[oldironguts]

Bought 2 Kimber's an Ultra Carry for the wife and a full size 1911 style for me. Both stovepiped from the start. Noted in manual...."500 rnds to break in required, no hollow points or square nose bullets. OK. so round nose only...same problem, jamming. Sent the wifes in for repair, came back, same problem. Ending up selling them both and took a big hit. TOLERANCES SEEM TOO TIGHT. I would never buy this scrap metal again (500 rnds to breakin, sorry can't wait that long)

 

[MPO Southy]

That seems very odd.Two different models experiencing the same problem at the same time.Did Kimber provide any possible reasons for this malfunction?I have a Kimber Super Carry Custom HD and have experienced zero malfunctions in almost two years.Lost count of the round count after 500.I would not hesitate to buy this same model again.Sorry you had such a negative experience,but I am curios as to what caused the problem.

 

[oldironguts]

I don't know what caused this on 2 different Kimbers, But they sent the wife's back still with the same malfunction, Tried 4 different types of ammo (round nose as specified) same problem. We had over 2000.00 invested in this junk. Have heard from a gunsmith at Gander Mtn that Kimbers metal to metal tolerances are just TOO TIGHT

 

[pbsdaddy]

Tight tolerances are what make Kimbers the guns they are. That said, there has to be a definable reason for these issues. I do not mean to offend but, since you had two different variations with the same issue, I'm leaning toward operator error. Could it be you were holding them too loosely? Kimbers don't like a weak grip.
Maybe you could clearly explain when these issues occurred. Or, if indeed you have sold them, why the post? There are some folks in here willing to help but if you no longer have the guns, you've past our ability to be of any assistance. Mine anyway.

 

[oldironguts]

As this is a Kimber Forum, my experience with Kimber's doesn't have to be positive to be read, if Kimber owners are offended thats not really my concern. It's what happened when I bought 2 expensive Kimbers.

 

[Chuck43]

First let me say welcome to the forum oldironguts. Second if you still own the guns then you haven't lost a penny. Like pbsdaddy said tight tolerances are what make Kimbers the guns they are. I bought a pro carry off a guy that was having similar problems to yours. He swore it was a piece of crap and said that if I was dumb enough to buy it he'd give me a great deal on it. I ran into him at the range a couple months later and thanked him for selling me the gun. I asked him if he'd like to shoot it, he gave me a look and said no. So while he was watching I ran 3 clips through it without a single hiccup, I said that the gun will shoot like that all day long. He asked me what it took to fix the gun and I told him nothing it just needed to be broken in. I gave it a through cleaning then ran about 300 additional rounds through it and it fixed itself. I later heard he was telling people at the range that I cheated him out of the Kimber.

If you still have the guns then I would suggest you try again, follow the instructions in the owners manual.

BREAK-IN PERIOD

Before firing the pistol for the first time, Field Strip and clean the firearm following proper procedures (see DISASSEMBLY, CLEANING and LUBRICATION and ASSEMBLY Instructions in this Manual).
Kimbers firearms are quality custom pieces. Our firearms are hand fitted to tight tolerances. For proper Break-in of the firearm shoot 400-500 rounds of Quality Factory Ball (230g. FMJ). Ammunition, cleaning and lubricating the gun every 100-150 rounds.

 

[pbsdaddy]

You're right. This is a Kimber forum and the posts don't have to be positive. So welcome. Glad to have you!

 

[Sonofagun]

A solid grip, yes is always required and is a common problem yet easily fixed. And good lube also helps. I had a few failure to feeds always on the first round I think because I thought Moly Dry lube was the way to go, NOT. Welcome to the world of Zero Tolerance BTW. Match Grade is what it's all about. All 1911's require break in period. Kimbers are tight and need handling accordingly. Maybe some patients, some advice and some practice would have changed the outcome in the long run. Maybe not. Wish you chimed in before you let them go. Let us know if you have the same problems with your next purchase.

 

[ultramag]

Have heard from a gunsmith at Gander Mtn that Kimbers metal to metal tolerances are just TOO TIGHT

What was he trying to sell you???

Kimber's aren't built anywhere near as tight as some other 1911's I shoot that also run 100% reliable. This is especially true of the Ultra and Pro Carry models I've shot. The above statement is a complete falsehood.

If you still have the guns there are many here that can probably help you get them up and running. If not, you are correct that your negative opinion can be expressed here....I just doubt anyone is gonna waste much more time caring. The title of your thread and a couple comments lead me to believe you've already sold them and now you just want to kick and scream a little.

 

[Nellybelle]

I had a few issues with my Super Carry Ultra Plus. After about 300 rounds I took it to my local gunsmith. He adjusted the extractor throated the barrel and worked on the slide stop pin. Kimber sent me a new slide stop pin free and it has worked like a charm ever since. Hope you haven't given up too soon. I also have a Custom Crimson Carry II, STS Solo, and a Colt XSE Government, along with a few other semi auto's and wheel guns. It's a toss up between the Solo and the Super carry ultra plus on which one I like the best. Tight yes, Frustrating yes, Accurate as hell.

 

[oldironguts]

Kimber Break In Period

Let me get this right...the Kimbers were sold at a big loss as they were now "used". One was sent to back to Kimber and came back with the same problem. How could I break these in to 400-500 rounds if they would'nt clear one clip? At 30.00 a box of fifty, it would cost me 210.00 to break one Kimber in, that's if I could get 400 rnds through it, which I could not. This kind of reminds me of the Uberti forum, when I explained the numerous problems with a new 980.00 Schofield a lot of folks tore into me.

 

[Chuck43]

Let me get this right...the Kimbers were sold at a big loss as they were now "used". One was sent to back to Kimber and came back with the same problem. How could I break these in to 400-500 rounds if they would'nt clear one clip? At 30.00 a box of fifty, it would cost me 210.00 to break one Kimber in, that's if I could get 400 rnds through it, which I could not. This kind of reminds me of the Uberti forum, when I explained the numerous problems with a new 980.00 Schofield a lot of folks tore into me.

I'm sorry, I just read through this thread again and haven't seen where anyone has "tore into you." You were welcomed to the forum and offered suggestions to try and help correct the problems you were experiencing.

Let me ask you a couple of questions, before you bought the Kimbers did you do any research on them? I get the impression that you are familiar with forums so did you visit any of them and ask about Kimbers? Did you check out Kimbers home page, the break in procedure I quoted above came from Kimbers site, it's also in your owners manual. Why would you buy a gun that requires a break in period then complain about the cost of the ammo to do it? I'm not trying to be critical I'm just trying to understand what you were thinking.

 

[pbsdaddy]

As long as you are going to continue in this vein, maybe you could clearly and completely explain what the issue(s) was/were, as I suggested earlier. At present, you hold all the cards and are doing little more than frustrating me and possibly others. Short of your brief description, we have no idea what the guns were doing.
How about a step by step account of how and when it happened?

 

[oldironguts]

Daddy I think I covered what was wrong with the guns..... The Kimber's are Gladly sold, so I no longer have a Kimber problem. Bought a Colt Gold Cup, no absurd break in requirements. Kimber Logic. 1. The gun may malfunction during 500 rnd break in.2. If you can get 500 rnds through it your done and you now own a fully functional Kimber . WTF

 

[pbsdaddy]

Colts are good guns, obviously. For the money savings alone, in your position, I would have opted for a Ruger. But, frankly, you merely said you had a FTE. I was hoping for more in depth descriptions. Something that may have been of further assistance to your fellow forum members.
Enjoy the Colt. Like my Kimber has done for me, mine devours everything I feed it.

 

[ProCarryII]

When I bought my Pro Carry II I had a small number of FTE in the first 150 rounds, not every magazine load had a failure though. I adjusted the extractor using one of the many videos available on YouTube and it has performed flawlessly ever since, now with more than 600 rounds down range. I carry my Kimber every day and would trust my life to it.

 

[Harleystoo]

Fte

One of the issues that I have not seen on this threat is asking "oldironguts" what series Kimber's he had. The second series with external extractors were crap. No amount of break-in could fix those. Kimber went back to John's design with the 3rd series.
And yea, asking me if I limp-wrist would piss me off too.

 

[Mike240]

How many external extractor Kimbers have you owned or dealt with? Big misunderstandings about them. And limp wristing is a possible reason for failure to "completely" eject. Along with mismatched springs, extractor issue and underpowered ammunition.

 

[tndlc]

I've owned maybe 20 Kimbers over the years. ONE of them ever had a failure. I have an Ultra Carry SS in 9mm. It had an ejection problem. I called Kimber. They offered to replace the extractor (or fix whatever was wrong) or send me an extractor for my dealer to install. My dealer had looked at it and thought it was an extractor. Kimber sent me the part. Problem fixed. No pain, no problem.

I swear by Kimber and my only experience with their Customer Service was positive. Sorry you had a problem. By the way, CS never mentioned "break in" period. I told them it had less than 100 round thru it.

 

[trlhrv]

I guess I'm just lucky but I purchased two used Kimbers about six months apart back in 2009. One is an Ultra Carry II with internal extractor and the other a Pro Carry II with external extractor. I've fired at least 600 rounds through each and never had any problems. All this with Kimber mags as well.