Kimber feed problems - any ideas why it's doing this?

tjhaile said:
I second the recommendation for Wilson ETM magazines. Most manufacturers of mas-produced 1911s generally do not ship their guns with magazines that are suitable for anything beyond filling the slots in the box.

If the extractor is leaving fired cases in the chamber, it is failing. I would just buy a new, name-brand extractor and tension it as required, rather than mess with the Kimber part. Brownells has Nowlin, Ed Brown, and EGW 9mm/.38 Super extractors. Wilson Combat also sells the correct extractor through their website.
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I checked Wilson's website ... appears they won't ship to Canada ...
 
ranbur said:
Yes, I think the top bullet is not sitting right in the Kimber mag ... it does not seat back against the rear of the mag flat like in other 1911 (ie 45) mags ... sits 4 or 5 mm's too far forward ... just touch it and it will spring out.
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Should not sit on the back of mag, there should be a spacer as the OAL of a loaded round is shorter than a 45 round. The OAL of a 9m round can be as short as 1.090", whereas a 45 is 1.225"
 
madcow said:
Should not sit on the back of mag, there should be a spacer as the OAL of a loaded round is shorter than a 45 round. The OAL of a 9m round can be as short as 1.090", whereas a 45 is 1.225"
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Yes, correct, there is a spacer but the round doesn't seat against it, even if you tap the back of the mag like Hickok does ... sits 4-5 mm further out unless you shove it back ... but it will work it's way forward again when you put the mag in the gun.
 


left 45 acp
middle 38super
right 9mm in Wilson ETM Mag all factory rounds

h ttp://www.brownells.com/magazines/handgun-magazines/magazines/1911-10-round-elite-tactical-magazines-prod80944.aspx

Just as good, used both in IPSC
 
madcow said:
left 45 acp
middle 38super
right 9mm in Wilson ETM Mag all factory rounds

h ttp://www.brownells.com/magazines/handgun-magazines/magazines/1911-10-round-elite-tactical-magazines-prod80944.aspx

Just as good, used both in IPSC
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Hummm ... ok, my 9mm sits a bit further forward than that ... yours is sitting against the base plate? ... and again if you give it a bit of a nudge it will spring out ... maybe I need to squeeze the front of the feed lips in a bit?
 
I had the same issues with my Kimber pro carry 2. Tryed diff ammo, polishing chamber and I even thought is was just part of breaking in the pistol. Problems solved almost completely after I bought Wolff springs and Wilson mags. Now only the very occasional fail to return to complete battery. Try brownells, that's who I dealt with. Expect the occasional hang up! Tough to find a 1911 that's as reliable as a glock per say IMO.
 
Check out Northern Republic Magazine Inc. believe they're in Ontario they may have mags. Good to hear that it appears you have sorted the problem out. Like I said 1911 need to be run wet, especially when new, once you get more rounds through it you can back off some so it stops spitting hot lube at you.
 
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ranbur said:
Hi all ... to keep you up to date ...

Based on this feedback and internet research I did a few things ... firstly I polished the feed ramp with mag polish, it's amazing how much smoother it is ... second I pulled out the extractor, added a bit of tension and cleaned it and the hole well ... third I disassembled the mag and cleaned and oiled it ... forth I gave the gun a really good cleaning ... and lastly I oiled the he11 out of the whole gun.

Went to the range and put 7 mags thru it with no issues.

I'm crossing my fingers that this wasn't just a fluke and my next range day goes the same.

I am going to get a better quality mag tho, I just do not like the way the bullets sit in the original ... will be interesting to compare it to a Wilson or McCormick (if I could find one).

I'll let you know how it goes on the range next weekend, thanks for all the suggestions here, you all have really helped.
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So ... 3 weeks later ... an update ...

Additionally I have done two more things ... polished the feed ramp a bit more and added a Wilson Combat ETM mag.

Shot 500 or so rounds now with no problems.

I'm not sure which (or all) of the things I have done fixed it but it works fine now and is a great shooting (excellent trigger) and accurate gun.

Pretty sad tho that you have to take a $1200 gun and spend a bunch of time finishing it and adding accessories to make it function properly ... I am an experienced gun owner that has purchased many new guns in recent years and have never had such problems.

Oh, and absolutely don't expect any help from the distributor ... Korth Group out of Okotoks Alberta ... first they told me that I had to "break the gun in with 300 rounds" ... which I dutiful shot in spite of never having to do this with other similar quality guns ... but still had the same problems, in fact they were getting more prevalent ... thereafter all I could get out of them was I had to send them the gun, at my expense, which they would send to a 3rd party gunsmith and "hoped" 4 - 6 weeks would be sufficient depending on parts availability ... this would be specific to Korth Group as I have read on US sites that Kimber USA gives great warranty service and will have your gun back in your hands in 2 weeks ... thanks for the non support Korth ...
 
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