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Bulldog1911 wrote:Good luck with their customer service, I've heard they're a real pain to deal with, but hopefully they will take care of you.

They quoted 5-6 week turnaround time and had it back in 3. I got a call when they shipped it back to me, but didn't offer a tracking number - I should have asked, I suppose.

The only repair work they listed on the receipt is the aforementioned 'refit the barrel'. I am not certain, but I believe they may have swapped in a new barrel altogether. They test-fired with both the factory magazine and a Wilson that I provided, and included an extra recoil spring in the case.

I got the pistol to the range on Friday and fired 100 rounds of WWB, and 50 each of of Federal and Remington. I had no failures of any kind. I'm happy that the service was performed in a timely manner, but I still have some lingering annoyances about the overall quality of the gun - specifically the durability of the finish and loose grip panels.

If I can get it to perform this well on the next range trip, I will finally be comfortable turning into a carry piece. I just wish I'd given up on attempting to break it in sooner and returned it months ago.

Just got a call from Kimber that they are done and I should have it back Tuesday. According to the rep they 'refit the barrel'.

I'm hoping to provide a positive range report next week.

Excaliber wrote:You might review this thread to catch up on the experiences some folks have been reporting.

Thanks, that's the one I turned up. This is stuff that was acquired over the last year from different lots - but of course I don't have the boxes of what I've fired to confirm the manufacture location. I'm not having a failure to fire issue, which seems to be the most common report in that thread.

I'll do a visual side-by-side with what I have left against some Federal this weekend.

Excaliber wrote:In view of the large number of serious problem reports lately with WWB, I'd suggest trying another good brand (e.g. Remington) to see if the problem persists.

If not, all you may need to do is change ammo brands.

I guess I'm a bit out of the loop. I haven't seen the reports of issues, but I'll go searching.

If an ammo change resolves the problem I will be happier, but given the initial cost of the pistol and the added expense of breaking it in, I'm choosing to stay frustrated for the moment. I thought I knew what I was getting into having read about the problems some other people have experienced, but it's quite different to fight it myself.

As things stand, the pistol is in NY and 'out for delivery'. I'll report back once the service is done and hope to be a satisfied customer sooner rather than later.

Excaliber wrote:

Backslider wrote:The slide can be closed, but I'd say it requires force rather than pressure. A pretty solid rap on the back of the slide will place it back into battery.

What type of ammo are you using - FMJ, hollowpoints, etc.?

Factory or reload?

It's all been WWB FMJ, with the exception of one box of PDX1 that fed fine. I bought a box of Federal with the intention of mixing it up, but never got it into the rotation.

The slide can be closed, but I'd say it requires force rather than pressure. A pretty solid rap on the back of the slide will place it back into battery.

chuckybrown wrote:I'm curious....the picture looks more like a Failure To Extract (FTE) vs. an FTF. And if I can respectfully share a thought.....that gun is dirty man! Give that baby a bath! Maybe that will help with some of the issues?

Keep us posted!

Despite what it looks like, that is a round that has failed to chamber. I have had zero FTE problems, and I'm pretty sure I can tell the difference.

And also despite what it looks like, that was a thoroughly clean pistol when I started my range session, and I've cleaned it every 100 rounds. I have tried various levels of lubrication, and this was on the 'wet' side. This was only 25-30 rounds in. Maybe I should have posted this picture instead.



I meant to post this thread I found last night - I wish I'd had the benefit of it when I was shopping.

Kimber Super Carry Pro – Review

A bit too long since my last update, but I now have 800 rounds through the pistol with the last few hundred using a Wolff spring, and I'm still getting a 2-6% FTF rate.



I have my RMA in hand and the pistol goes back tomorrow. I have about a month left in my 1 year warranty and I want to be sure to have the problem reported before that runs out. Hopefully I'll be back with good news in a couple of months.

I ordered the recoil spring and also remembered my desire for a 10lb USP hammer spring as well. Big shopping day.

USA1 wrote:I was talking to a Gunsmith about the Kimbers failing to return to battery and he said this is almost always cured by replacing the recoil spring with a Wolff Improved XP Recoil Spring .45ACP. The Wolff spring is rated for the same poundage as the Kimber stock spring but a side by side comparison shows that the Wolff spring is longer which translates into more travel therefore completely returning the slide back to battery after a shot.

It costs $7.89+shipping.

Although I've had no problems with mine, I replaced the stock spring with the Wolff spring and I can tell the difference.
When you release the slide, it snaps shut with a bit more authority than it did before. I took it to the range and ran another 100 rounds through it and it just seems to operate more solidly now.

Thanks for the suggestion. I am probably going to order one today.

The Annoyed Man wrote:When you say "failure to return to battery," are you saying that the slide locked back on a still full magazine? I'm asking, because there is an easy solution if the problem is what I think it is.

Not exactly, but I will start with a call before shipping the whole thing back. Every time I get home from the range, I wish I'd remembered to take a picture.

The problem I'm having is that the round feeds and the slide starts to close, but appears to bind up about 1/2 inch from closing completely. I can tap it in from the back to close it and then the pistol is ready to fire.

It's a new pistol. I am definitely going to send it back if I don't get the failures down to about 2% after the next 100 rounds.

bigred90gt wrote:That is a beautiful pistol! I'm in the market for one at the next gun show (28th-29th), and am having a hard time making a decision. I was actually looking at the Ultra Carry II, but the slightly longer barrel of the Pro carry might be a better choice. It is between the Kimber, Para PDA, or Colt Defender. I'll have to just put each one in my hand and make a decision on the fly.

The fact that you had feeding issues is a bit of a concern to me, and that is precisely why I sold my RIA.

Definitely let us know what you come home with.

I am now 420 rounds into the break-in period. I've cleaned and lubricated at 0, 150, and 300 rounds, using more lube each time. Rounds 1-400 were WWB bulk packs, with the last 20 PDX1.

I had 9 failures to return to battery. One with the Kimber Tac-Pro magazine, two with the Wilson 47D (once on two occasions), and six with the Wilson Elite Tactical Magazine (one, three, and two from three separate full magazines). I attribute at least a couple of the failures to improper grip.

The PDX1 (8 rounds in the 47D and ETM, 4 in the Tac-Pro) had no problems at all. I'm hoping that through break-in, grip re-education, and lubrication I'm about at the end of the issues.

I bought it back in 1993. Still has the McBride's tag on it and everything.

USA1 wrote:I don't know about you, but I oiled up my Kimber generously before shooting it for the first time.
It seems they are very tight at first and need some running time for everything to smooth out and loosen up.

I was more generous than usual, but that still wasn't very much. I'll be sure to give it a thorough soaking this time.