...but only on the 2nd to last round. It happens maybe 50% of the time. I bounced this off two local shops and they thought it was likely the mag. That makes sense to me, so I bought two Wilson Combat mags to try out. Same result. Told the guy at the second gun shop and he agreed that it does sound like a mag issue. I bought a Chip McCormick Power Mag from him. Same result. I have used five different brands of ammo and sent about $400 down range so far. It never happens on any other round. Otherwise, it is a pleasure to shoot.

This is my first 1911. It is a PRO CDP II. If I can get past this hiccup and the pistol proves reliable, it will likely be my cc of choice. I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Obligatory Phone Pics:


The marring on the trigger guard is from the Crossbreed Super Tuck (great holster btw). Kinda bummed about the finish. I may have it blasted and anodized down the road, or I may just get over it..

It was bought used so I'm sure that it has seen more rounds than what I have put through it. It had standard wear marks on the aluminum frame and on the outside of the barrel. I feel like it has had enough rounds through it to be past the break-in period.

The feed ramp is ugly. The paint was worn off when I bought it.

The Wilson mag: Wilson Combat 47D 1911 Magazine, .45 ACP, Full-Size, 8 Round, Standard Base Pad. Had to look it up..

No palm shoving is necessary, just slight thumb pressure is all it takes to send it home. It just doesn't make it that last ~1/4".

Possible Recoil Spring?

Wow, just spent the last hour reading about aluminum frames and feed ramps..
Mine looks like crap. Just read about steel inserts. I have a lot of learning to do on this platform.

Are these frames just painted or is there some kind of anodizing process done?

The barrel link appears to be in good shape.

I'll take a pic of the feed ramp and post it in just a sec...

feed ramp should be smooth...they are not painted

I'd do one thing at a time.

You've tried different mags so next I'd try a recoil spring.

Kimber recommends changing the recoil spring in that pistol every 800 rounds. If you've put $400 worth of ammo through it then you're probably well over that yourself without considering what someone else shot through it.

I'd leave the feed ramp alone at this point. Actually I'd leave the feed ramp alone on an alloy frame pistol period.

I had a similar problem with my Stainless Colt Commander at about 14K rounds.

It wouldn't go into full battery when there were one or two rounds left in the mag. It would do it with factory Colt mags, CMC's, Tripp's, and Wilson's.

I replaced the recoil spring with a Wolff Standard Weight spring and that cured the problem.

YMMV

The feed ramp looks ugly. I'd replace the recoil spring first and see if it fixes the issue...it is cheaper than having an insert installed. If the spring does not fix it, then a smith will have to fix the ramp or install an insert.

this would be my guess. cheap to replace and rule out as well.

i took some light grit sandpaper (like 400) and lightly smoothed my feedramp going the direction the bullet travels to the barrel until i got those marks mostly out, it didn't take much, then i took my dremel and a felt wheel with some liquid metal polish and went over it until it was shining. i didn't really remove much material other than the highspots that went from side to side and certainly didn't change the angle with my little felt wheel. i wouldn't hesitate to do a little light polishing to get rid of those high spots.


here's mine after polishing and then having 700+ rounds put through it. you can see it marr'd my polish job a bit but it's still buttery smooth and operates flawlessly. FYI this is from a tactical custom, my ramp was not painted to begin with but it still is aluminum

doing this and a new recoil spring may solve the problems your having if it's an issue of the slide not having enough force to close all the way and maybe combined with the bullet catching up on the feed ramp which slows the slide even more so.

Thanks everyone, I know my next move. I'm going to order a new recoil spring. Any brands better than others? Are chrome silicone available? Replacing a spring every 800 cycles strikes me as very excessive.

My other question is about the feed ramps. I'm going to put off any polishing until after I have worked with the spring for a few hundred rounds. But I would like to know more about the steel inserts. You guys have any idea how much I should expect to pay to have that done by a reputable smith?

Thanks.

It's on page 7 of the factory manual for the Pro, Compact, and Ultra models.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/uploads/manual-download/Compact.pdf