I have been a Kimber devotee for about 10 years. I still am mystified by the break in period. Out of the box, I will have a misfeed every 20 rounds. After 400 rounds, they seem to go away - for the most part. I clean it like I would my super model mistress.
I know the tolerances are tight. I also know they are accurate.
What has concerned me is the occasional mis-feed after the break in. You might wonder about oil. They are all oiled to a light - med - medium level.
What I am doing wrong to my pistols? Great mags, great ammo? To the Pro’s, any advice?
So you keep buying Kimbers even though you have had problems with them in the past? How many Kimbers do you own? What models are they? What mags do you use? What kind of ammo have you put through your Kimbers? If the problems go away after throwing a couple hundred rounds through it, then you should be ok. It’s probably not you. 1911s can be finicky beasts, and many believe Kimbers aren’t a good choice for a 1911.
I have no personal experience with Kimbers other than putting a couple hundred rounds through a friend’s pistol, but if you keep having problems with them then you are better off with a different make of 1911. It’s pretty ridiculous that the owner needs to do the final tuning of a ~$1,000 handgun. There is a wealth of knowledge on here about good base 1911s and from which companies to buy from. Eventually you might consider having your 1911 sent in for custom work or buying a semi-custom/custom 1911.
Not to take the wind out of your sails but once upon a time I thought Kimber was a brand I could look forward to owning one day… thanks to this forum I was spared headache and heartache from industry professionals who are kind enough to share their real world experience. Sell your Kimbers and look for a Ed Brown / Les Baer / Wilson Combat / Nighthawk - buy once, cry once then enjoy shooting them.
get rid of it and get something that works all the time.I had a kimber, but I figured out that I like my pistols to go bang EVERY time I pull the trigger.Its not to late to get rid of them and claim temp. insanity.I just cut my losses and moved on.
So a weapon that doesn t run out of the box and requires a 500 rd “break in” period is good to go for you? That’s seriously acceptable in a self defense weapon along with babying it with regards to extractor, ammo, mags, etc?
Oh way, no it’s not. Not for those of us that actually shoot and train.
You are right. In training it is not unusual to shoot 200 - 500 rounds in a hard session. I forget that it is a great little gun. guess I want absolute perfection for 1300.00
I have owned three. One, a Kimber Custom, was a jamomattic (my first 1911). The second, a Warrior, basically worked in every situation except you couldn’t drop the slide using the slide release without causing a feedway jam. The third, a SIS I got for cheap, seemed to work fine, but I sold it before I shot many rounds.
While I am beating a dead horse, I might as well add, that the only 1911s, to my mind, worth fooling with are Colts’, Springfield’s nicer guns, Wilson Combat, Nighthawk and Les Baer.
Kimbers seem to have a spotty qc record at best. I have not had issues with the Colts I have bought used at half the price(450-600). Since most kimbers are in the 1k+ price range for a few hundred more find a used les baer and you’ll never look back. My les baer I bought used years ago for 1k(when new kimbers were 7-800) has eaten everything I can throw in it without issue. no spring changes or anything for various power levels- will shoot evertyhing from+p hollow points ball and even soft ball bullseye loads-185 gr lead swc at 800 fps without a problem. One of my fellow shooters bought the first les baer to show up in our area- he took all his mags and ammo even that which would cause stoppages in other guns and they all ran in the Baer.
Current and recent Kimbers are among the WORST quality 1911’s I have seen.As stated elsewhere, keep in mind I was issued, used, or carried a 1911 daily from when I was commissioned in 1986 to January 2011 when my 1911’s were retired in favor of M&P45’s. In addition, I have been around quite a few 1911’s over the past two decades of military and LE duty, including USGI, commercial Colt, SA (Milspec, Loaded, MC Oper, Professional models), Wilson, Kimber, Nighthawk, Les Baer, and Para Ord, as well as custom pistols by folks like Bill Laughridge, Wayne Novak/Joe Bonar, Ed Brown, John Jardine, Hilton Yam, Larry Vickers, and Chuck Rogers.
I’ll toss in my 2 cents…I have owned 3 Kimbers, and carried one of them on duty…After so many failures to feed I dumped it and went back to a Glock until I picked up a 1911 than ran perfect right from the box…Nighthawk Custom. Buy once, cry once.
A 5" Kimber could be a viable tool…right out of the box, with little or no added expense.
They continue to produce pistols with well-known, easily correctable defects (at the factory level).
Corporate egos vs technicians? Bean counters vs competents?
A 5" Kimber, $800, a competent smiff and patience can get you a damn nice gat.
