Hollow Point Misfeeds

[NE45]

One thought, it was mentioned this was a used Ultra Carry, as I remember from reading the info on the UCII when I got mine Kimber recommends changing the recoil springs at about 1200 rounds. That is the first thing I’d do if I bought a used Ultra Carry. Then at least you know you’re starting off when you should be from the standpoint of recoil springs.

Of course being a pessimist I’d also buy at least one new mag to try also.

My Ultra Carry has been pretty good but I’m still in a break in phase on that pistol, its got about 500 rounds through it.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[QKShooter]

Getting the firearm to feed a certain brand of hollow-point may be as simple as breaking the sharp lower edge of the chamber mouth.

Also: often properly tensioning the extractor will allow hollow-point ammo to easily feed and chamber.

It's usually a very easy and simple fix but you need to know what you're doing and exactly what is causing the round to hang during the feed cycle.

[jahwarrior72]

the only ammo that ever gave me any issues were speer gold dots in 9mm. i don't think a gun should be picky with ammo, though.

[Vested]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all of the feedback. This site is a great resource for anyone that needs the seek out the advice of those that have “been there and done that”.

Chooie,

I tried your suggestion of letting the slide “slingshot” and do all of the work. This did not seem to help with either of the magazines. As I mentioned previously, I purchased a new magazine to go along with the one the previous owner sent with the gun. I even inserted a clip with the slide stop engaged and then let her fly. This worked 3 out of 10 times. If it had worked 9 out of 10 it would not be good enough for me to bet my life on.

Blueyedevil,

I do not notice any smiley faces on the ammunition. This firearm was sent to me in a very dirty condition and I only cleaned the barrel really good before I fired it the first time. After I had the experienced the HP jamming I looked closer at the ramp and noticed that it was very dirty and thought that it was the culprit. I cleaned everything well and it did not make a difference. Without being a gunsmith I have to assume that Kimber did their homework and testing and the ramp is the correct length.

Ron / CCWINNC,

I understand your stance on the revolver vs the semi auto. I personally feel that semi autos are reliable enough to bet my life on and want the additional “chances” that they provide over a 5 or 6 shot revolver.

Mags,

I will the Hornady TAP-FPD series that you suggest as well as some others.

NE45,

If the other types of HP ammo do not rectify the problem I will probably take it to a gunsmith for a tune-up. This is a used firearm and I have reason to believe that it was fired beyond what would be needed to break it in.

OKshooter,

This firearm is used and breaking the sharp lower edge of the chamber mouth would have to be something that a gunsmith would have to determine for me. My UC has a extractor that protrudes slightly when there is a round chambered and is flush when empty. I do not see this feature on the UC’s that my buddies have and wonder when Kimber stopped making this model.

[aus71383]

When you let the slide go and it jams, look inside the ejection port and try to see whats going on.
If the rounds are stuck inside the magazine, its hard to blame the angle of the chamber throat.
If the round is stuck halfway up the ramp, its hard to blame the magazine.
Check the tension on your extractor - if its too tight it will be hard for the rounds to slide up the breech face.
When you load a magazine with only 1 round, or only 5, does the jam still occur?

Austin

[Vested]

Austin,

The bullet is halfway out of the magazine and it appears that the hollow tip of the bullet is possibly caught on the bottom of the ramp. It does not seem to matter if there is one or five rounds as I thought about that one myself.

[QKShooter]

"hollow tip of the bullet is possibly caught on the bottom of the ramp."

The frame ramp or the barrel ramp?

You need to remove your slide and check to make sure that when your barrel is pushed fully rearward that the barrel ramp does not overhang the edge of the frame ramp.

Also important. Is it the front of the cartridge that is not chambering or the rear of the cartridge that is not moving up into the extractor & up the breech face because one action cannot happen without the other. Both jams look identical.

[snub41]

try bending that little follower dickie on the mag up slightly and polishing your feed ramp with a dremmel/polishing bit/polish. I fixed a similiar problem on a Sistema colt 1911 I once owned this way. Combined with bout 500 rounds should do the trick.

[QKShooter]

I would try another brand of decent SD ammo to see if that fixes the problem (sometimes it will) & then if the issue continues and you otherwise love the gun...then it sure would be worth having a Street Reliability job done on it by a good smith.
AKA with instructions to perform only the work necessary to insure reliable functioning.

[bzdog]

I assume you gave it a light lube after cleaning it?

Some generic thoughts on getting a used handgun...

Make sure to check under the extractor claw as sometimes gunk can build up there as well.

With a used gun, I'd probably replace the recoil spring and the mag springs with good quality (Wolff or OEM) springs.

-john

[raevan]

"This firearm is used and breaking the sharp lower edge of the chamber mouth would have to be something that a gunsmith would have to determine for me. My UC has a extractor that protrudes slightly when there is a round chambered and is flush when empty. I do not see this feature on the UC’s that my buddies have and wonder when Kimber stopped making this model."

Acouple of things here, it sounds like you have an external extracter, kimber had problems with their external extractor which is why they returned to internal. You may not have clearance for the rim of the cartridge behind the extractor causing it to be pushed out..

If the rim of the cartridge cannot slip behind the extractor it will cause a jam.

[rocky]

Maybe try Powerball ammo too. It has a polymer tip that is suppose to work better for feeding.

[aus71383]

Have you checked your extractor tension? Field strip the gun and remove the barrel. With just the slide, push a spent piece of brass under the extractor. It should hold it flat no matter what way you tilt or wiggle the slide. With a dummy round (with a full weight bullet....some people will use a live round but in theory this is not the safest way) slide it under the extractor and it should hold in place but sort of flop around a bit.
Its possible that the bullet is getting stuck on the ramp, but if you try to do some "bubba-smithing" on it and remove metal, there's no way to put it back. I would sooner try to smooth out the breech face and adjust the extractor tension than I would start dremmeling on the frame. JMO.

Austin

[snub41]

Everyone could be profficient enough to do a basic fluff n buff with a dremmel, as long as it's with the polisher and not a grinding wheel. It will help the nose of the round slide up the feed ramp a little easier. There is more to the fluff and buff but in that respect it may help. A certain LCpl I served with was anal about his fluff and buff's on his personal and issued sidearms and it sticks with me to this day.

[aus71383]

Just be careful with that frame ramp is all I'm saying. It has exact dimensions and can easily be ruined - there's no replacing that stuff once it comes off.

Austin