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View Full Version : Kimber Target II 9mm Extractor Problems



ohrings
01-28-2013, 08:25 PM
:flag: A week ago, I bought a new Kimber Target II 9mm. Being an owner of more than my share of 1911's, I thought this would be a no brainer. I had bough a Kimber Ultra Carry many years ago and had nothing but problems with the accuract of the pistol. It went back and Kimber had it more than I did. Finally got rid of it.

That being said, I thought I would give Kimber another chance to satisfy my lust for a 1911 in 9mm, considering I 2 9mm's in the house now. I picked it up on Thursday morning, made it to the gun club by noon and loaded it up with some very expense and precious 9mm hardball ammo, per the manufacturer to break it in. I only had one magazine because the store did not have any for sale. The mag would not lock the slide back at all after the last shell and I had a constant FTE (failure to extract the shell out of the chamber). I went out into the rear of the range and called Kimber. They did say that they would send out a replacement mag to my home. I asked them about the FTE and the guy felt it might be due to (horsechips) magazine. I went to several stores that afternoon and picked up two additional Kimber mags. The mags worked but still had FTE problems.

I called Kimber again today and told them what happened. They asked what bullets I used. I told them Fiocchi and Remington. They told me not to use the foreign crap. I thought this guy was not very intelligent, but I did tell him I about the Remington. He asked what weight was the bullet. I told him they were 115gr each. He stated that this pistol will NOT function with anything less than 125gr bullets. I told him no problem, that I had also tried reloads that are 125grains. He almost had a fit and told me they do not suggest reloads and if the gun was damaged, they could void the warranty. I asked him why and got a lame answer that reloads are not contant in quality. I told him to call Dillon Reloading and tell them that.

I stripped the pistol down completely and found that the extractor was not cut correctly in my opinion. He asked if I was a gunsmith or ever worked for Kimber. Now I am getting pissed, but held my temper. No, I am neither but own and do simple service all of my 1911 styles including replacing extractors. I offered to email him closeups of the extractor claw, but he declined. Now I am out of a pistol for 5-8 weeks.

THE QUESTION is.......anyone out there had problems with their Kimber 1911 9mm???

romanowe
01-28-2013, 10:06 PM
I have heard of a lot of issues with extractor tension in their 45s.

MI-1911
01-29-2013, 12:49 AM
Kimbers, unlike the Colt Government model, are fitted to very close tolerances. Did you clean and oil the gun before firing?

When brand new, typical 9mm 115GR range ammo might not be hot enough for reliable function out of the box. I would have recommended you try a box of hotter defense loads, maybe even going with a 147GR bullet weight.

Where did you purchase the gun, and did you try contacting them for advice, or assistance?

JDG
01-29-2013, 06:24 AM
Kimber will warranty the pistol for life, but will only cover shipping for the first year. Give other ammo a chance, and if the problem still persist, have them email you a shipping label on the spot. As you have found out, the CS is not like dealing with SA! A pistol should run on any factory ammo, dont buy into the BS.
Good luck!!:flag:

pkuptruck
01-29-2013, 06:39 AM
pretty picky for a 1911.. :facepalm:

usually a good production 1911 pistol will function/feed anything.. even a factory magazine.. :lol:

Freetime
01-29-2013, 11:16 AM
I have a Kimber Compact Stainless that I bought many years ago and have never had a problem of any kind. Just had to have a ambi safety installed because of being a lefty. I also have a Kimber Tactical Ultra that I made a trade for a while back and also have never had any kind of problem. I only shoot what I carry, Hydra-Shok 230gr. Kimber makes a quality 1911 in my opinion. As far as their 9mm, I have no idea though.

ohrings
01-30-2013, 01:57 PM
Let's see if I can answere several of your posts back to me.

1. New Pistol, not used.

2. Tried Fiocchi, Remington, Federal and my own reloads (I have used my reloads in a Sig and my Browning HiPower for over a year) with the new Kimber 9mm.

3. My buddie just got the same pistol that I have problems with. Used the same ammo (I am the only person in the area that has factory ammo, all the shops are out) as above and the damn think worked!!!! We put 200 rounds of Fiocchi and remington and Federal plus my reloads with only 1 failue to feed and one failure of the slide to lock back. We stipped down his new pistol and took a look at the extractor. I shop closeups with my macro lens and we compared his extractor with mine. There WAS a difference in the finish (nice and smooth) and the cut of the claw that grabs the shell.

4. The pistol is now at Kimber. I am now looking at 5-8 weeks per Kimber. It would ahve been easier to send me the extractor 1st.

5. The customer service person I could NOT use anything less than a 124-125 grains bullet. Baloney!! All of the factory ammo used yesterday in my buddies new pistol was 115 grains. We had to change the spring (as you would on a 1911 45) from 14 down to 12 lbs because of the slide not locking back.

ohrings
01-30-2013, 01:57 PM
I do have an order out for them to put an ambi safety on it because I am also left handed, but in my right mind

ohrings
01-30-2013, 02:02 PM
To: MI-1911

Why in the heck should I buy hot loads for a Target II pistol. This is NOT a personal protection 3" pistol. It is designed for target shooting. How many people do we know, that shoots targets, bullseye, PPC, etc, that goes out and spends big $$$$$ on heavy ammo. With all due respect. I have a 3" Colt defender that I shot hot loads in and do carry it. It also shoots my target load with a quick change of the spring.

I really do appreciate all of your input into this situation

ohrings
01-30-2013, 02:07 PM
Extractor tension. With this pistol, the extract is bent to go past the oriface that it comes out of. In other words, in order to take it out, you have to push the front of the extractor claw with a brass(so you do not scratch or damage it)(not covered in the manual) rod in one hand and down with the other. Hell, all my other 1911's extractors just drop out. Yes, I do realize this is a step beyond a field strip and clean, but it must be done on a regular basis when you are shooting 150-200 rounds evertime you go to the club range at Oakland County Sportsmans club. Being a Vietnam vet, I learned quickly that a happy pistol or rifle is one that is cleaned and ready to function at 100%.

MI-1911
01-30-2013, 09:53 PM
To: MI-1911

Why in the heck should I buy hot loads for a Target II pistol.

Just to break it in a little, hone off the high spots.

joepistol
01-31-2013, 01:20 AM
Not clear on what you posted..Did your friend change the recoil spring on his pistol to a 12#er ?, when shooting the 115gr. loads?

Did you try the same spring change on your pistol ?

Having recently purchased a low-round count STI Spartan in 45acp, I was experiencing crushed case mouths & feeding problems with 4 different loads, using 185gr, 200gr, & 230 gr. bullets.

Problem was fixed after changing the Std recoil spring (16 #) to a 14# spring..

Factory spring in a 5" 1911 in 9mm is 14 pounds, so might try a 12#

I also learned a common mod to 1911's is to change the mainspring from the std.weight (23#) down to a 19# spring..takes less slide speed to cock the spring & lightens trigger pull a bit as well.

A couple of mods you may want to consider..when you get your Kimber back.

My Rock Island 1911 in 9mm has fired mostly 115 gr loads, (my reloads) since I purchased it new about a year ago..they are not full power loads,& I never had a feeding problem.that wasn't mag related (checkmate-factory mag)
Tried MecGar mags & they worked perfectly, (as did the Checkmate mag,) after I put 400-500 rounds through it.. Believe the Checkmate mag spring had to "settle in" a bit..now works as well as the MecGar..

ohrings
02-03-2013, 11:39 AM
I changed the spring(14 lb is standard dwon to 12) myself which was based on my use of other 1911's in 45 acp. I own a couple and have changed springs to suit the ammunition that I was using. My 1st 1911, which I still shoot, is my Colt Gold Cup National Match. This is my main bullseye pistol. I am hoping that my new Kimber, when I get it back, will become #2 in my bullseye line up.

I appreciate the feedback!!

Thanks

Batman
02-03-2013, 03:02 PM
I have the exact same pistol. I've had it for about 10 years. I've had no issues with it at all. I shoot everything in it and did no "break in" at all. I run lots of Blazer in it as that is what I have. But I've run other stuff in it as well with no issues. I have a compact CDP in 45 acp as well and it's been good to go too. Maybe I got lucky. This said I will never ever buy another Kimber ever again. Kimber's are like a box of chocolates, you never kow what you're going to get until you bit into it. Again, maybe I got lucky but I'm not willing to take the chance again.

soupyu
02-04-2013, 01:37 PM
Heard of this issue.

ohrings
02-06-2013, 05:06 PM
Just got a an email from Kimber. When I called them, I also told them that I wanted an Ambi safety put on. It has been two weeks since they have had it and they have NOT done the repair on my pistol. Rather, they emailed me to get my credit card so they can do the add on. What about my repair???? They could have been working on that 1st. This is too funny, I am going bananas!!!! :banana: