Introduction to me and my problematic Ultra Raptor II
Hi, My name is Shawn, I am 36 years old, a Leo, and I live in Tampa....Just kidding....
I have been lurking for a while around here and the 1911 forum, as after 6 years of not CCW'ing, I renewed my license with the intent of becoming a gun toting maniac once again. My kids are now 4 and 2 and I found myself, at times, wishing I had a little protection with me, just in case. I still had in my safe a Sig 229 in .40, but I recalled not really carrying it as much as I should, and ended up most times carrying a pony pocketlite, which I no longer own. Make a long story short, I acquired last month a Kahr PM9 on the reccomendation of a few different people, including people here. Have had about 10 FTF and another 30 or so times that the slide did not return full to battery in the first 400 rounds. Needless to say, it currently doesnt make me all warm and cozy about depending on it.
My thoughts went to, "well, lets see what is out there is a single action .45", which led me to here and the 1911 forum, and reading about 3" Springfields and Kimbers. I ended up buying a Raptor II Ultra 1 week ago today. In the first 300 rounds, I have probably had 50 FTE's and FTF's. NO SH*T. I wish I were kidding. I am really at a loss right now. The Sig I own NEVER had a single issue, from day one. ANd the numerous Glocks I have owned have always ate whatever I threw at them. My thoughts were "well, you are a little older, making a hell of alot more money, lets get the best out there". Clearly, cost has nothing to do with reliability. I will be calling Kimber on Monday to have a little "discussion", but beyond that, I am probably going back to Sig or Glock. I really want to like this Raptor, but right now, quite frankly, I am pretty pissed off.
I know, its been said a million times around here, dont buy a 3" auto, well, it appears to be the truth. What would you do at this point?
Shawn
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BTW, here is one of my other hobbies, I collect and play U.S. Charvels and Jacksons, among others......another obsession that makes gun buying look like a pittance ...LOL
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I have been lurking for a while around here and the 1911 forum, as after 6 years of not CCW'ing, I renewed my license with the intent of becoming a gun toting maniac once again. My kids are now 4 and 2 and I found myself, at times, wishing I had a little protection with me, just in case. I still had in my safe a Sig 229 in .40, but I recalled not really carrying it as much as I should, and ended up most times carrying a pony pocketlite, which I no longer own. Make a long story short, I acquired last month a Kahr PM9 on the reccomendation of a few different people, including people here. Have had about 10 FTF and another 30 or so times that the slide did not return full to battery in the first 400 rounds. Needless to say, it currently doesnt make me all warm and cozy about depending on it.
My thoughts went to, "well, lets see what is out there is a single action .45", which led me to here and the 1911 forum, and reading about 3" Springfields and Kimbers. I ended up buying a Raptor II Ultra 1 week ago today. In the first 300 rounds, I have probably had 50 FTE's and FTF's. NO SH*T. I wish I were kidding. I am really at a loss right now. The Sig I own NEVER had a single issue, from day one. ANd the numerous Glocks I have owned have always ate whatever I threw at them. My thoughts were "well, you are a little older, making a hell of alot more money, lets get the best out there". Clearly, cost has nothing to do with reliability. I will be calling Kimber on Monday to have a little "discussion", but beyond that, I am probably going back to Sig or Glock. I really want to like this Raptor, but right now, quite frankly, I am pretty pissed off.
I know, its been said a million times around here, dont buy a 3" auto, well, it appears to be the truth. What would you do at this point?
Shawn
BTW, here is one of my other hobbies, I collect and play U.S. Charvels and Jacksons, among others......another obsession that makes gun buying look like a pittance ...LOL
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Def Leppard called.....They want their Axes back :biglaugh:
I am surprised by the PM9 not functioning well, did you buy it new? There was a barrel recall on certain serial number Kahr's, maybe it's one of them?
Kahr has great CS and will fix that gun for you. Kimber should be able to make your Raptor work too. Send both back and carry that Sig while you wait.
My PM9 gave me trouble with 115 grain bullets and lighter, running like a clock on 124 grain and up weights.
I am surprised by the PM9 not functioning well, did you buy it new? There was a barrel recall on certain serial number Kahr's, maybe it's one of them?
Kahr has great CS and will fix that gun for you. Kimber should be able to make your Raptor work too. Send both back and carry that Sig while you wait.
My PM9 gave me trouble with 115 grain bullets and lighter, running like a clock on 124 grain and up weights.
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Clean it. Lube it. And shoot it somemore till you get to 5 or 600 rounds and see what it's doing then. Also get someone else who knows 1911s to shoot it and make sure you're not limp-wristing it. If you're still having problems, then call Kimber. Make sure they fix it for you and then have fun with it.
I have a Springfield Utra Compact that's 100%, so that crap about shorty 45s is just that.
I have a Springfield Utra Compact that's 100%, so that crap about shorty 45s is just that.
What's up, Eddie VanHalen!??!
I used to work in the music indiustry .. among other things, I sold guitars.
The funny thing is - the guitar business runs an exact parallel to the gun business. Prices, customer service, etc ...
Have you ever tried Brian Moore guitars? Jackson (in its day) might be like a Kimber ... Brian Moore (the custom shop) would be like a Wilson. If you play the guitars you collect, you'd like the Moore guitars.
Jesus - now I have to take pics of my guitars to be on here too ...
I used to work in the music indiustry .. among other things, I sold guitars.
The funny thing is - the guitar business runs an exact parallel to the gun business. Prices, customer service, etc ...
Have you ever tried Brian Moore guitars? Jackson (in its day) might be like a Kimber ... Brian Moore (the custom shop) would be like a Wilson. If you play the guitars you collect, you'd like the Moore guitars.
Jesus - now I have to take pics of my guitars to be on here too ...
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31 Posts
Hey there, Thanks for trying to help. Yes, I thoroughly cleaned it after its initial use. Used break-free, etc.. As far as ammo, I ran everything from gold dot, to winchester SXT, american eagle, FMJ and Ball. The Hollowpoint stuff is almost unuseable. I purchased 2 Wilson Combat mags new with the gun.Kruzr said:
The smith shot it,and he got the same result. I am 6"3 275, no weak grip here.
Shawn
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Def leppard called, what they really want back is their hair and their talent...LOL6285108 said:
I purchased the PM9 brand new 1 month ago, so there shouldnt be any of the older issues. The Kahr, I must admit, is getting better. The first day of shooting was god-awful. I have a feeling that all it needs is just more time, but the Kimber is a mess. A thousand dollar mess at that....
Shawn
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31 Posts
No Brian Moore for me...Charvel and Jackson Custom Shop is untouchable in my opinion. I own over 50 of them, all masterpieces. Brian Moores look like swiss army knives to me LOL. Heres a few more for ya....DALI-GENE said:What's up, Eddie VanHalen!??!
I used to work in the music indiustry .. among other things, I sold guitars.
The funny thing is - the guitar business runs an exact parallel to the gun business. Prices, customer service, etc ...
Have you ever tried Brian Moore guitars? Jackson (in its day) might be like a Kimber ... Brian Moore (the custom shop) would be like a Wilson. If you play the guitars you collect, you'd like the Moore guitars.
Jesus - now I have to take pics of my guitars to be on here too ...
Shawn
Man, I wasn't wrong when I said Eddie VanHalen, was I ... ??!!??
You've got the Peavey and everything!
I like the Gold Top.
I know quite a few dudes who actually build guitars - including the head luthier at Brian Moore. I'm a Fender Man myself; if you can't make a good old American Standard Strat sound good, you can't play.
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It seems like you are partial to the smaller guns - I have a SIG p239 that is a great little carry gun. I've been thinking about the Ultra Carry for a while - I wonder if this is a problem with the Raptor version of the ultra ... ?
You've got the Peavey and everything!
I like the Gold Top.
I know quite a few dudes who actually build guitars - including the head luthier at Brian Moore. I'm a Fender Man myself; if you can't make a good old American Standard Strat sound good, you can't play.
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It seems like you are partial to the smaller guns - I have a SIG p239 that is a great little carry gun. I've been thinking about the Ultra Carry for a while - I wonder if this is a problem with the Raptor version of the ultra ... ?
G
Guest
·Keep it gun related please. Thanks.
Oh - to answer your original 'question':
You sound like a big fella, so why not try a Pro Carry (4" barrel)? I love mine and I'm only 6' 185lbs - conceal it with no problem.
If you love the Sig and don't mind the DA/SA, try the 239 - they're great guns.
You sound like a big fella, so why not try a Pro Carry (4" barrel)? I love mine and I'm only 6' 185lbs - conceal it with no problem.
If you love the Sig and don't mind the DA/SA, try the 239 - they're great guns.
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31 Posts
I do like the smaller guns, I just seem to always carry them.DALI-GENE said:
I used to own a 239 at one point, and it is/was a great gun. I may move in that direction again, but it did always seem a little weighty. Maybe my memory is skewed.
I also see they are coming out with some SAS carry model 239....Hmmm
Shawn
My 5 inch Raptor experiences
Scuba,
Please let us know what Kimber has to say. I had the same problem to a lesser extent with my 5" Raptor. It took about 600 rounds at least (just guessing) maybe more to feed and eject reliably. Now I am getting maybe 1 failure in 1 box of 100, but, these are reloads.
I also can't count out the limp wristed bit (hey I really don't like the sound of that guys) but my point is that Kimbers are built tight and need some time.
At least that's what the dealer here and Kimber told me. I am a newbie and just blew up mine with a squib load so there are my qualifications!
I will mention the FTE/FTL to Kimber when I send in the gun but, as a reloader I don't think I am tops on their list.
Good luck, Scott
Scuba,
Please let us know what Kimber has to say. I had the same problem to a lesser extent with my 5" Raptor. It took about 600 rounds at least (just guessing) maybe more to feed and eject reliably. Now I am getting maybe 1 failure in 1 box of 100, but, these are reloads.
I also can't count out the limp wristed bit (hey I really don't like the sound of that guys) but my point is that Kimbers are built tight and need some time.
At least that's what the dealer here and Kimber told me. I am a newbie and just blew up mine with a squib load so there are my qualifications!
I will mention the FTE/FTL to Kimber when I send in the gun but, as a reloader I don't think I am tops on their list.
Good luck, Scott
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I have gone through too many combinations to list. All with the same result.
I have been assured up one side and down the other by the actual designer of this model,whom I spoke with at Kimber, that all will be well when I get it back.
It went out overnight today, and am supposed to have it back in a week. To be honest, I am quite impressed by the special interest many at Kimber have taken in my issue.
They have been quite receptive, considering how pissed I am. We shall see.
It's amazing how effective a well placed and well worded email can be. Especially when the subject line reads " Let me tell you about my $1300 paper weight".
Shawn
I have been assured up one side and down the other by the actual designer of this model,whom I spoke with at Kimber, that all will be well when I get it back.
It went out overnight today, and am supposed to have it back in a week. To be honest, I am quite impressed by the special interest many at Kimber have taken in my issue.
They have been quite receptive, considering how pissed I am. We shall see.
It's amazing how effective a well placed and well worded email can be. Especially when the subject line reads " Let me tell you about my $1300 paper weight".
Shawn
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170 Posts
I had FTE's with my Ultra Carry at the very beginning. I attributed the problems to my lack of experience. After reading about of the problems and complaints, I finally sent it back to Kimber. Kimber polished the feed ramp and replaced the extractor. I'm not sure about the spring, but I assume they would have done both. I could be wrong. But my Ultra Carry hasn't had a problem since I got it back.
I heard that Kimber had a bad batch of extractor springs. This was the unofficial word. Hopefully, you didn't get one of those bad springs. If you send your Ultra Raptor back, DON'T PAY FOR THE SHIPPING. Ask Kimber to send a call tag to the dealer.
I didn't pay for any shipping. I read that a lot of people paid for the shipping back to Kimber.
Good Luck. It's a good looking pistol.
I heard that Kimber had a bad batch of extractor springs. This was the unofficial word. Hopefully, you didn't get one of those bad springs. If you send your Ultra Raptor back, DON'T PAY FOR THE SHIPPING. Ask Kimber to send a call tag to the dealer.
I didn't pay for any shipping. I read that a lot of people paid for the shipping back to Kimber.
Good Luck. It's a good looking pistol.
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