Posted: 7/26/2011 9:00:30 AM EDT
I have a Kimber 22 conversion for my 1911 and it doesn't seem to work. Before I start the hassle of contacting Kimber I wanted to see what others have to say about my situation. The 1911 I tried to use it on (I have a few) is a Taurus. The trigger pull is nice and light (around 4.5 lb) so I imagine it has a light hammer spring. Whatever the case, the gun passes the standard function test (trigger pulled hammer drops, slide manually operated and it resets, release of the trigger gives the click sound and another pull of the trigger the hammer drops). However, when trigger is pulled and hammer drops with a round in the chamber nothing happens. The case shows no sign of contact. I have tried multiple rounds to the same result. My guess is the hammer spring is too light to get the firing pin to overcome it's spring's tension enough to hit the case, or at least not enough to indent the case. Any input would be appreciated! 
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Your hypothesis might be correct, although, it is strange that you don't have any any indentation at all. 1911 hammers hit pretty hard, regardless of the light trigger pull. It's part of the genius of the design. I'm wondering if you have some dimensional issue that is preventing the hammer from hitting the pin at all. 1911 are made with different designs and dimensions. For example, my Wilson Combat .22 conversion does not fit on my my Kimber Compact, but Does work in my full size Kimber. First thing you should do is try it on a full size standard 1911. (not Taurus) |
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what type of ammo?
I have a wilson combat upper made by Ciener. it works fine on all my full size and commander 1911 pistols, colt, kimber, S&W, Wilson, TRP, Nighthawk. the Cieners only work well with Higher end ammo, the bulk box will be inconsistent and mucho misfires often with no strike shown on the ammo. BUT it chews up winchester 100 ct HP and solid points Super X..and Stingers. I can only assume other Cieners and the Marvel units are as picky..you MAY need a bit stronger main spring on that Taurus,but, if youre using bulk ammo try that up grade first. CHEF |
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I considered the ammo but not even a hint of an indent suggested it could be that. My understanding is the 22 ammo varies in lod, but do the rim differ so mucch to be likely that they don't even show signs of contact? I'll get some different ammo and see if that's the cause. I will also try to see if the dimensions are so far off to be causing this (but the contact is pretty solid so I doubted that). I will try it on my Springfield GI and see (it worked on it before bur I have since had trigger work done on it which included a light hammer spring). I will also consider modifying my RIA 9mm to accept this conversion since it is the only standard configuration 1911 I have left. Thanks for the input thus far, keep it coming!
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| Kimber states that their 22 conversion will not work with the Taurus 1911. If you inspect the under side of the Kimber slide and observe the location of a half moon cut. Now compare this half moon cut on the Taurus you will see a difference in the half moon cut in actual location and design between Kimber and Taurus. The half moon cut is for the disconnector. The slide on the Kimber is partially depressing the disconnector preventing the hammer from falling hard enough or inhibiting the pistol from firing. You can enlarge the opening on the bottom of the Kimber slide to give clearance to the disconnector. Too prove this is the cause mark (ink or diecom) the inside of the half moon cut out on the under side of the slide of the Kimber slide. If any of the ink/diecomm is smudged or removed this shows contact from the disconector. If the disconnector is depressed in any amount the pistol is not supposed to fire. The design is meant to prevent an out of battery ignition. If you enlarge the cut out it will probably void your Kimber warranty. |
Well the results are in and it was the hammer spring. I looked specifically for anything from Kimber stating that it wouldn't work with my Taurus and no such langauge was found (I would appreciate a link stating that if you would). Upon evaluation the 'half moon cut' was no different than the Kimber's. Had that been the case the hammer would not have fallen at all. Thanks for all your help in diagnosing this problem. Let this be known that the conversion (at least this Kimber) won't work with lighter hammer springs. 
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Not to argue but I looked on Kimbers website where the add says kimber's 22 conversion may not work with Taurus or some models of PO here is the link.
http://store.kimberamerica.com/Products/tabid/67/CategoryID/15/ProductID/747/Default.aspx I cut and pasted this from the Ad on the Kimber web site. Great for target practice, the Kimber(R) Rimfire Target Conversion Kit turns your .45 into a .22 LR in about one minute. Features adjustable sights and includes one 10-round magazine. Compatibility: All Kimber .45 ACP pistols that have either 4 or 5-inch barrels and single stack magazines. Also fits most other brands of Mil-Spec 1911. Not for Ultra models *Will not work on Taurus PT 1911 may not work on Para GI Expert. **Adult signature required** ***No P.O. Box shipments*** I've also seen where a non standard hammer such as a light weight commander style hammer may not set off the rimfire cartridge. Going to a heavier hammer spring sometimes helps but every pistol seems unique and things don't always plug and play like you'd expect. The main thing is you got your Taurus to work with the KImber however a friend of mine had a Taurus that would not work with the Kimber conversion. This friend bought a standard Advantage Arms 1911 conversion kit which runs great on his Taurus 1911. |
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I didn't mean to sound like I was being argumentive, just never found anything that discriminated against the Taurus. Everything I read from Kimber said it worked with 'most' and other areas it said 'nearly all' so I was wondering where you found that. Sometimes being too close to an issue you overlook something, obviously I did. Fortunately, it is most likely due to the weak hammer springs which come standard on the Taurus. If not, like I mentioned I fixed the problem by putting a heavier hammer spring in it. Thanks again to all who contributed and I'm happy that's all it was (especially since I had a heavy hammer spring laying around).
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