Kimber TLE II barrel fit

[Bohica]

I just bought a used Kimber TLE II online and I love it.

But...

Out of the first 150 rounds it failed to feed three times.
It happened with Armscor ammo which is so nice to shoot at the range with my 10mm Witness, and it happened with Underwood JHP which feels like a real cartridge should!

When I looked closer, the JHP round actually caught the bottom of the ramp, and crimped the nose of the bullet a little where it got stuck.

Then I noticed the bottom of the ramp was lying about 1/32 of an inch to the rear of the frame cutout.
I read somewhere that it should be about 1/32 toward the muzzle instead,or at least flush.
https://youtu.be/DSTwmexUdlY

When I disassembled it to clean I noticed the bottom of the barrel didn't have any marks where it was contacting the frame under the ramp, and all of the rearward motion of the barrel was being stopped by the top of the feet under the barrel.

Is the link too short? And if I get a shorter link will it keep from locking up as tightly as it does now?

If the link is ok can I shorten he ramp a little so it doesn't snag my bullets? Or is the angle of the ramp that critical?

If anybody has any good experience fixing this issue, please advise.

[DM1906]

Sounds like an (improper) barrel fitment. The link is fit to the function, not the other way around. If the barrel is overtraveling rearward, a shorter link will not fix it (although it will "look" fixed). Shorting the link will prevent full lug-bridge engagement, shear the pin and/or link, and possibly damage the lug (irreparably). Too little rearward travel can be corrected with filing (a little), or milling (more than a little), if it isn't an issue with a too-short link. It will likely need to go back to Kimber. Give them a call and describe the problem. If it's been "repaired" or "tuned" by other than Kimber, be prepared to pony up some bucks.

Firing the pistol in this condition may result in a very bad experience. Cartridge-chamber interference can cause bullet set-back, which could make this entire discussion moot (KB!).

[Bohica]

Ok thanks for the added insight.

After I re-read my post I realized I meant to say the link may be too long. After looking at the lower link hole it has a lot of play (.010) on the slide stop pin.
But thanks for confirming that a shorter link may cause it to not lock up into the slide as well as it should.

[DM1906]

Staying with your original description, the link length is NOT the problem (at this point).

If (the rearmost edge of) the barrel chamber ramp is REAR of the frame bridge when the slide is locked open, the problem is not the link. The problem is incorrect barrel fitment, and NO link selection will fix that. The barrel lug MUST contact the frame bridge, immediately following the beginning of action cycling, a fraction of an inch after the link pulls the barrel from locked-battery. The barrel lug to bridge contact is what stops the rearward travel of the barrel during firing or manual cycling. Correcting barrel overtravel by shortening the link will cause the (eventual catastrophic) condition I described above, where the link, lug and pin, are relied upon to "stop" rearward barrel travel. This problem WILL correct itself in a short period of firing, where the pin will shear, and/or the link will elongate, to allow the lug to contact the bridge, by deforming the pin and/or link, or outright failure of the pin, link, or lug (the last round to be fired until repaired). A 1/32"+ link correction is enough to outright shear the link pin or lug.

Ultimately, the barrel must be fit correctly. If the barrel is overtravelling, allowing the ramp to stop 1/32" rear of the bridge, at least 1/32" of ramp material must be milled away to correct the condition (1/32" is  LOT). This is assuming the remainder of the fitment is correct. Once this is corrected, the correct length link can be fitted.

This pistol needs to revisit Kimber, or other COMPETENT gunsmith. The frame and barrel MUST be blueprinted to determine where the problem lies. The problem may be an incorrectly milled frame, and not an issue with the barrel/slide, at all. If this is an all-original Kimber pistol, it left the factory defective. If it's been "tuned", or parts replaced/upgraded since, it has been damaged by incompetent 'smithing (and Kimber should not honor a warranty repair). That is the only explanation I can see at this point.

Can you post some actual pictures of the condition you are seeing? Also, a pic of the frame and barrel alone, with the barrel resting fully rearward, seated in the bridge radius (bed)? Multiple angles would be good.

[Bohica]

Agreed. I'll try to post some pics.

[Bohica]

I took lots of pics but they're too big. I have to shrink them first.

Since my last post, I added a Wilson combat bushing compensator, and I replaced the barrel link with a #2 from Wilson combat. I painted the lower lugs and under the barrel with Dykem and fired 100 rounds of the Armscor range ammo and 20 rounds of the same underwood JHP that was misfeeding before. No failures to feed, in any of the magazines.
The blue dye was rubbed off the lower lugs evenly right up to the barrel and the underside of the barrel chamber/ramp had no contact even though it looks very very close.   
The barrel fit seems to be right on now, and the bottom of the barrel ramp is just barely to the rear of the frame.   
Even so, the bottom of the ramp is below the contact point of the bullet nose if the cartridge doesn't nose dive.
Still trying to figure out the best way to shrink my pics.