first off I LOVE KIMBERS,. the look, feel, weight, overall quality vs springfield or current colts for "out of the box for the price" weapons.
leaving going to custom guns from wilson, baer, and others being the over 1200.00 price range.

kimber custom eclipse II
after putting 700+rds through the gun it still continues to fail to go forward into full battery everytime, nearly every time. at times jamming on the round to the point i have to wack it with a mallet to release the live round from the chamber, (thats a sweaty one...)
suggestions,,

changing recoil spring? current is factory installed and not easy to rack slide so assume spring in good shape. have owned ALOT of 1911's in 30 years and not sure this is the case this time.

refitted left stock for total clearance of slide release.
still hiccups.

secondly my ultra II has done the same a few times,
took off the aftermarket extended slide release and put the orginal back on and it still did it
2 or 3 out of 50 rds..nothing major, but..
refitted the left stock leaving total clearance for the slide release.

the Ultra is NEW, so break in is not there yet and understand that part.
but to have 2 weapons do the same thing...questionable to say the least..

both of these are 800.00+ guns,,this is a bummer to say the least.

lastly I have an older Kimber classic custom. works like a champ all the time and for an out of the box gun, second in accuracy and reliablity only to my 70's colt gold cup that is a fully tricked piece...

I dont believe the extactor is the issue with any of these as i have had no failure to eject with any of them.

I am at the point i contact kimber but thought i would give a shout here and see the general responce first.
again, the custom eclipse is at 700+ rds and the ultra is approaching the 500 mark..

mags are all wilson 47D 15 total different mags..
have tried with some colt and alternate brands, still does same thing.
rounds fully extract, slide picks up next round but stops with about 1/4 of the round hanging out of the barrel and no lock up..

I tried the aftermarket slide release as i prefer the added length to return to action.
it is a wilson part..

no other after market parts on either of the guns, factory stock from kimber..
thanks for the input,
contacting kimber tommorow..

start out with a clean lightly oiled pistol, after about two 50 rnd boxes it starts acting up. It fails to completely chamber a round about every fifth round. I have to shove the slide forward to seat it.
Chip McCormick mags, Blazer Brass & Winchester White Box ammo?
It's had about five to six hundred total rounds through it. Not too happy with it so far. Any help?
Kevin




I've done alot of search info on this problem and this is typical of what I'm finding....





I ran across this disturbing note from the Denver Police Department and felt it would be interesting to some of the members here.

Kimber Pistols vs. Issued Ammo

Kimber Manufacturing recently advised the Denver Police Department that the Kimber 1911 pistol is guaranteed to function only if certain types of ammunition are used. A letter from Kimber states in part, ammunition choice and maintenance is critical.

If an agency deviates from this list, (of approved ammo), Kimber will not guarantee the pistols will function.

None of the ammunition specified by Kimber is approved or issued by the Denver Police Department. Prior to receipt of this letter, Kimber had not informed DPD of ammunition requirements, except in printed manuals that specify using "only high quality, original factory-manufactured ammunition...of the (proper) caliber".

Through a series of e-mails and phone conversations with the Kimber Law Enforcement sales representative, and also the Kimber Vice President, I confirmed that the company policy to not guarantee the pistols is firm. Apparently, officers from around the country are experiencing problems with Kimbers. The VP told me that guns are regularly sent back to Kimber, but his lab cannot duplicate the malfunctions. He added Maybe not everyone is man enough to handle the recoil. The sales rep told me that law enforcement sales represent such a small portion of Kimber’s business that the company will hardly notice any loss in sales.

Based on this new information, as of 04/15/05, Kimber handguns will no longer be authorized for use. Every officer
and deputy currently approved to carry a Kimber 1911 must immediately respond to the Firearms Section, where their weapons will be inspected and their duty ammunition
will be replaced temporarily with Winchester SXT .45 ACP.

The Firearms Section researched the Kimber list of approved ammunition, and determined that the Winchester SXT .45 ACP is most effective. This round is slightly less desirable than the Gold Dot +P HP ammo currently issued, because of the aggressive hollow point design, wide expansion and bonded jacket features of the Gold Dot.

The numbers of officers and deputies authorized to carry Kimbers include:

• Kimber Government = 62 police officers and 13 deputy sheriffs, and
• Kimber Commander = 11 police officers and 3 deputy sheriffs. (Some personnel own both models, and records show that only about 30 personnel qualified with Kimbers during the most recent quarter).

Officers and deputies who are currently authorized, may continue to carry the Kimber 1911 with the replacement ammunition until 01-01-06, when they must transition to a handgun authorized on the Firearms Section approved weapon list.

Rather than immediately outlaw the Kimbers, we placed an emergency order to purchase replacement issue ammunition. We then selected a date for the transition that would ease any financial hardship that may result. The intent is to allow officers and deputies sufficient time to trade or sell weapons if they choose, make financial plans if necessary, and receive annual equipment allowance payments prior to purchasing a new weapon.

Although an inconvenience to Kimber owners, the Firearms Section must pursue this course of action. The intent is to provide the most effective ammunition available that is guaranteed to function with the weapon, while allowing personnel sufficient time to obtain an approved replacement weapon.

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tbtt

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Quoted: So how did your guns' probelms turn out?   By the way, here's what I mean between FTF (failure to feed) and FTRTB (failure to return to battery).  The first is a failure to feed, the second a failure to reurn to battery. FTF:  Note the orientation of the cartridge.  It is not completely horizontal, and the case rim has not slipped fully under the extractor lip. img330.imageshack.us/img330/2064/gunpics22545bz.jpg FTRTB:  The cartridge is full horizontal, and the case rim is under the extractor lip.  The round is in the chamber almost completely, but the barrel is actually haning up and not allowing the slide to close.  This can be caused by insufficient clearance on the barrel feet, barrel springing, and a few other factors. img330.imageshack.us/img330/1760/gunpics22556kz.jpg

Hobbs,,
havnt had a chance until today or tommorow to play with it.,.
the second pic is closer to the truth,,but even less ..maybe 1/32nds of an inch is the usual difference..most of the time i can push it forward with my thumb,,others,,need a mallet to back it out.
i see no binding with the extractor and the case is under the rim as it should be..
on occasions i can run a full clip with no hang ups..but tend to get frustrated and quit when it starts to do its thing..
on the 1911 forum someone suggested an issue with the firing pin safety?
I do have a hard time reassembling the gun as the pin that pops up from the frame doesnt recind enough to allow the slide to move easyily back over it when depressing the grip safety,
he reccomends filing the 2 nibs on the bottom a touch to get it to seat correctly..
I am feeling he is on to something here,,as again it is a real bit*h to get back together after cleaning...and the pin is causing torque on the rear of the slide..
thanks for your interest and follow through..
by the way where in AZ are you..??
maybe you can help me with a gun purchace question...a legal one i assume..if not, no purchace of course...i will send an email via PM or direct...thanks

I have a pre series 2 Ultra Carry.  It might have 500 rounds through it.  I've had the same thing happen but only a few times.  Last time out I had this happen once.  My wife was shooting it when it happened.  Might have been operator error since she is just learning.  Could have been one of my reloads.  I use Unique powder which is very dirty.  The loads I punch paper with is 5.6 g Uniq with 230 RN.  May have been a dirty chamber.  I shot some cast bullets about 2 months ago might have had some lead or lube in the chamber?

Your problem sounds more sever than mine.  I would call Kimber.  

Give us an update.

thanks to all who replied..
1. i have stoned the safety plunger to where it sits flat with the frame when grip safety not engaged...
2. I have discovered i have a bad thumb safety and will replace it with wilson or mccormick shortly.

took the eclipse out ran 100 rds through it,,
1 fail to feed with the same return to battery issue..
pulled the round and it did the same thing in my gold cup so,,,bad round,,,
other 99 ran like a machine,,,
what i did.
1. added 16lb spring from wolf. from factory 14.5lb? i believe..
2. stoned the part of the safety that rides up from inside the frame to hit the plunger so it was level to frame when in safe position
3. changed out thumb safety from another 1911
bam,bam,bam, etc....
thanks to all for the input, sincerly appreciated..