Question about Kimbers

[CalTeacher]

So, seeing as there are many Kimber owners around here, I wanted to ask y'all a question. Do you ever experience feeding problems with any type of ammunition? I am browsing pistols in case my CCW is approved (in the process as we speak) and I was considering an Ultra Carry II or a Glock 26. I have my reasons for both, in case you were wondering. Anyways, a friend of mine has a Kimber (I think an Eclipse) and it won't feed JHP ammo very well at all. It's accurate, it's comfortable, etc., but the damned thing won't feed JHP. I just wanted to know if this is something to expect, or the exception to the rule.

[PUNK]

I presume the gun is broken in? Which JHP are you using? Have you tried different types? what xactly does it do when it doesnt feed right? maybe its the recoil spring and not the ammo? Does it happen everytime? only the last round? magazine problem? what i am getting at is SO MANY variables.

maybe its a picky one and only likes the good stuff

I use the Ranger T series and it feeds perfect everytime. I always use wilson mags too!

[CalTeacher]

Originally Posted by PUNK

I presume the gun is broken in? Which JHP are you using? Have you tried different types? what xactly does it do when it doesnt feed right? maybe its the recoil spring and not the ammo? Does it happen everytime? only the last round? magazine problem? what i am getting at is SO MANY variables.

maybe its a picky one and only likes the good stuff

I use the Ranger T series and it feeds perfect everytime. I always use wilson mags too!

Yes it is broken in.

I'll ask him what he uses (though I think he tried Hydrashocks and Cor-Bon +p 230 gr.)

Not sure if he has tried different types.

FTF. Slide won't gets stuck on the way forward, apparently.

Not everytime, but frequent enough for him to carry only ball.

That's all I know so far, though I will ask him more about it tomorrow. He has mentioned this problem to me multiple times and it really seems to bug him. I don't own a kimber, but I'd just like to know if this is the common experience of other owners. My Glock 21 would probably feed chunks of granite, so it's hard for me to imagine a pistol being so picky.

[El Gato]

Kimbers are like anything... some work well....others not so much...
the glock better than others but without the class of a kimber...
my UC II worked great till about 800 rds and then the bullet would grab the ss and engage it...took a grinder to the ss and fixed it...qed...

saw a raptor II UC today... weird and wonderful...

[THE Gimper]

Originally Posted by CalTeacher

Yes it is broken in.

I'll ask him what he uses (though I think he tried Hydrashocks and Cor-Bon +p 230 gr.)

Not sure if he has tried different types.

FTF. Slide won't gets stuck on the way forward, apparently.

Not everytime, but frequent enough for him to carry only ball.

That's all I know so far, though I will ask him more about it tomorrow. He has mentioned this problem to me multiple times and it really seems to bug him. I don't own a kimber, but I'd just like to know if this is the common experience of other owners. My Glock 21 would probably feed chunks of granite, so it's hard for me to imagine a pistol being so picky.

Also, ask him which magazines he uses? If he uses the factory mags that come with the Kimber, I'll admit (as does most everyone else) they are crap. Try Wilson mags.

[sealbeach]

I have a Kimber Eclipse, it is VERY reliable and accurate. I also only use the Wilson mags (which several others have mentioned).

My Eclipse is not my primary carry gun, I prefer to carry my Kimber Custom II, with combat sights--they are more durable and much easier on the elbow if you bang into them.

[Dr.Spebble]

Originally Posted by CalTeacher

So, seeing as there are many Kimber owners around here, I wanted to ask y'all a question. Do you ever experience feeding problems with any type of ammunition? I am browsing pistols in case my CCW is approved (in the process as we speak) and I was considering an Ultra Carry II or a Glock 26. I have my reasons for both, in case you were wondering. Anyways, a friend of mine has a Kimber (I think an Eclipse) and it won't feed JHP ammo very well at all. It's accurate, it's comfortable, etc., but the damned thing won't feed JHP. I just wanted to know if this is something to expect, or the exception to the rule.

My Ultra II began having that problem at about 1500 rds. Kimber recommends a new recoil spring by that time. Clean gun, new spring and should be good to go. Springs are cheap and will eventually weaken. If you go with the Kimber, buy a couple of spring kits from Wolfe Springs. They make the springs for Kimber. BTW, my Ultra II feeds all types of ammo well.

[IDNTWN2]

My Ultra eats anything. Even my reloaded wadcutters. It is my favorite gun by far and it is still pretty new. 500 rounds is all. Maybe more.

The factory mag works, the TacMags work. Winchester DPX works, Golden Saber + P works, Winchester White Box 185g works. Rainer 185 g hollow points work. PMC works, Magtech works, Remingtion UMC works.

I ran it oozing with oil for the first couple of hundred rounds, have racked the slide bunches. I polished the ramp.

It works. Fine.

[AuburnHunter]

I have a Compact Stainless. It had a few FTF during the first 500 rounds, but haven't had an issue since.

I also use Wilson mags.

[CalTeacher]

Interesting stuff. Definitely sounds like it is not normal, and that there is something wrong with the gun/magazine. Thanks for the info guys. I'm still trying to talk the wifey into letting me get an UC II, so knowing that they are generally reliable is something else I can use to defend the purchase.

[Poogsdad]

I own both a Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry and a Kimber Custom CDP. In addition to carrying the Custom CDP almost everyday, I have taken both Kimbers through multiple Defensive Handgun courses.

The Ultra Carry has almost 8000 rounds through it and the Custom CDP has almost 14000 rounds through it.

I have replaced the the recol springs once in the Ultra Carry and twice in the Custom CDP. I use Wilson Combat magazines almost exclusively. I replaced the springs and followers in the Kimber magazines I have with Wilson Combat spring and follower kits and use them for range practice and manipulations.

Both of my Kimbers have proven to be absolutely reliable and I have learned to trust them completely.

Here is a link to a Range Report I did on my Custom CDP, http://www.calccw.com/Forums/range-r...html#post22333.

Thanks,

Poogsdad

[Aurelius]

When I first got it, I had multiple failures to feed, with the noses of fmj rounds striking the feed ramp and not fully going into battery. Firt I changed the magazine--which did nothing except give me one extra round in the magazine (8 vs 7). No change so I finally sent it back. They are 1warranted for life, you know. I haven't had problems since unless the gun gets dirty. (I have a Springfield that will eat anything all day long, hundreds of rounds, without a hickup, but the Kimber likes to get cleaned every 100 rounds or so-probably the chamber is just tighter, that's all.

[El Gato]

As an addendum:
I have one... I never carry it...
I (the wife) have(has) a Kahr P45...the carry will outshoot the kimber when it comes to groups... but is way harder to control...
the Kahr has night sights...+2
the UC II doesn't....-2
can put night sights on the UC II... like the 24/7's which I love...
but then what am I going to do with it...?
for me... the full size 1911 is the gun of choice...anything else is an also ran...
my personal gun is a 100% er...and has night sights...so I carry it most of the time when I am carrying off duty...yep it's a BIG gun to carry.. but it is also BIG if I have to bring it out and turn it on...and it is way more controllable and accurate than the Kimber and it doesn't shoot 6 in high at 25 yards like the kimber...which is why I carry it...
I have carried the kimber...it's kinda nice etc...light etc...if that's important to you..not so much to me...but I carry about 30 lbs of gear on me all day when working...the gun is only part of it...
here's my post to illustrate my schizm...
http://www.calccw.com/Forums/carry-g...-carry-ii.html

I now have a custom 1911...that's my gun... the kimber gets carried to classes and occasionally loaned out to people who just have to have one and want to try one in class....to each his/her/their own...YMMV

[Tanner]

my Ultra CDP11 had ftf's every 100 plus rounds through 424 total , with FMJ and then after 424 no misfeeds until I started trying JHP's to see which would feed reliably. After trying just about all I could get my hands on ( I have a really nice collection of partial boxes of JHP's , at least 10 different types now) I found that the Remington UMC 230 gr. --yep, the cheap ones ) feed reliably. The trick for mine is to have a projectile that has a tinier point on the tip --anything with the squared away serrations on top or too wide up there would hang up on the ramp. The Remington's have a smooth edge at the hollow and the change from point to bottom is less abrupt. I can live with it just fine like it is. At the range I can put any FMJ I have found through it and for defense it is loaded with JHP's that I know will not get stuck. I don't need to be able to shoot every type of JHP out there and will alert Kimber when it goes in for service but it's not worth shipping just because it is fussy about profiles. I also use the Wilson mags --they work well and having an extra cartridge for tactical reloads is comforting.I use the Kimber mag with 7 for the start and then have the Wilson's with extra capacity to finish up with.

[CalTeacher]

hmmm...seems to be quite a common thing, then. They must have much tighter tolerances than my Glock, that's for sure. Some of you mentioned having to do some grinding and polishing. Did you do this yourselves?