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Thread: kimbers external extractor.

  1. #1
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    kimbers external extractor.

    I have a 2004 Kimber TLE RL II with a external extractor.

    I have 4000 rds down it with no problems so far.

    I keep hearing bad things about the external extractor.

    I need to be able to trust my life on it.

    Should I get a new slide for it or sell it?

    Or is the external extractor problems a bunch of crap?
    Last edited by 223dude; 11-23-10 at 19:36. Reason: I Cant spell tonight
    Live free or die trying to.

  2. #2
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    Some of the guns with external extractors worked and some didn't. Enough of them didn't work to cause Kimber to switch back to an internal extractor.

    If you're comfortable with it then carry it. If not, you might check with Kimber and see if they will replace the slide under warranty.

  3. #3
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    Plenty of rounds through mine and never an issue.


  4. #4
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    I have a Tactical (2004) model w/external extractor that's a POS. I sent it back to Kimber in 2007 and they replaced the slide with an internal version and few other mods like reaming the chamber, slide stop work, etc. No charge.

    Still doesn't run worth a shit but I think it just needs an extractor tune.

    I have a friend who has your same model and a stainless Pro Carry with externals that run just fine.

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

  5. #5
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    4,000 rounds with no problems...there is your answer...
    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” W. Churchill

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by hill View Post
    4,000 rounds with no problems...there is your answer...
    I beg to differ. There is YOUR answer because YOUR pistol functions. The original poster's pistol appears to work as well.

    Lots of them didn't work. The answer is to evaluate each one of them individually and take the necessary course of action.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by 223dude View Post
    I have a 2004 Kimber TLE RL II with a external extractor.

    I have 4000 rds down it with no problems so far.

    I keep hearing bad things about the external extractor.

    I need to be able to trust my life on it.

    Should I get a new slide for it or sell it?

    Or is the external extractor problems a bunch of crap?

    Personally, the only 1911 with an external extractor I would trust my life to, is S&W who has a lot of experience with them, and they have been very robust, especially those from the Performance Center. Kimber external extractors were well known for being problematic, but your experiences seem to suggest you don't have a problematic one, but it may or may not show itself with additional rnds. Personally, Kimber would never be a 1911 of choice for me regardless of extractors used, but some like them just fine.
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  8. #8
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    My Custom II...

    I had a lot of problems with my Custom II with an external extractor. Almost every full magazine I tried to drop the slide on would fail to go into full battery.

    It was advised that some of Kimbers barrels were tight in tolerances and thus a throat and polish job should help. And although not 100%, it did. In hopes to improve things further, I polished the feed ramp, and breech face which improved things a bit more, but again, not 100%.

    The final feature in the process of fixes was to grind a slight bevel at the top of the firing pin hole, as it seemed to always hang up precisely in that location of the breech face. Please keep in mind that this was my assumption, and not a conclusion made by a 1911 smith, of which I am far from.

    The final and current situation is, the pistol will go about 700 rounds without cleaning with various makes of magazines, (Kimber mags, Novak mags, and Wilson mags) it still has a lot of trouble with Wilson 10rndrs, and keep in mind that the 700 rnds is not a 1 trip to the range continuous number, but rather spread across two separate trips. Meaning, definitely not a round count to call it "reliable", by any standard. Even more so if you are employing the pistol as a duty weapon.

    In the end, although I still have the Kimber, my remedy was to just have a good gunsmith (Steve Morrison of MARS Armament) build me something I could feel comfortable with. The best advice seemed to come from Dave, that if you are comfortable with it, carry it. My only reason for this post was to inform you of my complications and what attempts I took to fix it, as it seems a lot of your replies reflect a more positive outcome with Kimbers of similar nature, including your own. I hope this opposing view comes to some value for you.

  9. #9
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    To the OP, glad your EE has ran fine.

    There have been MANY others that didn't. So many, that Kimber moved away from it.

    Hilton Yam has posted quite about about EE's on his website and on the 10-8 forums, to include his own experimentation with EEs and his assessment of EEs from different companies (Smith, Kimber, Caspian).

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Berryhill View Post
    I beg to differ. There is YOUR answer because YOUR pistol functions. The original poster's pistol appears to work as well.

    Lots of them didn't work. The answer is to evaluate each one of them individually and take the necessary course of action.
    OP's words not mine...I don't own any Kimber products personally and could not attest to the reliability of this particular model...in fact the only experience I have with a Kimber 1911 style 45 had a broken MIM disconnector...probably some bad metal...easy replace but it was not mine...but 4,000 rounds w/o a malfunction has passed the reliability test some time ago...
    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” W. Churchill

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