Kimber break in period question

[orygun]

After another trip to the range (after a good cleaning and with new mags) still no change. Called Kimber and they said send it back. They sent me an overnight label.

They must have got tired of people complaining. Part of my displeasure with them was that I had to ship my rifle back to them, which was brand new, on MY dime. The other part is that they worried about the cosmetic flaws (which they fixed) but not the operating problem I actually sent it back for!

Hope you are as happy as I was unhappy!

 

[WillametteWill]

Wife wanted to go to the range from Mother's Day...how could I say no? Was able to run 100 rounds through the gun; first since it was returned from Kimber. 50 230gr FMJ and 50 230 Remington HP and all 100 were flawless. Now, mind you, that I actually only shot about 15 - 20 of those and my wife and son shot up the rest of them! You can tell it feels different, especially chambering the first round. Much better. Looking forward to quite a few more rounds through it at Gunsite soon.

Thanks all for your input and wise counsel!

 

[MrRob96]

I had a FTF problem with my Kimber. It was the extractor applying too much pressure and there wasn't enough energy in the slide to push the rim up under the extractor. Did it with all mags including the fabled Wilson combat mags.

I thought it might be the feed ramp but removing the sharp edge in there didn't fix it.

It was easy enough to remove the extractor and polish the inside of the hook.

Feeding issues are gone now. Apparently the extractor is a very common culprit in 1911 feeding issues. Too bad you already sent back your pistol. I hope you get it back in a timely manner.

Edit: sorry I didn't see you already got the pistol back.

 

[smfishinc]

I have a Kimber custom II crimson trace that has the same problem... failure to feed mainly on the first round. I ve been polishing the feed ramps. ive noticed the ramps on the chamber are very steep and sharp. After a little bit of woirk it has improved a bit but still working on it. I have even sent a letter to Kimber and let them know about my disappointment in there product as ive heard so many good things about them, I thought I had myself a Cadillac but ended up with a pinto

 

[Alexx1401]

I have a Kimber custom II crimson trace that has the same problem... failure to feed mainly on the first round. I ve been polishing the feed ramps. ive noticed the ramps on the chamber are very steep and sharp. After a little bit of woirk it has improved a bit but still working on it. I have even sent a letter to Kimber and let them know about my disappointment in there product as ive heard so many good things about them, I thought I had myself a Cadillac but ended up with a pinto

This is a VERY common complaint on the net. The "problem" is not Kimber as a whole. They make a crap ton of these guns. So of course they do let out some problems. The more you make the more bad ones that will escape. Of course to the handful of people who get a problem this does not make them feel any better. It can of course be fixed but, it may mean a trip back to the factory. There is no such thing as a 1911, no matter who's name is on it, that never lets out a bad one. Again this does not make the guy who gets a problem feel better.

 

[ferret427]

I bought a Kimber super carry pro (heavy bubblegum steel frame gun) a few years ago. It was kind of an impulse buy...if you can call over $1600 an impulse.
Long story short, the manual said the break in was 500 rounds. I thought there was no way that a relatively high dollar gun would not work right out of the box. I was wrong. The gun was awful, failure to go into battery 1-3 times every magazine. I would take it to the range and shoot a box and then put it back into the safe for a couple of months, disgusted with the damn thing. Don't get me wrong, the pistol was an easy shooter, and extremely accurate, but having to palm strike the slide a couple of times each mag really sucked.
Right about 480 rounds, in the middle of a box of Winchester white box, the gun started to run flawlessly, and it is a sweet running accurate gun now.
I really think a quality firearm should perform out of the box, but I'm glad I stuck with it in the end. For a safe queen gun, working out the kinks ended being ok, but for a self defense gun, I should have bought a cheap AR and a (insert average run of the mill) Glock for the money. That being said, I do love shooting that Kimber now.

 

[WillametteWill]

So and overall update from my OP since this thread was resurrected. Took both the Kimber and Remington 1911's to Gunsite last year in May. Started with the Remington, which shot fine. On Wednesday switched to the Kimber which shot amazing for me. Absolutely love the gun.

The wife has two Kimber Raptors, 5" and 3". The 5" went back immediately like mine for feed issues (extractor) and the 3" is likely headed that way too after having intermittent issues for the past year plus. Just picked up some Wilson mags for the shorter Ultra (3") and they seem to help (no malfunctions in 75 rounds yesterday). The Ultra actually ran fine for 300 rounds at a shoot last weekend but faltered on Sunday and she switched to the full size (which then gacked out on Winchester truncated cone rounds???) Fine with all others.

As others have noted, extractor adjustment seems to be a known problem with these guns. Also agree for the price...this should not be an issue. We are 0 for 3 from the factory. Mine now runs like a dream but it took a while to get there. Wilson (or Remington) magazines seem to help. I've had zero issues with the Remmy mags. Headed back to Gunsite in a week but for a carbine class. Only 50 rounds through a handgun for this class.