How many of you have replaced your Kimber mainspring housing, fire control parts, and slide releases with those of another manufacturer, for any reason?  Also, what else have you replced, why, and who manufactured the reaplcement parts?

This started out as a basic blued Custom Classic.

BO-MAR sight installed.
I checkered it, De-horned it.
Fitted CMC extreme beavertail, Wilson trigger, STI guts,  EdBrown ambi, S&A magwell, and finally sent off to be METALIFE'ed

thats  why i bought a kimber it already has all the bells and whistles i want.
no, i havent changed anything

Quoted: Haven't changed a thing on either of mine. Haven't needed to, they're perfect.

Di.. di.. ditto... cept'n I only have one...

Jonathan

I replaced the PLASTIC mainspring housing on my Kimber Pro Elite when the plastic broke as I was putting the gun back together. The spring shot out and hit me right above my right eye. I replaced it with a Wilson unit. Other than that I love the gun.

Quoted: I replaced the PLASTIC mainspring housing on my Kimber Pro Elite when the plastic broke as I was putting the gun back together. The spring shot out and hit me right above my right eye. I replaced it with a Wilson unit. Other than that I love the gun.

How does the Wilson unit fit?  Did it drop right in?  I was thinking of doing exactly what you mentioned.  I was actually just looking at the Wilson mainspring housings online this afternoon.  The other modification I was thinking of was the Wilson extended slide release.

Which mainspring housing did you get the #92, or #92V

This link lists them by model number

www.wilsoncombat.com/accessories/mag_wells.asp

I have a stainless custom classic, my father in law has a blued custom target.  Both guns were over $700.  There is NO reason that a gun of that price should have a plastic mainspring housing.  Its just downright cheap.  I think Kimber is riding on the great quality they had when they first came out, from all that I've seen and read they have lost a lot.  I know that I would not buy another.  

Of my friends and family, we have a combined 6 Kimbers. I wouldn't buy any other 1911.

The only thing I considered replacing is the plastic mainspring housing (but it works fine) and installing the Ed Brown memory groove beavertail.

BUT...I haven't and have had zero problems.


Tony

I have a first gen. custom classic. I put in an S&A mag well/mainspring housing, Wilson bullet-proof extractor,some new springs and a little grip tape on the front strap, so far. I primarily use it to shoot IPSC limited ten. Even if I wasn't shooting IPSC, i'd still replace the plastic mainspring housing, it looks and feels 100% better.

Depends on what you are doing with it.

Kimber and SA are full of MIM parts. MIM failures on a range mean - at worst, lost time or a lost match. MIM failures during crunch time could cost everything.

Typical things that break:

Slide stops
Firing pin stops


Things worth doing:

Replacing -
slide stop
firing pin stop
firing pin spring
polishing the feed ramp
checking (periodically) the tension in the extractor

I have never heard of a failure related to a MSH. That is a looks / feel change.

Who to do it?

Are you good at it? How good is your local smith? There are several big name guys happy to take your money too.

Good luck.