Kimber Stainless Pro TLE/RL II Range Report

[cbhausen]

Purchased the pistol (my first 1911) Thursday night and got to MCF&G Friday afternoon with 100 rounds of WWB 230 grain ball ammo. AFAIK I am the third owner. The first, an INGOer, ran 100 through it with no stoppages. The second (also an INGO member) never fired it all and simply sprayed it with a preservative and stored it in his safe.

I contacted the original owner with a question or two before buying and he expressed interest in re-acquiring the weapon if I decided not to buy or if I ever sell in the future.

These factors, along with the immaculate condition of the pistol, pushed me over the edge making me the proud new owner. A call to Kimber Friday morning reveals the pistol was manufactured on 9/29/2006.

I used 3 8-round capacity Kimber magazines to feed all 100 rounds to the pistol. This is the first time I can ever recall shooting a .45 and I was pleasantly surprised by how manageable recoil is and how easily the gun handles. Maybe the extra mass of the rail and stainless steel frame reduce muzzle flip a bit but I have no other experienc to use as a basis for comparison.

I did experience one FTE (stovepipe) about 20 rounds in and 2 instances where the slide stop lifted enough (about halfway) to lock the slide open on a partially full magazine. Otherwise, all was smooth including the last 50 rounds.

I know new Kimbers are tight and require break-in and I'm fine with that. I have also heard Kimber has replaced slide stops which cause stoppages like mine so I will look into this Monday.

I'm quite happy with the purchase pending resolution of these issues and the only mod I plan as of now is installation of an ambi safety (I'm a lefty). I bought a Blackhawk Serpa II paddle holster for carry and I will update this thread as necessary.

 

[ISHOOTHST'S]

 

[cbhausen]

I posted images in the 1911 show and tell thread

And I forgot to mention this particular Kimber has the internal extractor.

And here's a link to a good discussion regarding the slide stop issue:

Slide Locks Back on Kimber with Ammunition Still in the Magazine

 

[tbhausen]

I put a mag through that weapon; I'm certain it was my first time ever shooting a .45 and I was quite surprised how "tame" it really seemed. I'd characterize it as easier to shoot than the compact .40's I've had experience with. The recoil seemed more "straight into the hands and arms", rather than tending to cause muzzle flip.

 

[Jeremiah]

.45 tends to have a slow push in terms of recoil.

do some research. 1911's need more than a break in period to be reliable. Many 1911's are fickle, and require a fair bit of tuning to be reliable. You need to make sure the extractor is properly tensioned, the slide stop is the correct size, the list goes on. Kimber mags are rated middle of the road in terms of quality, at least by the people I know into 1911's who's opinions are influenced by LAV. wilson and Chip McCormick mags tend to get a thumbs up.

thanks for the accurate report of your experience.

 

[cbhausen]

I did tap the last few mags to seat the cartridge bases rearward and had no stoppages... coincidence? I dont know. Based on the article I linked to a bullet nose could have been pushing up on the stop lever causing those two stoppages.

Extractor and slide stop are Kimber factory parts. I will use the same philosophy taught me tuning race cars: change one thing at a time so you dont get lost (this is just plain common sense). I will first carefully load my mags making sure all cartridges are all the way back. If I get any stoppages I will look carefully for the cause. I'm sticking with the same ammo until I track this down. Thanks for the input.

 

[cbhausen]

There's a lot of good stuff here including more on the slide stop (see Problem #1: The Slide Stop in the Maintenance section):

The Sight's M1911 .45 ACP Page

Edit: you have to click Care and Use on the left side to get there...

 

[grunt soldier]

i have the same kimber and mine is a beast. i have shot and shot with no problems. first thing you do is put you kimber mags in the safe and buy as mentioned above some wilson or chip mccormick mags and i bet you don't have anymore problems.

congrats on a nice gun and the range time

 

[JLawsonTXRH]

I love my Kimbers. By far the nicest handguns I've ever shot. Thanks for the report.

 

[cbhausen]

Here she is...

 

[Cowboy1629]

Tripp Cobra mags work well too. That's what I run in my Ultra CDP II.

 

[billt]

I picked up this Kimber Stainless II a couple of months back, and it's been a real good performer. I'm really happy with it overall. Kimber makes a nice 1911. Bill T.

 

[cbhausen]

Range Report Update

I finally got back to the range for round 2 with my Kimber Stainless Pro TLE/RL II. I used the same ammo as during my initial range visit (WWB 230 gr. FMJ). I had one 7-round and 3 8-round mags with me (all Kimber). The 7-rounder has the split metal follower, the 8-rounders' followers are not split in the front. I fed the beast 100 rounds in rotation, meaning I used each magazine about 3 times (I think I used the 7-rounder 4 times).

I was extremely careful to pack the shell casings tightly to the rear of the mags by tapping the back (flat) side of the magazine on the bench before inserting it. IMO this exercise may be pointless since the remaining rounds may creep forward under recoil on their way up, expecially as the magazine empties under presumably less spring tension.

I dropped the slide (using stop, not slingshot) on my very first 8-round mag, aimed, and fired... Instant stoppage. Same thing, slide stop lever raising just enough to catch on notch in slide, locking it open on the remaining 7 live rounds. I dropped the slide again using the lever and emptied the mag without any other stoppages.

I only experienced one more stoppage identical to the first but with my one and only 7-round magazine and again between the first and second rounds.

These were the only two stoppages in 100 rounds sent downrange. All brass was ejected cleanly and I even managed to pick up over 80% of it from the gravel in the new pistol bays at MCF&G. Most of it was in a 3-foot diameter circle so extraction and ejection get a clean bill of health from me.

At this point I don't know what to do next... I'm not ready to shell out a bunch of money on Wilson Combat mags if it's the slide stop and I'm not ready to go filing on the slide stop yet since I can't tell if the nose of the upcoming round is pushing up on it or if I'm somehow encouraging this (I'm a lefty, if that may be a factor but I don't see how it could be me since my trigger finger is nowhere near the slide stop).

Maybe I should switch ammo next to SWC or JHP and see if the problem is replicable. This pistol is far from a jam-o-matic but I would like to see a few hundred go through it without any stoppages before it becomes my carry piece.

 

[wtfd661]

A while back Kimber had some issues with their slid stops. Get a hold of them and from my understanding they will send you a new one.

 

[MilitaryArms]

You can try sending the pistol back to Kimber. I had a couple Kimbers and like you they periodically choked, about 4-5 times every 100 rounds. I find any regular malfunctions to be unacceptable. I have 1911's that I have never had a failure to feed in thousands upon thousands of rounds.

Since Kimber had a couple of chances to fix their pistols and couldn't, I traded them back to my shop and moved to other manufacturers. Hopefully they can resolve your issue for you, I would give it a shot before doing any home gunsmithing which could invalidate your warranty.

 

[wtfd661]

Good thing I've never had an issue in any of the three Kimbers I've had (all have been through thousands of rounds). Not sure calling and asking for a new slid stop, having them send you one, and putting it into your gun would be considered "home gunsmithing".

 

[MilitaryArms]

Filing on parts might be considered "home gunsmithing". If you send it in with filing marks on your slide stop, they might be sticklers about it.

I wasn't talking to you by the way, so my comment wasn't centered around your comments.

I know you're a Kimber fan, and you have every right to be. But you don't have to dismiss others advice out of hand when they comment simply because you feel the need to defend Kimbers honor at every turn.

 

[cbhausen]

Will Kimber stand behind the pistol out of warranty? I'm not the original owner and it was produced in September, 2006.

 

[wtfd661]

I know you're a Kimber fan, and you have every right to be. But you don't have to dismiss others advice out of hand when they comment simply because you feel the need to defend Kimbers honor at every turn.

My apologies full-auto, I didn't mean to dismiss your advice, only trying to help the OP.

 

[cbhausen]

Mystery Solved... Not Much of a Mystery After All...

Thanks to everyone who offered help here. There's also lots on the web about this as I found after a little Google Fu this morning.

I am able to replicate the problem with the slide off (so I can better see what's going on) by loading a mag with the ammo I have been using and seating the rounds as far forward as they will go (including the offending top round, where I am using a straightedge to position it) and then pushing the mag up into the well.

Sure enough, the jacket on top round rubs the slide stop enough to lift it and cause a potential stoppage. Solving the issue with a little filing would take less time than it will for me to make this post. IMHO, here's plenty of overlap between the slide stop and follower (both 7-round split and 8-round skirted types) to safely remove some meat without causing a new problem like no lock on an empty mag or stuck mag (follower jumps over slide stop).

The thing that really leaves in impression on me is how much angst this has caused for so many people. I came across instances where pepole have gone so far as to sell their Kimbers and vow to never buy another because they experienced the same problem (with the same simple solution) as me.

I'm no Kimber fan-boy but I know quality when I see it and their stuff, although expensive, exudes quality and it would take something inherently flawed in the design to make me swear them off forever (and being 1911-based, that ain't gonna happen...)

I'll post again after some careful whittling and another trip to the range. The only thing I have to lose is the slide stop itself.