Kimber ultra carry jamming?

[Toxic6]

Calling Kimber tomorrow, would I have to go through a ffl to send it back?

Shouldn't have to go through an ffl either direction when sending to t he manufacturer for warranty….

My experience is contact the manufacturer prior to shipping and get an rma, they'll tell you where to send it…send via FedEx or whatever (they'll tell you how they want it sent) then wait till they send it back you'll have to sign for it when it gets back but they can send it to your house (I've sent them to hipoint, Taurus, etc not Kimber in particular)

 

[nammac]

Calling Kimber tomorrow, would I have to go through a ffl to send it back?

Should be able to send it directly to Kimber via FedEx or UPS. Way back when with the XDs 1.0 recall, I was able to ship from my neighborhood FedEx store. And Springfield shipped it back to my door, via FedEx.

 

[BrandonQuixote]

You already own it and it's registered to you. You can mail it. For what it's worth, my local UPS said they couldn't ship anything firearm related when I tried to mail some mags to Texas. Your mileage may vary.

 

[whiskeybill]

I am not flush with 1911's, but in my experience it's probably magazine malfunction. Two I purchased brand new, a Remington R1 Mil Spec, a Para Commander, and I inherited my late brothers little used Colt Gold Cup. Para had recommended a 500 round break in before cleaning, which I did. Never a hitch, worked as advertised. I did the same thing with the Remington, and it keeps on truckin' as well. Now to the Colt. Brother had three Colt magazines with it. I get failure to feed, sometimes. Enough to be irritating. I run the Remington, Para, Chip McCormick and Mec-Gar mags in it, and it runs just fine. I can run the Colt mags in the other two pistols, and I get hiccups. It doesn't matter if I'm using reloads or factory fodder. Results are the same. Spring the cash for a couple quality extra mags and see what happens. Mec-Gar are very good magazines.

 

[JJE76]

Update talked with Kimber zero help. I'd have to pay shipping and pay them to look at it. They said it most likely wouldn't be a warranty claim. Don't mind spending money but shocked they don't back up their product. Doubt I'd by anything Kimber again. Told me it would be a lot quicker to find a local gun smith. Any recommendations in the south metro area?

 

[solv3nt]

Update talked with Kimber zero help. I'd have to pay shipping and pay them to look at it. They said it most likely wouldn't be a warranty claim. Don't mind spending money but shocked they don't back up their product. Doubt I'd by anything Kimber again. Told me it would be a lot quicker to find a local gun smith. Any recommendations in the south metro area?

Sounds like MIMber is upholding their reputation.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Option...get it to me, and I'll look it over no cost. If it's just an adjustment or minor massaging...again no cost.

 

[Dirty Cary]

I'll leave this here.

 

[Member 53328]

I'll leave this here.

We can all cite aritcles or post videos showing one being better than the other. On both sides. But we all know which one is the definition of perfection.

 

[solv3nt]

We can all cite aritcles or post videos showing one being better than the other. On both sides. But we all know which one is the definition of perfection.

The 1911 since it's been around for over one hundred years?

 

[Member 53328]

The 1911 since it's been around for over one hundred years?

Not what I was thinking. Haha. Love the 1911 though too though.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Ya had to go and make me post the pic of my fully operational 1911 full of dirt...and yes, on this day Glocks jammed...but my 1911 continued on...and Blackhawk Serpa holsters failed too.

 

[Member 53328]

Ya had to go and make me post the pic of my fully operational 1911 full of dirt...and yes, on this day Glocks jammed...but my 1911 continued on...and Blackhawk Serpa holsters failed too.

View attachment 1127518

Well Serpas are trash. We all know that. Haha

 

[Cerberus Group]

Here's a link to the article I wrote about it...hopefully y'all can bring it up. If not let me know and I'll cut and paste it.

Berryhill AFP = Dirt Tough!

Berryhill AFP Advanced Fighting Pistol Reviewed by Steve Shields AFP = Tougher than Dirt

ezine.m1911.org

 

[Ura-Ki]

Ya had to go and make me post the pic of my fully operational 1911 full of dirt...and yes, on this day Glocks jammed...but my 1911 continued on...and Blackhawk Serpa holsters failed too.

View attachment 1127518

Had one Ice up solid on me once while doing a bunch of artic training, was freezing rain and the wind chill caused everything to freeze up solid in just minutes! Thumbed the hammer and pulled the trigger and she fired just like she was made to! Can't do that with any striker fired pistol, and I know both SIG and Glock won't!

 

[WillametteWill]

Update talked with Kimber zero help. I'd have to pay shipping and pay them to look at it. They said it most likely wouldn't be a warranty claim. Don't mind spending money but shocked they don't back up their product. Doubt I'd by anything Kimber again. Told me it would be a lot quicker to find a local gun smith. Any recommendations in the south metro area?

That is really surprising. When we called (twice) they said send it back and they would make it right. Can't remember if we paid for shipping or not going out (S&W sent a label for free shipping on the one of their guns we had warrantee work done on IIRC), but they definitely paid shipping back and no cost for less than one week turnaround on the repair.

@Cerberus Group has a pretty awesome offer on the table!

 

[Cerberus Group]

Alrighty, pistol arrived on Monday.





This little one looks good. Aluminum alloy frame, which means lightweight carry, but a bit more bark in the hand. With aluminum alloy framed pistols...carry often, shoot seldom, as the frames won't hold up to consistent firing.

Other than the good looks, the first thing I noticed...no firing pin safety! Yay for Kimber! The firing pin safety that Kimber chose is very fragile and prone to problems. It came from the Schwartz design which originated in the 1930's, just before WWII. Colt bought off on it, and started to put some in their pistols. When WWII came along, Colt dropped it and went back to the traditional firing system. When Colt decided to go with a firing pin safety system in the 80's, they went with a much better robust design (thank the Lord!), thus the Series 80 was born. We'll get into a little of the Colt series in a bit...

I don't care for any firing pin safeties...just one more thing to go wrong. Back about 15+ years ago, Pierce County Sheriff's had a choice of pistol carry, a Glock or a Kimber Pro Carry II. The Pro Carry II had the Schwartz style firing pin safety. Once upon a time, two Deputies that were carrying the Kimbers went to qualify at the range. Upon trying to fire their Kimbers, both failed. Upon inspection, the rod that protrudes out of the frame to disengage the firing pin safety had snapped off, leaving both pistols inoperable. No telling how long they had been carrying those pistols on duty in that condition...ugh.

A quick note on Series 70 and Series 80. Not nit picking...BUT, if you do not own a Colt Government Model which has the roll mark on the slide that states SERIES 70, you do not, and never had a SERIES 70 1911. The Series 70 is a Colt model, such as Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Thunderbird etc., Colt Series 70...get it? It was a model produced from 1970 to about 1983. Over the years I've had many people call me with a 1911 problem, and state they have a series 70. I say..ok, what's wrong with your Colt? Silence on the other end...then...it's not a Colt. Then it's not a series 70.
Colt vs Kimber vs STI vs Springfield vs etc., for the most part, all have the same parts, most will interchange, but makers have their own way of doing things, and thus different personalities with the pistols. So if you contact me with a 1911 issue...please state exactly what you have. Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with the firing pin system...although Gore's internet seems to have changed things...ugh.

Which begs the question...if people think that the term Series 70 means there's no firing pin safety system, what were all the 1911's before 1970 designated as?

If you happen to take my 1911 armorer class and call your 1911 a Series 70, when it's not a Colt Series 70...I have a stool in the corner for you to sit on and write a 1,000 times, I WILL NOT CALL ANY 1911 A SERIES 70, UNLESS IT IS AN ACTUAL COLT SERIES 70.

Series 80...this does in fact designate a firing pin safety system, but again this a Colt only phrase.

Rant off...I feel ooooooh soooooo much better now.

On to the pistol inspection in my next post.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Hey @JJE76 , are those Full Length Flush Bottom Grips on that?
I have a Kimber Eclipse with exact same color and texture grips, mine are the beveled grips and need to convert to a set like yours, ifin ya want to trade, lemme know!

 

[solv3nt]

A quick note on Series 70 and Series 80. Not nit picking...BUT, if you do not own a Colt Government Model which has the roll mark on the slide that states SERIES 70, you do not, and never had a SERIES 70 1911. The Series 70 is a Colt model, such as Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Thunderbird etc., Colt Series 70...get it? It was a model produced from 1970 to about 1983. Over the years I've had many people call me with a 1911 problem, and state they have a series 70. I say..ok, what's wrong with your Colt? Silence on the other end...then...it's not a Colt. Then it's not a series 70.

What about current production series 70? Apparently CZ dropped the series 70 in favor of "classic".

 

[Cerberus Group]

Upon taking apart the pistol, I was confronted with two things;

1. A lot of oil. I don't care for oil on any firearm, as it doesn't stay in place. Oil a pistol, place it on a paper towel or the like and lay flat for a few days. You'll get a oily paper towel, as gravity will pull the oil down out of the gun. Use some kind of grease, or use my concoction I've been mixing for over 20 years...Hi-Temp grease, Lubriplate, and 30wt Synthetic oil. The oil is to thin it down a bit, yet keep it thick enough to make it stay where you want it. The other concoction I recommend is the SOTAR Sauce. SOTAR (School Of The Americam Rifle). Do a search and you'll find the recipe. Both are good down to -25, so temp isn't an issue.

I place the lube in a 10cc syringe, put some in the slide grooves and the frame grooves. Rack the slide 10-20 times. If the proper amount is used, when you take the slide off...you'll see this on top of the frame rails;



Nice even lubing on all frame and slide rail surfaces. Put a bit on the disconnector rail on the slide before racking, and the disconnector gets lubed as well.

2. UGH! Something has been jamming into the frame ramp, or someone has messed with it. The OP JJE76 told me that he bought it used from someone on here...would like to hear the history of what may have cause it. Usually it's rounds nose diving into the frame from the magazine upon chambering, as the follower will tilt on some magazines and not stabilize the round.

The 1911 is a controlled cycling type pistol...in that it fully controls the round from magazine feed into the chamber, extraction, and finally ejection. So every part of the process must be looked at, which is why my questions earlier in the thread asking about the position of the round when the jam occurrs. This tells me what part of the cycle we're dealing with and what parts are in play.



Fortunately, this is not a killer to the frame in this instance. With the anodizing removed from that part of the frame, it leaves the soft alloy exposed, which is not a good thing...but if we can get it running correctly, the rounds should never hit that ever again.