Kimber 1911 TLE ULTRA 2 Feed issues

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Logs

New member
Picked up a Gently used Kimber TLE Ultra 2 compact 1911 in .45 ACP. Looks like is has barely been fired and it came with a Kimber magazine, but no box or paperwork.

Took it to the range yesterday with both brass and aluminum cased ammo. Gun would not feed the aluminum case at all so only got to shoot about 10 rounds of brass cased. Had several issues and figured it must the the magazine.

Today... I picked up a Chip McCormick compact magazine and also take a GI mag with all brass ammo. Mixture of American Eagle and Winchester White Box.

Could not get over 4 rounds to fire without an issue. I took some photos to show the failure to feed issues. All three mags gave me issues. I have ruled out grip and magazines. Would the recoil spring cause this?

Thank You.

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Jim Watson

New member
Does ammo "plunk" in the chamber with barrel out of the gun?

Is there a crease in the brass where it is jammed at the chamber mouth?

"Minimum match" (really undersized) chambers and a sharp corner at the top of the ramp are the first things I would check. Also extractor fit, Steve in Allentown has a lot of advice on that.

I figure the previous owner had similar results and did not know where to start looking.
 
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Logs

New member
Brass looks fine, but haven't tried the round in barrel yet. Logs.

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Sharkbite

New member
Go to the Wilson combat channel on youtube. He has lots of info on feeding the shorter slide 1911 pistols. OAL is CRITICAL
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
Several years ago a friend of mine was reviewing a Kimber. It wouldn't feed even four consecutive rounds. He took it to a friend of his who is a master pistolsmith. That gentleman dug out some .45 ACP GO NOGO gauges, and discovered that the chamber was reamed so tight that it would not allow a SAAMI maximum gauge to even enter the chamber.

Get some casting compound, make a cast of your chamber, and measure it.
 
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JustJake

New member
Doesn't Kimber require buyers of its 1911s to certify in writing they’ve fired 500-rds through the gun “to loosen it up” before complaining about all the malfs and hiccups? :confused:

Pretty sure that’s a requirement before invoking any warranty claim. :rolleyes:
 
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totaldla

New member
If you can tap the back of slide and the round chambers, then the recoil spring might be worn out. These little guns wear them out pretty fast.

But I there is another issue that AG (post #5) alluded to, that relates to aluminum cased ammo. Aluminum is not as slippery as brass, and if the chamber is cut too tight I would expect aluminum cased ammo to have more problems than brass. Find a smith with gauges and get the chamber checked.

One more thing, does the round eject? I.e. does the extractor have ahold of the round when it fails to go into battery? If the extractor is way too tight then you'll have feed issues (post #2).
 
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L-2

New member
Another possible extractor-test is to remove the extractor to determine if the rounds now chamber better (somewhat id'ing the extractor as the problem); or if the rounds are still FTRB'ing, then it points more to the barrel/chamber being at fault. Just a thought.
 
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BornFighting88

New member
I am also having a slight issue with chambering the first round in my Kimber Ultra CDP II. Sometimes a tap on the back of the slide nudges it into battery, other times its a huge nose dive. I looked up Gun Pro Sure Fire Anti-Jam magazines. They seem to be a game changer. But they are perpetually out of stock. Either the guy is having trouble keeping up with demand or just isn’t making them right now. How much I would love to ID the magazines as the issue. I have Cobra Mags by Tripp Research right now. The follower is anti-tilt, but it doesn’t prevent nose dives. I wonder if the magazine springs are too weak?? The fact that the magazine is allowing the round to drop back into the mag and/or nosedive. Might try some other new magazines to see if I can’t replicate the issue. I’ll pull the extractor and check/tune that. But still having similar issues to OP. I haven’t fired 500+ rounds out of it yet, so that will also be another thing to eliminate.
 
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Steve in Allentown

New member
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RickB

New member
The rounds are far enough into the chamber that I'd be looking at the extractor tension.
Short guns are much more sensitive than a 5"; the go/no go window is considerably smaller.
 
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Logs

New member
Thanks for the info. When the gun doesn't feed you bump it and it seats fine. All ammo once fired is ejecting fine and lands in a nice little pile so it is not going all over the place. It also shoots really nice groups so I would love to figure out how to solve the feeding issues.

I took the gun to a local gunsmith to check it out. As I walked in he saw the Kimber box and he told me "I don't work on Kimber's they are Junk" I thought he was kidding, but he was not. He said that the springs wear out in 400-500 rounds and then the slide gets out of sync and causes these issues. He said to send it back to Kimber, but watch out they will charge me. He said they are a real pain to deal with so he will never work on another one.

I am going to call Kimber on Friday to see what my options are for shipping it back. Since I bought it used I don't know how many rounds were fired. I can say I have less than 30 through it.

I recently bought a Kimber Custom II and it runs like a champ. The Smith told me to look at the Gisan 1911 if I wanted something reliable and not costing $1K or more like Wilson Combat etc.

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totaldla

New member
Logs said:
Thanks for the info. When the gun doesn't feed you bump it and it seats fine. All ammo once fired is ejecting fine and lands in a nice little pile so it is not going all over the place. It also shoots really nice groups so I would love to figure out how to solve the feeding issues.

I took the gun to a local gunsmith to check it out. As I walked in he saw the Kimber box and he told me "I don't work on Kimber's they are Junk" I thought he was kidding, but he was not. He said that the springs wear out in 400-500 rounds and then the slide gets out of sync and causes these issues. He said to send it back to Kimber, but watch out they will charge me. He said they are a real pain to deal with so he will never work on another one.

I am going to call Kimber on Friday to see what my options are for shipping it back. Since I bought it used I don't know how many rounds were fired. I can say I have less than 30 through it.

I recently bought a Kimber Custom II and it runs like a champ. The Smith told me to look at the Gisan 1911 if I wanted something reliable and not costing $1K or more like Wilson Combat etc.
Click to expand...
Now you know one smith to avoid - not always easy to weed out the uneducated bozos. Buy a new recoil spring from Wolff gunsprings - they don't cost much.

Now please don't take offense, but did you lube the pistol?
 
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BornFighting88

New member
What say you to purchasing a new recoil spring assembly?? I have a lead on a complete new recoil spring assembly (guide rod, spring, inverted plug), and it would be drop in replacement. Thoughts?
 
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Logs

New member
No offense taken. Yes I cleaned pistol before shooting and lubed the rails with Slip2000.

I'll call Kimber in the AM and see what they say. I did see springs on ebay and it may be worth $20 to try that first. I looked at a guide rod assembly and it was around $50.
 
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Steve in Allentown

New member
I agree with BornFighting88 that a complete recoil assembly would be a good thing for these stubby 1911s. I suggest giving EGW a call and ask them which of their kits would be appropriate for your pistol. Their kits utilize flat springs which last way, way longer than standard round wire recoil springs.

This is not a cure for your feeding problem but once that is corrected the EGW recoil spring kit would be a positive functional upgrade.
 
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Logs

New member
Spoke to Kimber they were really nice. $62.50 plus me shipping pistol to them so close to $100 for them to look at it. Parts would be extra.

Found out the gun was made in FEB 2014 so I think a new spring assembly is worth the investment.

Thanks for the tip. Logs
 
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Shane Tuttle

Staff
So, you're out $162 at the minimum for a defective firearm...not including parts?

Welp, at least Kimber didn't demand 500 rounds to be shot before allowing you to send it to them.
 
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RickB

New member
The "dual telescoping" guide rod assembly in most 3" 1911s are pretty flimsy, where the rod and sheetmetal head are held together with a clip.
Smith & Wesson uses a single flat-wire spring in their 3", and if you are going to replace the whole assembly, you might take a look at that.
 
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