the slide completely after having put over 3000 rounds through it.
 
Mute

I just got out the paperwork and saw that it is a COMPACT, not a champion.

When I bought it I looked at both and saw that it was very similar in size to my current Kimber. I must have forgotten I settle on one not the other. I messed up it is the Compact not the Champion.

Thanks for noticing that.

How was Your 1911 before the ramp and throat job? Was it anywhere near the headache my Compact is?

Ross T.
 
Sorry Mute didn't answer all your questions in your post. It does have the beavertail grip, the Novak sights, the beveled mag well, lightweight trigger so I guess it is the loaded model.

Ross T.
 
Very interesting to hear of problems with the loaded Compact. Mine is of the non loaded variant, it is a few years old. I am/was considering a Loaded Compact Alloy frame. Will have to think about it now.

Johnboy
 
ROSANGHAL,

My Springfield fed ball 100% prior to the ramp and throat, but would fail to go into full battery sporadically with 230 gr. Hydrashoks. Say 1 out of 40 or so.

I hope your experience isn't consistent with all Springfields. Your's is the first bad report I've heard with the new batch of "loaded" Springfields. Your description of the problems leads me to believe you either got a lemon or one that was damaged in transit. Before dropping money on the smith, you might want to send it back to SA and let them try to fix it. Since it is new it you shouldn't have to pay anything. I'd like to know your experience if you decide to send it back.
 
Rosanghal,

Is the gun a ported model or a standard one. The ported compacts ahve problems that are due to the light slide mass of the slide and the ramped barrels that are in some of the newer ones.

Brian
 
Hi again guys

Johnboy: Yeah it suprises me to b/c a lot of shooters and gunsmiths out there said if I was going to go with a 1911 style handgun go with Kimber OR Springfield they make good ones.

Mute: I also heard the newer Colt's aren't too impressive but if I went with one to look for the older series 70's. Sorry BigG but that's what's being said.

I also emailed Springfield Armory partially explaining that I just bought the pistol and linked them to here and and asked if they can make things right? Balls in their court, I'll let you know how it goes.

Brian Bilby: No my model doesn't have the ports. I was wondering, are you saying they are having problems with the ported w/feed ramped compacts or they are having problems with the ported models AND the newer ones with feed ramps?

Mine does have the feed ramp on it, I thought that may help in reliability. I guessed wrong.

Thanks
Ross T.
 
Just my perspective: Kimber does a wonderful job on their baseline models, things that come from the "custom shop" seem to have many more problems.

mdc

[This message has been edited by Geschutzfeuer (edited December 16, 1999).]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top