Great Kimber service

[dadoody]

I got a Kimber 1911 TLE/RL II. Great gun. Never a FTE or FTF.

I've put a few thousand rounds through it and haven't needed a replacement recoil spring yet. Still operating flawlessly.

The only particular thing about the gun is that it has an External Extractor. I bought the gun from another Calgunner back in 09, and since I'm not the original owner, it would cost $300 if I wanted to get an internal extractor slide replacement.

I don't have a particular interest in replacing as the external extractor has been flawless, easy to clean, and smooth functioning. My only issue is that I couldn't find anywhere to buy a replacement extractor just in case this one broke.

Well, I finally decided to call Kimber, and the good news is that they still make the external extractor - they just don't list it on sale anywhere online. They also didn't charge me a dime. They just mailed it to me complimentary.

Very happy with the service.

One thing I would recommend is that if you also have an external extractor Kimber, replace the OEM extractor spring with Wolff's Extra Power Kimber Spring. It seems to make for very quick, smooth extractions with perfect timing. I heard that some people had their extractor hooks break due to weak OEM springs.

[stormvet]

Good to hear, I too only have good things to say about Kimber products and service.

[ljgrasso]

Always good to hear a company helping a customer.

[TXDARKHORSE361]

I love my Kimber 1911, I've had to contact them before and went the e-mail route. They were very quick to respond, extremely friendly, and absolutely set on making sure my problem was addressed and taken care of as fast as possible and kept me in the loop the entire time. Not only do they make amazing firearms they actually care about their reputation and will do everything in their power to ensure their customers are happy and have the best product they can put out there. I recommend Kimber to anyone and believe if they keep up their business ethics they will be around for a long time.

[fullspeed1]

I had top notch CS from Kimber, Even with all my issues being 100% user error. People and their internet "hear-say" are F'n idiots. Kimber's are great guns. Without a doubt, The Custom II being the best value of them all.

[negolien]

Awesom ...nice to hear that SA isn't the only one who actually has a CS department lol since you almost never hear about kimbers going back to theirr home and always here about SA CS lol I wonder why? Mine happilly is residing next to me and I have had ) issues with her. +1 for Kimber.

[CWUSCG]

Im glad you guys have had success! I called and talked to a customer service employee about getting my grip checkered. He told me what I needed to hear and sent me an email saying they would ship me a shipping label so I could send them my 1911. Its been several weeks and still no shipping label. And I haven't been able to get thru to them over the phone since. My patience is starting to wear thin on with them. But i guess any kind of gunsmithing work is a slow process. And IMO, it's b.s the "hear-say" that Kimber doesn't make a reliable or high quality 1911. I'm in love with my Gold Match.

[skyscraper]

You had better luck than I. I contacted them 3 times before they responded to a problem I was having with an eclipse custom 2.

[skyscraper]

Awesom ...nice to hear that SA isn't the only one who actually has a CS department lol since you almost never hear about kimbers going back to theirr home and always here about SA CS lol I wonder why? Mine happilly is residing next to me and I have had ) issues with her. +1 for Kimber.

I dont mean to start a flame war, but having been someone who contacted both kimber and SA customer service in the past month, they are nowhere near the same (in my experience). I had a shipping label within 10 minutes from SA. It took over 2 weeks to get a response from kimber, and they told me to go buy a product to fix what was wrong.

[osxgp]

My Kimbers have been good to me, so I've never had to contact their customer service. The internet seems to be a place to bash Kimbers, but no one seems to be able to verify but a small amout of the claims. A large company like Kimber will put out crap from time to time. It's inevitable. Springfield Armory is known for having good customer service where Kimber is not; from what I've read off the internet. As far as a FLGR, how hard is it to field strip a 1911 with it? NOT AT ALL.

[jeffrice6]

The only time I have had the pleasure of dealing with Kimber CS was on an 8yr old used Custom II I had purchased. (The deal was just to good to pass up) The barrel link was a bit chewed up and the barrel bushing was a little loose. I told Kimber that I was not the original owner & they told me to "ship it back & we'll see what we can do"

Two days after receiving my pistol I got a phone call & talked to a very nice rep, told him my problems & he had it on a bench the same day! A few hours later the rep gave me a call back & told me that they replaced the barrel bushing & link, fitted the barrel a bit better & saw that my grip screws & bushings were a bit worn & replaced those as well!!! Free of charge!!! My pistol was mailed out the next day on their dime! For all those "internet claims" of Kimber's lacking CS, I call BS! Anyone who has ever told me negitive things about Kimber & Kimber's CS has never once owned one or used their CS.......

[gmcal]

I bought a Kimber Stainless II back in 2003. It had an external extractor. Put over 2k rounds through it and sent it to Robar for custom work in 2005 or 2006. A couple thousand rounds after the custom work, I had major extraction problems. I called Kimber told them what was happening and that I had custom work done to it and I was to send it in. Got a call a few days later stating the EE slide needed to be replaced with an IE slide and they would do it at no cost. I also called Robar to tell them what happened and I was told to send the slide in and they would coat the new slide at no charge to me. I highly recommend Kimber and Robar.

[dadoody]

lol some people getting freebies, some people getting the run around.

I think it depends on who answers the phone.

[negolien]

Well not to start a flame war but...if you had to contact both SA AND Kimber for work in the last month sounds like your issue not the weapons LOL...

[dadoody]

One thing I seem to avoid is Kimber accessories though.

1.) I think the springs from Wolff are superior,
2.) I think the magazines from Wilson combat are easier to clean and maintain since I can remove the bottom
3.) I think their "Pepper Blaster" is a gimmick. Stick to regular stream Fox Labs