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S

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Started out with a standard 5 inch Kimber and did the following to it:
Heinie sights straight 8 slant .110 front
Brown tail Memory groove Tail
disconnector,hammer & sear - BCP
slide stop- Wilson "factory plus"
trigger- videcki solid
plug& guide- Ed Brown
Bushing solid - Wilson
extractor---Wilson
HD firing pin spring
Wolff recoil spring 17 lbs.
Wolff main spring 19 lbs.
Wilson ejector
CMC ambi safety
MSH 30 lpi from Ed brown
EGW checker front 20 lpi
Carry bevel entire gun for carry
Serrate rear of slide 50 LPI
Cobra Coat by Tripp Research ( shipped gun on Monday this week, Back Today!!!)
Grips are Black Micarta








[This message has been edited by Shay (edited 11-26-2001).]
 
R

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#3 ·
Nice one Shay.

It looks like you're building up a nice collection of 1911s. It's like Lays potato chips.... "You can't just have ONE"


Be sure to give us a range report on this one too.

Ross T.
 
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S

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#4 ·
Damn, that looks good bro. I was actually thinking about turning my Custom II into all-black, conceptually similar to yours but I'd change the trigger too.


------------------
~ ScorpioVI
http://tacticalpursuits.com
 
J

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#5 ·
Beautiful gun. Excellent detail.
Only thing is, the range pimp is coming out and he whispers, IVORY.


------------------
John

"And by the way, Mr. Speaker, The Second Amendment is not for killing ducks and leaving Huey and Dewey and Louie without an aunt and uncle. It is for hunting politicians like (in) Grozney and in 1776, when they take your independence away".
Robert K. Dornen, U.S. Congressman. 1995
 
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B

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#6 ·
Shay, nice gun but I have a question that may sound dumb. I don't know what you paid for the base Kimber that you started with, but was all that work necessary to turn it into a good gun? It seems to be like buying a BMW and getting a good car only after replacing the engine, the transmission, the cooling system, the exhaust system, the body, the frame, the seats and the radio. Doesn't Kimber make a gun that's any good without having to do all that?
 
S

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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
IMO Kimber makes Great Frame/Slide/Barrel but the rest of the parts leave something to be desired. I don’t want to start a MIM argument here but about a year ago I bought a Kimber Supermatch and after 700 rounds in a middle of a Tac match the gun went click instead of bang, the MIM parts failed and I lost faith in them forever.
Kimber had to invest alot of $ to develop these 1911's and they have raised the standards of Colt, SA and other 1911 makers. I think in order for their price to stay competitive they had to cut costs somewhere and that’s why we get the cheaper MIM parts. Colt, SA ... are all using MIM now (I think).
I took the best parts of the Kimber and changed out all the MIM parts with Tool steel, installed what IMO are the best sights available, add to that 20lpi checkering, a durable finish and this is an awesome gun.

**And I had fun putting it together



Regards,
Shay
 
Gun Nut

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#9 ·
Originally posted by Shay:
IMO Kimber makes Great Frame/Slide/Barrel but the rest of the parts leave something to be desired. I don’t want to start a MIM argument here but about a year ago I bought a Kimber Supermatch and after 700 rounds in a middle of a Tac match the gun went click instead of bang, the MIM parts failed and I lost faith in them forever.
Click to expand...
You said you didn't want to go there but you did. There is *ZERO* evidence that MIM, Cast, or Forged Steel parts in guns are any more prone to failure than any other. I have seen nothing but conjecture. And actually, if anything, I have seen just as many failures posted on this forum with forged parts like "Wilson Bulletproof" extractors and slide stops as anything else.

The real facts are that if MIM or Cast were inferior, there would be proof, and then there would be lawsuits, and then there wouldn't be MIM or Cast parts.

These alternate production methods are used in all manner of high stress mechanical devices like planes and cars. And, in order to purchase a gun without MIM, cast, or plastic parts you need to spend about $2000.

So, your perception of MIM materials is your choice, just as it was for you to spend the money to replace them, but that doesn't make it it factual.

If you look at the number of total Kimber guns out there, which is many tens of thousands, and look at the number of Kimber owners on this forum who own them, then look at the number of people who have issues with MIM parts breakage I would urge you to try and find a higher ratio of MIM parts breakage than the Cast parts in Colts, or the forged parts in other makes.

The real facts are that many thousands of Kimber owners have put many thousands of rounds through their guns without any breakage what-so-ever.
 
K

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#12 ·
Shay,
I have wanted to replace the grip safety on my Custom Kimber for some time now. I tried at one point and was told no one makes a drop in replacement and I didn't want to grind on the frame to do this. Is that Brown Memory Groove Beavertail a drop in or did they alter your frame? If it is a drop in, how does the fit feel(any side to side play) and what was the radius used?
 
S

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Discussion Starter · #13 ·
The Kimber cut is a little over the .250 Brown cut, I put the jig from Brown and cleaned up the radius. then I filed the frame to match the grip safety while in the engaged position on top and bottom.
the bottom area by the MSH had to be fitted to the frame and MSH.
it is much easier to fit the Brown or CMC grip safety to a kimber then to a Colt.
 
G

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#15 ·
Originally posted by Gun Nut:
You said you didn't want to go there but you did. There is *ZERO* evidence that MIM, Cast, or Forged Steel parts in guns are any more prone to failure than any other. I have seen nothing but conjecture.
Click to expand...
Um.
I don't have a dog in this fight.
But I do have a very nice collection of busted parts
Very nice.

Bushing the bottom sheared off of.
2 pc slide stops
hooks broken off of extractors
fp stops cracked
ejector legs and fronts broken off
sear the front broke off.
thumb safetys broken off
front sights that have sheared the top off.

wile I do have other parts that have failed also, that are not mim, Personally I would prefer not to have mim for the bushing and slide stop.

last week had a colt sear that rockwelled 29 rc. today we had one that was 38 RC.

Browning uses mim in non critical areas, but not for hammer and sears.

can't we talk about guide rods or something not so controversial



geo ><>
 
R

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#17 ·
Originally posted by Gun Nut:

The real facts are that many thousands of Kimber owners have put many thousands of rounds through their guns without any breakage what-so-ever.
Click to expand...
I know somebody here can dig up the statistics that Smith and Wesson researched not too long ago. If not I will do my best to obtain them. Effectively they stated that the majority of their guns sold have never even been fired, and that those that were had been predominantly "test fired" in a recreational setting, loaded, and then laid to rest in a night stand drawer, almost indeffinitely. I know Smith isn't Kimber, but I'll wager that it is a trend among all guns. Just because a gun has wide distribution, doesn't mean that it will be extensively fired in any more than a small percentage of the units sold. Arguing that is simply assuming a whole lot. We have to admit that if we fire our guns more than once a year (I know that seems grossly negligent) we are in a very small percentage of the gun owners of America.

Kudos to Shay for not succumbing to the temptation of putting on a mag well guide. Where's Hollywwod?



[This message has been edited by ~/|ristotle (edited 11-26-2001).]
 
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Shay
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