pickin up kimber custom 2

[bayboydray408]

im pickin up my custom 2 on monday,how much ammo should i put through it for the break in? and how much should i put through it before i clean it the first time? I am very familiar with 1911s ive shot many and ive takin down many.

I have never taken down a 1911 with the guide rod and a bushing on the front though. I was tryin to take the custom 2 down like every 1911 ive taken down, by removing the slide stop, finally the guy at the shop said i need the stupid kimber tool to push in the bushing in the front then twist it and the spring over the guide rod pops out.

Is that the right way to take it down or can i start at the slide stop? i tried for like 10 mins to get the slide stop out but i guess its so new the damn thing would not come out, and usin a tool to take down a 1911 is not somethin im used to hahaha, i can take a gi style 1911 down in seconds,these damn kimbers are to much and there very tight pistols im not sure if im gonna enjoy this gun like i thought i would hahahaha it is nice though.

[Black Majik]

Congrats on the Custom II. Take the gun apart with the slide on the frame, it'll be easier since you have more to work with.

Instead of using the retarded bushing wrench, use the rubber basepad of your magazine to depress the recoil spring plug. Turn the bushing by hand and catch the plug with the palm of your hand away from your face. Take down as you would normally after that.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Gio]

Well you will get different answers. First off make sure to break the gun down at home and wipe it down and then re-lube it. I was told 500 rounds would be enough for the break in, but some will say 1,000 rounds. I did not notice any difference in accuracy or trigger feel between 300-500 or 500-1,000 rounds fired out of mine.

That is a great gun to have, I wish I never sold mine. Be safe and have fun with it

[DougJ]

Both my Kimbers were very tight when new and so they were a bit difficult to take down until they had some use.

Here's what I recommend:

Read the manual first!

Before you shoot it for the first time, field strip the pistol and clean it as they normally come dirty from test firing. Lube it well and hand cycle the slide a bunch then take it down and lube or clean and lube again. Run it wet!

Use and decent ball ammo for break in, it wont care what you run through it.

There are a couple of ways to field strip the pistol. You can separate the slide from the frame first, or pull the recoil spring first, your choice. The little plastic tool that comes with it works great. If you dislike the full length guide rod it can be swapped out easy. I installed a GI guide rod and plug in my RRA that got a couple of weeks ago.

The slide stop fit is gonna be tight for a while, I've found that especially when new you have to sure that the rear of the slide stop is pushed down, otherwise it will hang up on the slide at the takedown notch.

[Ultimate]

Great gun, congrats!

[bayboydray408]

thanks guys i wanted to know everything i have to do when i get the gun and you guys told me,should i use the lil thing full of lube that came with the gun? or get some other separate lube? when its taken down how many should i clean and lube it? and what do you guys think of that loaded chamber indicator cut into the barrell? i thought it would be a lil more noticable its kinda small, is it even useful? hahaha

[cmace22]

im pickin up my custom 2 on monday,how much ammo should i put through it for the break in? and how much should i put through it before i clean it the first time? I am very familiar with 1911s ive shot many and ive takin down many.

I have never taken down a 1911 with the guide rod and a bushing on the front though. I was tryin to take the custom 2 down like every 1911 ive taken down, by removing the slide stop, finally the guy at the shop said i need the stupid kimber tool to push in the bushing in the front then twist it and the spring over the guide rod pops out.

Is that the right way to take it down or can i start at the slide stop? i tried for like 10 mins to get the slide stop out but i guess its so new the damn thing would not come out, and usin a tool to take down a 1911 is not somethin im used to hahaha, i can take a gi style 1911 down in seconds,these damn kimbers are to much and there very tight pistols im not sure if im gonna enjoy this gun like i thought i would hahahaha it is nice though.

It took about 500 or so rounds for mine to "settle in"

I never use the Kimber tool I just use a magazine. I always take the spring out first then slide stop. Never had to use a tool to get the slide stop out either.

[Hatchet]

My advice would be to get a standard GM guide rod and plug (less than $20 total from Brownells) and replace the full length tungsten rod and plug that came equipped. While you're at it, might as well snag a Wolff recoil spring for about $6.00. A full length guide rod on what is essentially a GM offers negligible (if any) benefit and complicates field stripping/ assembly. If for any reason you have to return the weapon to Kimber for warranty work you can just reinstall the stock stuff before you send it.

As for break in, I'd definitely clean/ lube it upon delivery, then as much hand cycling/ dry fire as you can stand. It should settle in within about 300-600 round. If it's not functioning reliably by that point, then it may be necessary to have someone that knows 1911's look at it. The extractor tension has to be set correctly, but I've seen several Kimbers that were off from the factory. By the way, the Kimber magazines are notoriously unreliable and I'd just leave it in the box. Even genuine GI mags are better.

Enjoy!

[GunLover]

congrats on a beautiful gun.

[kimber_ss]

Congrats that was on my list, when I bought the target in stainless. You can actually push down on the recoil spring plug with your thumb fingernail if you have a strong hand and then carefully let the tension off of the recoil spring. Then take out the slide stop lever. Just watch out when that tension is released on the recoil spring plug, because I almost took out the screen on my flat screen tv when it flew out, the first time I stripped it. One more issue that I ran into, was a Wilson .45 mag fits a 9mm, and shoots OK until the last round. But I think yours is in .45acp. Kudos on your purchase.

[bayboydray408]

My advice would be to get a standard GM guide rod and plug (less than $20 total from Brownells) and replace the full length tungsten rod and plug that came equipped. While you're at it, might as well snag a Wolff recoil spring for about $6.00. A full length guide rod on what is essentially a GM offers negligible (if any) benefit and complicates field stripping/ assembly. If for any reason you have to return the weapon to Kimber for warranty work you can just reinstall the stock stuff before you send it.

As for break in, I'd definitely clean/ lube it upon delivery, then as much hand cycling/ dry fire as you can stand. It should settle in within about 300-600 round. If it's not functioning reliably by that point, then it may be necessary to have someone that knows 1911's look at it. The extractor tension has to be set correctly, but I've seen several Kimbers that were off from the factory. By the way, the Kimber magazines are notoriously unreliable and I'd just leave it in the box. Even genuine GI mags are better.

Enjoy!

so your sayin i need to take it down before i even shoot it then clean and lube it? and i have to dry fire it? with a snap cap of course! how many times should i dry fire it and what is that gonna help?

[Hatchet]

you don't have to do anything...I would just recommend cleaning off the preservative oil that they apply prior to shipping and lubricating it. Hand cycling and dry firing just helps to smooth/ lap the mating surfaces and and the sear/ hammer engagement, especially in a factory built 1911. You will probably find that the trigger improves the more you use it. BTW- snap caps are unnecessary in a 1911...

[bayboydray408]

what you mean snap caps are unnecessary?and I should cycle it with my hand like it would if it were firing normally?sorry bout all the questions but im new to kimbers and i want the damn thing to shoot like everyone says it can,i just wanna know what i need to do to make that happen hahaha

[Hatchet]

Well, if you're using snap caps to prevent damage to the weapon during dry fire, you needn't bother- 1911s will not be harmed by dry fire at all. As far as hand cycling, what I do is cycle the slide to re-cock the weapon during dry fire instead of just pulling the hammer back. It just helps all the moving parts mate with each other. You can accomplish the same thing by firing live ammunition, but you can't do that in your living room! Would definitely clean and lube, though. And, by the way, it's not like a Glock, they like plenty of lube...Oh, and don't just drop the slide when the weapon is empty, ride it forward. Hope all this helps. Be careful with 1911 addiction, it gets very expensive!

[kimber_ss]

Yeah, dry firing your kimber without snap caps doesn't hurt it. Took me awhile to accept that fact from my owners manual. Ain't it cool. Also, don't let the hammer down slowly unless you are sure that you have pulled the trigger because that can damage the gun. And don't allow the hammer to "dry fire" with the slide off of the frame as that can damage the gun too.