2nd time shooting my Kimber - Bummed

[AustinBoy]

Took my Kimber Compact CDP II to the range today for the 2nd time.

1st time I put about 200 rounds through it. No issues.

Today I put about 150 rounds through.

6 Failure to feeds.

2 where the cartridge got jammed entering the barrel.
4 where the slide simply didnt come back forward and chamber the next round.

Used 3 different magazines. The one that came with it and 2 Kimber stainless steal.
Had the issue with all 3. (each time I got a FTF I would set that mag aside.)

Was shooting Winchester whitebox 230gr JHP.

Any ideas?

Ammo issue?

This was to be my EDC but not now.

Thanks
AB

[carlson1]

Clean it real good, polish the feed ramp, and use Wilson 47D magazines.

[RottenApple]

Also, try using a better ammo. Federal or Monarch (avoid the steel case!) seem to have WAY fewer issues than WWB.

[Excaliber]

Took my Kimber Compact CDP II to the range today for the 2nd time.

1st time I put about 200 rounds through it. No issues.

Today I put about 150 rounds through.

6 Failure to feeds.

2 where the cartridge got jammed entering the barrel.
4 where the slide simply didnt come back forward and chamber the next round.

Used 3 different magazines. The one that came with it and 2 Kimber stainless steal.
Had the issue with all 3. (each time I got a FTF I would set that mag aside.)

Was shooting Winchester whitebox 230gr JHP.

Any ideas?

Ammo issue?

This was to be my EDC but not now.

Thanks
AB

What ammo did you use for the first 200 rounds?

[The Annoyed Man]

Phone Kimber. When I first bought my Stainless UC II, I had a problem where the slide would lock back on a magazine that wasn't empty yet. It turned out that Kimber was already aware that some of these guns had shipped with a defective slide stop. They sent me the new part right away free of charge. It dropped right in and the problem disappeared never to return. It may be something simple like that which can be solved with a phone call. Do that before you start spending money on any gunsmithing.

[Ace_Inthe_O]

Phone Kimber. When I first bought my Stainless UC II, I had a problem where the slide would lock back on a magazine that wasn't empty yet. It turned out that Kimber was already aware that some of these guns had shipped with a defective slide stop. They sent me the new part right away free of charge. It dropped right in and the problem disappeared never to return. It may be something simple like that which can be solved with a phone call. Do that before you start spending money on any gunsmithing.

Agreed...I know a few friends of mine who had what I will call "lemons" but Kimber was great about fixing them...don't bother spending your own money until you call Kimber

[AustinBoy]

The first time around I bought ammo at the range and told them I didnt want to shoot cheap stuff as it was the first time I had shot it.

The ammo was expensive! About a $1 a round.

Is Winchester White box really that bad? I dont consider it "cheap" do you?

I will be taking TAM and others advice and calling Kimber first.

I really hope I dont have to run really expensive ammo through this thing for target practice!

[PUCKER]

The first time around I bought ammo at the range and told them I didnt want to shoot cheap stuff as it was the first time I had shot it.

The ammo was expensive! About a $1 a round.

Is Winchester White box really that bad? I dont consider it "cheap" do you?

I will be taking TAM and others advice and calling Kimber first.

I really hope I dont have to run really expensive ammo through this thing for target practice!

I shoot that same ammo through my Kimber with no issues at all, granted mine is an older model (bought used in 1996).

[MoJo]

New 1911 style pistols can have issues anytime in the first few hundred rounds. JMB designed his masterpiece to run wet, not dripping and slinging oil or grease but well lubed. A well lubed 1911 will run dirty - - - a dry 1911 that is clean will malfunction. Kimber magazines are the weak link in Kimber's guns. Get yourself some Tripp, McCormick or Wilson mags. That along with a thorough cleaning and lubricating may solve your problem.

There have been issues with WWB in .45 in the last few years 9mm and 40 too but not as bad. I won't use it. Try Federal Champion, UMC, Blazer Brass, or Blazer aluminum. The steel cased Russian ammo is more reliable than WWB in my opinion. It's very disapointing to spend a bundle on a gun and have it choke. Like others have said, call Kimber you have a warranty on a new gun use it.

[apostate]

During the InSights CQC class this weekend, the only person who had equipment problems was the guy shooting a Kimber. A small dataset to be sure, but the Glocks, SIGs and M&P ran great (excepting operator-induced malfunctions.)

[Excaliber]

The first time around I bought ammo at the range and told them I didnt want to shoot cheap stuff as it was the first time I had shot it.

The ammo was expensive! About a $1 a round.

Is Winchester White box really that bad? I dont consider it "cheap" do you?

I will be taking TAM and others advice and calling Kimber first.

I really hope I dont have to run really expensive ammo through this thing for target practice!

There have been multiple reports of issues with WWB ammo on this and other forums.

Before you blame the gun, I would suggest buying a couple of boxes of another major brand's 230 grain FMJ ammo with and try it at the range. The results will quickly indicate whether the problem is with the gun or the ammo.

That's the easiest elimination test path.

If you start with the assumption that the gun is the problem and it turns out it's the ammo, you'll have wasted a lot of time, effort, and expense before you discover that.

An older gun with a worn recoil spring may still work well with marginally powered ammo that won't function well with a new spring.

[alvins]

winchester white box isnt expensive ammo and at 1 dollar a bullet someone made a nice profit off you.

[Heartland Patriot]

New 1911 style pistols can have issues anytime in the first few hundred rounds. JMB designed his masterpiece to run wet, not dripping and slinging oil or grease but well lubed. A well lubed 1911 will run dirty - - - a dry 1911 that is clean will malfunction. Kimber magazines are the weak link in Kimber's guns. Get yourself some Tripp, McCormick or Wilson mags. That along with a thorough cleaning and lubricating may solve your problem.

There have been issues with WWB in .45 in the last few years 9mm and 40 too but not as bad. I won't use it. Try Federal Champion, UMC, Blazer Brass, or Blazer aluminum. The steel cased Russian ammo is more reliable than WWB in my opinion. It's very disapointing to spend a bundle on a gun and have it choke. Like others have said, call Kimber you have a warranty on a new gun use it.

I make sure my plain old Springfield GI .45 has plenty of Break-Free CLP on it after cleaning. I use Chip McCormick Power 8s and I think I've had maybe one or perhaps two failures-to-feed out of hundreds of rounds, with quite a bit of it being WWB (I've also shot Federal Champion, Remington, MFS, and even a box or two of Wolf steel case 'cause it was what I could afford at the time). Good luck to the OP.

[kyreb]

(1) Another vote for clean and lube here. Often the simpilest solutions are the best. Pistols from the factory are never lubed well enough.

(2) I would also try 2-3 different types of ammo to see if the problem is ammo specific.

(3) If not ammo specific: (a) try a heavier recoil spring (b) Wilson 47D mags.