Kimber FTF

[sk330lc]

I have come to notice a Pattern this summer at IDPA matches.
Whats up with Kimbers and fail to feeds and stove pipes. I have seen atleast one problem at every match. I have asked everytime if the shooter was using reloads or factory ammo, seems it's about 50/50 on the ammo.    I have always wanted one but not real sure now.  Do they Build them to tight ?

[Bigeasy]

I was going to pass on this post, because I don't want to sound critical, but what the heck-

I have owned 3 Kimber 1911's, all in .45 acp.  My first was a Custom Target.  When new, the slide was hard to operate, to the point I thought it might not be reliable.  About 2 or 3 thousand rounds later (including a lot of light semi wadcutter), and no jams.  Most accurate .45 I own, including my Colt series 70 and 80 Gold Cups.

My Eclipse was also tight when new, and except for one bad factory mag, was 100% reliable and accurate.  Traded it to a buddy who just had to have it.

My Ultra carry has had about 1 thousand rounds thru it, mostly ball and HP hand loads.  100% reliable, and very accurate for a pocket pistol.  The slide did not seem as tight when new compared to the other two.

My experience on these forums is you cant find any make or model of gun without someone saying its no good, about how the first time they shot theirs, the hammer fell off, etc...  A lot of "experts"  have never owned or fired the gun in question...   Like the Ford / Chevy debate - "Well, my brother in law had a Chevy back in '86, and the tranny went, so they ain't no good"......

The truth is no major arms maker stays in business long if they make a defective product.  That's not to say a bad one can't slip thru now and then; that happens with any mechanical device.

Most guys tend to modify their weapons in some manner when shooting competition, so I will ask, how many shooters had changed spring?  How many were using aftermarket magazines?  How often had they been dropped on the ground?  How many had "fixed" their extractors / ejectors?  How many were using their "special" reloads?  How many shooters over-all were using KImbers?  If half were, then stands to reason Kimbers would be represented during failures on the line.

I am not a Kimber spokesman, but I like them because they are well made, accurate, and have never let me down.  That includes 3 Kimber rifles as well.  But, I will say all is not perfect - I have a Kimber .22 conversion kit I got in trade that is very accurate, well made.  It has never been 100% reliable though with any round I have tried.

My guess would be a combo of all the things I mentioned, with the magazines being the prime culprit.  I was a Firearms Instructor for the Federal Agency I worked for.  I don't know how many times our issue Ruger P series pistols would start to jam on the range, and guys would complain about them being "POS".  In almost every case, replacing the beat up used magazine with a fresh one cured the problem.

Larry

[tacklebury]

As stated there, every one I've shot was quite tight and very good in accuracy.  I reload .45ACP and with my std. RNFP leads, they never jam.  If you get wild and try stuffing a big FTX 250gr. in em, they get a little hesitant.   But rightly so.  Doing that puts the round just over std. COL and with a sharper shoulder, you can expect some issues.  We shot about 50 of my reloads through my pal's Kimber 2 weeks ago with varying power and bullets we only had 2 that hesitated to go into battery and required a light tap.  With all of the loads accuracy was good also.

[Keith L]

My Kimber is still quite new, but has been rock solid so far.  For what they cost how long would people still buy them if they were the junk you imply they are.

[saddlebum]

I can only vouch for my Kimber and it's great. As Bigeasy noted, there are many variables that contribute to problems with 1911s or any auto for that matter. Especially competition guns that have been tinkered with. I think just about any 1911 can be made to work perfectly depending on how much you want to spend on modifications. Or a person can modify one to not work at all. I bought a Kimber Custom and it works great, right out of the box. I use Mecgar 8rd mags.

[williamlayton]

I don't own one, however; the reports I read are all positive.
I have a lot of friends who shoot the games, two are what I call "ranked Amatuers"---godd shooters who take it seriously and shoot 10,000 rounds a year. They, most who take the sport seriously, have dedicated guns (GUNS) built for this sport.
They experience breakdowns and all manner ofproblems---out comes another gun to finish the match.
First and foremost---a gun is a mechanical thing and must have maintenance. They will malfunction after some amount of use.
They use good smiths--or they are better than average home grown smiths on their own. Why do you think the military has armorers.
If your going to shoot games--get some good game guns.
If you want to have confidence in a weapon--put some time and money into the weapon to enhance the performance and reliability.
I am a big fan of Smiths and I don't shoot but maybe 3000/4000 rounds a year.
I am a big-big-big-big fan of well worked weapons.
Blessings

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive got several kimbers and there all great guns. Keep in mind that just because someone shoots competition it doesn nessisarily mean he knows what hes doing. Many show up with dirty under lubricated guns and ive seen many of comp shooters that dont even know they need to change there recoil spring regularly or even that if using lighter loads they need to go to a lighter spring.

[rbwillnj]

I have three Kimbers and all funtion flawlessly.   I use two of them in IDPA, and have never had a FTF.   Only one of my Kimbers was purchased new, and as I recall it was pretty tight until it had a couple hundred roudns through it.

[dbriannelson]

I also have a Kimber 3" and it's not 100% reliable.  I bought it used in almost brand new condition, which usually means the last owner was unhappy with it.  After replacing the factory magazine (it did have problems) with several from Wilson Combat, reliability improved, but never got to 100%.

Because Kimbers are tight and because they use galling materials like aluminum and stainless steel, lubrication is critical.  Kept clean and lubed, and with fresh springs every 500 rounds, my Ultra will always cycle through at least four magazines before the first failure to feed.

I suspect that if I were to experiment with different ammo it could improve, but have settled on commercial ball for now.  I don't reload for autoloaders, so it would take a couple boxes of each to test.  I may do that someday.  

But in the meantime, I figure if I ever need more than one magazine's worth of .45, I've done something very wrong.

-Don

[Savage]

materials like aluminum and stainless steel, lubrication is critical.

Absolutely true! A good synthetic grease on the rails can make all the difference. The only malfunctions I've ever had with my Kimbers can be attributed to bad magazines or ammo. My Pro Carry has never malfunctioned. It has been fed mostly 230 gr LRN, and 200 LSWC reloads. I carried it a couple of years as a duty gun, use it in IDPA as my CDP gun, and occasional carry piece. My Custom Target went over 1000 rds in a two day class without malfunctions. My friend, and former chief has shot his Ultra in IDPA matches without problems. (Scored pretty well too) I don't know where all these junk guns are, but the ones at the matches I attend are not among them. I shoot mostly Glocks these days. I've had a couple of broken trigger return springs on my guns. Even saw one blown up because of a plugged barrel. Guess they're junk too, pass it on------------------------------!
Savage

[sk330lc]

Ok Guys  Please re-read My post...     I Never said they were JUNK.. 
 I was asking about the feeding issues, I have seen.  I have Never owned a 1911 style pistol.  I have many other Semi autos Though and have never had a problem that wasn't something I caused. "IT happens."
Just seems  I see More problems with the Kimbers than any other 1911's.  Which is why I asked.
Not trying to start a war.   

[Lloyd Smale]

I agree totaly. Alot of the problems with 1911s ive incountered were do to lack of lubrication. I like to run my 1911s about dripping wet. Only disagreement i have with you and its a personal one is i dont like grease. I much prefer a good oil. Personaly i use and have had good luck with tetra oil. I used to use grease on some of the main friction points but found it sometimes caused malfuntions in my comp guns. My comp guns use light springs and the grease had to much viscosity especially when it got cold. No doubt the 3inch guns are a bit more finiky. I had a plain jane kimber 3 inch that gave me fits and it went down the road. the 3 inch cdp i had ran real well though. Keep in mind that the springs on the 3 inch guns need to be replaced about twice as often as a 4 or 5 inch gun. I wouldnt let them go more then 500 rounds on a gun i had to trust. My favorite kimber is for consealed carry is my cdp with a comander slide and an officers grip. It runs as well as any 5 inch gun ive got and its just as accurate to boot. The 3 inch guns are cute and handy carry guns but i like the added reliabilty and peace of mind i get with at least a commander lenght barrel and with the officers grip frame its not a bit harder to conseal then a 3 inch gun is.

materials like aluminum and stainless steel, lubrication is critical.

Absolutely true! A good synthetic grease on the rails can make all the difference. The only malfunctions I've ever had with my Kimbers can be attributed to bad magazines or ammo. My Pro Carry has never malfunctioned. It has been fed mostly 230 gr LRN, and 200 LSWC reloads. I carried it a couple of years as a duty gun, use it in IDPA as my CDP gun, and occasional carry piece. My Custom Target went over 1000 rds in a two day class without malfunctions. My friend, and former chief has shot his Ultra in IDPA matches without problems. (Scored pretty well too) I don't know where all these junk guns are, but the ones at the matches I attend are not among them. I shoot mostly Glocks these days. I've had a couple of broken trigger return springs on my guns. Even saw one blown up because of a plugged barrel. Guess they're junk too, pass it on------------------------------!
Savage

[sk330lc]

  Seems I have caused my self some bad Carma with this post .  Went to a match today had a quib. (seems Powder never made it in the case). cleared this problem and reshot the string and had a round that wouldn't chamber. After that I took a DNF for the match.  So I guess I should ask are all S&W fullsize MP45s Junk.  No just the dummy loading the rounds in a hurry.   That would be ME.    Never rush reloading and check everything twice..   

I might have figured out one of the problems, that guys are having with the Kimber.  Watched a guy have a FTF he was limp wristing the pistol.   So it's not the pistol just the shooter!

[Heavy C]

Limp wristing is usually the culprit.  I have 3 Kimbers that function flawlessly, but just yesterday my neighbor called that His new Ultra Carry was jamming with ball ammo.  He said he had a smit polish the feed ramp and it's still jamming with ball ammo.  My gues is he is limp wristing, but I'd have to go to the range and observe his shooting technique.

[1911crazy]

Not one 1911 is junk or really bad, i've had my share of the non functioning ones that were lets say top of the line back then.  Enough said.

I'm trying to come up with a plan of attack if a brand new 1911 FTF or StovePipes or Jams.  We need to find the problem by eliminating one thing at a time.  I'll list what i'm thinking about.  Here's my plan till the problem is solved.

1st. Clean and lube(moly)then I also automatically remove the finish(bluing/nickle) on the feed ramp and it polished.  I run the empty slide on the frame rails with the moly to burnish it into the pores of the metal. I moly up the recoil spring/barrel bushing and hammer face were the slide resets the hammer. Then assemble it and run the slide a few more times till it loosens up with the moly then the new 1911 is test fired.  Just a little moly will do.  This way i did my part and it should function if the 1911 is machined/fitted correctly.

If it jams/stovepipes/FTF then;

1. Try a new Chip McKormic mag first(mikey here suggested me to do this first)

If the new mag doesn't fix the problem next;

2.  Scotch Brighting then polishing the frame rails with the simi-chrome polish not too much but enough to smooth them out a little more.  Lets face it only the front and rear part of the frame rails do the work when in full battery and the center or middle part does nothing but guide the slide during the cycling process.  I'm thinking of polishing them only not removing material just smoothing it out so less break in time is needed. Maybe using the simi chrome polish to lap the frame rails and slide together will work too.

Anythoughts or additions or something different to add to my list? I want to beable to fix it myself.


Break in time is a joke its left up to us to wear the gun in from it not being machined or fitted properly. It happens with all 1911's no matter what the cost is.( some of them sooner or later will have a bad one)

[rbwillnj]

I really don't like the idea of polishing the frame rails.  The frame and slide have most likely been lapped at the factory, or were CNC milled with enough clearance that additional work on the rails will serve no purpose.   Do a little test.   remove the barrel and recoil spring, put the slide back of the frame and work it.  If it moves freely the whole length, than don't touch the frame rails.  If it's sticky, then maybe it could use a small amount of lapping with a very fine compound (800 or 1000 grit).

I agree about the Chip McCormick Mags, I have never had a problem with one.  Why pay more.

In my experiance, most Failure to Feed problems can be solved by polishing the feed ramp.