Kimber Stainless Target Ii .38 Super

[pbcaster45]

Anyone out there using one of the new Kimber Target IIs in .38 Super? My experience with mine has been excellent (3000 rounds - zero jams, very accurate) but with the factory recoil spring (about 17 lbs I think) only maximum loads will fully work the slide. So far only Cor-Bon and Aquila factory ammo will work 100%. Other brands (Federal and PMC 130 gr. FMJ) feed great but sometimes fail to lock the slide back on the last round. I've had no problems with handloads using maximum listed loads of Power Pistol, HS-6, and VV 3N37. The Kimber folks really were thinking when they gave this gun a ramped barrel! Is this typical?

[Bucky]

Well, a ramped barrel is something you want in a .38 super. It allows a more fully supported chamber than the traditional frame ramp. It also seems to feed better with the smaller round. I think the problem is the 17 pound spring! Hell, that's more than I run in a .45. Way back I was running a single stack springfield .38 super in limited. I was shooting a 145 PF and using an 11 pound spring. Even for heavier loads, I'd suspect 17 to be a bit much.

[pbcaster45]

Maybe I should put in a few more details. My educated guess is based on the Wolff spring in my Wilson Combat .45, it's a 17 lb recoil spring. With the hammers cocked (to take the mainspring out of the equation) both the Wilson and the Kimber feel the same when the slide is retracted. Also, in the .38 Super I'm still using the same Wilson blue shok-buff I started with +3000 rounds ago. It looks like it could go another 3000. Anybody know what spring rating Kimber is using in the .38 Super?

My practise load

Bullet: Nosler 135 gr. IPSC

Powder: VV 3N37 6.8 gr.

Case: Remington

Primer: CCI-500

LOAL: 1.265

P.S. I think I'll go to Power Pistol after this container of 3N37 is gone. Power Pistol is cheaper and shoots just as well.

[SRT Driver]

pbcaster45,

You may want to drop the recoil spring weight down. The stock spring weight is 14 lb.

A 10 LB ISMI allows a 125 pf load to function normally.

[pbcaster45]

Well I just got back from a trip overseas (at Uncle Sams request) and tried a Wilson 15 lbs recoil spring in my Kimber. I think I was wrong about the factory spring being 17 lbs. The 15 lbs spring didn't seem any different. I guess it's true, most of us can't really tell the difference. The slide lock didn't lock back on two rounds out of 100 so I think I"ll try a 14 lb spring. I've got a 12 lb spring laying around but wouldn't that be too light?

[jhgtyre]

I am using a 10lb spring in my colt ss .38 super and it works just fine. I use a red buff and shoot 124gr fmj at 135pf.

-ld

[DogmaDog]

It sounds like its functioning fine...does locking the slide after the last round really matter all that much? Why?

I run a 14 lb spring in my Kimber .45, with a 17lb mainspring (down from the stock 16 lb and 23 lb (?) springs), and a wilson shockbuff.

DD

[jimstc]

I run a 14lb variable Wolff spring in my Kimber Custom Target II in 38 Super. I use both +p factory loads and handloads for practice. The handloads average 1168 fps. The slide fails to lock back about 1/2 the time. For competition purposes I'll load down to 990 fps. Like Domadog said: is it really important that the slide locks back? You are shooting minor anyway. Might as well get the most benefit by shooting light loads to make up for the minor scoring penalty.

Heck, I am a beginner. Just sharing my experiences.

[rhino]

I think it depends on which game you choose to play. For a USPSA/IPSC gun, not locking back is no big deal since you're in trouble if you shoot to slide lock anyway. In IDPA, locking back is a useful feature, especially when the course of fire specifies it one way or another.

For a defensive gun, I don't think it matters either way as long as it is consistent. Doing one thing half the time and the opposite the other could be a problem.

In any event, I think I'd go with a lighter recoil spring and probably a lighter mainspring too.

AND A BIG WELCOME TO JIMSTC!

[Guest Larry Cazes]

Rhino, the assumption that the slide locking back in IPSC doesn't matter, is an interesting one. I shoot L10 and I want to know immediately if I shoot the gun dry. The quickest feedback I can get is to see the slide locked back and it is actually quicker for me to hit the slide release then it is to rack the slide aqfter reloading. I agree that it is a bad thing to shoot to slide lock, but I do think it is important that the slide lock back if you do. No?

Larry

[rhino]

Rhino, the assumption that the slide locking back in IPSC doesn't matter, is an interesting one. I shoot L10 and I want to know immediately if I shoot the gun dry. The quickest feedback I can get is to see the slide locked back and it is actually quicker for me to hit the slide release then it is to rack the slide aqfter reloading. I agree that it is a bad thing to shoot to slide lock, but I do think it is important that the slide lock back if you do. No?

Sure, I suppose so!

On the other hand, some guns will lock back before they are empty, so some might argue that it's better to make sure they won't lock back at all and just deal with it when you run dry.

I can see both sides. Fortunately, my guns all lock back so it's a nonissue for me personally.

[pbcaster45]

Well it's been awhile since I originally posted my question but I've learned alot more since then. I confirmed that my Kimber factory recoil spring weight was 14 lbs. Only way I could tell for sure was by swapping back and forth with a Wolff 14 lb spring and comparing the ejection pattern/recoil of the gun. With the factory spring only hot handloads and Corbon factory ammo would reliably lock the slide back on the last round (which I prefer). A 13 lb. Wolff spring works great with PMC and Federal 130 gr. factory ammo and lighter practise loads (135 gr. Nosler IPSC and 4.7 grs. Bullseye or 4.9 grs. HP-38). Slide locks back 100% now. Only problem I've ever had with my .38 Super was a tendency for the slide to lock back on a loaded magazine when it was new. I put a detente in the slide stop and that cured that problem.