I need a new handgun...lets talk guns today. :D

I could be wrong, this is my first 1911. But I am still leaning towards a bum magazine. It is WAY too easy to load. Spring feels really weak.

 

I'm no gunsmith, but the majority of 1911 issues tend to be mag related. Go buy a quality one and see what happens before you shitcan it. I would just say to get a spring, but we all know you aren't taking that thing apart. That said, some 1911's just flat out won't run with certain brands of mags.

 

I’ll try that. There is a thread on the Kimber forum just about (best) mags.

 

In defense of the 1911 it was not designed to feed hollow point ammo. The fact that it will is just a bonus when it works

 

Fucking NATO...

 

No shit.

Then there is only one logical way forward.




I need to buy another new gun to use the hollow point ammo I’ve already got.

 

#1 Have you dissembled it?

If not unload and clear your 1911. If you’ve never dissembled one read your manual and then watch a few videos on it. Disassembly will vary depending on whether it’s a bull barrel or not.

I use Ballistol or Gibbs for different purposes, Disassemble and thoroughly clean, don’t under lube but don’t overdue it either. In my experience 1911s like a little lube.

#2 reassemble it, do a function check and then break it down another four or five times to build familiarity. I’m just talking basic disassembly, not the slide.

Load mag and charge, I’m not talking from a locked open slide either, repeat.

Toss the hollow points, you can try them again after 500 rounds or so, FMJ’s baby, 230 gr military issue style. Clean and lube after use.

 

My STI Edge had to go back and get the feed ramp tweaked after FtF issues. It is a 1911 clone though...

 

The heck are you guys doing with 1911's ?

Open an antique store and take your grandma to a sewing competition already

 

I love my 1911. Its only down fall is capacity.

 

2011.

 

16+1, problem solved!

 

WOW! If I Bought an STI with the prices they charge and it failed I would be a little more than upset.

Ride safe,
AAron

 

The usual, the precision, feel and trigger.

 

Yeah, but I already have a 3911, and I'd rather spend money on rifles, not handguns.

 

Always a chance of an issue, most high dollar 1911's I've used were tight out of the box and springs should be tailored to the preferred round. The rock island pictured above is a very basic 70 series version not in the same league as my nighthawk or an STI but its batting above its weight class, the high capacity capability makes it one of my favorites.

 

I'd rather do both.

 

Another thought, this may not be popular but you bought a Kimber, often perceived by some as a next tier up firearm but I’ll throw this out there. A Kimber is unlike a Big Mac, you buy a Big Mac anywhere your buying a Big Mac, knowing it looks like a Big Mac, tastes like a Big Mac and for what it is, works like a Big Mac. A Kimber is more like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get, the paths to Kimber support are beaten down and well worn for good reason. They’ll be plenty howls to how good Kimber’s are but rarely is there a Kimber barrel feed ramp that wouldn’t benefit from some ahem, tweaking.

 

Just to hammer the point home here is an oldie but a goodie.

“
Kimber 1911's Are Bad or: How I learned to stop buying Kimbers and love the 1911

I see so much on this and other gun forums where people hate on the 1911. Many times it's because the only experience someone had was with a Kimber. I'm here to tell you why you should not base any opinions of 1911's off the product that Kimber makes. Inevitably, someone is going to post how their particular Kimber has worked flawlessly and is great. I'm happy for them. I'm glad their gun works. I'm here to talk about the CURRENT product and why you should not invest any money into Kimber 1911's. I am not a gunsmith (I do have a mechanical engineering degree) but I've been shooting 1911's and 2011's in competition for years. I've won a few matches and placed at many, many more. I've shot 1911's from every manufacturer including basically every high end builder except for Ed Brown. I have never seen a Kimber finish a single match without fucking up. Let us begin.

Kimber's sell for roughly $900 up to roughly $2000. I will base my post around their most popular versions that range from $900-$1500. They claim to use stainless steel barrels. True, they may have the lowest grade stainless that still qualifies as stainless, but when a customer hears stainless steel they expect a low maintenance finish. This is what you get with Kimber's stainless http://i.imgur.com/RmXF4Ux.jpg. That is a factory gun as it was received by the dealer. This is NOT an isolated incident. Google "Kimber rust" and see how many results come up.


Kimber mags. Holy fucking shit, where do I start. People often say how unreliable the 1911 is, but never consider WHY. Magazines cause 90% of the failures I see. If you talk about a Glock fucking up and tell people you're using those knock-off Korean mags, they tell you "Well of course it's fucking up. Get some good mags!" The same applies to the 1911. If you give ANY gun shit mags, it is not going to run. Kimber mags are the shittiest. Invest the money in Tripp, Wilson, or even Chip McCormick mags and save yourself the headache.

MIM parts. WTAF. You're telling me I'm paying close to $1000 for a gun and you're going to use fucking MIM parts? Ok as long as they're in low-stress areas I can maybe handle that. WHAT? YOU'RE USING FUCKING MIM HAMMERS AND SEARS ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Ok for those of you who don't know, a 1911's legendary trigger comes from the hammer and sear interface. The actual "trigger" that you press does nothing but push the sear out from under the hammer, which is why you can get that sexy, silky trigger break the 1911 is so famous for. But if you're a dumbass and put parts that are basically cast, the hammer/sear angles will wear down very quickly and turn your trigger to shit. You NEED tool steel in those areas. The parts are not that much more expensive. Here is what happens when you put shit metal in high stress areas. I apologize for the shit picture but the left side thumb safety sheared off as you can see http://i.imgur.com/674ws0Q.jpg. As soon as I can dig it up, there's another guy with a broken hammer. The gun didn't have many rounds and the fucking hammer broke OFF. Google "Kimber broken hammer" and see how many results pop up.

**What has Kimber done right?**

Marketing. Kimber has a brilliant marketing team. When I first got into shooting and I wanted a 1911, Kimber was the only thing I knew of. They were pretty guns to look at and the ads sure made me look like I was gonna be super high speed, while maintaining low drag.



**Ok what should I get instead?**

It depends on your budget. For Kimber level pricing, fucking anything else. Springfield TRP's are great guns for the upper level Kimber stuff. STI is one of my personal favorites and they make a fantastic 1911 for the price. Check out their Trojan and Spartan. Once you get beyond $2000, I would only consider going the true custom gunsmith route. This does not mean Les Baer/Wilson/etc. I mean an actual single gunsmith who will do EXACTLY what you want.

Below that, Rock Island makes a good budget gun. If you want to upgrade it, save the old parts so when it comes time to sell it, you can dump the original stuff back in it.

I will update this post some more when I get home from work to include anything else I can think of. I'm happy to answer any questions you have, and won't bullshit you if I don't know.


EDIT: KIMBER CUSTOM SHOP.

There is no such thing. It does not exist. Seriously I will BitCoin tip $1 to the first person who can get me a "Kimber Custom Shop" gunsmith on the phone so I can discuss some custom work I want done. It's an excuse to roll mark "CUSTOM" on a regular production gun to soften the blow of tricking people into spending more money. “

 

Maybe kimbers are bad but there are four in my family that have been Around for over 10 years a piece. My brothers and Dad all got them around the same time and they have been fine. I shot one last weekend, granted they aren't being shot 10,000 times a year or whatever the magic number is to break them, but for the regular shooter, I've seen no evidence of the inter web's hate of them. Same with Christensen rifles.

I'm borrowing my Dad's Kimber right now, trying to decide if I want a 1911 or not. That said, the Springfield range officer is looking nice price wise

Edit: just looked at the mags with Dad's Kimber and they are Wilson hah