View Full Version : Kimber break in period
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.
Littlelebowski
02-18-11, 11:01
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?\
You're buying the wrong pistols.
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.
\
You're buying the wrong pistols.
Pretty much this. Kimber: because it works half the time and looks great!
OR
The best $650 1911 you can get for $1200. :bad::ph34r:
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.
Once upon a time (circa 2000) they WERE the brand to have. Times change. We have to change with em.
BUt yeah, even a good Colt or Springfield will do you better. Not that there is anything wrong with those you mentioned.
The best $300 1911 you can get for $1200. :bad::ph34r:
FTFY. At 650 you can get a gun that runs.
\
You're buying the wrong pistols.
The lower end Kimbers will hold their own with anything in their price range if you know the basics; mags, extractor, ammo. :confused:
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.
Littlelebowski
02-19-11, 05:28
The lower end Kimbers will hold their own with anything in their price range if you know the basics; mags, extractor, ammo. :confused:
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're buying the wrong pistols.
I wonder sometimes. but I can it a fly at 25 ft off a rest.
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
The Dumb Gun Collector
02-19-11, 07:22
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.
Littlelebowski
02-19-11, 07:26
I wonder sometimes. but I can it a fly at 25 ft off a rest.
I'm sure you think that is very impressive. Not here.
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'm sure you think that is very impressive. Not here.
25 FEET? Hrmmm. That's...8.3 yards. If you can do that at 25 YARDS, might be a bit more impressed...
Why own a gun for personal defense that only works "most" of the time? Find a Quality Smith and get it fixed or buy one that works. It's your life.
I still am mystified by the break in period.
What are you mystified by, they break period. :lol:
V/r
Uglyguns
diving dave
02-20-11, 19:42
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.
My perspective....
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?
:confused:
A 5" Kimber, $800, a competent smiff and patience can get you a damn nice gat.
Don Robison
02-20-11, 20:31
I wonder sometimes. but I can it a fly at 25 ft off a rest.
That great if it doesn't malfunction and you're training to fight mischievous flies.
Like the man said; buy something that works all the time, every time out of the box.
Cesiumsponge
02-21-11, 00:52
I've had my Kimber Warrior since they first came out (4 years ago?) for CCW and it ate everything I fed it. Only changes I made were swapping out the mainspring housing because the lanyard loop dug in my side for CCW and I installed the extended slide release. I didn't encounter the aforementioned feedway jam issue and could drop the slide release on a fresh mag with no issues. Worse abuse was a two-day pistol course with 500 rounds downrange without cleaning between days and I exhibited no naturally occurring failures (we did set up double-feeds to practice clearance drills). I don't nearly run my pistol as hard as most guys here so maybe it will puke if I tried harder. I am also a statistic of one and it's fairly clear my experience is atypical so my being an exception to the trend doesn't discredit the trend.
Around the same time after purchase, I started hitting forums to read up and it seems like it was about the time the MIM issues and problems were popping up like crazy, especially with the "series II" with the internal firing pin safety. There are enough horror stories that I'd look elsewhere today if I wanted another 1911, especially given the prices. It sucks that so many companies can make questionable 1911s today that it's created an image of being an unreliable platform. If I recall, the original M1911 had to pass a 5000 or 6000 round torture test so we're going backwards with some of these.
Maybe I'm lucky and didn't pick one up made on a Friday afternoon shift. 500 rounds to break-in a firearm is fine if your idea of break-in is smoothing out trigger grit, but 500 rounds to make it reliable is unacceptable. A factory firearm should work out of the box. I'm getting into the Glock and RMR RDS game though so it might be a while until I dip into the 1911 well again. :D
wetidlerjr
02-21-11, 08:09
Kimber makes a great looking 1911 and they sell a bunch of them but from what I read here and elsewhere, I would not buy a new one. I do and have owned quite a few Colt 1911s and that is what I recommend to buy, new or used. That isn't to say that other brands aren't good and I'm not here for a "pissin' match" about 1911s. (I did own a Kimber some time ago which was without problems but I had shot it very little when it was stolen.)
You can keep it and hope for the best, take it to a GOOD 1911 'smith and replace the critical parts or sell it and get another brand. Whatever you do, it's YOUR pistol and if it makes YOU happy then I am delerious. :D
My perspective....
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?
:confused:
A 5" Kimber, $800, a competent smiff and patience can get you a damn nice gat.
I don't think it's ego so much as they just don't give a shit.
They sell what they make, are able to coast on past reputations, and they are held in high regard as being "awesome" by multitudes who don't know what they're talking about.
The only thing that is going to effect any kind of changes is owners complaining and sending these things back. Anyone who spends time trying to tweak their unreliable NIB gun, anyone who hits up the forums trying to learn how to tune their extractor to get their gun to run, anyone on their second case of ammo trying to break the thing in, anyone trying four or five different magazines that are known to work in other guns, etc. is part of the problem. If your gun doesn't run, send it back for chrissake. And if it continues choke, send it back until they fix it. If they don't fix, spend your money elsewhere, and give an accurate account of what happened on places where others can read it.
Sorry for the rant, but the state of today's 1911 market disgusts me. The thing has been around a century; there is NO excuse to produce crap and consumers have been letting companies off too easy for far too long.
25 FEET? Hrmmm. That's...8.3 yards. If you can do that at 25 YARDS, might be a bit more impressed...
I am not bragging! Just honest.
Littlelebowski
02-22-11, 04:54
I am not bragging! Just honest.
And we are not impressed. Shooting off of a rest at 25' is a joke. Go take a training class.
wetidlerjr
02-22-11, 06:17
I am not bragging! Just honest.
And we are not impressed...
Or better yet:
We are not amused.
~Queen Victoria
:dance3:
Did not mean to be "cute."
I am learning more and more about the product that I have held in such high regard. Folks can point out the obvious.
Thinking about a change.
What 1911 in a commander size would you suggest?
What 1911 in a commander size would you suggest?
None. :nono:
V/r
Uglyguns
Littlelebowski
02-22-11, 14:51
None. :nono:
V/r
Uglyguns
This ^^^^. Take a class with something reliable. An HK45 or M&P 45.
This ^^^^. Take a class with something reliable. An HK45 or M&P 45.
yeah yeah. Now answer your PMs. :D
Thanks DK. Appreciate that.
PM was a cool thing
I'm getting back into shooting after a 7 year hiatus and this whole Kimber thing surprises me. I have 2 "70" series Kimbers that were flawless from the beginning.
I bought Kimber because at the time they were the only American made non custom shop 1911 in the "70" series design.
These comments are similar to what I used to see on forums 8 to 10 years ago..just replace "Colt" and add "Kimber"
I will be in the market for a new one soon and may consider the new SW's w/o the Schwartz safeties.
I'm getting back into shooting after a 7 year hiatus and this whole Kimber thing surprises me. I have 2 "70" series Kimbers that were flawless from the beginning.
I bought Kimber because at the time they were the only American made non custom shop 1911 in the "70" series design.
These comments are similar to what I used to see on forums 8 to 10 years ago..just replace "Colt" and add "Kimber"
I will be in the market for a new one soon and may consider the new SW's w/o the Schwartz safeties.
I thought the old Kimber I models (I.E. no firing pin safety) are good to go. You shouldn't be worried about yours. It's the newer Kimber IIs that are crap.
I have read bad stuff about the safty issue. Can it be fixed?
I have a high cap Kimber that I would not trade for any gun. It had some hickups at first, but is a tack driver no nonsense pistol now. Just bought a series II for carry. It is giving me the head aches that I have referred to earlier. Damned expensive.
Will kimber work on this (jamming issue) and change of safty?
Hey There,
Not going to pile on here - much. But you seem to be really focused on accuracy. Hitting flies and driving tacks is simply not needed for a defensive pistol. Usually accurate guns have extremely tight tolerances. Often these tolerences cause guns to be picky, unreliable, range guns.
I'm a tupperware guy myself, so I don't know a whole lot about 1911s. I would say that if it says "match, target, competetion, trophy..." on it, stay away. I'd also add that the most reliable 1911's I've shot have been full size. If you want a compact pistol, go with MandP or something that was designed this century.
Hey There,
Not going to pile on here - much. But you seem to be really focused on accuracy. Hitting flies and driving tacks is simply not needed for a defensive pistol. Usually accurate guns have extremely tight tolerances. Often these tolerences cause guns to be picky, unreliable, range guns.
I'm a tupperware guy myself, so I don't know a whole lot about 1911s. I would say that if it says "match, target, competetion, trophy..." on it, stay away. I'd also add that the most reliable 1911's I've shot have been full size. If you want a compact pistol, go with MandP or something that was designed this century.
Couple of things...
1. Tight tolerances alone do not suggest that the guns will be picky or unreliable. Poor quality in fitting and assembly, yes. However, I can give you several "tight" 1911s that are good to go, including the Springfield Professional, which is carried by the FBI HRT team, that is tight, and yet performed a 20,000 round torture test without failure.
2. As to the "designed this century", That's simply absurd. The M&P, if you break down its fire control group, still uses a sear and hammer lockup similar to the 1911, and likewise, can be adjusted similar to the 1911. Just because someone took a design, modified it, or otherwise created a new pistol with it, doesn't mean the same basic principles and clockwork concepts pioneered by John Browning weren't utilized.
Littlelebowski
02-25-11, 08:44
If Kimber tells you to shoot it and get back to them, tell them to **** right off, a gun should run out of the box unless their advertising explicitly states "Kimber 1911s need 500 rds of break in shooting to run at optimal performance" or something like that.
I've seen accurate tight and loose 1911s. It's all about barrel to slide fit, not how slick and tight the danged rails are. And a polymer HK is just as accurate as either and more reliable than both with drop in parts and better corrosion resistance.
If Kimber tells you to shoot it and get back to them, tell them to **** right off, a gun should run out of the box unless their advertising explicitly states "Kimber 1911s need 500 rds of break in shooting to run at optimal performance" or something like that.
I've seen accurate tight and loose 1911s. It's all about barrel to slide fit, not how slick and tight the danged rails are. And a polymer HK is just as accurate as either and more reliable than both with drop in parts and better corrosion resistance.
Depends on the 1911. The pro from springfield was designed to pass a 20;000 rd torture test. I realize that is the exception rather than the rule.
Couple of things...
1. Tight tolerances alone do not suggest that the guns will be picky or unreliable. Poor quality in fitting and assembly, yes. However, I can give you several "tight" 1911s that are good to go, including the Springfield Professional, which is carried by the FBI HRT team, that is tight, and yet performed a 20,000 round torture test without failure.
2. As to the "designed this century", That's simply absurd. The M&P, if you break down its fire control group, still uses a sear and hammer lockup similar to the 1911, and likewise, can be adjusted similar to the 1911. Just because someone took a design, modified it, or otherwise created a new pistol with it, doesn't mean the same basic principles and clockwork concepts pioneered by John Browning weren't utilized.
Agreed with statement 1 - which is why I said "often" as opposed to always.
As to statement 2 - my point, perhaps overstated for the sake of emphasis, is that most of the compact 1911s I have seen don't run as well as the full size guns. Conversely, more modern designs lend themselves to being made more compact, without suffering similar fates.
Agreed with statement 1 - which is why I said "often" as opposed to always.
As to statement 2 - my point, perhaps overstated for the sake of emphasis, is that most of the compact 1911s I have seen don't run as well as the full size guns. Conversely, more modern designs lend themselves to being made more compact, without suffering similar fates.
The Colt Commander, the 4" version, works well. And the colt officer's 3", the biggest issue is timing and being very sensitive to springs. I am of the opinion, however, that if enough time were dedicated to it, a proper compact model could be created that would be reliable.
I know that plastic guns are all the rage, but having competed with them a few times, I just can't get over not having the weight and balance of a proper steel framed gun.
That said, I look at my gun like a Jedi's Lightsaber. It was built for me by Ed Brown, rebuilt BY me, and it is exactly what I want, and how I want it to look. LOL.
Totally the way I feel about my FAL. Something about having something that you built yourself in an old school way. I feel that way about my Browning HiPower. Love it. Like my M&P but love my old school guns.
My perspective....
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?
:confused:
A 5" Kimber, $800, a competent smiff and patience can get you a damn nice gat.
I dunno about the current crop of Kimber 1911s (I'll take everyone's word for it) but my circa '02 TLE has been a great pistol AFTER a trip back to Kimber. My "sample of one" is actually two because my dad and I each bought one at the same time. Both of them had loose barrel bushings which were replaced at the factory. My dad's barrel had heavy rust in the bore so it was replaced also-------twice. Since then ('02) they've run like tops, and discounting the initial hassle, have been good $700 pistols. Mine didn't need any breaking in. I ran it wet from the beginning with FP-10 (now TW25B), but only cleaned it every 500rnds or whenever. I've got several other 1911s, but my TLE having tritium sights and some other niceties, has been my off duty EDC since then. The MIM parts worry me a little, but I won't start replacing anything (other than springs) until they show signs of needing it. Actually, I ordered a Les Baer UTC yesterday to replace my Kimber parts all at once. :D
Okay, so, serious question time: Why continue to defend or buy a pistol that has to go back to the factory at all? Why not demand and purchase a pistol that runs 100% out of the box? There are, oddly enough, plenty of overlooked 1911s that work 100% reliably. Some of them are even sub-800. But there seems to be this perception that because it's cheap or it's not a "KIMBER", it's junk...:confused:
I have an older Kimber Custom II (one of the first II's I think) I bought for $500. Totally worth that much, but no way would I pay what they're going for these days.
My experience with it has been great, never had a malfunction, though it's only ever seen moderate use on the range. I dropped a FL guide rod in it and a few other small additions.
Knowing what I know now, I can't recommend Kimbers even though my experience with mine has been good...too many others have not been as lucky. In fact, I stupidly bought an ultra carry at one point...let's just say it didn't end well. Lesson learned.
ETA- meant to say I replaced the FL guide rod with a standard length.
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