It is not a toaster!

jeromeboyle

I have recently been fighting with Kimber over a handgun that should have never left their factory.  I have phoned & written & phoned & written.  I'll attach the "main" letter after this.  But the problem is bigger than Kimber.  In recent memory I have had a Beretta that kept dropping pieces, a Desert Eagle (.45) that stove piped every 3 round, a S&W MASTERPIECE CLASSIC with an egg shaped cylinder that would not revolve and even if it would, 2 of the holes were undersized and would not take a round.  Got that fixed.  It just won't eject without undue force.  I have lived with guns that I have had to shim with Scotch Tape.  The QUESTION is:  What the h*ll?  This ain't a toaster from a Big Box store.  A hand gun should (1) work and (2) hit the target.  Why has the quality of handguns suddenly declined?  
 I will attach my letter to Kember here & now.  (The last time I spoke with them on the phone, they couldn't reach their Manager because he was in ... wait for it ... Alabama.  I'm see'in barefoot hillbillys?) ----->
 Kimber                                                                                                      04/19/19

Product Services Department

1120 Saw Mill River Road

Yonkers NY 10710

Atten: Montana

 

Gentlemen,

              RMA 80XXX

              Enclosed please find my Kimber Aegis Elite O.I. in 9mm, ser # KF51XXX.  I purchase the pistol very recently and I have put about 400 rounds through the gun, cleaning it every 100 rounds.   The “iron sights” are off on the pistol.  At 15 yards, they throw the shot 6 to 7 inches to the left.  (This is using a 2 handed hold and off of a bench)  At 25 yards, it will not print on a standard NRA target, missing wide left. 

              Because of the construction of the sight block, it seems impractical to drift the rear sights to the right.  The screw holes and the tapered screws preclude this.  In addition, the drift would put the RR edge of the sight out of alignment with the frame.  It would probably hang over on the RR corner.  Another solution would be to drift the front sight.  PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS.  As you know the pistol is fairly expensive ($1,300) and for that kind of money I would prefer the gun look good AND shoot well.  As the problem seems to be related to the position of the rear sights on the slide, and because this position can’t be changed, I would suggest that the best way to solve the problem would be to replace the slide itself.  This assumes that the replacement slide has the holes drilled in the proper places.  Please double check this. 

The information from Kimber says the gun is sighted to 25 yards, is co-witnessed with the red dot and has a trigger pull between 4 and 5 pounds.  I would also very much like you to check the trigger.  I did not check the pull, but it “feels” higher than that and the trigger feels gritty.  Especially when it returns to “reset”.

You will also find that the red dot sight is short 1 screw.  Apparently this “shot loose” and fell out at the range.

              I have owned and shot a Kimber Royal II for many years and been very happy with the gun.  That brings us to my final point; I cannot adequately express my disappointment with the performance of this hand gun.  I am an NRA pistol instructor and an avid shooter.  I have only had two other pistols that preformed this badly out of the box.  I got rid of the guns.  I don’t understand how something like this could have left the plant.  “Accuracy” is the reason this gun was purchased.

              I would appreciate anything you can do to bring this gun up to Kimber standards.  Failing that, I would have to return the firearm and purchase something else.   

                                                                                                                   Thank you,

                                                                                                                   Jerome Boyle

                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                              

earlyagain

Its impossible to confirm your complaints from ciber space.

Assuming accuracy of the post. It would be my guess that a shortage of skilled labor for QC is the cause.

NN

Did you support the bottom of the grip on the desert eagle with your support hand?