Used Crimson Kimber 1911 - problems

CS86 · April 22, 2012, 10:57 PM

I wanted to see what others thoughts are on a used .45 Custom Crimson Kimber 1911 that I bought at a pawn shop. The gun was marked at 900 and I got the guy to come down to 825. I had him break the gun down to look at the parts. It looked like it was fairly used but not abused. Tolerance felt pretty tight, and I felt I was getting a pretty good deal.

I took the gun out to shoot it today and I was a little disappointed. My accuracy wasn't all that great, which I can't blame on the gun, but I was expecting it to be a little better. I was getting some jambs were the bullet didn't want to slide up the ramp. I have 2 mags, 1 is a colt and the other is a kimber. I thought I would of seen better feeding with the kimber, but they both did the same thing. On the last round the action would lock back, and leave the last bullet just setting on top of the mag. This also happened with both mags.

I was shooting 230gr FMJs. They had a very round nose on them. Comparing to other .45 1911 guns I thought that the spring may of been a little weaker when pulling the action back. I'm not sure how you would test this, but could that be a possible problem with the last bullet locking the action back? Would the jambs be from not liking the style of bullet? Or did I just pay to much for the gun?

CS86 · April 23, 2012, 12:54 PM

No other thoughts? I was hopng and thought I would for sure get a few hits on this. I plan on calling Kimber to see what there thoughts are.

Tactical Jackalope · April 23, 2012, 01:55 PM

Ouch..had the same issue when I didn't know better about thoroughly checking the entire gun before buying it. Lucky for you when I did this same thing it too was with a 1911..a Rock Island Tactical. Doing EXACTLY as you describe. With the slide release and with racking the slide to chamber the round. Suspense killing you?

The reason why it was sold and in that shop unknown to me was because the person who had it before me dremeled the frame of the gun..like polishing the feed ramp to a whole different level of stupidity and instead of the frame feeding ramp looking like this U (rounded off and polished) it looked like this l_l (squared off and crappy)

Check your frame papa..see if it's looking like that. If it is..Bye bye..Sell it.

TacticalDefense1911 · April 23, 2012, 03:13 PM

Kimbers, like many 1911's, are pretty magazine sensitive. Get a couple good aftermarket magazines like a Chip McCormick Power Mag or Tripp Research Cobra mag and go from there. Most 1911 issues can be contributed to either the magazine or the extractor and it sounds like a magazine issue in this case.

CS86 · April 23, 2012, 03:17 PM

eventually I will trade it off for something better. For now It is the only .45 I own and I would like to get a little practice with it. I called Kimber and they said to try a new recoil spring. I will probably order one tonight and see what happens. I will have to check the ramp and make sure no one did something dumb like you mentioned.

The part I'm stumped on and hope for is that the new spring fixes the action from locking back on the last round. I don't know how, but the bullet would just lay loosly on top of the mag, and it did it for both mags.

LarryFlew · April 23, 2012, 03:32 PM

Is it a short handled version? Problems with feeding because the ramp was so steep. Polish did wonders. Now have a commander handle on 4 inch frame and upper which took care of the problem. Custom shop. Polishing the ramp on the 3 inch helped a LOT but did not totally cure the problem. Ball ammo only on the short handles.

Kimber was real good about helping even though I bought the 3 inch used. Give them a shout and see what they say. They had me send the 3 inch in. They replaced a couple of unrelated parts for free since hey had it. If it is a short handle be very careful about not jamming a full size mag into it as you cna break the ejector.

Uncle Malice · April 23, 2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

I called Kimber and they said to try a new recoil spring.

Ouch. This is why I buy Springfield over Kimber.

Springfield Armory would have sent you a prepaid shipping label to return the gun on their time, fixed it and sent it right back. Nothing to worry about.

scottl · April 23, 2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Ouch. This is why I buy Springfield over Kimber.

Springfield Armory would have sent you a prepaid shipping label to return the gun on their time, fixed it and sent it right back. Nothing to worry about.

Over a maintenance problem?

Recoil spring should be first thing replaced on a used semi-auto with unknown round count.

Uncle Malice · April 23, 2012, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Over a maintenance problem?

No. Over _ANY_ problem.

I doubt the recoil spring is the issue. So he'll spend the money on that. The problem will persist. Then he'll try buying different magazines. On.. and on.. Not to mention the money spent on ammo to go through the testing.

I'd much rather have the warm and fuzzies of knowing my 1911 is backed by Springfield Armory or Smith & Wesson lifetime warranties. Hell, from those I've talked to and stories I've read on here, Kimber's customer service is even a gamble when you are the original owner.

That's just absurd for what they charge for those guns.

CS86 · April 24, 2012, 08:36 AM

I didn't order the spring yet and I'm thinking about taking it out with some other bullets sometime. One thing I noticed is that the clip feels slopy when its locked in place. I don't know some of the mechanics of this area but is there a way to tighten it up? I'm not sure if this is normal or just my opinion.

Hoping that I can make it function better without much investing, and given the Crimson 1911 model do you guys think I made out ok with the price of $825. The laser is just a bonus, I really didn't care if I had it but it seems to add value.

NJgunowner · April 24, 2012, 08:42 AM

Considering it has "issues" I'd say you over paid. Depending on what it takes to get it fixed, I may change my mind.

The magazine being loose could be the mag itself, or the it could be a worn mag release. If the magazine is loose, it could be the issue. You can try holding the magazine in place and firing and see if it still jams. If it doesn't you know what the problem is. A new mag release isn't the end of the world and not too hard to replace for a competent gunsmith. You could probably do it yourself, just depends on your comfort level.

stu925 · April 24, 2012, 08:53 AM

The last round issue sounds like a magazine issue to me, I'd pick up a couple new magazines and replace the recoil spring. I'll bet those will fix your problems. My Pro CDP II functions flawlessly with both the Kimber and Colt Magazines I have so I see no reason why yours wouldn't. I would also detail strip and clean the entire gun before I tried to shoot it again (if you haven't done it already). About a month ago I started having feeding issues with my Kimber, did a detail strip and clean on it and no issues since.

Stu

80viking · April 24, 2012, 09:10 AM

Does'nt anyone remember that the Kimber 1911's started off as cheap entry level guns like the Essex 1911's? They spent a lot on advertising and improved their finish and now they get $1000+ for their pistols.

I would try some new springs and a Chip McCormick or Wilson magazine.

CS86 · April 24, 2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

A new mag release isn't the end of the world

Where would you suggest getting parts if I decide/need to replace the it?

TacticalDefense1911 · April 24, 2012, 12:04 PM

Brownells has a wide variety of 1911 parts www.brownells.com. Its about as comprehensive as you are going to find.

NJgunowner · April 24, 2012, 12:26 PM

+1
Brownells is pretty much where I buy all my 1911 parts. The price is decent and they have the best selection I've found to date.

markt99 · April 24, 2012, 12:37 PM

The premature slide lock is a defective slide stop. Pretty common with Kimbers. Had it on both of mine. Traded one and had the other one fixed by a gun smith. He couldn't fit the stock slide stop enough to make it work so he replaced it. My Custom II runs great now but it took 1k rounds break in and the aforementioned gun smithing. I would never buy or recommend a Kimber again

Mark

April 22, 2012, 10:57 PM	#1
CS86 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2012 Location: South Dakota Posts: 224	Used Crimson Kimber 1911 - problems I wanted to see what others thoughts are on a used .45 Custom Crimson Kimber 1911 that I bought at a pawn shop. The gun was marked at 900 and I got the guy to come down to 825. I had him break the gun down to look at the parts. It looked like it was fairly used but not abused. Tolerance felt pretty tight, and I felt I was getting a pretty good deal. I took the gun out to shoot it today and I was a little disappointed. My accuracy wasn't all that great, which I can't blame on the gun, but I was expecting it to be a little better. I was getting some jambs were the bullet didn't want to slide up the ramp. I have 2 mags, 1 is a colt and the other is a kimber. I thought I would of seen better feeding with the kimber, but they both did the same thing. On the last round the action would lock back, and leave the last bullet just setting on top of the mag. This also happened with both mags. I was shooting 230gr FMJs. They had a very round nose on them. Comparing to other .45 1911 guns I thought that the spring may of been a little weaker when pulling the action back. I'm not sure how you would test this, but could that be a possible problem with the last bullet locking the action back? Would the jambs be from not liking the style of bullet? Or did I just pay to much for the gun? Last edited by CS86; April 22, 2012 at 11:37 PM.

April 24, 2012, 08:42 AM	#11
NJgunowner Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 1,254	Considering it has "issues" I'd say you over paid. Depending on what it takes to get it fixed, I may change my mind. The magazine being loose could be the mag itself, or the it could be a worn mag release. If the magazine is loose, it could be the issue. You can try holding the magazine in place and firing and see if it still jams. If it doesn't you know what the problem is. A new mag release isn't the end of the world and not too hard to replace for a competent gunsmith. You could probably do it yourself, just depends on your comfort level. Last edited by NJgunowner; April 24, 2012 at 08:51 AM.

April 23, 2012, 12:54 PM	#2
CS86 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2012 Location: South Dakota Posts: 224	No other thoughts? I was hopng and thought I would for sure get a few hits on this. I plan on calling Kimber to see what there thoughts are.

April 23, 2012, 01:55 PM	#3
Tactical Jackalope Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 6,429	Ouch..had the same issue when I didn't know better about thoroughly checking the entire gun before buying it. Lucky for you when I did this same thing it too was with a 1911..a Rock Island Tactical. Doing EXACTLY as you describe. With the slide release and with racking the slide to chamber the round. Suspense killing you? The reason why it was sold and in that shop unknown to me was because the person who had it before me dremeled the frame of the gun..like polishing the feed ramp to a whole different level of stupidity and instead of the frame feeding ramp looking like this U (rounded off and polished) it looked like this l_l (squared off and crappy) Check your frame papa..see if it's looking like that. If it is..Bye bye..Sell it.

April 23, 2012, 03:13 PM	#4
TacticalDefense1911 Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,277	Kimbers, like many 1911's, are pretty magazine sensitive. Get a couple good aftermarket magazines like a Chip McCormick Power Mag or Tripp Research Cobra mag and go from there. Most 1911 issues can be contributed to either the magazine or the extractor and it sounds like a magazine issue in this case.

April 23, 2012, 03:17 PM	#5
CS86 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2012 Location: South Dakota Posts: 224	eventually I will trade it off for something better. For now It is the only .45 I own and I would like to get a little practice with it. I called Kimber and they said to try a new recoil spring. I will probably order one tonight and see what happens. I will have to check the ramp and make sure no one did something dumb like you mentioned. The part I'm stumped on and hope for is that the new spring fixes the action from locking back on the last round. I don't know how, but the bullet would just lay loosly on top of the mag, and it did it for both mags.

April 23, 2012, 03:32 PM	#6
LarryFlew Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2009 Location: Minnesota CZ fan Posts: 902	Is it a short handled version? Problems with feeding because the ramp was so steep. Polish did wonders. Now have a commander handle on 4 inch frame and upper which took care of the problem. Custom shop. Polishing the ramp on the 3 inch helped a LOT but did not totally cure the problem. Ball ammo only on the short handles. Kimber was real good about helping even though I bought the 3 inch used. Give them a shout and see what they say. They had me send the 3 inch in. They replaced a couple of unrelated parts for free since hey had it. If it is a short handle be very careful about not jamming a full size mag into it as you cna break the ejector.

April 24, 2012, 08:36 AM	#10
CS86 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2012 Location: South Dakota Posts: 224	I didn't order the spring yet and I'm thinking about taking it out with some other bullets sometime. One thing I noticed is that the clip feels slopy when its locked in place. I don't know some of the mechanics of this area but is there a way to tighten it up? I'm not sure if this is normal or just my opinion. Hoping that I can make it function better without much investing, and given the Crimson 1911 model do you guys think I made out ok with the price of $825. The laser is just a bonus, I really didn't care if I had it but it seems to add value.

April 24, 2012, 08:53 AM	#12
stu925 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 953	The last round issue sounds like a magazine issue to me, I'd pick up a couple new magazines and replace the recoil spring. I'll bet those will fix your problems. My Pro CDP II functions flawlessly with both the Kimber and Colt Magazines I have so I see no reason why yours wouldn't. I would also detail strip and clean the entire gun before I tried to shoot it again (if you haven't done it already). About a month ago I started having feeding issues with my Kimber, did a detail strip and clean on it and no issues since. Stu

April 24, 2012, 09:10 AM	#13
80viking Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2009 Location: The Peoples Republic of Massac Posts: 333	Does'nt anyone remember that the Kimber 1911's started off as cheap entry level guns like the Essex 1911's? They spent a lot on advertising and improved their finish and now they get $1000+ for their pistols. I would try some new springs and a Chip McCormick or Wilson magazine.

April 24, 2012, 12:04 PM	#15
TacticalDefense1911 Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,277	Brownells has a wide variety of 1911 parts www.brownells.com. Its about as comprehensive as you are going to find.

April 24, 2012, 12:26 PM	#16
NJgunowner Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 1,254	+1 Brownells is pretty much where I buy all my 1911 parts. The price is decent and they have the best selection I've found to date.

April 24, 2012, 12:37 PM	#17
markt99 Member Join Date: January 18, 2012 Posts: 53	The premature slide lock is a defective slide stop. Pretty common with Kimbers. Had it on both of mine. Traded one and had the other one fixed by a gun smith. He couldn't fit the stock slide stop enough to make it work so he replaced it. My Custom II runs great now but it took 1k rounds break in and the aforementioned gun smithing. I would never buy or recommend a Kimber again Mark