Almost all manufacturers, except Springfield Armory, use an item called a "firing pin safety" these days. Supposed to keep the firing pin from being driven forward into the primer should the firearm be dropped on the muzzle. This is a relatively new item in the Kimber line. I think guns marked with II have the firing pin safety. Search on the Kimber forum and you should be able to find more information.
Safty
I have been thinking about purchasing a Kimber Ultra Carry.
A friend of mine was telling me about the safty on these and other 1911 type pistols.
He said that when carring cocked and locked that if they were dropped the pistol would fire.
Is that true?
A friend of mine was telling me about the safty on these and other 1911 type pistols.
He said that when carring cocked and locked that if they were dropped the pistol would fire.
Is that true?
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Yes and no. It is possible for a 1911 to fire when dropped however it is unlikely. Many currently manufactured 1911s (including series II Kimbers) have a firing pin safety that virtually eliminates the possibility of the gun discharging should it be dropped. Guns that do not have a FP safety should be fitted with an extra power FP spring, which will do wonders to reduce the risk of the gun firing if dropped. Carrying the gun C&L has little do with the gun firing if dropped. That could happen in Condition 2 just as easily.
This is a much exaggerated concern. While it is theoretically possible for a 1911 type firearm without a firing pin block to fire when dropped, it is very unlikely.
The firing pin is held away from the primer by the firing pin spring, and the momentum of the firing pin must be great enough to overcome the spring and hit the primer hard enough to ignite it. To do that, the piece has to be dropped from a considerable height and land on a hard surface with the barrel pointed straight down. If it did fire under such unlikely circumstances, the bullet would by definition hit the hard surface directly.
If you stood on the roof of your house and dropped your pistol onto the concrete driveway enough times, you might eventually get it to fire straight into the concrete. But you would have to work at it for a while.
Note that it is firing pin momentum that would cause the piece to fire. Whether or not the hammer is cocked has nothing to do with it.
When parachuting, if you land hard enough to make the pistol fire, you probably will not survive the PLF. I never did get a definitive answer as to whether the forces of an ejection seat could fire it, but suggest keeping the chamber empty when riding in a aircraft so equiped.
Otherwise, forget about it.
The firing pin is held away from the primer by the firing pin spring, and the momentum of the firing pin must be great enough to overcome the spring and hit the primer hard enough to ignite it. To do that, the piece has to be dropped from a considerable height and land on a hard surface with the barrel pointed straight down. If it did fire under such unlikely circumstances, the bullet would by definition hit the hard surface directly.
If you stood on the roof of your house and dropped your pistol onto the concrete driveway enough times, you might eventually get it to fire straight into the concrete. But you would have to work at it for a while.
Note that it is firing pin momentum that would cause the piece to fire. Whether or not the hammer is cocked has nothing to do with it.
When parachuting, if you land hard enough to make the pistol fire, you probably will not survive the PLF. I never did get a definitive answer as to whether the forces of an ejection seat could fire it, but suggest keeping the chamber empty when riding in a aircraft so equiped.
Otherwise, forget about it.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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