New Kimber Question.

[Jonpod]

I just got my new Kimber Custom Stainless last Tuesday. That night I took it apart and put it together about five or six times. This is one very tight gun. I also gave it a thorough cleaning. Here is the problem. When I reassembled it the last time and racked the slide it was very rough. I couldn't believe how much oil I had to put on it to make it function smoothly. The one place the oil was most needed was on the full length guide rod. Well I then realized that I had caused some gauling on the recoil rod. I finally was able to go to the shooting range last night. I put three boxes of ammo through her with not so much as a burp. It was smooth accurate and reliable. looking at the recoil rod afterward I noticed more scratches although finer than the others I caused earlied. Has anyone else had gauling of the recoil rod and should I be conscerned about this? Will the gun always need so much oil or is this the norm during the "breaking in" period?
Also, I took off the rubber grips and put on a set of rosewood double dimond grips. The thing looks so good that I can't stop looking at it. Thanks for any info now I have to go look at it some more.

 

[Simon]

I have no idea the answer to your question, but I will tell you I am jealous of you, my friend. I have wanted one of those things since I first saw one. You lucky dog.

 

[JimFox]

I don't know about the "feeling rough" and needing a LOT of oil after the "last" assembly. Could be a little fine dust/grit in the atmosphere/on the rag when you cleaned and reassembled?

I have no idea how you could be galling the guide rod. I've been sitting here looking at one and I can't figure it out. The only possible source that I can think of is that you have the recoil spring in backwards or the end on the final coil is not properly finished off.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can offer something a bit more concrete.

------------------
Jim Fox

 

[trlmech]

I think JimFox is probably right. Make sure the open end of the spring is in the plug.

 

[Hal]

Jonpod,
First off ditto the grips on my Kimber. Yep the rosewood sure do look fine, even on my non-stainless, plus they don't have the mushy feel the rubber ones do.

Secondly, you may want to call Kimber and see if they will send you a new guide rod and spring. I have put mine back together with the spring in backwards with no problems. It sounds like there might be a tiny burr on the spring itself. If you look at the spring, you can see there are two distinct end to it. The more open end goes in the plug. If Kimber won't replace it, you can go to an automotive store and get somw 1600 grit wet/dry and polish the scratches out. 1600 grit feels a lot like tissue paper as far as abrasiveness, but still use caution to avoid any metal removal.

Lastly, yes Kimbers are tight, but tight is a relative thing. My Commander is so loose it rattles like an old Dodge, but it's tight where it counts. You need to get all the old oil out. Mine came from the factory virtually dripping, and I suspect Kimber uses a heavy type of oil as a precaution against rust. Yes, even the Kimber Stainless models reportedly rust very easily. I removed the oil and used DSX grease (1-800-822-0258 for a dealer nearby) on the slide and rails, sping and guide rod, the part of the slide that contacts the hammer, the ouside of the barrel and the inside of the bushing and slide release, followed by a single drop of Rem-Oil for the first few hundred rounds.
This was my procedure: Put on a gob of the stuff,reassemble, let it sit for a few hours, then cycle it a bunch of times. Disassemble it, and clean it very well. Make sure it's dry at this point and take a dry q-tip swab and run it over the mating surfaces very lightly. None of the strands should pull out of the swab. If they do, there is a rough spot, and Kimber should address it. If there isn't, use another swab of DSX to very lightly grease the surfaces. Follow that with single drop of Rem-Oil and it should work noticably smoother. I am by no means an expert, or even remotely close to one, so if there is anything I did that is not correct, someone is sure to point it out. I was following the advise of the salesman where I bought mine as far as break in. When I bought mine, he told me to field stip it, and grease anything that moved with DSX, then clean it off real well. According to him DSX works it's way into the metal(??? sounds far fetched to me, but the stuff does seem to work well) and remains slippery even when removed.