Kimber 1911 Plunger Tube

[Wild Deuce]

I have a minor decision to make.

The plunger tube on my Kimber Gold Combat RL II seems to be loose (it wiggles slightly with hand pressure). The gun was ordered/purchased in 2005 from their Custom Shop. It is ay past their 1 Year Warranty. However ... I did contact them and they said that they will stand by their product beyond the warranty "depending on the condition of the pistol."

To be exact, this is their reply:

Yes, we do have a one year warranty on our firearms. However, we have a liberal view towards what is covered. We would welcome the opportunity
to evaluate and repair your pistol. Your loose plunger tube is a candidate for warranty service depending on the condition of your pistol.

Since I do not have the gun in front of me I can only offer a ball park guess as to what it might need.

Example: If your pistol has never been taken completely apart and cleaned (meaning all of the internal parts) we would suggest having us Detail Clean and lube your pistol. We charge $175.00 for that service and it includes installation of a new firing pin spring and recoil spring.

Return shipping would be $27.50

If you give me the serial number along with your name, I'll give you shipping instructions.

My question ...

Now that I have thought about it, would it be worth taking a stab at fixing it myself and save the $27.50? How hard would it be and would it be possible to mess something up in the attempt? It is from their Custom Shop and I'm afraid of ruining an otherwise flawless (to this point) gun. Considering the original price, it would have been nice to never have this happen. (For the record, the gun has over 4,500 rounds through it with only two hiccups ... tried to shoot a mag of Federal Gold Match SWC ... gun didn't like them.)

On another note ... what is up with the Detail Clean & Lube Service? Is that not an outrageous price? That is something I do on a regular basis and can't imagine it costing that much ... even with the replacement springs.

For those of you that build your own 1911's, does sending in a gun for a loose plunger tube seem about as ridiculous as paying $175 to have your gun cleaned and lubed?

 

[Drail]

$175 dollars for a "clean and lube". That's the most outrageous thing I have heard from Kimber yet. That's completely insane (or they think their customers are REALLY DUMB. Take it to a reputable smith and have him install a new plunger tube. If Kimber had installed it properly it would never come off like it is now. Kimber used to make a quality product but I guess they just don't care anymore. I installed quite a few plunger tubes over the years and we only charged 10 bucks for the labor (while you watched) plus the cost of the part. It's not hard to do but you need a good staking tool and a ball cutter to countersink the inside of the mounting holes in the frame.

 

[clgustaveson]

$175 dollars for a "clean and lube". That's the most outrageous thing I have heard from Kimber yet. That's completely insane (or they think their customers are REALLY DUMB. Take it to a reputable smith and have him install a new plunger tube. If Kimber had installed it properly it would never come off like it is now. Kimber used to make a quality product but I guess they just don't care anymore. I installed quite a few plunger tubes over the years and we only charged 10 bucks for the labor (while you watched) plus the cost of the part. It's not hard to do but you need a good staking tool and a ball cutter to countersink the inside of the mounting holes in the frame.

Now I hate kimber... before I thought they were pointless for putting target sights on their "Pro Carry" now i think they are full of cow dung.... not just stupid.

 

[Wild Deuce]

The fact that they would even charge that much for a simple service like that is what has me second guessing. I know they are saying that the issue is most likely covered under warranty but it makes me wonder if they will try to stick it to me somewhere else.

 

[.356luger]

I would mail them a pile of dog poo with 175 dollars in monopoly money. Nice guns but seriously?

 

[Wild Deuce]

BTW ... what is the function of the plunger tube? I could pretty much guess that it affects the function of the slide stop and the thumb safety but what would happen if it "failed" while shooting?

 

[Love the 1911]

The fact that they would even charge that much for a simple service like that is what has me second guessing. I know they are saying that the issue is most likely covered under warranty but it makes me wonder if they will try to stick it to me somewhere else.

If you're done with Kimber, I'll buy yours for $400 and deal with the problems

 

[Wild Deuce]

I'm second guessing sending them the pistol for repairs (if it can be done locally or by me) ... not the gun itself. Like I said, it has been flawless in function (except for the two SWC rounds that ftf ... out of 4500+ rounds).

 

[Drail]

Wild Deuce, what part of the state are you located in? Maybe I can help you out. The plunger tube HAS to be solidly fixed to the frame. If it slips out just a little it can lock the thumb safety in the up position. Imagine really needing the gun to fire and you cannot get the safety off nor can you unload it. Major suck. I'm out of the business and no longer have an FFL but I still have the tools. If you can get a new tube I imagine we could fix that Kimber. If I have to I could ship you the tool and instructions if you promise to get it back to me. I'm in the Bloomington area.

 

[IndyGunworks]

if it failed while firing the slide stop would pop up under recoil and lock the slide back. you can almost buy the tool for 30 bucks to restake it yourself. its an easy process and any competant gunsmith should be able to do it while you wait.

 

[Wild Deuce]

Wild Deuce, what part of the state are you located in? Maybe I can help you out. The plunger tube HAS to be solidly fixed to the frame. If it slips out just a little it can lock the thumb safety in the up position. Imagine really needing the gun to fire and you cannot get the safety off nor can you unload it. Major suck. I'm out of the business and no longer have an FFL but I still have the tools. If you can get a new tube I imagine we could fix that Kimber. If I have to I could ship you the tool and instructions if you promise to get it back to me. I'm in the Bloomington area.

Yes ... it would be major suck. Thankfully, it is not a defensive pistol (3.5 lb trigger is too light) but it would still suck during a match.

I appreciate the offer but I don't want to get involved in borrowing and mailing tools back and forth. Maybe if we lived across town (I'm in NWI) I would consider it. I've decided to just send it back to the Kimber Custom Shop and see if they can do it right this time.

With 4500 rounds throught the gun, should I have expected it to get loose eventually?

Thanks again for the offer.

 

[IndyGunworks]

With 4500 rounds throught the gun, should I have expected it to get loose eventually?

yes

 

[Bshaw]

Plunger Tube

I encountered the same problem with a Springfeild Armory loaded Govt.Model
Called them and explained the problem. I shipped it to them,and they made the repairs and also reimbersed my shipping costs. Mine was also past the warranty date. I hope Kimber steps up and takes care of the problem for you also. Good Luck

 

[Drail]

No, it should not have loosened after 4500 rounds. There are LOTS of 1911s around from WWI and WWII that still have the original tubes staked on. I staked tubes and front sights on 1911s for 12 years and so far as I know none of them have ever let go. It only requires that the mounting holes in the frame are properly prepared to allow the tip of the tube posts to swage out into the countersink. A lot of companies are just setting them into a straight hole and doping them with red locktite. That will hold for a while but the vibration of recoil will shake them out in time. Properly done it is just like a rivet. I have two old competition Springfields with about 50,000 rounds each through them and the front sights and plunger tubes are just as tight as the day I installed them. I hope you can find a good pistolsmith up where you are as I would have no faith at all in Kimber getting it right. Good luck.

 

[Wild Deuce]

Thanks for the replies. I've also had an offer for staking tools. The problem is that I wouldn't know what I was doing. Right now, I am leaning towards the Custom Shop repair but would consider a local gunsmith if I KNEW that they were 100% competent.

Funny, the gun I paid a ton of cash for from a Custom Shop that shouldn't have any problems is the one I'm afraid to mess up while a generic low end model wouldn't scare me to work on (and probably wouldn't have this problem). Go figure.

 

[Kick]

I am also in NWI. DO NOT SEND IT BACK TO THEM! I would call Eric Gutridge out of Griffith and see if he can do that for you while you wait if you stop in. It takes literally 30 seconds to do and is almost fool proof.

If you buy the tool, just make sure not to crush the tube and even if you do, easy fix!

 

[Drail]

If any smith tries to convince you that they can re-stake the existing tube - walk away. It will not stay attached. Trust me on this. If you want to try to replace it yourself the tool that Brownells sells comes with detailed instructions. You will need to Dremel a countersink on each hole if none is present. Without that countersink it will just keep pulling out. I like you am totally shocked that Kimber screwed up that badly. They used to have their s$#t together when they started building 1911s. The first couple of years of production they were as good as Wilson's guns. All of us who were building custom 1911s were blown away when we first saw them.

 

[Wild Deuce]

I am also in NWI. DO NOT SEND IT BACK TO THEM! I would call Eric Gutridge out of Griffith and see if he can do that for you while you wait if you stop in. It takes literally 30 seconds to do and is almost fool proof. ...

Just out of curiosity, is he (Mr. Gutridge) on these boards (INGO)?

 

[Wild Deuce]

Kimber insisted that I cover the overnight shipping costs ... both ways (this is for a Custom Shop gun costing over $1900). They said since it was purchased in 2005 it was past their one year warranty. They'll fix it, they just won't cover shipping.

I took it to Mr. Gutridge today and he fixed it for less than the $100 shipping to Kimber ... or the insane $175 "clean & lube."

For the record, two instances where I had to send a firearm back to Springfield Armory, they had a FedEx truck at my door the next morning and the gun was back to my house in less than five days. One wasn't even a repair (it was an adjustment) ... minimal questions and a RMA was issued over the phone. Even Taurus took a gun back for repair with all shipping covered.

 

[WebSnyper]

Kimber insisted that I cover the overnight shipping costs ... both ways (this is for a Custom Shop gun costing over $1900). They said since it was purchased in 2005 it was past their one year warranty. They'll fix it, they just won't cover shipping.

I took it to Mr. Gutridge today and he fixed it for less than the $100 shipping to Kimber ... or the insane $175 "clean & lube."

For the record, two instances where I had to send a firearm back to Springfield Armory, they had a FedEx truck at my door the next morning and the gun was back to my house in less than five days. One wasn't even a repair (it was an adjustment) ... minimal questions and a RMA was issued over the phone. Even Taurus took a gun back for repair with all shipping covered.

Good to know. How much was it? Curious regarding order of magnitude of cost difference more than exact cost.
This type of thing would definitely play into my decision if I were considering spending that much $$ on a particular brand of gun in the future.