old but new to CC

[AZJeeper]

Hello all,
So as the subject says, while I have been a CCW holder for a number of years I rarely carried my G23. I am a tall guy (6'4" about 230) but most of the weight sits in the middle and for some reason the gun never fit right in my IWB. So a few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to step up to a .45 and to make my personal and family defense a daily routine. So I sold the Glock (got a great price for it) and bought a Kimber Tactical Ultra II, and boy what a joy to carry. I am currently using a Galco IWB at 3:30 and it is like it is not even there.
But I have been having two problems witht the pistol
1. Intermittenly the pistol's slide lock would engage when half way through a magazine. Kimber sent me a new slide lock in the mail and I went to the range on Sunday - 100 rounds no problem, so I think this is fixed.

2. Only on the last round in a magazine (the kimber factory or either of the two Wilson Combat mags) the round will fail to feed - it starts to ramp into the barrell and won't seat. If I pull the slide back the round will seat further into the barrell but still leaves the weapon out of battery as though someone was pushing on the barrell about a 1/4 inch. I was using Magtech rounds and my father in law had the same problem on his Berratta 92FS.

I will try some differn't ammo this weekend and try to rule out the weapon and blame it on the ammo. This makes me somewhat uncomfortable with this as my carry weapon, a jam in a high pressure situation is not a fun thing, but since I carry "cocked and locked" I at least can be sure of that first round going off

Thanks for any input you may have.

BTW, love the board, used to frequent PDO but never posted, much differnt attitude on this board.

thanks,
AZJeeper

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[pgrass101]

Welcome from Alabama

[Pete Zaria]

Welcome to the forum from the rainy Pacific Northwest!

Excellent call on the Kimber, I wish I could afford one. I'm currently carrying a Springfield 1911 in .45, though.

About your slide lock problem, I would say Kimber was probably right, that it was a bad slide release - I can't really think of anything else that would cause that. Maybe some of the more experienced 1911 guys can give you more input on that.

With your failure-to-feed-the-last-round problem, does it happen with all types of ammo (hollowpoints only or ball/FMJ too?). If it's failing to feed the last round even with FMJ ammo, you may need to look into having your feed ramp polished up a bit.
Frequently, failure to feed the last round is caused by magazines the pistol doesn't like, but Wilson Combat's are generally great. I've had excellent luck with Chip McCormick mags, you might want to try a few of those maybe?

Good luck.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

[Kerbouchard]

Welcome to the Forum! Let us know how it turns out with some different ammo. Also, how old are the mags? If they are pretty old, a cleaning might be in order, but as you said it was happening to your Father In Law, I would tend to blame it on the ammo.

Good luck on the Kimber. Great choice!

[T Bone]

Welcome from Michigan!

The Ultra II is the 3 inch model, right? Just so you know, when you go below 4 inch in the 1911 platform, you've got a much higher chance of having difficulty getting them to run right.

No panic needed though, they can and do still run fine (some here probably have some that've been perfect). Sometimes they'll require a break in (figure 300 rounds or more). Sometimes it's as simple as a certain type (or brand) of ammunition it just doesn't like. And somtimes (like my Springfield Armory Micro Compact Loaded) it will require a trip back to the factory to get it right.

Didn't say if this was a new pistol, I presume it is. And I presume it's got an internal extractor. So, first up, I'd try different ammo, and if it malfunctions, keep track of which magazine it happens with (may or may not be significant).

Shoot it a bunch, it may clear up on it's own. If not, Kimber may end up going through the pistol for you (you've already experienced, pretty good customer service). No big deal. Might just be "growing pains".

[Naturalstate]

I have a Kimber also... I have purchased the Wilson Combat mag. even though the Kimber 1911 mag. works..

If both your mags have the same problems.. either the ammo is not right for the gun or other problems..

If FMJ does not feed.. save your money on further ammo.. consult Kimber for further ideas. if that feeds.. one of the least likely ammo's to not work is the Winchester Silver Tips... that pretty well goes for almost any gun... this ammo has a smaller hollow point opening as well as a very hard nickle finish to boot...

Let us know how things go for you..

Fear not this will be worked out.. either by Kimber or you.. If you are good with your hands.. do not be afraid to polish that ramp with a dremel tool and red rouge.. hardly a chance of any damage and only an upside...

Also as a another point.. on all your carry ammo.. take a few minutes to take all out of the box and roll across a granite or marble table to check for roundness and faults.. in the past year I have found faults in both Corbon 380's and one box of Gold Dots.. It happens from time to time with most.. worth your time for this important issue... These are tight fitting accurate weapons and the ammo must be also in that chain of events...

[limatunes]

Welcome to the forum!

First, I'd have to ask how many rounds your Kimber has through it?

Kimber recommends a 500 rounds break-in period and I'd put every one of those 500 through it making special note of what the problems where and with which magazines.

You said you use Wilson Combat Magazines as well? Does it happen with every single magazine or just every now and then? If so, I'd recommend marking the magazine and keeping careful track to see if it's just not the mag.

You may have the slide lock problems fixed, and trying different ammo is certainly another step.

I hope you get it all figured out! I hope to hear back on the progress!

[AZJeeper]

Some very good info here. The gun was purchased NIB (I still can't believe that they only give one mag with such an expensive gun). As of last Sunday I have put 160 FMJ through it 100 of those were the Magtech ammo and 20 were Hornady taps (this is what is my defensive load out). The taps had zero issues, even with the defective slide lock. I will do a much better job of tracking the number of rounds and which mags have problems (though this last batch of Magtech was all three mags, two Wilson, one Kimber and only on the last round of the magazine). I will contact kimber in the morning to see what they suggest.

Thanks again for all of the info and I look forward to getting more and giving some input on the future.

AZJeeper

[mr.stuart]

Welcome from Texas

[AZ Husker]

Howdy neighbor!!!

[Pete Zaria]

The gun was purchased NIB. As of last Sunday I have put 160 FMJ through it.
AZJeeper

Put about another 340 rounds through it and report back

High-end 1911's are famous for having tight tolerances, and needing a break-in period. As Lima mentioned above, most manufacturers (including Kimber) recommend around 500 rounds to smooth things out. If you're still having reliability issues after that point, then that's something to investigate.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

[Thumper]

Welcome aboard!

This is the BEST CCW Forum on the internet!

[tns0038]

Welcome from the bikini state.

Nice pistol. I’m wanting one but I’m thinking a 5-inch model

[deadeye72]

Welcome from central Mississippi.

[Reborn]

Welcome from Texas where the Rio Grande ain't deep or swift enough.