Trigger problem on brand new Kimber Custom CDP. Now What?

B

buckskinner

New member
I just ran about 300 rounds through my brand spanking new Kimber Custom CDP, and to my serious disgruntlement, it appears I have a trigger problem.

The trigger does not reset sometimes, and the sometimes is hard to duplicate. Sometimes its every round, and sometimes it doesn't do it for a dozen rounds or so. But whenever it does it, it is very frustrating!

My question is this: Do I send my new $1000+ pistol back to Kimber, who has questionable customer service, OR do I get it to my local 1911 expert and put a new trigger in it for $100+/-?

The questionable customer service quote comes from lurking on the 1911forums.com site (which is between servers as I write this), specifically the Kimber threads. I seem to remember even a trigger issue that the few complainers were talking about.

So I ask you fellow TFLers, what does a guy do?

PS The new SWAT Magazine is very cool! This month has some great articles on family team home defensive tactics. Good job Rich and other staff!!
 
I'd send it back. Even though you (and I, and probably everyone else) has read plenty of bad experiences about Kimber's customer service, there are just as many good comments about them. We just focus on the bad.

I would guess they would likely take care of the problem. Approach them politely (at least at first) and tell them what you expect to have happen.

I believe they'll fix it.

Shake
 
Ever considered.....?

WHy don't you fix it it yourself.

Sort of has to be a bent trigger bow....or maybe the finger on the leaf springs is weak or maybe the trigger is a bit over size.

What ever is binding it up will be simple to see and fix. You do know how to take your gun apart don't you?
 
golly gee--i never knew that 1000$ kimbers had problems when brand new--from reading the forums i thought only terrible, cheap chas daly 1911's wer the culprits--something new everyday--glad i bought a 400$ daly instead with NO problems--:p :p :p
 
OOH Cmomm, yer cool!!

Okay. thanks for the constructive advice. To answer your question 1911A1, I can "field strip" it, but haven't figured out the rest.

It looks like I'll go to some other resources to find out to do this, and then bust out the Brownells for some stones or maybe tools and parts.

Darn!!! I might have to buy some tools!
 
seriously 'buckskinner', best of luck and much enjoyment with your new kimber---they are have problems when made by the hands of man--happy holidays to all:rolleyes: :p :rolleyes:
 
You've asked what to do, I say...take a stab at it your self.

I say this because my used Springfield had the same problem, and with a little investigation I discovered that the trigger bow arms were indeed bowed inward and hanging up on the magazine. If the trigger resets positiviely with the mag removed, but gets twitchy with the mag in place, the trigger bow is the first place to look. No replacement necessary if you can get the trigger out of the frame. Just gently bend the arms back out until the trigger resets with confidence.
 
Buckskinner,

You probably don't need a new trigger. Some possible causes are improperly bowed trigger (bend the trigger bow in or out), bad or badly adjusted sear spring (the leaf may only need to be bent--a new sear spring is less than $10), the grip safety is binding and needs to be slightly refitted, or you've accumulated a serious amount of gunk in the trigger channel (not likely after only 300 rounds). Any of these problems are VERY cheap to rectify and will cost MUCH LESS than $100 (or even the cost of shipping the gun back to Kimber).
 
I'd be really upset if I spent $1000 on a gun that came from the factory with problems!!!! What happened to quality control in the manufacturing sector?
 
You could also call Kimber and send a short letter documenting the problem and asking their advice. This will give you a fallback if you don't figure out the problem from the detail strip.
 
I have a question and I dont mean it in a bad way. Why buy a product if you know that their customer service is not good?
 
No offense taken. My history with Kimber has been great. With other people's guns. The first time I shot a Kimber Gold Match ( or Cup, whatever), I put 4 shots through the same hole at 7 yards. I thought "Wow!". Plus the action, trigger, and tolerances were all "better" than any other 1911 I've held. Since these pistols all worked great, there was no issue of customer service. Only after I was in the middle of my 10 day "cooling off" period (cuz I was so hot to shoot some paper I guess), and paying attention to the Kimber threads on 1911forums, did I hear about trigger then service issues. Of course I figured, Ah heck, it's only a few out of thousands, it probably won't happen to me...

I found some good pages linked from m1911.org to help me detail strip the gun. That'll be my weekend project!

Thanks for the good advice you guys...

The magazine rubbing on the trigger bow rings a bell, and so does the binding grip safety...

I will document in writing and let both the dealer and Kimber state their opinions. I know my S&W Model 60 came out of time, and they sent me a fedex label free to fix the gun. Maybe Kimber will do good too...
 
I sent mine back through the FFL I purchased it from. The (different) problem still existed when it returned. I traded it for a Beretta 92FS and have been happy since.:)
 
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