Front sight guestion
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H3 is Tritium, the radioactive isotope of Hydrogen, which is what glows in the dark. I assume the M in front of it stands for the brand of the site, Meprolight.
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Very interesting info!
Not sure if it's a regulatory requirement, but if you look closely at any Trijicon night sights, they put the H3 symbol on them. I can't do it here, but the 3 should be dropped lower, like the 2 in H2O for water. Also, if memory serves, Tritium is only good for about 7-10 years. After that, it loses it luminescence and you have to send the sights off to have the Tritium vial replaced or recharged.
Night Sights Dim Out
My Pro CDP II is almost 13 years old, and the night sights have almost completely dimmed out.
I haven't decided whether to replace the sights, or to replace the gun. It has other problems that I will probably ask about later in a different thread.
My Pro CDP II is almost 13 years old, and the night sights have almost completely dimmed out.
I haven't decided whether to replace the sights, or to replace the gun. It has other problems that I will probably ask about later in a different thread.
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We don't replace guns around here, we just get more.
Besides, new guns always put a smile on your face. Works for me.
Some tweaking and additional attention may bring the older gun back into favor.
Besides, new guns always put a smile on your face. Works for me.
Some tweaking and additional attention may bring the older gun back into favor.
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Welcome to the forum from northern Illinois Richard. I would give Kimbers customer service a call about you sights. I know you said the gun was 13 years old but there is the possibility they may cover them. One of my shooting buddies had a 10 year old Kimber with sights that were dimming and when he called to ask about having them replaced they asked him to send the gun in and they did it for free.My Pro CDP II is almost 13 years old, and the night sights have almost completely dimmed out.
I haven't decided whether to replace the sights, or to replace the gun. It has other problems that I will probably ask about later in a different thread.
"MH3" the "M" stands for Meprolight and H3 the symbol of tritium.
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Welcome to the forum from Ohio!!My Pro CDP II is almost 13 years old, and the night sights have almost completely dimmed out.
I haven't decided whether to replace the sights, or to replace the gun. It has other problems that I will probably ask about later in a different thread.
Dim Sights
I bought the gun in late 2001, and moved to a different state a couple of days later. I never got a chance to shoot it. Then my wife became seriously ill, and I cared for her until she passed. The gun remained in a case, unfired, for eleven years.
My son-in-law bought a Glock two years ago, and we went to an indoor range to shoot. My Kimber had about an 80% FTF rate, even though it had never been fired. I called, and Kimber directed me to send it back. I did.
Kimber repaired/replaced the extraction/ejection mechanism, even though that was not the problem I was seeing. They directed me to clean the gun, even though I had never received a take-down tool with the gun, and even though Kimber twice sent me the wrong tool after I had called. Finally, they sent me the correct tool and I thoroughly cleaned and oiled the gun before taking it back to the range.
The gun now had FTF rates ranging from 10% with 230 gr. Remington Ball ammo to 100% with Hornady 185 gr, JHP ammo. Federal 230 gr. FMJ gave me a 25% FTF rate (I kept track). Kimber said they couldn't help, so I took the gun to two different smiths locally. One advised I purchase Wilson magazines, which I did, and discarded the original Kimber mags. Still no joy.
The second smith was instructed in detail to polish the barrel hood because it appeared to me that cartridges were hanging up on the hood. Instead, he polished the feed ramp, which I don't believe had anything to do with the problems. Not being able to un-polish what he had polished, I decided to sell the gun. The first dealer to look at it said they would not buy or sell it because it had been "modified" when the feed ramp was polished.
I decided to see what I could do myself, so I researched some of the 1911 and Kimber forums on the Internet (including this one), and I saw a couple of posts about the recoil spring. I bought a new Wolff spring and installed it. That's when I discovered that Kimber (or one of the smiths) had returned the gun to me with the spring guide installed upside down.
Reinstalling the guide correctly, and installing the new Wolff spring, reduced my FTF rate to about 2% with 230 gr. Ball ammo, but the gun absolutely WILL NOT FEED Federal Premium 185 gr FMJ Semi-Wadcutter ammo. I like this ammo, and my old Colt Gold Cup had no problems at all with SWCs.
Sooo ... long story short, the gun is not very reliable, and never has been. That's why I have to consider getting rid of it before spending more money for new sights on a gun that seems to be already way too expensive.
BTW, if this post shouldn't be in this thread, I apologize. Feel free to move it to wherever it belongs.
I bought the gun in late 2001, and moved to a different state a couple of days later. I never got a chance to shoot it. Then my wife became seriously ill, and I cared for her until she passed. The gun remained in a case, unfired, for eleven years.
My son-in-law bought a Glock two years ago, and we went to an indoor range to shoot. My Kimber had about an 80% FTF rate, even though it had never been fired. I called, and Kimber directed me to send it back. I did.
Kimber repaired/replaced the extraction/ejection mechanism, even though that was not the problem I was seeing. They directed me to clean the gun, even though I had never received a take-down tool with the gun, and even though Kimber twice sent me the wrong tool after I had called. Finally, they sent me the correct tool and I thoroughly cleaned and oiled the gun before taking it back to the range.
The gun now had FTF rates ranging from 10% with 230 gr. Remington Ball ammo to 100% with Hornady 185 gr, JHP ammo. Federal 230 gr. FMJ gave me a 25% FTF rate (I kept track). Kimber said they couldn't help, so I took the gun to two different smiths locally. One advised I purchase Wilson magazines, which I did, and discarded the original Kimber mags. Still no joy.
The second smith was instructed in detail to polish the barrel hood because it appeared to me that cartridges were hanging up on the hood. Instead, he polished the feed ramp, which I don't believe had anything to do with the problems. Not being able to un-polish what he had polished, I decided to sell the gun. The first dealer to look at it said they would not buy or sell it because it had been "modified" when the feed ramp was polished.
I decided to see what I could do myself, so I researched some of the 1911 and Kimber forums on the Internet (including this one), and I saw a couple of posts about the recoil spring. I bought a new Wolff spring and installed it. That's when I discovered that Kimber (or one of the smiths) had returned the gun to me with the spring guide installed upside down.
Reinstalling the guide correctly, and installing the new Wolff spring, reduced my FTF rate to about 2% with 230 gr. Ball ammo, but the gun absolutely WILL NOT FEED Federal Premium 185 gr FMJ Semi-Wadcutter ammo. I like this ammo, and my old Colt Gold Cup had no problems at all with SWCs.
Sooo ... long story short, the gun is not very reliable, and never has been. That's why I have to consider getting rid of it before spending more money for new sights on a gun that seems to be already way too expensive.
BTW, if this post shouldn't be in this thread, I apologize. Feel free to move it to wherever it belongs.
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Get real, this is a joke right, I was ready to make some suggestions and comments about your problems until I came to the above section of you post. The spring guide is called the spring guide rod and you'd need a 20 pound sledge hammer to pound the slide onto the frame with the guide rod upside down, in short it's impossible.
Not a Joke
My Kimber "Operational Manual" refers to the part I am talking about as a "Recoil Spring Guide With Take-Down Hole."
The end of the rod has a plate that is shaped something like a "U." That part appears to be able to be inserted so that either the convex portion or the concave portion of it rides against the barrel.
I had to remove the spring in order to replace it, and that's when I noticed how the gun had been assembled. Maybe I am mistaken because this was a couple of months ago, but I will certainly verify it for you. I am about to disassemble and clean the gun again, so I will take a closer look, and I will post a picture if I can. My apologies if I am misremembering what I saw, but I will certainly look at it again.
The part looks to me like it can be reassembled upside down or sideways, as well as the proper way, because it just "floats" under the barrel.
Absolutely not a joke.
My Kimber "Operational Manual" refers to the part I am talking about as a "Recoil Spring Guide With Take-Down Hole."
The end of the rod has a plate that is shaped something like a "U." That part appears to be able to be inserted so that either the convex portion or the concave portion of it rides against the barrel.
I had to remove the spring in order to replace it, and that's when I noticed how the gun had been assembled. Maybe I am mistaken because this was a couple of months ago, but I will certainly verify it for you. I am about to disassemble and clean the gun again, so I will take a closer look, and I will post a picture if I can. My apologies if I am misremembering what I saw, but I will certainly look at it again.
The part looks to me like it can be reassembled upside down or sideways, as well as the proper way, because it just "floats" under the barrel.
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I own two pro model guns and I have both the original factory and after market guide rods and the guns absolutely can not be reassembled with the guide rod turned upside down. The "U" shaped plate you referred to has to be placed so the open end of the "U" end goes around the barrel. The curved end of the "U" has to fit into a matching channel in the frame. It is impossible to assemble the gun with the guide rod turned upside down.
If you read the owners manual you would have realized that you should break the gun down to clean and lube it before shooting it for the first time. At that point you would have noticed you didn't have the tool. There is only one tool for a pro model Kimber (a bent paperclip) what wrong tool did they send you twice? I would appreciate it if you could post a picture of this tool. Did you clean the gun again after firing the first 100 - 150 rounds of 230 gr FMJ ball ammo as instructed in the break in procedure and continue doing that every 100 - 150 rounds until you completed the break in? You say Kimber told you to clean the gun, I think that speaks volumes. I would venture to guess that you originally received a good gun but it sounds like you neglected to read and follow the instructions in the owners manual.
If you read the owners manual you would have realized that you should break the gun down to clean and lube it before shooting it for the first time. At that point you would have noticed you didn't have the tool. There is only one tool for a pro model Kimber (a bent paperclip) what wrong tool did they send you twice? I would appreciate it if you could post a picture of this tool. Did you clean the gun again after firing the first 100 - 150 rounds of 230 gr FMJ ball ammo as instructed in the break in procedure and continue doing that every 100 - 150 rounds until you completed the break in? You say Kimber told you to clean the gun, I think that speaks volumes. I would venture to guess that you originally received a good gun but it sounds like you neglected to read and follow the instructions in the owners manual.
You are correct, and I am mistaken. It was probably me that inserted the takedown tool in the wrong hole of the guide rod and forced the rod to be upside down. When it is upside down or sideways, the slide will not fit back onto the frame. If the takedown tool is inserted into the wrong side of the hole in the rod after replacing the spring, the rod can be inserted back into the assembly, but the takedown tool cannot then be removed after reassembly. I misremembered what had happened.
Mea culpa.
That doesn't change the fact that the gun has a high FTF rate, or that it will not feed SWCs at all. A fellow shooter at the range tries some of my Federal Premium SWCs in his Ruger, and had no problems shooting them at all.
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How many rounds have you fired through it?
Addional Details
I took a chance by firing it for the first time without cleaning it because I didn't have the proper takedown tool, so shame on me. I gambled and lost. That was two years ago, however, and a lot has changed since then. The gun is clean. The gun has been repaired by Kimber. The gun has a new Wolff recoil spring. The gun now uses Wilson Combat magazines.
I have successfully cleaned the gun several times since that initial event, and I have successfully replaced the recoil spring, even though I apparently inserted the takedown tool into the wrong side of the hole, and I also took a chip out of my ceiling drywall while trying to replaced the spring.
Umm ... you might be partially correct, but not completely so. After Kimber returned the gun, and after they eventually sent me the correct takedown tool (from Montana, not New York), I cleaned the gun before ever firing it again, and before I ever took it to a local smith. Originally, only 11 rounds were attempted to be fired before the gun was returned to Kimber, and before it was thoroughly cleaned. That range visit was on March 15, 2012. The gun was not fired again (by me) until September 14 of that same year, almost two months later. Kimber claimed to have test fired it successfully with no stoppages. When next I fired the gun, the FTF rate had decreased to 1% - 3% for Ball ammunition, but remained very high for 185 gr. JHP ammo from 4 different manufacturers: Remington, Winchester, Hornady and Federal. The Hornady ammo had a 100% FTF rate. Winchester was 15% and 20%. Remington was 10% and Federal was 25%.
That's when I learned about the issue with the recoil spring, and I ordered a new one from Wolff. After installing the new spring, the FTF rates declined sharply. I am now seeing FTF rates of 1% to 4% for all brands, except for
Federal SWCs, which will not feed at all. In the last two weeks, I fired 200 rounds of PMC 230 gr. FMJ ammo with a 2% FTF rate in two trips to the range. I currently have 300 rounds of Remington UMC 230 gr. Ball ammo on order, and I will track its performance as soon as I receive it and can get back to the range.
815 rounds (that I know of) have been fired from this gun. It should be broken in by now, I imagine. I believe that a 2% FTF rate is too high for this firearm, especially considering its price. In fact, 2% is too high a failure rate for any weapon intended to be used for self defense.
You are correct that I should have cleaned the gun before shooting it for the first time. The tool that Kimber sent me (twice) was a black plastic or fiberglass bushing wrench about 4.75" long with a Kimber logo embossed on it, and that looks like it would fit a conventional 1911. Do you know what I am referring to, or do you still want to see a picture? The third time was a charm for Kimber, and they sent me the correct tool. It looks like a bent paper clip, but seems to be made of a lot harder and stronger metal than a paper clip.
I took a chance by firing it for the first time without cleaning it because I didn't have the proper takedown tool, so shame on me. I gambled and lost. That was two years ago, however, and a lot has changed since then. The gun is clean. The gun has been repaired by Kimber. The gun has a new Wolff recoil spring. The gun now uses Wilson Combat magazines.
I have successfully cleaned the gun several times since that initial event, and I have successfully replaced the recoil spring, even though I apparently inserted the takedown tool into the wrong side of the hole, and I also took a chip out of my ceiling drywall while trying to replaced the spring.
Umm ... you might be partially correct, but not completely so. After Kimber returned the gun, and after they eventually sent me the correct takedown tool (from Montana, not New York), I cleaned the gun before ever firing it again, and before I ever took it to a local smith. Originally, only 11 rounds were attempted to be fired before the gun was returned to Kimber, and before it was thoroughly cleaned. That range visit was on March 15, 2012. The gun was not fired again (by me) until September 14 of that same year, almost two months later. Kimber claimed to have test fired it successfully with no stoppages. When next I fired the gun, the FTF rate had decreased to 1% - 3% for Ball ammunition, but remained very high for 185 gr. JHP ammo from 4 different manufacturers: Remington, Winchester, Hornady and Federal. The Hornady ammo had a 100% FTF rate. Winchester was 15% and 20%. Remington was 10% and Federal was 25%.
That's when I learned about the issue with the recoil spring, and I ordered a new one from Wolff. After installing the new spring, the FTF rates declined sharply. I am now seeing FTF rates of 1% to 4% for all brands, except for
Federal SWCs, which will not feed at all. In the last two weeks, I fired 200 rounds of PMC 230 gr. FMJ ammo with a 2% FTF rate in two trips to the range. I currently have 300 rounds of Remington UMC 230 gr. Ball ammo on order, and I will track its performance as soon as I receive it and can get back to the range.
815 rounds (that I know of) have been fired from this gun. It should be broken in by now, I imagine. I believe that a 2% FTF rate is too high for this firearm, especially considering its price. In fact, 2% is too high a failure rate for any weapon intended to be used for self defense.
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