Kimber's reputation blinding us to an excellent choice?

[314159]

Finally got around to detail stripping two K6's. One was the one that I broke the firing pin on during dry fire practice and sent to Kimber for repair. The other a slightly older but identical K6S. Kimber said they replaced the firing pin, firing pin spring, and bushing to repair my revolver.

I had read somewhere that the design or profile had been improved on the new pin. The Revolver Guy in his blog had separately mentioned there might be a change from titanium to steel pins coming to fix this issue (which he has also witnessed in a friend's K6S).

Short version, my new pin is non-ferrous (I don't know if it is titanium but it is not steel) and of the identical profile of the older pin. So, I suspect I just got a new parts, same as the old parts kind of deal.

Moral of the story: you must use snap caps for dry fire practice (which might solve the problem) or trade in on a Colt Cobra variation. I'm nervous enough about this that I'm going for option 2. I really liked how this revolver shot and I even felt that the standard and laser grips that not everyone cared for where just fine even with XL size hands.

Consolation prize: The Colts have an even better trigger in my opinion.

It seems I have no future in a photo layout career but the point is, there seems to be no difference in the two pins...

[Totem Polar]

Moral of the story: you must use snap caps for dry fire practice (which might solve the problem) or trade in on a Colt Cobra variation. I'm nervous enough about this that I'm going for option 2. I really liked how this revolver shot and I even felt that the standard and laser grips that not everyone cared for where just fine even with XL size hands.

Consolation prize: The Colts have an even better trigger in my opinion.

It seems I have no future in a photo layout career but the point is, there seems to be no difference in the two pins...

Two observations: one, I voted with my wallet for option 2, myself. And, two, your pics surprise me, because I called Kimber CS and asked them directly if they had fixed the issue and was told that they had upgraded parts on new guns.

At any rate, I’m digging the new Colts, but I was also considering another Kimber down the line, based on my conversation with Kimber CS. Maybe I’ll wait and see—it's not like I’m suffering for lack of medium-caliber revolvers.

[Stephanie B]

Two observations: one, I voted with my wallet for option 2, myself. And, two, your pics surprise me, because I called Kimber CS and asked them directly if they had fixed the issue and was told that they had upgraded parts on new guns.

At any rate, I’m digging the new Colts, but I was also considering another Kimber down the line, based on my conversation with Kimber CS. Maybe I’ll wait and see—it's not like I’m suffering for lack of medium-caliber revolvers.

And so, here we are, back to the same old concerns about Kimber's CS and the guns that they ship.

(Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.)

[Trooper224]

And so, here we are, back to the same old concerns about Kimber's CS and the guns that they ship.

(Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.)

I think the OP's original question has been answered.

[Stephanie B]

I think the OP's original question has been answered.

Ayup.

[Totem Polar]

*le sigh*

I suppose y’all are correct. Too bad, because they really are decent shooting little wheelies in the 640 pro size/weight range.

[Trooper224]

*le sigh*

I suppose y’all are correct. Too bad, because they really are decent shooting little wheelies in the 640 pro size/weight range.

Sounds like Kimber is doing Kimber: taking it to the endzone and f'ing up the endgame.

[Lester Polfus]

Sounds like Kimber is doing Kimber: taking it to the endzone and f'ing up the endgame.

Some people never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

I can imagine the discussion "How many people are really going to shoot or dry fire this thing enough to break a firing pin?"

That's the wrong question.

The right question is "How many people are going to read on the internet about how this thing breaks firing pins?"

[Zeke38]

I traded my first K6s away when the firing pin scare came out. Got a Cobra 2017 which has proven to be a very usable revolver. Bought a second K6s a year ago with the night sights. Shooting it a lot now due to shoulder and bicep surgery on my left arm, my strong arm.

The K6 hasn't missed a beat, the action is smoother than the Cobra and it is smaller than the Cobra. It's easier to shoot weak hand with the K6, so for the near foreseeable future the K6s 2" is my go to packing heater and it is doing yeoman's service. Time will tell. Beats any J frame including the 640 Pro for action and sights plus an extra round.

[Rex G]

I am seeing that I followed the best path when I decided against being a beta tester for Kimber revolvers. (As I have indicated, in prior posts, I did choose to be a beta tester for Kimber 1911 pistols, in 1997, to about 1999; three samples. That was the time of the supposedly good ones. One positive result is that I became very experienced at clearing FTFs, and learned to diagnose/replace bad extractors, and properly tune replacement extractors.)

I realize that any manufacturer can make the occasional bad firearm, or even a bad batch. My KAC AR had to go back to KAC, for example, to fix an error/omission that had been made in machining, but in that case, KAC notified dealers that an entire batch had to be returned to the factory, for a fix. (Chronic FTFs was the symptom.) In my case, I replaced the absent KAC with a Colt AR15A2, because I needed a patrol rifle, so after the KAC returned from the presumed fix, I had the dealer find another home for it, to recover the cost of buying the Colt.