Yeah. Ahem. Kimber, eh? Aren't those just supposed to be the "ultimate 1911"? Isn't that why they cost so much more than, say, a Springer, or a Taurus, or a Firestorm(Llama)? Try before you buy! I know this guy, has a Kimber, smirks if you have a lesser gun. I own a VTX1300, not an HD. Name brand doesn't matter to me, only that it works right. I own Witness pistols, not "original, REAL" CZs. Cost less, work every bit as well if not better.
Give Kimber a chance to make it right. Been there, done that, and I'm very pleased that I did.
Two years ago, I bought a Kimber 8400 Montana rifle in .270 WSM. It's advertised by Kimber as having a match grade barrel and match grade chamber. This one didn't have either. Its barrel should have been rejected before assembly, but, for reasons unknown to me, it wasn't.
On firing mild handloads to carefully break in the barrel, it was very difficult to open the bolt after each shot. The extracted brass looked as if the chamber were lined with 220 grit sandpaper. I found a gouge in the chamber, an annular ring about 1/2" in front of the breech that circled half the chamber, into which the brass was extruded on each round. My brother, who is an ex-gunsmith, suspects the chamber reamer broke and gouged the chamber. Inspection should have caught the bad barrel, but either it wasn't, or it was put in the wrong stack.
In addition, it was very badly copper fouled after only 20 rounds, despite using the Barnes manual's method of breaking in a barrel.
I called Kimber and was asked to return it to the factory for correction. I did so and received it back promptly, but all they had done was polish the chamber. It still had the gouge and the bore was still rough.
So, I simply returned it again with a carefully worded letter to the effect that I did not receive what I paid for, certainly not a "match grade barrel" and a "match grade chamber". I demanded that it be rebarreled.
Kimber rebarreled it and returned it quickly. It looked pristine, as if it had just come off the factory floor. The new barrel has a smooth, polished chamber, the barrel is highly resistant to copper fouling, and it is a tack driver despite the thin barrel and light weight.
So, stick to your guns (and no, I couldn't resist -- could you?). There is something wrong with that machine that can be fixed, and it might be a rough or scarred chamber, which makes extraction difficult. Examine the surface of fired rounds, keep them for evidence, and so on.
Kimber stood behind their product and I thanked them by mail for doing so. I don't have a 1911 pistol, but when I do, it'll be a Kimber.
Sorry to hear that. I think Kimber will do you right, though. It IS a pain in the ass to have to go to the main UPS station to ship a gun, I've had to do that.
When your Kimber comes back, the aggravation should be somewhat ameliorated by getting back a top flight gun.
My 1911 doesn't work right either, whereas my PT92 has never failed once in 12 years. Every factory will turn out a Pig once in a while. Sometimes ya just get unlucky.
As to Kimber's good reputation? Hey, the exception proves the rule. I'm sure they'll get 'er running again.
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>
JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-matter-how-beautiful-she-is.html (6 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
Yeah. Ahem. Kimber, eh? Aren't those just supposed to be the "ultimate 1911"? Isn't that why they cost so much more than, say, a Springer, or a Taurus, or a Firestorm(Llama)? Try before you buy! I know this guy, has a Kimber, smirks if you have a lesser gun. I own a VTX1300, not an HD. Name brand doesn't matter to me, only that it works right. I own Witness pistols, not "original, REAL" CZs. Cost less, work every bit as well if not better.
See the post above. 8)
I have a Kimber Classic Stainless that has always been flawless. That's one reason the Eclipse appealed to me so much.
Give Kimber a chance to make it right. Been there, done that, and I'm very pleased that I did.
Two years ago, I bought a Kimber 8400 Montana rifle in .270 WSM. It's advertised by Kimber as having a match grade barrel and match grade chamber. This one didn't have either. Its barrel should have been rejected before assembly, but, for reasons unknown to me, it wasn't.
On firing mild handloads to carefully break in the barrel, it was very difficult to open the bolt after each shot. The extracted brass looked as if the chamber were lined with 220 grit sandpaper. I found a gouge in the chamber, an annular ring about 1/2" in front of the breech that circled half the chamber, into which the brass was extruded on each round. My brother, who is an ex-gunsmith, suspects the chamber reamer broke and gouged the chamber. Inspection should have caught the bad barrel, but either it wasn't, or it was put in the wrong stack.
In addition, it was very badly copper fouled after only 20 rounds, despite using the Barnes manual's method of breaking in a barrel.
I called Kimber and was asked to return it to the factory for correction. I did so and received it back promptly, but all they had done was polish the chamber. It still had the gouge and the bore was still rough.
So, I simply returned it again with a carefully worded letter to the effect that I did not receive what I paid for, certainly not a "match grade barrel" and a "match grade chamber". I demanded that it be rebarreled.
Kimber rebarreled it and returned it quickly. It looked pristine, as if it had just come off the factory floor. The new barrel has a smooth, polished chamber, the barrel is highly resistant to copper fouling, and it is a tack driver despite the thin barrel and light weight.
So, stick to your guns (and no, I couldn't resist -- could you?). There is something wrong with that machine that can be fixed, and it might be a rough or scarred chamber, which makes extraction difficult. Examine the surface of fired rounds, keep them for evidence, and so on.
Kimber stood behind their product and I thanked them by mail for doing so. I don't have a 1911 pistol, but when I do, it'll be a Kimber.
I suffer from a slight case of turgidity every time I hold a Kimber. Can't afford them, though.
The Ultra Carry II is simply beautiful, well balanced, and small enough to carry discretely. It's just $1200 which is too much to pay for a handgun.
And as ugly as she is, my Glock 29 spits out bullets regardless of condition. I bought the Glock for the reliability, not for the 'purty'.
And my Model 15 Dan Wesson .357 Magnum has never had an ejection problem ;)
Sorry to hear that. I think Kimber will do you right, though. It IS a pain in the ass to have to go to the main UPS station to ship a gun, I've had to do that.
When your Kimber comes back, the aggravation should be somewhat ameliorated by getting back a top flight gun.
My 1911 doesn't work right either, whereas my PT92 has never failed once in 12 years. Every factory will turn out a Pig once in a while. Sometimes ya just get unlucky.
As to Kimber's good reputation? Hey, the exception proves the rule. I'm sure they'll get 'er running again.
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>