Reliability issues(or maybe not)

[Guest bazookazilla]

I have a Kimber Custom II (approximately 2000 rounds through) that I use for concealed carry. I shoot at the range usually every week or two. When I shoot I almost always buy the factory reloaded ammo from the range. Sometime I have problems due to the ammo (I think) causing the slide to not go fully into battery. When this happens I am able to remedy the problem by pulling the slide back an inch or so and letting it slide forward. I have not had these problems when using factory ammo, no matter how cheap. WHen I carry I load Remington Golden Saber 230 gr. I have shot about 100 of these at the range and had zero malfunctions. I have been told that the failures to go into battery that I have had with the reloaded ammo are due to minor fluctations in case sizing and that makes sense to me. Am I being stupid to think that I won't have these problems with quality factory ammo when/if the SHTF?

ps. Why does factory 45 ammuntion have to be so damn expensive??

[Im Neero]

I have had issues with the Tennessee reloads as well. It's range ammo, and I don't expect too much from it in the way of quality control.

Who knows why .45 is so expensive, but if you start reloading you can solve both of your problems in one go.

[Mike.357]

spring worn out maybe??

I have and RIA that fails to go to battery once in a while and that is one of many suggestions I was given.

[Guest Verbal Kint]

spring worn out maybe??

That was my first thought as well, if it's doing it across the board. However, they way I'm reading his post... he only encounters these problems when he uses the reloads and not factory ammo? If so, that's weird. I'd still try replacing the springs if you haven't lately... as they're a cheap fix, and 2000 rounds is a substantial number (if the springs haven't been swapped).

[Guest bazookazilla]

I replaced my recoil spring about 500 rounds ago. I haven't had any problems with factory, but I have shot very little factory ammo. The failures are not a big problem for me but they do make me just a little concerned about reliability in a desperate situation.

[Guest bazookazilla]

maybe I should try a heavier recoil spring? What are the negatives in regards to heavier recoil spring?

[Guest Mugster]

There are no advantages to changing your recoil spring weight in terms of feeding unless you are way heavy...you either need to or you don't, thats imo. Usually, you put in a heavier recoil spring to shoot maximum powered ammo, like 230gr +P or whatever, to protect the frame from getting beat up. A lighter spring is said by some to reduce felt recoil, but i haven't noticed much futzing around with a 14 pound "target spring", but then i'm no pistolero. So most guys try to get away with a lower weight spring, not a heavier one. Cheap reloads are usually pretty anemic, so going heavier is probably not the thing you want to do.

Colt gold cup: 12 pound recoil spring...guys used to tear them up shooting ball in them, which was a real shame

USGI spec: 16 pounder

Also, 2k rounds...your pistol isn't even broken in good yet, imo. Stainless steel is pretty long wearing as well, which i assume this one is. I think i'd run another 2k at least through it before I used it as a self defense weapon or tried to fix something that might correct itself once its worn in good. I think i'd also stick the stock spring back in unless you have a reason not to use it. The spring from kimber is probably a better spring than you can buy aftermarket, and it might be lighter than the one you stuck in there.

I know they get them pretty nice from the factory these days, but a 1911 can be a finiky beast on ammo choice. It may never feed that ammo, and even the guy that made it might not be able to figure out why.

[Marswolf]

If the gun works with factory ammunition but not reloads, it's the ammunition not the spring that needs replacing. Yes, that might "fix the problem" but also might introduce other problems. I'd just quit using the crappy ammunition.

BTW, I replaced the spring on my Beretta 92 SB after twenty years. Someone gave me a replacement and so I replaced it, even though it didn't need replacing. If you have to replace springs very often, you need a better quality of spring.

[Guest bazookazilla]

My owners manual says to change the recoil spring every 1600-1800 rounds. I replaced it at around 1600.

[Marswolf]

My owners manual says to change the recoil spring every 1600-1800 rounds. I replaced it at around 1600.

Then you need a better gun too.

[Guest CrazyLincoln]

My Kimber did the exact same thing! Put some slide grease on the slide when you clean it. Then put a couple hundred rounds through it the first time. Worked for me

took about 3000 rounds to break mine in.

[Guest bazookazilla]

3000?

[Guest bazookazilla]

My wife is gonna be pretty pissed when I tell her I need to buy about 1000 more bullets to make sure my expensive birthday present from her is "properly broken in".

[Rightwinger]

Just clean it good and buy UMC or Magtech for plinking and the good stuff (Hornady is my choice) for defense/carry and it will work fine. If you want 200 more rounds of crap to chuck through it I have have it...cheap AMERC. 20 bucks and its all yours, of course you'll probably have to pull the slide back, and back, and back, and then manually pull one out. This stuff was sold to me as "bulk" .45 from a guy in Georgia. I would send it back to him but it isn't worth it. I put about 30 through a SA Commander micro 2 years back and even that thing wouldn't chew on it well enough to get any satisfaction from it.

If you want it, like I said, 20 bucks for 200 rounds but you sign a disclaimer holding me harmless from kabooms and carpal tunnel.

RW

[molonlabetn]

Higher recoil spring tension will increase slide return velocity, which helps strip and chamber cartridges more reliably, and can reduce felt recoil slightly in some cases. An 18.5# spring in a full-size gun would be perfectly fine as long as one wasn't shooting watered down loads. Much more tension than that would probably result in incomplete slide cycling unless one was using hotter-than-nominal loads.