This is my 1st post so hopefully someone can tell me what might be going on with my Kimber Eclipse Custom II.
The problem is at least 1 round in a mag will fail to feed, and the slide stays all the way back like I just empty the gun. And It happens with ALL the Ammo, Underwood 180 and 155, Sig 180,Rem 180 and plus all my reloads with 180's and 800X , Bluedot,Unique, and Alcan 7 powder.
I bought this pistol in Jan of this year and have about 400 rounds through it but it has been doing this all the time since day 1, and to top it all, I also bought a Colt Delta Elite right before Xmas 2015 and have fired the same loads with out a hitch!! even the hot stuff Underwood and some of my hot reloads the Colt eats them right up!!
Also when I put in the Colt mag in the Kimber it still does the same thing!!
What is going on?? I really like the Kimber but right now I would take the Colt hands down over the Kimber.
14 GT-500 welcome to the forum! many of the 1911's have had the very issue you described. Some have been magazine related and others other things to due with ammo impulse during recoil. Here are some videos that may point to solutions;
When I got my 10mm Kimber Eclipse Custom II about three years ago, I had some premature lock-backs (which is what I THINK you are describing). I called them and they sent me a different slide-lock, and I didn't have that problem any more. When that IS the problem, you can usually see a little copper on the bottom of the inner slide-lock lobe (if you're shooting copper-jacketed bullets) when you field-strip the gun after shooting it.
Also, be sure that you aren't inadvertently pushing up on the slide-lock during the cycling ... that can also cause the problem.
Mine did the same thing, I sent it back to Kimber. Make sure you take pictures, they will scratch up the gun and try to blame you.
Once back it has ran great.
Thanks for all the helpful tips guy's. I sure will take note of them. I guess I am disappointed right now in the way the gun functions, it sure look's sharp and is darn accurate. I should have also told you that I load only 5 rounds in a mag at a time as I only like to shoot just 1 row in a box at a time. I kind of thought that after 400 rounds or so the gun would work it self out of it. Maybe send it back into Kimber I guess.
Quote from: 14 GT-500 on March 03 2016 03:30:06 PM MST
The problem is at least 1 round in a mag will fail to feed, and the slide stays all the way back like I just empty the gun.
Just to confirm, is the slide stop engaging the slide when this occurs, or is the slide jammed?
If it is the slide stop, have you tried switching them between the Colt and Kimber?
Assuming the slide top IS engaging the slide, then what you have here is simple physics most likely. The gun recoils up, and your hands pull it back down. There isn't a strong enough divot/groove or slope to the slide stop to allow the plunger to keep if from moving, so newtons laws cause it to engage prematurely.
If that is the case, then you just need to alter the slide stop to have more positive engagement when in the "down" position.
Um you might be on to something there about the slide stop. In a hour or so when the sun comes out I want run some 800X reloads through the Chrono so will look into that MORE. I will also take the Slide stop from the Delta and put it on the Kimber and then see what happens.
Will report back. P.S I kind of like using the Kimber as a test Mule before I run them through the Colt.
Well guy's.
I took out the Kimber and ended up more frustrated !!! I was shooting some Sig factory ammo and 3 of my casing have a VERY ragged V shape cut on both sides of the brass, it seems to me like the slide wants to close before the brass clears, I also had that happen once yesterday with my reloads. Also getting brass marks in the front and back of my ejection port.
I did put in the slide stop pin from my Colt .45 Gold Cup and still had problems. I am thinking about sending the gun back or call Kimber 1st.
On another note I chrono the Sig ammo @ 1383 fps!!! that's right!! some almost hit 1400 fps !! My 800x load went 1350 fps and 11.2 grs of Alcan 7
hit 1150 fps good plinking load, about what the Rem stuff is, and 6.5 grs of Unique over a 200 gr cast bullet gave me 853 fps through the Colt Gold Cup which was very nice shooting. P.S don't ask me to send pictures as I don't even have a cell phone !!
I am in the airport on Manila waiting on my flight to Hong kong->Delhi, so I can't post pictures. Search my posts for mangled and you will see I had this problem too.
It is caused by insufficient extractor tension. Google adjusting 1911 extractor tension and you should get some good videos.
Thanks sqlbullet, I will check that out.
I had a FTF problem with my Eclipse 10mm only more so. It would FTF about 3 times for each magazine I loaded and that made it real hard to fire the 600 rounds Kimber wanted through it before they would look at it. In fact one of the people at Kimber asked my what did I expect- it is a 10mm not a 45. I finally talked to someone that allowed me to send it back and they pretty much fixed it except for the last round in a some magazines. I now trust the gun to shoot at the range.
Last round in the mag bolt over base ftf are usually a poorly fit, not adjusted, extractor or a weak mag spring.
Wow I was thinking about a Kimber 10mm, but these stories are making reconsider it.
These experiences are why I think the RIA offerings are such a great deal. Less money, similar (though more frequent) issues, better CS getting them resolved.
If you want a high chance of problem free, step on up to the DW.
Quote from: sqlbullet on March 06 2016 04:46:23 AM MST
These experiences are why I think the RIA offerings are such a great deal. Less money, similar (though more frequent) issues, better CS getting them resolved.
If you want a high chance of problem free, step on up to the DW.
I just might do that.
Though I haven't heard of many problems with the Kimber TLE II in 10mm.
Well guy's thanks for all your inputs. But it appears to me that I have more then 1 issue with this gun, so come Monday I will be giving Kimber a call. I was looking @ the owners manual and I saw that they have only a 1 year warranty on the Gun, so I got to get it taking care of ASAP. I sure hope that there good to work with as this is my 1st non Colt 1911.
Keep you posted.
Mine has been flawless and wonderful. I hope they take care of yours. There are no perfect companies, what counts is if they make it right.
Yes I know that there will always be one of anything, be it cars, trucks, motorcycles etc etc that somehow need a little more attention. I had a S&W Shield that had to go back last year, and S&W fixed it. If Kimber makes it right that's all I ask since it is a great looking & shooting pistol.
If you tried swapping the slide stop on your 10mm with one from a .45, understand that those stops ARE NOT the same. If you haven't tried it, use the slide stop from your Delta Elite, not Gold Cup.
I had similar issues with my RIA, and discovered it was the extended Wilson Slide stop that was the culprit. RIA informed me they were not the same and to go with the OEM stop.
Also stronger mag springs cleared up most of the FTRB issues.
I didn't know that, I will swap out the Delta Elite slide stop and the magazine.
And see how it runs then.
Thanks
Well guys, I just got off the phone with Kimber and they think its the slide stop so there sending one out today. I ask them about my brass and they said that's all part of owning a 10mm. So hopefully the new part works out because my son wants to take it to his CCW class on March 26th!! That will open some eyes up!!
Quote from: 14 GT-500 on March 07 2016 12:36:03 PM MST
Well guys, I just got off the phone with Kimber and they think its the slide stop so there sending one out today. I ask them about my brass and they said that's all part of owning a 10mm.
That was an asinine thing for them to say ... sounds like the same old Kimber customer support ... I had hoped they had reformed by now. And from your description of your brass mangling, I think you DO need some extractor adjusting. (Sometimes, adjusting the tension is enough, but other times some slight reshaping (with a file) of the extractor is needed.) Also, somewhere along the line, a gunsmith slightly shortened my ejector a bit, and I think that improved it some. My ejected brass isn't pristine, but it always ejects and doesn't interfere with the cycling.
I am assuming your brass looks kinda like this:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/brassDef2.jpg)
This is NOT a part of owning a 10mm. This is an improperly adjusted extractor. If you brass just has some dents in it, then I agree, that is part of a 10mm.
Quote from: sqlbullet on March 07 2016 09:40:35 PM MST
I am assuming your brass looks kinda like this:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/brassDef2.jpg)
This is NOT a part of owning a 10mm. This is an improperly adjusted extractor. If you brass just has some dents in it, then I agree, that is part of a 10mm.
How/why does an improperly adjusted extractor cause that.
.
That's exactly what my brass looks like!!!! plus the front of my ejection port looks like a gold wedding band and the back somewhat also "but that's all part of owning a 10mm" "its not a .45" is what they told me. But I said my Colt Delta Elite doesn't do that !!! what the heck.
Anyhow there sending me a slide stop but I think there is more then 1 issue with my Kimber.
Keep you posted. Going out side to shoot now.
Quote from: 14 GT-500 on March 08 2016 10:02:00 AM MST
Going out side to shoot now.
I certainly envy your ability to do THAT!
Call em back and tell them that dented brass you can live with, torn brass is a problem.
my_old_glock, if the extractor is loose it won't hold the brass against the breech face, and won't act as proper pivot when the ejector hits it. The result is the brass gets knocked off the ejector hook, but not out of the action. As the slide closes the brass gets caught on the barrel hood or slide. However, there is enough slide velocity to rip up the brass before it pushes it out of the way.
14 GT-500, you can resolve this yourself pretty easily.
This guy talks too much and makes a 3 minute video into 10 minutes, but it covers how to test and adjust the extractor if needed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENFoZPF2-FM
"but that's all part of owning a 10mm"
Horse hockey! Maybe picking up a dent due to the brass hitting the ground at terminal velocity would be "but that's all part of owning a 10mm".
I have, and have had, a bunch of 10mm pistols (lost count). None of them do/did that when they are right, which leaves one conclusion in your case. It isn't. It's a new pistol, and does not require 600 rounds to make it run. Perhaps Kimber should ship 600 rounds of break-in ammo with a new pistol to do what should have been done before it left the factory.
Hey I like that idea of free ammo :P It wouldn't take me to long to burn that up. But once the warm weather comes to WI I will be cutting back on my shooting a lot. And instead of burning powder and lead and primers will be burning rubber and 93 gas. Can't wait, its sunny and 63 outside right now.
Quote from: 14 GT-500 on March 07 2016 12:36:03 PM MST
W I ask them about my brass and they said that's all part of owning a 10mm.
Yeah I own a Kimber 10mm and the brass never has so much as a ding in it, I'd ask to escalate that to a supervisor ASAP. That comment shows nothing but either ignorance or willful attempt to deflect on their part. Kind of pathetic for a company charging $1100 or so for these guns....if they can't make them run right why do they sell them that way? (Mine runs perfect)
Quote from: spaniel on March 13 2016 06:31:30 PM MDT
Yeah I own a Kimber 10mm and the brass never has so much as a ding in it, [...] (Mine runs perfect)
When did you buy yours (new, I assume)? What model 10mm Kimber? Your experience seems rare ... certainly much different than my experience with my Eclipse Custom II (bought new about three years ago). (On the positive side, I DO think Kimber made all the right design choices on my gun, but it has been a long road (with three non-Kimber gunsmiths' help) getting it to run fairly well, and it'll take a while longer for me to learn to trust it as much as I trust my S&W revolvers).
Well guys,
It looks like my Kimber is going back to the factory. I put the new slide stop in that they sent me and the gun did the same old same old,By not going into battery ALOT!! and the torn brass issues. Talk to Kimber today about it and they sent me a RMA#. So it looks like if I want to shoot a 10mm it will have to be my Colt.
Hopefully they get it fixed cause I really like the pistol, should be about 5 weeks they said.
Kimber sent me the slide stop also and the failure to lock back issue stopped on mine. But the other problems I had continued and it went back and is now running fine.
My Kimber 38 Super had the same problem and the new slide stop they sent for that gun worked.
Does anyone know the difference between a stock slide stop and the ones they send out?
What were the other problems that you had with the Kimber that you had to send it back??
I bought 4 Kimbers in the last 5 years.
1. A Ultra SS compact which has 1,000 rounds and never given me a problem.
2. A 38 Super Target which failed to lock back after the last shot and the new slide stop solved the problem.
3. A 9mm Target which was also failing to lock back and the same style slide stop was sent and it fixed that problem. But I was still having double feeds and stovepipes. Sent it back and they had the extractor in it replaced it and its been a champ. Ran 100 rounds of aluminum Federal yesterday and no problems at all.
4. My Eclipse 10mm was a the worst. Failure to lock back on last shot, double feeds, stove pipes and jam after jam with all types of ammo. Kimber sent me another slide stop and it solved that problem but the other still existed. So I sent it back and it came back with I think a new extractor or ejector. It has run perfect since. Kimber scratched the slide and I sent it back and they fixed it and gave me a 9mm magazine for my problems. A 9mm instead of a 10mm I have no idea why. (It was a pain to get them to fix a cosmetic repair)
If you send it back, take take pictures just in case they put a mark on it or a idiot scratch.
its already wrap up and on its way. I was on the phone for 30mins just to talk to someone :'( they claim that there that backlogged. I could add more to that but will wait and see how the gun turns out.
I like the Kimbers I have but do not plan on buying anymore. Their customer service is the worst and I have dealt with most manufacturers. Good luck and if they get it right the Eclipse is a monster.
*Unless they make a 6 inch 10mm.
1911 is a tinkerer's gun, so I think Kimber and others get used to guys on the budget end of the 1911 market ironing out their own bugs. Or just putting the gun up after a magazine or two and never shooting it again.
I hope it works out for you. It certainly sounds like these should be easy items to cure.