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View Full Version : 1911 and several no primer strikes


tools2teach
09-05-2010, 9:59 PM
Ok....I hope to get some insight as to what may be the cause of my problem. I just took out my new Kimber 1911 Custom II to the range to today and shot approx 150rd of my reloads through her. I would say out of 1-30, I had no primer strikes on. I would take ammo primer with no strikes through the magazine and there were no issues with the ammo, it went bang.

1) This happening with all 3 Kimber Mags
2) My reloads consist of Wolf primers, Titegroup, and Berry Bullets

Possible cause??? Firing Pin, Firing pin spring?

I have a few 1911s and never had this problem.

ir0nclash86
09-05-2010, 10:04 PM
Im no expert but I would assume your problem would be the wolf primers. Wolf is notorious for hard primers. You could have received a few extra hard primers. Pick up some regular factory ammo and shoot it. If you have no issues with the factory then I would say its the primers.

damon1272
09-05-2010, 10:06 PM
Could be a hard primers, or primer depth set too far. Try shooting it with factory ammo to rule out the pistol.

damon1272
09-05-2010, 10:07 PM
You now have your answer in stereo!

lehn20
09-05-2010, 10:10 PM
Possible cause = Kimber
Solution = Sell and buy Springfield

tools2teach
09-05-2010, 10:16 PM
Possibly primer depth, but there are no signs of a strike, not even a little indentation. What strikes me is I would reload the ammo in to the magazine it would go off. There no consistency.

nn3453
09-05-2010, 10:26 PM
As others have said, make sure primers are seated below flush.

sevensix2x51
09-05-2010, 10:36 PM
i would try factory loads, 45 acp is $32/100rd at walmart. not too bad, defenitely worth it to break in your kimber. they do run better after a few hundred rounds.. if it still happens with factory loads, then come back!

himurax13
09-05-2010, 10:39 PM
Hmm, are you sure that your gun is going into battery when the rounds don't go off? I have loaded over 10,000 LP Wolf primers this year and I have only had one light primer strike and it was not seated deep enough. It had a a dent from the firing pin. I fired it again and it went off. I have also loaded a few thousand Wold SP primers and I had quite a few light primer strikes, even after they were seated with a hand primer. They all had dents from the firing pin as well. I have heard from many people that the Kimber magazines are fairly unreliable and after replacing them, their Kimbers had almost no problems afterwards.

oghl888
09-05-2010, 10:57 PM
Firing pin safety not set correctly ???
Call Kimber and have them check it out.

tools2teach
09-06-2010, 3:13 AM
Hmm, are you sure that your gun is going into battery when the rounds don't go off? I have loaded over 10,000 LP Wolf primers this year and I have only had one light primer strike and it was not seated deep enough. It had a a dent from the firing pin. I fired it again and it went off. I have also loaded a few thousand Wold SP primers and I had quite a few light primer strikes, even after they were seated with a hand primer. They all had dents from the firing pin as well. I have heard from many people that the Kimber magazines are fairly unreliable and after replacing them, their Kimbers had almost no problems afterwards.

The round is going into the battery. I know this because I tried chambering a few rounds without a magazine.

G-forceJunkie
09-06-2010, 9:31 AM
Sounds to me like its not going fully into battery. Check your case length, crimp dia, make sure the bullet is not shaving on the way in, etc.

JTROKS
09-06-2010, 10:00 AM
I'm not sure how Kimber 1911s work with the firing pin safety plunger/lever, but I'm thinking something is not being depressed before the trigger is pulled.

csbishop
09-06-2010, 10:12 AM
I'll bet firing pin safety also
if your not pushing the grip safety in all the way the firing pin wont strike the primer or something is wrong with the the firing pin safety.
Did you put a new mainspring housing on it or mag well that can stop the grip safety from being depressed all the way also.

metalliman545
09-06-2010, 10:17 AM
Possible cause = Kimber
Solution = Sell and buy Springfield

cal guns needs a like button :D

Mute
09-06-2010, 10:42 AM
Call Kimber. Sounds like an issue with the Schwartz safety. I've seen this happen on other Kimbers with the Schwartz but not to the extent you experienced.

smarter
09-06-2010, 11:05 AM
Possible cause = Kimber
Solution = Sell and buy Springfield

QFT!!!!

Greg-Dawg
09-06-2010, 11:08 AM
Hard primer?

Kodemonkey
09-06-2010, 11:12 AM
I'll bet firing pin safety also
if your not pushing the grip safety in all the way the firing pin wont strike the primer or something is wrong with the the firing pin safety.
Did you put a new mainspring housing on it or mag well that can stop the grip safety from being depressed all the way also.

My friends has a Kimber and this is EXACTLY what happened to him. It was light striking and he finally figured out he wasn't gripping it firm enough. His grip was too loose and as soon as he corrected it the problem went away. I guess he was getting too relaxed...

NIB
09-06-2010, 11:44 AM
One of the problems with Kimbers has been the Schwartz safety. If not fitted correctly it can give you problems as the OP has described. The hammer will fall but the firing pin block will not clear the firing pin completely which could be why you are not getting any primer strikes. Years ago some Kimber owners even coined the term "Kimber Death Grip" because of how hard you had to depress the grip safety to get it to work properly.

willssmithing
09-06-2010, 12:53 PM
Agree. Firing pin block/ grip safety not fitted properly at the factory.

tools2teach
09-06-2010, 12:57 PM
Just got back from the range and I had better results. I did the following to eliminate some provabilities. Upon closer inspection of the fired brass, I was getting very good dents. I had the RO check the spring and firing pin and no issues that he could see. I fired 500 total reloads with 100 factory and only had 2 FTF with no primer strikes.

I used 2 Wilson Combat Mags eliminating Kimber crappy magazines. I shot 300 using 1 Kimber mag and 2 Wilson mags(2 FTFs) and shot 200 just using 2 Wilson combat Mags with my reloads in conjunction with factory ammo, no FTf

2) My first round at the range I had my thumb over the safety. The second go around I made sure that the grip safety was depressed putting my thumb under the safety.
3) Fired 100 Factory ammo and I couldn't replicate the issue.
4) I used the same batch of reloads I used on first round to the range
5) Cleaned and lubed my Kimber before going out on my second run.

Possible conclusion, when chambering a round, it is not properly going into the battery and causing i light chambering and a possible no primer strikes or the the Kimber Death grip as NIB pointed out.

Thoughts?? Should I send it back to Kimber? I've never had this issue shooting any of my 1911s (Colt, Springfield, RI)

G-forceJunkie
09-06-2010, 1:28 PM
You need to be more clear here...have you had any FTF with factory new ammo? As for the firing pin saftey, its really easy to check: unload the pistol, cock the hammer and with a small punch pin push the firing pin inwards. With the grip safety not pressed, the firing pin should only go in untill it is just a little below flush on the firing pin stop. Then push the grip safety in, and you should be able to push the firing pin in all the way in. You should not have to death grip it. Doing the same test on my Kimber, if I hold a slight pressure on the firing pin with a punch, and then depress the grip safety, it releases before the grip safety is even all the way depressed.

tools2teach
09-06-2010, 1:31 PM
No FTFs on the factory ammo.

Greg-Dawg
09-06-2010, 1:34 PM
It's your reloads.

FailedAngrMgmt
09-06-2010, 1:49 PM
It's your reloads.

this^...stop using arco gas in your lamborghini

TripleT
09-06-2010, 5:29 PM
Kimber Death Grip !

A buddy brought his new Kimber to my range and tried the first mag. Click and no bang. Manually eject a round, click and no bang. Hands the gun off to me. Bang. I hand it back. Click and no bang. Hands it back, bang. He get's pissed, so I help him with his grip, which is just slightly wrong IMHO. In changing his grip, he got more of a grip safety depress and gun went bang every time after that. The grip safety on Kimbers seems to be a problem, sometimes. YMMV

Jerry X
09-06-2010, 5:42 PM
..stop using arco gas in your lamborghini

LOL! It's your reloads.

Paul S
09-06-2010, 6:28 PM
With no failures from factory ammo I'd agree that it is a reloaded ammo issue.

Paul S

tools2teach
09-06-2010, 7:08 PM
Kimber Death Grip !

A buddy brought his new Kimber to my range and tried the first mag. Click and no bang. Manually eject a round, click and no bang. Hands the gun off to me. Bang. I hand it back. Click and no bang. Hands it back, bang. He get's pissed, so I help him with his grip, which is just slightly wrong IMHO. In changing his grip, he got more of a grip safety depress and gun went bang every time after that. The grip safety on Kimbers seems to be a problem, sometimes. YMMV

I think your right...I changed my grip style and only had 2 FTFs.....can't say for sure it's the ammo when i only shot 100rd of factory out of a bunch of my reloads.