Update to my old post: after LOTS of research, I ended up purchasing a Kimber Custom TLE ii in 10 mm. Spent more on a 10 mm than I had intended but, through some late evening bidding on gun broker, still got a new one for about $150 cheaper than I could find it anywhere else. It should arrive tomorrow, well ahead of the ammo I ordered immediately after the purchase. Based on my Kimber 45s, I think I’ll be happy with it.
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I’ve been carrying the Sig P320 Xten Comp since August, and I’ve put in 2600 rounds in the last 9 months. Besides some initial issues with the magazines which Sig replaced, there have been absolutely no issues with the gun itself. The recoil and reacquisition of targets is phenomenal. I use a 4Bros IWB with adjustable cant and height, which allows me to conceal under a polo or t-shirt, and a BlackPoint Tactical for OWB with adjustable height. The OWB doesn’t conceal well under a t-shirt, but does conceal with minimal print under a polo. The gun makes a great EDC and of course it’s 10mm. As of this posting, there have been no widely documented or confirmed cases of the Xten specifically discharging without trigger activation.
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So far, the Kimber groups are excellent. LOVE the trigger over my striker fired 9 and 40. But, I keep having FTF issues on the third or fourth round of every mag. I have a stock Kimber mag and a Wilson Combat mag; both experience FTF equally. Thinking it is probably the ammo, which is a flat point FMJ. Also, I have only been able to put 50 rounds down range, so break-in is far from complete. All FTFs have been the same, with complete ejection of spent round and the unfired round hanging on the feed ramp. Interestingly, I’ve only had one FTF for each mag fired; been loading only 5 rounds per mag. Going to order some different ammo to try.
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Can’t relate completely, but my Kimber .45 1911 has never experienced a FTF with standard round point FMJ. Definitely give that a shot.
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I can’t really relate, either. My Ultra Carry II and Pro Raptor II, both 45s, have never experienced a FTF with anything I’ve fed them. That’s why I assume the issue with the 10mm is the ammo. I can’t find any 10mm FMJ that isn’t flat point, though. Looking at some reasonably priced JHP that I’m going to try. Hopefully it will overcome the feed issues.
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Could also potentially look for a polymer tipped JHP to see if that helps the feed issue, but I know they’re more for penetration through clothing, etc.
Could just be anecdotal, but I’ve never had a FTF with Critical Defense.
Or maybe you already tried that. I didn’t read the complete history.
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Have only tried one brand of FMJ so far. I was skeptical about feed issues when I took the first round out of the box; they have a very defined, sharp edge at the transition from taper to flat point. I bought the gun on gun broker late one night and frantically ordered ammo immediately afterward; purchased 250 rounds of a brand I’d never heard of that was the “deal of the day” from Optics Planet. They will be fine for break-in and will force me to practice malfunction issues while shooting, which isn’t a bad thing. Just ordered some Sellier & Bellot JHPs to try; have had excellent luck with S&B in other calibers.
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Sorry I missed this thread, as I don’t check back on this forum that often now-a-days.
I have a Kimber Eclipse II that I purchased almost two decades ago. One thing with the “II” models is to make sure you don’t depress the grip safety when taking the slide off so you don’t destroy the Swartz safety nub.
If you continue to have FTF’s, you’ll have to decide on what route to take to get this fixed. With the 1911 and 10mm ammo, there could be many causes. One route would be to have Kimber look at it.
One thing I would suggest, is to try low power 10mm ammo (I think the Federal Hydrashok was the original FBI load that used the reduced power) to see if the issue is the slide returning to battery too fast, preventing the cartridge from coming fully up in the magazine before the slide tries to kick it into battery. You could also try to track down some Corbon 135 grain 10mm, but I can’t vouch for the quality of Corbon since the 90’s and newer owners.
If the FTF’s persist with the lower powered 10mm disregard the next paragraph. It might be a feed ramp issue.
If it performs flawlessly with the low powered 10mm, there are a number of avenues that you could go down to increase the dwell time of the slide with standard 10mm. Personally, I like a higher power hammer spring (not recoil spring) and a reduced radius firing pin stop… which if you’re switching that out you might as well custom fit and tune a higher quality extractor. I haven’t tried higher power magazine springs, as I did not have FTF issues.
These are just some suggestions, as many would suggest not wasting money trying to fix/modify a Kimber. However, if you like the pistol and like to tinker, modifying can help you learn more about the 1911 design and differences between 1911 manufacturers.
Just remember to weigh the cost of paying someone to hopefully “make it work right” versus purchasing a more expensive 10mm 1911 model from a manufacturer that has a better reputation for out-of-the-box reliability and Customer Service.
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Sweet. That sounds like a good plan.
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All 40S&W and 10mm FMJ is flat point.
Retail 10mm power is all over the map from low power 40S&W level to greater than Jeff Cooper/Norma original design. That’s a wide spread, especially for basically not broken pistol to handle.
I recommend either trying a middle of the road power ammo in the 600 ft-lb muzzle energy like Sig Sauer FMJ, or return to Kimber for them to warranty/fix it.
I had one brand new 1911 that nosedived like you described. The fix was a combination of feed ramp, extractor, and disconnector tuning. That’s why I suggest having Kimber troubleshoot it.
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A chart I did for myself you may or may not find useful, obviously not fully inclusive:
The headers should be bullet weight, muzzle velocity, and muzzle energy
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Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. I’m presently waiting for my JHP ammo to arrive and haven’t had time to get back to the range with my cheap FMJs. I’m still hopeful it’s just an ammo issue, but I find it odd that the FTF almost always occurs on the 3rd or 4th round of every mag. I did fire one full mag with zero issues. Have had issues in the past with inconsistent powder charges in cheap ammo, and I’ve never used or even heard of the brand I presently have. Going to run a few known brands through it first, before contacting Kimber or trading it. My other two Kimbers (both 45s) function flawlessly and group tight; my only complaints are that the finish on the black Ultra Carry doesn’t wear well, and Kimbers seem to hold value worse than anything I’ve ever owned. If I have to trade the TLE, I’ll be lucky to get a Keltec without paying boot; almost better to just give it to someone or use it for a hammer.