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![]() | #1 |
Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Texas
Posts: 12
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This may have been asked before, but I have not been able to find the answer in this forum yet...I have a Pro Eclipse II and it is a nice shooter, especially after Kimber replaced the first barrel that shot 7 inches low and 5 inches to the left. (Turn around time by Kimber with no questions asked was 5 days) To make this gun 100% reliable what parts must be replaced, tweaked, cajoled,etc.? While doing reload drills, it instantly occurred to me that a mag well bevel would be nice, as well as rounding off the bottom of the MSH where it tends to cut ones palm heel a bit. Hey Dane! What would be your "Kimber Factory Wish List" , so that you could just concentrate on the fun stuff?
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![]() | #2 |
Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Southwest
Posts: 2,371
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Hello. There are certainly much more knowledgeable Kimber shooters out there than I am, but my view is that very little "needs" to be done,depending upon the particular Kimber. I have but one Kimber Classic Custom .45 and the only changes I made were: Stocks: Couldn't stand the rubber ones so I changed to checkered rosewood. Trigger: The trigger that came in the gun hung up during the press, so I fitted a new aluminum long trigger. Slide stop: The one that came in the gun never broke, cracked, etc, but just didn't activate the slide lock with certain magazines so I replaced it with a Brown. I did have to file down the front sight just a tad to bring POI to POA. Of course, that doesn't mean that there isn't more that I want to have done and when the day comes that I do this, I'll send the gun to Dane Burns. Best. <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Stephen A. Camp on 2001-11-25 10:43 ]</font> |
![]() | #3 |
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 350
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I've owned a few kimbers so I would like a stab at this. First off, the plastic mainspring housing is a bit sharp, I fixed this with my wife's fingernail file and very gently broke the edge. That was a good immediate fix, but I don't like plastic on 1911's. I would say get a new mainspring housing of your choosing. Also, I was never comfortable with the slide stop on the kimbers. I would think that piece takes and incredible pounding and I would want a really good one in it's place. I think that just drops in so no problem there. Is your gun blued? I would do a bazillion presentations from leather in dry fire practice and shoot the gun as much as I could afford (money and time wise). When it needed a reblue job I would send it to a good smith for a nice dehorn job on the complete gun, a trigger job if it needs one, and maybe have a tritium vial put in the front sight if that kind of thing floats your boat. Also, I don't care for full length guide rods. So I would change that out for a standard colt style recoil system. I think I am in the minority here on this though. The reason I don't like it is interesting though: I think it discourages people from taking apart their gun and inspecting it and cleaning it, plus, it is just one more thing that is too complicated for my tastes. If I could find a sling shot that would fire 230 grain rocks at 900fps that's probably what I would carry; I do admit that finding a holster would be a drag. Grips are kind of personal, I like to have something a bit different than factory grips. Do they work any better? I doubt it, but I just think that is one area where you can express a little personal style without endangering the reliability of your gun. I still like the look of hex head screws, but the darn things keep backing out on me and I am becoming less impressed with them as time goes on. Anyway, sounds like you have a nice pistola there. Do you have good leather for it? It deserves something nice I would say. How about good mags? I think bad mags are responsible for over half the reliability packages being performed out there. Good luck. When you're knee deep in brass, let the gun cool off for a few minutes while you sweep up. Then start over. Good shooting. Jake |
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![]() | #4 |
Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 8
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On my Custom Stainless I replaced the plastic mainspring hsng with a Smith Alexander arched/checkered housing,installed wood grips,a GI type guide rod with a 18 1/2 lb spring and got several CMC and Wilson 8 rd magazines, keep it clean and shoot the heck out of it, about 5K rounds so far and no failures that couldn't be blamed on ammo (reloads)or bad mags. Rick
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![]() | #5 | |
Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Issaquah, WA
Posts: 3,831
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For my personal guns I do at the minimum the HP package on my web site...but that is me. I do this for a living and don't have time to waste when I want to shoot. So I do at least those mods and usually more to a new and unfired gun if it is going to be my personal gun. I might suggest you take your gun and go shoot it. If it aint broke don't fix it :grin: If you have problems after several 1000 rounds, then fix what you think needs fixing and at that time it is worth looking at the packages I offer to up grade a Kimber. | |
![]() | #6 |
Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Texas
Posts: 12
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Thanks everyone for the kind input. I realize that by shooting a paltry 100 rounds through it and my TR Special every week , that I am practically in the non shooter class compared to most who frequent this forum. I am just trying to hurry my way along the learning curve with this type of weapon before I go to Thunder Ranch in February. Forums like this one have saved me a lot of frustration, money and , for that matter finger and hand skin in the past...but that was with my 45 long colts. By the way, what is the wait on a HP package these days?
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![]() | #7 |
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 50
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I bought my Gold Match in March of '98. I have replaced the barrel bushing with an EGW unit, replaced the mainspring housing with Ed Brown's "Wedge". I also added mag well funnel (I don't remeber who makes it) and a Pearce rubber finger-groove grip under the factory grips (rosewood) I added 3-dots to the sights and radiused the "wings" of the rear sight (adjustables, of course) I had the barrel and bushing hard-chromed. Did this stuff NEED to be done? No. They are just some things I've done to make the gun suit me better. I use this gun in local Pin and Plate shoots. It has many thousands of round through it. |
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