[ADMDenny]

I picked up my new Rapide and before firing it, I installed the Mcarbo spring kit (22lb recoil spring, main spring, sear spring and firing pin spring). I was hoping it would run well with the Underwood 9mm +P rounds running 1,225fps, but no joy.

Before testing the Underwood ammo, I ran 4 mags of standard range ammo (FMJ) through it. The first two mags had 1-2 FTF and soft primer strikes resulting in misfires. The third ran great but the fourth mag resulted in a FTF and two misfires. I then ran a mag of the Underwood. The first two rounds fed and fired normally but after that every round was a FTF or a misfire.

I brought it into my shop, field stripped it and when attempting to remove the backplate, I noticed the firing pin detent was stuck well below the face of the backplate. Pressing down with my 1/16 punch didn’t help. No movement. It was definitely jammed. I used my nylon hammer and tapped lightly on the punch and the firing pin freed up. I removed the backplate and the firing pin/spring looked good, no breaks, chips or burrs. The nose looks like new. The channel was definitely dirty though. Just so you know, I do not oil the channel, firing pin or spring. Likely it got dirty during the first mag and the heavy Underwood loads caused it to jam. Kinda unusual but not unheard of. I cleaned it well and checked fit and function. All normal. I’m going to run some different range ammo through it and try my tried-and-true Speer Gold Dot LE rounds and see if the issues resolve or repeat.

Any experiences with this, ideas or fixes you know of, please let me know. Thanks in advance. 😎

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Personally I would have shot it somewhat prior to installing the Mcarbo parts to check function. Now if you need to send it to the mothership for any warranty work, they'll either charge you for all new factory parts or deny your warranty altogether. And Kimber has an excellent warranty as most here are well aware.

I'm also pretty sure the factory admonishes shooting +P out these little guns too. If you can't solve a social situation with standard velocity SD ammo, doubtful shooting +P will determine any difference in the outcome and beat your pistol up in doing so.

Just for comparison, my Micro 9 is now over four years old with an estimated 600+ rounds downrange of both 115gr range ammo, and 115gr CD SD ammo with zero malfunctions in all that time. Other than polishing the feed ramp, new grips and WC grip tape on the frontstrap, it's bone-stock.

Others may have more to add.

 

[Argee]

It's not unusual to find the firing pin channel full of gunk with the amount of excess oil that's put on the firearm at the factory. Sounds like that clogged channel was the primary culprit for the light strikes and FTF's you experienced. Inasmuch as it's an inertia firing pin there's a lot of travel before the pin reaches the primer. Dirty ammo and oil make a nice paste.

Curious as to why you did all the upgrades prior to the maiden voyage.

 

[Oklahomabound]

...you may as well take out the extractor as well and clean it out really good as well.... ...or FTE issues will come... ...also curious as to why all the mods before it was broken in???

 

[ADMDenny]

The gun was fully cleaned before firing the first round. I did remove the extractor and clean it as well. My thoughts to making the upgrades before firing the gun was to set it up the way it would be carried and let all the Mcarbo parts break-in with the OEM components, however, this may not make any difference in the long run. However, the Mcarbo components are not likely the cause of the malfunctions. They should be enhancing its operation.

I stripped it down completely and cleaned (again) following the malfunctions. Hornady One Shot Dry Lube only went on the barrel, rails, hammer spring and sear. We’ll see how it runs with 115gr Gold Dots. I’ll let you know. Thanks for the input.

 

[bad ninja]

The gun was fully cleaned before firing the first round. I did remove the extractor and clean it as well. My thoughts to making the upgrades before firing the gun was to set it up the way it would be carried and let all the Mcarbo parts break-in with the OEM components, however, this may not make any difference in the long run. However, the Mcarbo components are not likely the cause of the malfunctions. They should be enhancing its operation.

I stripped it down completely and cleaned (again) following the malfunctions. Hornady One Shot Dry Lube only went on the barrel, rails, hammer spring and sear. We’ll see how it runs with 115gr Gold Dots. I’ll let you know. Thanks for the input.

Pro tip:
Resist the urge to modify you new gun.
I cannot understand the logic of this.
You risk voiding your warranty, and ruining your gun.
Now...
Take all the Mcarbo parts out, return it to factory specs, and shoot it.
If it still has problems, call Kimber, be polite, and ask them to help.
Do NOT mention your upgrades!!!! They will void your warranty!

Ship the gun to Kimber
They will fix the gun the same day they receive it, and have it back to you in about 9-10 days from the day you shipped it to them.

Part of the cost of the gun is Kimbers excellent customer service. Don't throw it away playing gunsmith.

When you get it back, shoot it, then make any upgrades only after making sure it's right.

 

[micronator9]

I cannot help you with your questions but I have experienced those same issues on my micro 380 and micro 9’s. Sent all back to Kimber who fixed the issues In very quick turnaround time.
good luck and let us know what happens

 

[ADMDenny]

First, thank you for your valuable input and opinion.

I don’t really care about the warranty. I race all of my guns from their new condition and improve them with custom parts already proven in the model I’m upgrading. I recently purchased CNC machined stainless steel internals and lighter springs for my S&W 686-6 .357 revolver, had them custom fitted by my gunsmith/machinist…and it now has an incredibly smooth and light 2 lb trigger, extremely short reset, stainless beveled and polished trigger and stainless target hammer. I can empty its 6 round cylinder almost as fast as I can shoot the same number of rounds from my Glock 45 or my 5” S&W PC1911.

Back to the Rapide…following the original malfunctions, I did a tear down and thoroughly cleaned the entire gun. I think Kimber left a bunch of oil inside the firing pin channel (which I originally failed to clean out properly) and that is what likely lead to the dirty and jammed firing pin, light strikes and misfires.

I just went out to my back pasture (where I put in my own gun range) and began with 2 mags of Speer 115gr Gold Dots. Zero failures. Next, I went back to the range ammo (FMJ) the gun previously failed on, and ran two mags through it. Zero failures. I stepped up to a mag of my hand loads running 5.6gr of Silouette powder under 90gr Hornady XTP bullets. Zero failures. I then ran a mag of the high-pressure Underwood 9mm HP 124gr +P rounds, that the gun had previously failed on. Zero failures. The Rapide ran flawlessly and ate and ejected everything I fed it.

The Mcarbo parts were clearly not a factor in the original failures. The new 22lb recoil spring did what it’s designed to do…which is to handle heavier loads with ease. I felt no recoil difference between the Speer 115gr and the heavier Underwood +P 124’s, however the way my AR500 steel reacted to the Underwood impacts was dramatically different. The new sear spring reduced my measured trigger pull from 6lbs 5oz to 2.9 lbs (consistent average). The new main spring provides a bit more push on the hammer to ensure the firing pin is struck with additional force so the pin strike is deep without adding undo stress to the pin itself. The new and stronger firing pin spring returns the firing pin to its reset point quickly.

For those considering the Mcarbo spring kit, I highly recommend it. During installation, the sear does not need to be removed when swapping out the OEM sear spring for the lighter Mcarbo sear spring. Their YouTube video shows how to remove and reinstall the sear, but it’s entirely unnecessary and not removing it will save a lot of time and trouble realigning it for pin installation.

After some additional shooting I may opt for the Rapide to be my new EDC, if I can train my big hands and right thumb to stay away from the safety. Happy shooting 😎

 

[micronator9]

Fantastic. I wish I had a backyard range! Where do you live?

 

[ADMDenny]

I have a ranch about 50 miles north of Houston, TX, just outside New Waverly. I set aside a 4 acre pasture just for my gun range and tactical course.

 

[Argee]

After some additional shooting I may opt for the Rapide to be my new EDC, if I can train my big hands and right thumb to stay away from the safety.

That seems to be a consistent problem with all Micro 9 owners with larger than average hands. The only way around it, it seems is to trap your strong hand thumb under your support hand thumb to keep it away from the safety during recoil!

 

[ADMDenny]

I’ll try that! Thanks for the tip

 

[bad ninja]

First, thank you for your valuable input and opinion.

I don’t really care about the warranty. I race all of my guns from their new condition and improve them with custom parts already proven in the model I’m upgrading. I recently purchased CNC machined stainless steel internals and lighter springs for my S&W 686-6 .357 revolver, had them custom fitted by my gunsmith/machinist…and it now has an incredibly smooth and light 2 lb trigger, extremely short reset, stainless beveled and polished trigger and stainless target hammer. I can empty its 6 round cylinder almost as fast as I can shoot the same number of rounds from my Glock 45 or my 5” S&W PC1911.

Back to the Rapide…following the original malfunctions, I did a tear down and thoroughly cleaned the entire gun. I think Kimber left a bunch of oil inside the firing pin channel (which I originally failed to clean out properly) and that is what likely lead to the dirty and jammed firing pin, light strikes and misfires.

I just went out to my back pasture (where I put in my own gun range) and began with 2 mags of Speer 115gr Gold Dots. Zero failures. Next, I went back to the range ammo (FMJ) the gun previously failed on, and ran two mags through it. Zero failures. I stepped up to a mag of my hand loads running 5.6gr of Silouette powder under 90gr Hornady XTP bullets. Zero failures. I then ran a mag of the high-pressure Underwood 9mm HP 124gr +P rounds, that the gun had previously failed on. Zero failures. The Rapide ran flawlessly and ate and ejected everything I fed it.

The Mcarbo parts were clearly not a factor in the original failures. The new 22lb recoil spring did what it’s designed to do…which is to handle heavier loads with ease. I felt no recoil difference between the Speer 115gr and the heavier Underwood +P 124’s, however the way my AR500 steel reacted to the Underwood impacts was dramatically different. The new sear spring reduced my measured trigger pull from 6lbs 5oz to 2.9 lbs (consistent average). The new main spring provides a bit more push on the hammer to ensure the firing pin is struck with additional force so the pin strike is deep without adding undo stress to the pin itself. The new and stronger firing pin spring returns the firing pin to its reset point quickly.

For those considering the Mcarbo spring kit, I highly recommend it. During installation, the sear does not need to be removed when swapping out the OEM sear spring for the lighter Mcarbo sear spring. Their YouTube video shows how to remove and reinstall the sear, but it’s entirely unnecessary and not removing it will save a lot of time and trouble realigning it for pin installation.

After some additional shooting I may opt for the Rapide to be my new EDC, if I can train my big hands and right thumb to stay away from the safety. Happy shooting 😎

Glad it worked out for you. 👍
I regularly modify my guns as well but you need a solid starting point especially if you plan on carrying it.
Changing parts on a new gun before test firing it, can lead you down a rabbit hole.
Ask me how I know. 😳
In the future, remember Kimber will sort any problems and have the gun back to you in less time than MCarbo could ship you parts.

 

[2sharp2]

I agree with Rick and Ninja's posts 1000%.

 

[azdeuce]

1st off sounds like you know what your doing…
My .02 why do you want to shoot a heavy load out of the little guy ? By the way I have a Rapide

 

[bad ninja]

1st off sounds like you know what your doing…

I picked up my new Rapide and before firing it, I installed the Mcarbo spring kit (22lb recoil spring, main spring, sear spring and firing pin spring).

 

[2sharp2]

Changing critical parts on a firearm BEFORE you have test fired for function sounds crazy to me...it would be like rebuilding the engine on your race car before you start it up. It does not sound smart to me.

 

[FOG]

I shot my Rapide with +P hand loads using 115, 124, and 147 grain rounds and did not have any rounds fail. You do not need a stinking heaver spring.

 

[Stephen S]

I shot my Rapide with +P hand loads using 115, 124, and 147 grain rounds and did not have any rounds fail. You do not need a stinking heaver spring.

me too.