Kimber Issues

[Dean C.]

So about a year and a half ago, my dad picked up a new Kimber "Stainless" TLE II, It was a good shooting pistol and he enjoyed it allot. It has been sitting in the dehumidified safe for a couple months so I was going through the safe to make sure everything was accounted for when I pulled out the Kimber to fondle it a little bit. When I removed it from the safe the damn thing had rust on the frame and slide, rust on a stainless gun????? Most of it scrubbed off but there are some pockets left over and visible marks. Needless to say I went through the rest of the safe making sure none of the other pistols or rifles had developed this problem. Nope not a single gun had developed this problem it was only the kimber, and there were several raw stainless guns in the safe for as long if not longer. Next I checked the dehumidifier in the safe and the big one in the room to ensure nothing was amiss there nope everything was OK. Turns out the "Kimber Rust" issues you can read about on the web weren't bull crap after all.

So if anyone is thinking about going the kimber route please stay away from this brand they give 1911's a bad name at this point. Springfield Armory or even Colt give consumers a much better value and product at the same price point.

 

[IndyGlockMan]

yeah, that's not cool.

 

[churchmouse]

Not a Kimber fan for more reasons than just this but I have heard the Ruger has had some issues like this as well.

 

[bobjones223]

Not what they used to be?

 

[88E30M50]

My Colt Delta Elite had some pitting under the grips when I had stored it for a while. Next time I have the grips off, I'll try to get a shot of it. Stainless is less prone to rust, but it's not rustproof.

 

[Hopper]

I have a work buddy who is having these identical issues on a Sig 938. Saw it for myself yesterday. I was with him when he bought it not even a year ago, and I know he has taken great care of it in a climate-controlled environment.

 

[NHT3]

I've said this before. Stainless is a relatively "soft" steel by design.. When enough carbon is added to make it tough ( or "hard" depending on how you want to describe it) enough for use in a firearm is also makes it prone to rust. Not as prone as the normal carbon steel but it will happen if it's in somewhat of a humid environment. Just because it's stainless doesn't mean you can ignore maintaining it as you would any firearm.

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[wtfd661]

Sorry to see that, none of my 3 Kimbers have any rust issues and I've had one of them for almost 10 years now. Not sure if makes any difference or not but I always keep all of my guns (Glocks, Kimber, and Ruger) wiped down with a rag with some oil on it when I am storing them and have never had any issues.

Hope your dad can get the rust off and if he keeps it maybe send it to a company like Robar for their NP3 treatment (or some other coating company).

Good luck to him

 

[VERT]

I have seen Ruger and Smith 1911s do the same thing. I guess wipe them off after handling. My issue is I store the handguns in there factory boxes.

 

[halfmileharry]

Not a Kimber fan for more reasons than just this but I have heard the Ruger has had some issues like this as well.

I have an older Sig 220 and it's difficult to keep the rust off of it.

I bought a Kimber Pro Carry II right after Sandy Hook and fired it a few times on a range trip. Cleaned it up and put it back in the box. I took it out of the box a month or so ago and the stainless finish in it has chunks out of it on the slide stop side. It looks like gravel chips on the hood of the truck it's so bad. It pisses me off a little but I didn't buy it to sit in the safe anyway so I can live with it.

 

[Drail]

Anyone who actually believes that stainless steel will not rust has not spent much time working with steel. Keep it oiled and do not store it in ANYTHING that will absorb moisture. Cardboard boxes and foam and fabric cases or holsters are for transport only, not storage.

 

[churchmouse]

Take a magnet, it will stick to a stainless gun.

 

[M67]

Anyone who actually believes that stainless steel will not rust has not spent much time working with steel. Keep it oiled and do not store it in ANYTHING that will absorb moisture. Cardboard boxes and foam and fabric cases or holsters are for transport only, not storage.

Yup, stainless does not mean rust proof

 

[223 Gunner]

Anyone who actually believes that stainless steel will not rust has not spent much time working with steel. Keep it oiled and do not store it in ANYTHING that will absorb moisture. Cardboard boxes and foam and fabric cases or holsters are for transport only, not storage.

Speaking of which, I recently lined the shelves of my safe with wax paper, that is how my hand guns are now stored in my safe. Never have had an issue, but I thought the fabric that my safe shelves are covered in may damage my guns.

 

[BJones]

That is a real bummer!!! I wonder what Kimber would say if you asked them to repair it?

 

[Mike Elzinga]

Kimber should tell you to store in a dry place as suggested in a manual. Keep in mind that sweat and oils from your hands can be much more harmful than mild humidity. Sorry to hear about this, but it isn't the Kimber companies fault, this is the drawback to all items made of steel. It should be easy to remove, and if you wish to guard against it in the future, the price of quality coatings has gone down a lot in the last couple years.

 

[churchmouse]

Kimber should tell you to store in a dry place as suggested in a manual. Keep in mind that sweat and oils from your hands can be much more harmful than mild humidity. Sorry to hear about this, but it isn't the Kimber companies fault, this is the drawback to all items made of steel. It should be easy to remove, and if you wish to guard against it in the future, the price of quality coatings has gone down a lot in the last couple years.

If in fact as the OP stated it is in a dehumidified environment it is a bad deal.
But, proper care needs to be taken as in wiping it down with a good cleaner and then an clean/oily rag. I do not let any firearm "SIT" for extended periods of time. I look them over and wipe them down regularly.
As mentioned, body oils can cause a lot of issues.

 

[Mike Elzinga]

I suspect the environment wasn't actually as dehumidified as the OP thought, which should be more an indication of the performance of his dehumidification system than Kimbers metallurgy. We have all found a gun that had some speckling in our collection, just means we need to re evaluate our storage plans, doesn't mean the OP is lazy or careless, just time to re evaluate like all the rest of us have had to do, or will have to do in the future.

 

[croy]

Not a Kimber fan for more reasons than just this but I have heard the Ruger has had some issues like this as well.

Same here on the kimbers. Haven't heard of many issues with the Ruger. Not saying they're not there.

IMHO opinion for what a Kimber is its vastly overpriced.

 

[Dkamm23]

i have never had this problem with any other stainless gun...