I heard, years ago, that Kimber was having major problems with consumer
complaints on their 1911 guns. I can’t remember what they were or the specifics - I am
not a Kimber guy so whadda I know?
All I know is that the quality, fit and finish of American guns has declined
markedly since the 70s. I’ll bet my Ruger American Tupperware bolt gun
is made by goofs like these. They’ll feed the CNC machines, Maybe change
the odd tool head when the cutters dull… and they’ll stamp them out by the
tens of thousands.
I'm betting the 2 old guys on the right do 90% of the machine set up and take care of the business of cranking guns out. The rest of the crew sit in the office and play solitaire.
ReplyDeleteAs for Kimbers, I've come to understand that 1911's require a certain amount of, err, looseness to function properly. Whenever you start tightening them up to make them match grade or whatever, you start running into issues. My 50 year old Colt rattles like a jar of marbles when I shake it, but shoots like a fucking champ. Anyway, I think the idea of making brand new pistols super tight kinda hurts the reliability aspect.
Hmmmm. I dunno Don? Les Baer makes one of the best 1911s on the planet and his gig is to manufacture all the bearing surfaces oversized…and then start filing them down until the parts mesh. It’s okay for some parts to rattle…but for that gun to shoot… when it goes into battery they have to lock up the same way every time and not budge. My understanding is that largely boils down to the barrel, bushing and slide for the critical surfaces… but whadda I know?
DeleteOh, you want it to be accurate too? I have a Ruger Blackhawk that can hit bowling pins at 100 yards all day long. The 1911 sends lead out addressed to Whom it may concern. It generally goes into the correct zip code, not always on target.
DeleteNever had a Blackhawk. Maybe in the next lifetime…
DeleteI had ChatGPT look at Kimberly reliability:
ReplyDeleteReliability / Function Issues
Users report failures to feed, failures to eject, jams, especially under rapid fire.
Some magazines or magazine retention springs are criticized: e.g. mags that don’t feed properly, mags that are loose or “fall out.”
Defective parts: e.g. mainspring housing breaking, frames or slides with manufacturing marks.
Quality Control / Workmanship
Reports of poor fit & finish: scratches, blemishes, rough machining, loose or misaligned parts.
Chambers, barrels or conversion kits with issues (e.g. pitting, rough reaming).
Customer Service / Warranty Support
Many complaints about slow or poor responses from customer service. Some say they are “passed around” with no resolution.
Some users claim they were denied warranty coverage, or that the company refused to fix issues they consider defects.
Complaint about being charged for repairs even though the issue was considered defective.
Marketing / Stock / Order Handling Discrepancies
Items listed as "in stock" that are not actually available; delays in shipping; orders taking excessively long.
Pay up front and wait long periods, or uncertainty about delivery timelines.
Pricing vs Value
Many users feel Kimber’s firearms are over-priced relative to the observed quality & reliability. They expect better out-of-box performance given the price.
Recall / Safety Issues
There was at least one recall: the firing-pin safety block in some Kimber R7 model handguns.
kimberamerica.com
Such recalls fuel concerns about QC and design safety.
M - from GAB
Guy at the LGS has one 45 auto. Had to fix a part but found only Kimber sold that part. Cha-Ching. Not sure it was proprietary or what. Jobber parts didn't fit and he was sad. So just say no to Kimber. Manufactures who make arms with proprietary parts will never see my coin.
DeleteThanks for stopping in you guys! 😊👍
DeleteI was enamored with Kimber when they first came out, but a friends had issues, they were dealt with, but it took months.
ReplyDeleteTurkey and the Philippines seem to have figured out how to produce 1911's and MUCH more.
My Tisas, Carry, bobtail, 70 series type Commander, is hands down the most accurate 1911 I've ever had. The slide, barrel and frame are all forged steel. All the other bits are machined from billet steel, except the recoil spring plug (MIM). SUPER trigger! About $500 new, give or take $100, really.
Detectable slide to frame wiggle. No movement when pushing down on barrel hood. Out of the 2 dozen plus magazines I've run through it, ONLY the original Mac Gar looking, 8 rounder, nose dives on the 1st round for a FTF. All my other 7 to 11 pound mags (I've been accruing 1911 mags since the mid 70's), no failures.
I'm seriously considering making my ever faithful, 34 year old G19, the #2 carry gun.
When I have to go to Nashville, the Glock will get the nod. With 2 spare G17 mags, with +2 bases, I've got 55 conveniently packaged rounds on tap.
OF COURSE shot placement is king, but if you need area fire suppression and don't have a belt fed, full auto with you (they are very heavy and hard to conceal for those 2 of you out there, that don't know:), then it's the Glock.
Happy 1911ening everybody! Shoot some paper and/or reactive targets this weekend. What's nice about having a home range is you can toss a can on the ground and shoot it until it's way WAY down there. My range is on a mild hill.
Yup. If I had to carry it’d be a plastic fantastic for me too…
DeleteI'll stick with my Springfield GI model. I did buy a 22LR conversion kit for it from Kimber, and it seems to work OK. I also bought a 22LR conversion kit from Advantage Arms and it was a total piece of crap. I had to send it back.
ReplyDeleteYup. I went Springfield too. I went with their version of the Gold Cop National Match… can’t remember what they called it. It just keeps shooting. Spent a fortune on high end mags for it too. It only failed to feed when I had a brain fart trying to load for it.
DeleteWhen demand out paces supply quality can suffer. When the world seems to be filled with gravy you better grab the biggest biscuit available and get all that you can.
ReplyDeleteKimber sucks-D
ReplyDelete