New Name for my Kimber: The Choke Artist

[knifezoid]

I dunno guys... we're up to over 500 rounds now. Honeymoon is over.
Took it to tonights indoor shoot at my range and had six, yes SIX, FTFs.
(Out of 80 Rounds).

OK, to be fair (?) I was shooting my own reloads and was using Wilson
Combat and ChipMcCormick 10 round mags for the first time.

I don't think it was my reloads cause I checked just about every round in
my barrel to make sure it fit. Length was fine. Charge was fine. Crimp
was buttery smooth around the edge, better than factory.

Also the malfunction that happened was the same thing that happened
with factory ammo. Had two FTFs in a box of 50 Remingtons a few weeks
back. Slide just doesn't cycle forward to push the round in. I have to
rack it myself.

As for the mags, come on, CMCs and Wilsons are the best on the market.
That's not a valid excuse in my book.

Guess it's time to send her back into Kimber, but really for a 1911 in
that price range and one that is suppose to be "the best" I was expecting
a little more. As of now it's useless for competition and if I did use it for
home protection I'd trust my samurai sword more.

To add to this there was another shooter with a Kimber Warrior. His problem
was about the same except the slide would stop half way. He had to whack
it from the back to get it properly cycle. He had about the same amount
of malfunctions as I did.

Sorry, didn't want to start a gun brand bashing thread but I guess I kinda
did.

Oh yeah, Parker, you can say it now (told ya so). :bwah:

[Sheldon_Wickersham]

C'mon!

Two things come to mind here; ok, well, a half dozen or so...but, for the sake of brevity...

It's a new gun, and you're a relatively new shooter - so, break it in with the 37,000 or so rnds Kimber recommends before sending it back, and (and) shoot factory loads (fresh named factory, never shot before, fairly hot FMJ rounds) for awhile. Chances are, IMO, if you send it back now, they'll return it to you with a little note saying 'no problems noted' - which will mentally drive you over the edge and sour you on Kimber's somewhere way south of the recommended ~37k break-in rounds...

Shel

p.s. Told ya so...

p.p.s. Seriously, they are, or at least can be, really good guns once broken in with a few (or more) thousand rounds - you're not there yet... :mabuse:

p.p.p.s. Sounds like the firing chamber is bored to the minimum (or average) spec, and as such, anything out of spec (slightly longer) by even a few mils is going to FTF - my latest Hi-Power (late '80's IIRC) was this way, and the local gunsmith was just so freakin' proud of himself for pointing it out, saying I just needed to shoot 'spec' ammo and all would be good - I in turn suggested that he get over his bad 'lil brilliant self and get to boring out the FC by 20 mils so I could shoot whatever, whenever. As always, YMMV...

[knifezoid]

break it in with the 37,000 or so rnds Kimber recommends before sending it back,

Ah, I knew I missed a zero or two when reading the instruction manual!
:bwah:

[RoadFish]

That is one costly break-in!

[Leadfoot]

Zoid, one quick way to know if it's you or the gun, have an expirenced .45 shooter fire the pistol.

Leadfoot

[BlueSkyJaunte]

It's not Zoid.

Funny, the Kimber I had did this too. Among other things. But my Colt, Dan Wesson, and Springfield don't. Neither do my Detonics or Rock Islands.

How very odd.

[Rat Finkenstein]

One of the main reasons kimbers don't interest me.

[norcal13]

Guess it's time to send her back into Kimber, but really for a 1911 in
that price range and one that is suppose to be "the best" I was expecting
a little more.



sounds like a strider.

[Rat Finkenstein]

maybe it's a "bro gun"

[Parker]

Stop shooting this gun now.

Take it down and look carefully at the internals after cleaning it off extensively. Squeeze the trigger and look at the safety bits which extrude upwards into the slide. Look carefully ALL the way around those for wear.

But at 500 rounds?

First, STOP using reloads. Factory ammo keeps a warranty in place. Reloads, not so much. No idea who's putting what into a gun.

Second, it does not matter WHO is fucking shooting the pistol. Either it cycles or not.

My concern is the little whizzo which comes up out of the frame and allows the pistol to fire. It does so by pushing a firing pin block out of the way of the firing pin, lifting it vertically. Those have an annoying tendency to break with Kimbers.

When they do, they lock up your whole pistol, with a freshly stripped live round in the pistol, but NOT in the chamber. Whee. A loaded and entirely unsafe firearm and no way to get the round out of the pistol either thru unloading or discharge, and you cannot send it to Kimber that way either. Neat.

Send the POS back without shooting it any more. Tell them to fix it. Document this, and the last occurrences, and send that POS back.

And as far as a "gunsmith" goes......a gunsmith can be anyone. No minimum licensing requirements for competency. If you are going to let someone monkey with your pistol (bad idea since it is under warranty) make it a Kimber certified armorer.

[Pilot]

Send it back to Kimber. Get it running, then sell it and buy a Colt.

[gprippers]

what the?

[Sheldon_Wickersham]

Funny stuff Rob! It was good to see you in Eugene too btw, you're looking well - that Strider custom you picked up is still on my mind; let me know if it ever sees the light of day again... :semper:

[Per-Sev]

I dunno guys... we're up to over 500 rounds now. Honeymoon is over.
Took it to tonights indoor shoot at my range and had six, yes SIX, FTFs.
(Out of 80 Rounds).

OK, to be fair (?) I was shooting my own reloads and was using Wilson
Combat and ChipMcCormick 10 round mags for the first time.

I don't think it was my reloads cause I checked just about every round in
my barrel to make sure it fit. Length was fine. Charge was fine. Crimp
was buttery smooth around the edge, better than factory.

Also the malfunction that happened was the same thing that happened
with factory ammo. Had two FTFs in a box of 50 Remingtons a few weeks
back. Slide just doesn't cycle forward to push the round in. I have to
rack it myself.

As for the mags, come on, CMCs and Wilsons are the best on the market.
That's not a valid excuse in my book.

Guess it's time to send her back into Kimber, but really for a 1911 in
that price range and one that is suppose to be "the best" I was expecting
a little more. As of now it's useless for competition and if I did use it for
home protection I'd trust my samurai sword more.

To add to this there was another shooter with a Kimber Warrior. His problem
was about the same except the slide would stop half way. He had to whack
it from the back to get it properly cycle. He had about the same amount
of malfunctions as I did.

Sorry, didn't want to start a gun brand bashing thread but I guess I kinda
did.

Oh yeah, Parker, you can say it now (told ya so). :bwah:
My buddy had the same problem with his Pro Carry II and it was that the mag release was cut wrong and did not allow the clip to sit high enough to be at the proper angle. Try putting a empty clip in and while pushing the mag release button in seeing if it sits higher than when its engaged that might be the problem a local gunsmith fixed my buddies for less than $50 and a lot faster than sending it back to Kimber.

[knifezoid]

I'm not all that experienced of a shooter, I admit. But I'm quite sure I'm not limp
wristing it. I mean I really do wish the problem was ME. That is at least correctable.

Yeah, I'm gonna call them up and send it back. Will consider selling it after it is fixed,
but hate to take the huge hit as I did buy it brand spankin' new. Would rather just
have it work properly, but at the same time those Colts and Springfields amongst other
1911s/45ACP pistols are lookin' really good these days.

I need some type of 45ACP as I just reloaded 400 rounds and gotta shoot them somehow!

[Leadfoot]

It does matter "who" is shooting the pistol.


Leadfoot

[IWantThatKnife]

Although I really don't like it when a gun maker says (in the owner's manual) "your gun needs to break-in, shooting 500 rounds will break it in for you.

I have 2 Kimbers, one, bought used is a Classic Custom and the other is a new Tactical Pro II.

Shooting all factory ammo I have not had any problems with either one.

[rscheppmann]

Kimbers are a mostly-miss... They used to be the hot shit production 45s when they started out, but as soon as they started buying add space and getting too big, their quality control went right down the shitter. I'm not afraid to bash these things, because I have first hand knowledge that they are not all they are cracked up to be. That being said, I have the first rendition of the Custom Eclipse II, and it is a bad-ass, custom quality, .45 that has not let me down yet. When I recently went to a local gun shop to check out another "Custom" Kimber, I was shocked at the apparent lack of fit and finish. No gun should take more than 500 rounds to break in (after converting to Glocks and HKs several years ago, I don't think there should need to be any break in period on a gun, but for a 1911, I'll give you some).

I am one of the firearm instructors at a police department in Southern California. After LAPD SWAT went with the Kimber, some of our officers were dead set that their reliable Glock 21s were no longer competent, so they proposed Kimber 45s as an alternative duty weapon. Ten officers went out and purchased different varients of the Kimber full-size 45 ranging from the TLE II to the Warrior. In order to qualify the guns for duty, the officers had to shoot 50 of our Ranger SXT duty rounds, and 50 FMJs with no malfunctions. They could have any mods, as long as the trigger was heavier than 3 lbs. After numerous attempts to pass the qual, in one case eleven attempts, only two passed.

After seeing how bad most of these guns were, I contacted one of the instructors for LAPD SWAT and was informed that after they started using their Kimbers, they had to hire a full-time armorer to keep them running. I don't see that in their adds:bwah:

Sorry you had to find out the hard way Zoid.

[shannon]

Sorry you guys are having such issues with your Kimbers. It really does suck to spend a lot of money on something that you can't trust. It is true hat Kimbers are not what they used to be. Still it's a 1911 and 1911 are for the enthusiast more than they are for the every day person. To shoot a 1911 one must be very familiar with he platform. Knowing how to tune an extractor and knowing when to swap out springs is a must. I am not bashing 1911's by any means but the facts are, unless you like tinkering with it, it would be a bad choice for the novice shooter.

[JohnnyBmore]

Yeah sorry Zoid hopeit works out .. I am not into Kimbers ..AT ALL!! and I nearly love every other 1911 ....

about 10k rnds through both my Springfield's with not one problem since rnd number one! :ross:

[knifezoid]

Yeah I'm pretty new to guns. I do love shooting it (when it works). No matter what
though there has to be a 1911 in my lineup. I'm a nice guy and believe in second
chances so I'll send her in and if she comes out reformed then we can consider trying
to get along again.

[m_ridgeway]

Sorry you guys are having such issues with your Kimbers. It really does suck to spend a lot of money on something that you can't trust. It is true hat Kimbers are not what they used to be. Still it's a 1911 and 1911 are for the enthusiast more than they are for the every day person. To shoot a 1911 one must be very familiar with he platform. Knowing how to tune an extractor and knowing when to swap out springs is a must. I am not bashing 1911's by any means but the facts are, unless you like tinkering with it, it would be a bad choice for the novice shooter.

i sold a 5" smith 1911 to my buddy his first handgun btw, hes shot over 2k rounds out of it and cleaned it twice with less 5 malfunctions. any gun should work out of the box esp when they cost as much as a kimber.

[Ken Brock]

I had 5 Kimbers and none of them ever gave me any problems

[bigbob68]

My Kimber Custom Stainless II has been reliable since day one. So far, over 3000 rounds of all different types of ammo thru it without issue. I did buy it new about 8 years ago though.

[knifezoid]

I had 5 Kimbers and none of them ever gave me any problems

What year did you get them? Trying to see if the trend is with the older ones
that are better and newer ones that are worse. Though some of you have
already explained that, just looking for user experience/evidence.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

If the gun has "II" and/or "Yonkers, NY" on it somewhere, best stay away.

[knifezoid]

If the gun has "II" and/or "Yonkers, NY" on it somewhere, best stay away.

Check... and... check! Yep, it's a certified problem child.

[Parker]

Sorry you guys are having such issues with your Kimbers. It really does suck to spend a lot of money on something that you can't trust. It is true hat Kimbers are not what they used to be. Still it's a 1911 and 1911 are for the enthusiast more than they are for the every day person. To shoot a 1911 one must be very familiar with he platform. Knowing how to tune an extractor and knowing when to swap out springs is a must. I am not bashing 1911's by any means but the facts are, unless you like tinkering with it, it would be a bad choice for the novice shooter.

Ya know, I agreed with you and am pissed off that I have to.

1911's are one of the most reliable pistols in the world, assuming that they are properly built and fit. The shit I have seen from Taurus to Kimber to Sig passed off as a 1911, it is proof in fact that perhaps those of you holding an Almighty as omniscient, omnipotent and watching over you, you may well be entirely mistaken.

JMB, God watch his soul, created one of the best goddamn fighting pistols ever built and every time I see one of these aborted pieces of junk passed off as a "1911 pattern pistol" it fills me with a rage and loathing reserved only for very special occasions.











And yes, I am entirely aware of the philosophical contradictions in this post, less anyone feel the need to point them out :devil1:

[El Gringo]

My Taurus 1911 runs like a swiss watch. You sayin they got a bad rep?

[bigbob68]

If the gun has "II" and/or "Yonkers, NY" on it somewhere, best stay away.


My Taurus 1911 runs like a swiss watch. You sayin they got a bad rep?

Mine is Yonkers and runs like a Swiss watch. Taurus has a VERY bad rap and rightly so. Sorry to say that they are probably the worst 1911's I have ever owned. IMHO

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Don't take my word for it. Take Hilton Yam's.

http://10-8performance.blogspot.com/2010/07/kimber-warrior.html

[Ken Brock]

What year did you get them? Trying to see if the trend is with the older ones
that are better and newer ones that are worse. Though some of you have
already explained that, just looking for user experience/evidence.

I got the first one when Kimber first released their .45s, that would have been in the late 90's

The others were gotten between then and 2004

4 out of the 5 I had used internal extractors

the last one I bought in 2004 had an external extractor

Never had an issue with any of them, although I had several friends who had problems with theirs

[Warthog]

Zoid, not to be a dick, but was your pistol cleaned pretty well before your last trip to the range?

Our old service .45s rattled around all over the place, more by design than age. The slide to frame fit was loose to allow them to keep running when gunked up. Most of the production guns I've seen in the last 20 years have a real tight slide to frame fit (for increased accuracy), but you pay for it in reliability if the slide rails aren't kept clean and oiled.

You might also double check your cartridge length (best to stick with factory anyway) since 1911s headspace on the case, and step up the weight of your recoil spring.



Or trade it for a G21... :semper:

[Rat Finkenstein]

Taurus has a VERY bad rap and rightly so. Sorry to say that they are probably the worst 1911's I have ever owned. IMHO

Most of the anti-taurus talk is total BS. My Taurus 1911 is also great. If you didn't like them, why would you buy multiples?

[bigbob68]

Most of the anti-taurus talk is total BS. My Taurus 1911 is also great. If you didn't like them, why would you buy multiples?

I'm an FFL and transfer out a ton of guns & see the Taurus's come back the most of any 1911's I sell. I have owned several Taurus handguns but sold them all after trips back to Taurus for fixes.

[IWantThatKnife]

Mine is Yonkers and runs like a Swiss watch. Taurus has a VERY bad rap and rightly so. Sorry to say that they are probably the worst 1911's I have ever owned. IMHO

Bob, I have a PT1911; first thing I did was replace the Heinie Straight 8 sights with a set of Trijicon three dot night sights bought from Heinie's website. Without any adjustments after installing the sights I took it to the range to see how the new sights were:

http://iwantthatknife.com/Gallery/albums/military_guns/taurus_target.jpg

I am not a bullseye shooter; I carry a pistol as one of the many tools I have on my belt at work everyday; so center body mass hits are more my speed.

I have never, ever had an issue with my PT1911; I belong to quite a few gun discussions; several years ago there was a group of Taurus Bashers on M1911Forums.org and 1911Forums.com - they were for the most part the same people; most didn't own a PT1911 nor even shot one; but they sure thought themselves as experts on the inabilities of "Third World, barefoot, elemetary school educated peasants" to make such a precision weapon as the 1911. Forjas Taurus has been making firearms since 1947; there is a lot of similarity between Beretta, S&W, and Taurus firearms; for some interesting reasons. First they were licensed by Beretta to make the Model 12 (I think 12) 9 mm Subgun and the 92 pistol - on Beretta tooling; and second, once upon a time, Bangor Punta, once upon a time the parent company of Smith and Wesson, was owned by Forjas Taurus...

In retrospect, after reading about the trials and tribulations of American and Foreign Gun Makers, probably spurred on by the fear that their best market was going to be shut down (fear that the present administration and at the time, a Democrat controlled Congress was going to radically curtail the sale of guns in the US) that in a effort to get guns to the market, quality control suffered...across the board. Even Colt, once revered, suffered from terrible quality control - fit and finish are not what they used to be.

Even Brown, Baer, and the other semi-custom makers have problems...

[bigbob68]

I'm bias to older 1911's and not the mass influx of Modern Makers. I will admit that a Kimber vs Taurus is a crap shoot either way. Any gun company can have a run of bad productions. I admit that Kimber customer service has been great for me as well as Taurus lifetime warranty. It all comes down to getting a good one vs getting a shitty one. If they only made stuff the way they used to. Older S&W revolvers, older Colts and Rugers. Seems that most if not all guns are subject to some sort of issues if you ask enough people.

Back to the original thread, it is total shame the road Kimber has taken and more worried about ad space than making a quality pistol. Maybe they will get their act together and get back to the basics of making a 1911 that shoots well and not so concerned about ad space. Colt has started to make a comeback, I only wish I had an original 1911a1 and a Single Action Army. One day I will.

[knifezoid]

Zoid, not to be a dick, but was your pistol cleaned pretty well before your last trip to the range?



Yep, cleaned the night before. And that gun actually gets quite a bit of
cleaning just cause you're suppose to during the break in.

The 21 is really nice, I shoot well with it. But for some reason I want
something different. Maybe one day I'll come to my senses. :devil1:

[Warthog]

Just trying to work a process of elimination. :mabuse:

Magazine feed lips OK? / Did it happen with a different magazine? :mabuse:

[knifezoid]

Just trying to work a process of elimination. :mabuse:

Magazine feed lips OK? / Did it happen with a different magazine? :mabuse:

Well, I'm not too knowledgeable about guns in general especially 1911s so
I probably would not have the eye to know if it is polished enough/correctly.

As for the mags it has happened with CMC 8 rounder, CMC 10 rounder,
Wilson Combat 10 rounder, I'm not sure if it happened with the stock
mag but I don't think it has.

A guess is the spring tension in the mags as the problem seems worse as
the rounds go up. I remember a guy having a similar issue on youtube and
he documented the whole process. Turned out it was a very slight
imperfection on an internal part (don't remember the part) and they
replaced it and it has been fine ever since.

I gotta get off my lazy ass and call Kimber.

[El Gringo]

I'm just gonna pitch in on this...

Did you grease your slide rails a little, or are you running it dry?

I'm not sure on the rep of Chip mags, but Wilsons are supposed to be good' uns. The 7 & 8 rounders that is.

Does it FTF with factory and Wilson 7 or 8 round mags?

[knifezoid]

I'm just gonna pitch in on this...

Did you grease your slide rails a little, or are you running it dry?

I'm not sure on the rep of Chip mags, but Wilsons are supposed to be good' uns. The 7 & 8 rounders that is.

Does it FTF with factory and Wilson 7 or 8 round mags?

I put just a tiny bit of lube on the rails.

I did not try Wilson Combat 7/8 rounders. Only the 10s.

I have a friend who has them I think so I may try those
just to see.

[Sheldon_Wickersham]

'Zoid, why haven't you sent it back for repair? If you end up dinking around with it, or having a friend or local gunhack work on it, it still may not work properly, and you'll probably have voided the warranty in the process. If it was mine, and a quick ammo or mag change didn't fix it, it would be on the way back to Kimber muy pronto... :mabuse:

[IWantThatKnife]

'Zoid, why haven't you sent it back for repair? If you end up dinking around with it, or having a friend or local gunhack work on it, it still may not work properly, and you'll probably have voided the warranty in the process. If it was mine, and a quick ammo or mag change didn't fix it, it would be on the way back to Kimber muy pronto... :mabuse:

I have to agree with Sheldon; I hear Kimber can be very fickle with their warranty service; I know for a fact that ParaOrd is.

Even if I know a gun (because I already have one like it) I read the owner's manual first, then field strip the gun, and clean/lubricate per the manual.

I will not shoot lead bullts out of a factory Glock barrel; nor would I shoot reloads out of my Kimbers.

From the Kimber Full-sized 1911 owner's manual:


The use of reloaded, "remanufactured," handloaded
or other non-standard ammunition
voids all warranties. Reloading is a science
and improperly loaded ammunition can be
extremely dangerous. Severe damage to the
firearm and serious injury to the shooter or to
others may result. Always use ammunition
that complies with the industry performance
standards established by the Sporting Arms
and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, Inc.
of the United States (SAAMI). For best results,
we recommend the use of jacketed round
nose "BALL" ammunition...This "Limited Warranty"...Kimber Mfg., Inc.
firearms are warranted to be free
from defects in material and workmanship for one
(1) year after the date of original new gun retail
purchase, the Manufacturer agrees to correct by
repair or replacement (with the same or comparable
quality model) your firearm, without charge, if returned
prepaid with a copy of the bill of sale.
Kimber Mfg., Inc. assumes no responsibility for
product malfunction or for physical injury or
property damage resulting in whole or in part from
criminal or negligent use of the product, improper
or careless handling, unauthorized modifications,
use of defective, improper, hand-loaded ammunition,
customer abuse or neglect of the product, or other
influences beyond Kimber Mfg., Inc.'s control...

Stop, call Kimber for a return authorization, send it in...

Green to Sheldon~!

[Warthog]

I put just a tiny bit of lube on the rails.

I did not try Wilson Combat 7/8 rounders. Only the 10s.

I have a friend who has them I think so I may try those
just to see.

Good, just a bit of lube on the rails after cleaning is good. While I agree with the folks above about using factory ammo, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find any manufacturer's manual that doesn't have the boiler plate warning against non-factory ammo, and that doesn't solve your problem unless you have a bad batch of primers.

Are your FTFs because the gun isn't going into battery (i.e. the slide isn't closing fully on the breach/bullet isn't going into the chamber, or are you getting primer hits that aren't setting the round off. If so, are they really light dimples? No hits at all?

[knifezoid]

Good, just a bit of lube on the rails after cleaning is good. While I agree with the folks above about using factory ammo, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find any manufacturer's manual that doesn't have the boiler plate warning against non-factory ammo, and that doesn't solve your problem unless you have a bad batch of primers.

Are your FTFs because the gun isn't going into battery (i.e. the slide isn't closing fully on the breach/bullet isn't going into the chamber, or are you getting primer hits that aren't setting the round off. If so, are they really light dimples? No hits at all?

The best way I can describe it is the slide locks back prematurely. Perhaps
FTF is not the best term? Forgive me if I'm a little naive to all the terms.
Kinda like it thinks it shot the last round in the mag when it didn't. I have to
pull back the slide and keep shooting. One or two times a tap on the mag
set the slide forward and I could keep shooting.

It's not light hits. That I'm sure. All rounds go off and I'm using Wolf primers
which are harder than most.

You guys are right though, should just send her in pronto and not waste time.

Dang, I need another 45 in the meantime cause just reloaded nearly 1000
rounds and have another 2000 on the way.

[Warthog]

Are you SURE you're not riding the slide lock lever with your support hand thumb?

[Supermoto]

Run the gun wet. 1911s like lube and will spit out what they don't want.

what are you running for reloads?

[knifezoid]

Are you SURE you're not riding the slide lock lever with your support hand thumb?

Pretty sure, like 99.99% sure. I don't apply a lot of pressure with my thumbs
when shooting, least I try not to.

As for the reloads they are 230gr round nose, 5.2gr of Accurate #2. That
is the minimum/start load so it is a light load, but I don't think it's so light that
it's not enough to cycle the gun. Also bear in mind that same problem
occurred with factory ammo.

Thanks for posting guys, you reminded me to call Kimber!

[Warthog]

That's the problem.
Your cartridges are cycling the slide, but you said it's locking back, not failing to cycle all the way and moving forward without enough force to strip and chamber the next cartridge.

If the slide is locking back, something is putting pressure on the slide stop (up)to make it engage. :mabuse:

[AKmik]

I have owned two Colts, two Springfield Armory, and one Kimber and all of them worked as advertised. I now carry my Kimber, and really like it. I have about 2500 rounds through this new Kimber , and have not had a single issue. All 200g home brew hard cast loads, it is accurate and reliable so far.

Colt has been around in the 1911 world for a very long time, so anyone over 40 thinks they are the only 1911 worth a shit. They are great guns, but I have not personally seen anything better about them than the others. Everyone has their personal preferences, and serious shooters do as well.

Any manufacturer of anything turns out a few bad apples from time to time, I don't care how well or how long they have been making their product. But now a days that news travels fast, and is compounded by many people all over the internet parroting what they have READ on forums and blogs with no real world experience. Don't even get me started on gun rags and the vast knowledge that goes into them. Google "Colt 1911 problems", or any brand you want, and you will see exactly what I mean.
For every 100 people bitching about their Colt there is probably one guy that actually had an issue, and then bring into light the average gun guys maintenance practices and general knowledge of firearms. I watch guys who are trained to shoot professionally screw up service weapons all the time.

If your Kimber is giving you problems send it in, they will make it right.
Most 1911's are very reliable when treated properly. Wilson Combat puts out a great care and maintenance guide that will help you check the the gun over and service it correctly, that is a good starting point and will help you really learn the weapon.

[knifezoid]

I have owned two Colts, two Springfield Armory, and one Kimber and all of them worked as advertised. I now carry my Kimber, and really like it. I have about 2500 rounds through this new Kimber , and have not had a single issue. All 200g home brew hard cast loads, it is accurate and reliable so far.

Colt has been around in the 1911 world for a very long time, so anyone over 40 thinks they are the only 1911 worth a shit. They are great guns, but I have not personally seen anything better about them than the others. Everyone has their personal preferences, and serious shooters do as well.

Any manufacturer of anything turns out a few bad apples from time to time, I don't care how well or how long they have been making their product. But now a days that news travels fast, and is compounded by many people all over the internet parroting what they have READ on forums and blogs with no real world experience. Don't even get me started on gun rags and the vast knowledge that goes into them. Google "Colt 1911 problems", or any brand you want, and you will see exactly what I mean.
For every 100 people bitching about their Colt there is probably one guy that actually had an issue, and then bring into light the average gun guys maintenance practices and general knowledge of firearms. I watch guys who are trained to shoot professionally screw up service weapons all the time.

If your Kimber is giving you problems send it in, they will make it right.
Most 1911's are very reliable when treated properly. Wilson Combat puts out a great care and maintenance guide that will help you check the the gun over and service it correctly, that is a good starting point and will help you really learn the weapon.

I hear ya. Definitely true that BS travels at the speed of light on the interwebs.
I still do think that Kimber has a little more than it's fair share as compared
to other makes. I've spoken to two other people at my range with Kimbers
and they both have issues as well. Plus all the other members just on JD
that have commented on their problems. Would you ever get that kind of
response for say a Glock? I don't think so. Is that an absolute argument
that Kimber is a totally no good gun company? No I wouldn't say that either.
Just for the record my Glock has choked up on factory ammo too, so yes
all guns will have their issues. This one is just a little more than what I
anticipated. But hopefully a trip to Kimber will remedy all of this.

[AKmik]

Yeah man, that sucks to pay good money for anything and have issues. One of the Springfields I had was the same way. It was binding up like there was a burr on the slide, I looked and looked and could find nothing wrong.

I will say this about Springfield Armory, I sent that gun back FedeX and they had it back and running smoothly in six days. I was amazed at how great the customer service was. Keep us posted on the Kimber service, I am really interested to see how well they treat you.