Kimber Custom II

I recently had a customer bring in a Kimber Custom II 1911 chambered in 45 Automatic Colt Pistol to examine. This pistol was having issues with light strikes on the primer during the firing operation. During the chambering operation the slide moved forward but when the trigger was pulled, the hammer would strike the firing pin, forcing it to make contact with the round seated in chamber.

Most issues with light strikes can create bigger issues that can lead to the primer to being delayed and firing the round without a moment’s notice. Light strikes can be caused by a broken firing pin or spring, massive build up and/or hardened deposits that slow the firing pin momentum, or any other restricted movement of the firing pin. To get a good look at the firing pin, clear the pistol and remove the slide from the frame. Remove the slide stop pin holding the slide to the frame.

Move the slide to the rear and press the rounded end of the pin at the same time the slide is moving Once the hammer is in the second position, push on the rear end of the take down pin to rise it above the frame. Once the pin is lifted, place in a small plastic pry bar to avoid scratching. Center As a gunsmith, avoid creating any new damage or marks to a firearm when it is in your possession. reward so that the slide stop pin will come out of its groove and be slightly lifted.

Use a soft plastic pry bar to lift it up and release the slide and allow it to be removed. Now that the slide is off, remove the back plate that is holding the firing pin in place within the channel on the slide by depressing the firing pin release. A note on this release. Kimber Series II pistols use a firing pin block that is similar to the Swartz safety developed for Colt before World War II.

While similar to the later Series 80 Colt firing pin block, this design is actuated by the grip safety instead of the trigger. After depressing this release manually with a punch, we can also depress the rear end of the firing pin and

While similar to the later Series 80 Colt firing pin block, this design is actuated by the grip safety instead of the trigger. Using a punch, slide the plate out of the grooves and the firing pin will still be in place. compress it so that it is under the firing pin plate. Start sliding the plate towards the open end of the slide so that it will release the firing pin. Once the plate is removed, depress the firing pin once again and depress the firing pin again and the firing pin will be released.

Remove the firing pin and inspect the channel as well as the spring to ensure that the area is clear before testing functioning. After examining the firing pin and spring I noticed that the spring had some slight deformation. While it can be readily replaced, this indicates there is build up within the channel the is jamming the spring during the firing process. A more thorough inspection of the channel revealed a usual amount of buildup but that could still be causing issues.

The firing pin itself seemed to be in a good condition and simply needed cleaning. For this repair a through inspection, replacement of the firing pin spring, and deep cleaning of the Hoppe’s Black Cleaner helps get a deep clean and removes hard build up of carbon and fouling. My favorite lube, Hoppe’s Black Lubricant, helps reduce friction and massive amounts of wear over time.

Top: When the Series II firing pin block is depressed again, the firing pin can be released and removed from the slide We can also see that the plate the holds the firing pin has some build up and can be a good indicator of what could be jamming the firing pin spring. A closer view shows deformation near the lower end of the spring. This spring will be replaced and the rest of the components properly cleaned. firing pin channel using a carbon cleaner and degreaser did the trick.

Once the spring was changed, I applied a small amount of carbon cleaner to a cotton swab and applied it throughout the firing pin channel. I also used a small scrub brush to break up any hard build up that could be in the surrounding edges of the where the firing pin exits. Once the scrubbing was complete, I used another application with degreaser to remove anything that was loosened so that it didn’t create any issues for

This could be the cause of the spring damage and the cause of the light strikes. Above center: The new spring will help provide a firm depression momentum for the firing pin when striking the primer. Most of the replacement items I order are from the original manufacturer. Each new swab shows the progress of cleaning. the new spring once everything was put back together. With the channel completely cleaned, I added a bit of quality lubricant to ease the friction and limit the wear to as minimal as possible.

After reassembly, I conducted a function test. Using a snap cap, I tested the pistol’s function and feeding to ensure it worked. Using a fired casing, I dry fired to ensure that the primer was Below and now being struck sufficiently hard. The depth of the strike on the cap demonstrated that the light strike issue had been resolved. AG