Kimber 22 Classic magazine problems

johnbe · #1 03-01-2011, 10:18 AM

I recently purchased a NIB Kimber 22 Classic. The test card is dated 2002 so I figure the rifle was made around 9 years ago. What a nice rifle. It reminds me of a scaled down version of my Winchester model 70s although the safety is the older 2 position.

Now I have to figure out how to make the magazines work. The rifle came with one magazine, I purchased 2 more from Midway, then 3 more from Kimber. All of the magazines will only feed 3 rounds successfully before the 4th round is driven into the back of the barrel. The only thing that really changes between the first and fourth round is spring tension. I wonder if these magazines could use a stronger spring.

Has anyone else experienced this feeding problem and were you able to come up with a solution?

slingshot455 · #2 03-01-2011, 10:31 AM

I think I have seen this , before in another thread I think they bend the tabs on the mag a little, But wait for someone that has had this problem before to come around.
I got lucky my hunter feed perfect.

johnbe · #3 03-01-2011, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slingshot455

I think I have seen this , before in another thread I think they bend the tabs on the mag a little, But wait for someone that has had this problem before to come around.
I got lucky my hunter feed perfect.

Thanks for your reply. I couldn't find a related thread that addresses this issue. Any direction would be very appreciated.

TEDDY BEAR RAT · #4 03-01-2011, 11:36 AM

I had a similar problem on a Classic Varmint. I don't think all those magazines will share the same fault, unless they all just happened to be from the very early production runs. As I recall, the magazine retention/release bars are very vague feeling, making one think the mag was seated all the way, with a vague click, when it was not. I remember having to give the magazine an extra push and hearing another vague click. This is what I did, and it fixed my problem, so you might give that a try.

FWIW, the magazine release/retention design is the biggest flaw in the otherwise great K22s, sometimes even leading to shaved lead upon feeding. It also seemed many NY Kimbers were mediocre in the accuracy department. Everybody turns out an occasional lemon, but when the lemon is a high-end rifle, the weeping and wailing is magnified commensurate to the high expectations.

My $.02

TBR

nimrodf · #5 03-01-2011, 11:46 AM

Johnbe,

Go over to the CZ Brno forum. There's a sticky there on the "tweaking" of the magazine legs to keep the nose at the proper angle to feed. It's not an easy thing to fix as I thought I had my CZ mag back working and the first 5 round rapid fire it jammed the last shell into the top of the barrel.

nimrod

VertFish · #6 03-01-2011, 12:09 PM

I had a similar problem with one of my mags for a Pro-Varmint. For that gun, you have to push the front of the mag to get a click and then you have to push the back of the mag for a second click. Once double clicked, there were no problems. Good luck.

SageRat22 · #7 03-01-2011, 12:17 PM

I posted a lengthy discourse about this maybe 3-4 years ago. For what it's worth, I think Kimber had someone make the mags for them and they are indeed the weak link of an otherwise great rifle.
My experience was similar in that the mags would feed two or three than jam. Typically the rims of the cartridges would lock-the top one would pop over the bottom one. The two that I got with the gun wouldn't feed-I sent them back and the two they replaced them with were just as bad. One day I found one in a gunshop and bought it and it worked. When I compared them, I noticed that the follower was different on the new one. It wasn't flat; it had a bend in it that changed the upward angle of the cartridge and changed the relationship of the rims, plus the forward feed lips were a few thousands narrower.
So I got a pair of pliers, taped the jaws so nothing got marked up and duplicated the bend in the follower;you have to bend the legs of it a little too; go carefully as it's heat treated, and narrowed the lips as needed.
That pretty much solved the feeding issue. The lead shaving problem is from the sharp, square corner on the bottom of the bolt where the cartridges are stripped from the mag. You can help it by putting a small radius on the corner and polishing it.
I haven't had any issues with the mags not locking into the gun.
As an aside, magazines from the 500 series of Remington rimfires will work in the K22. Brownells has a good aftermarket one for $8-10.

johnbe · #8 03-01-2011, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SageRat22

I posted a lengthy discourse about this maybe 3-4 years ago. For what it's worth, I think Kimber had someone make the mags for them and they are indeed the weak link of an otherwise great rifle.
My experience was similar in that the mags would feed two or three than jam.

Thanks for the suggestions. Couldn't find any 22 rimfire mags on the Brownells site, but I'll be on the lookout for Remington mags that fit. I've already discovered how brittle the follower is on the magazine that came with the rifle. Tried to bend the short leg and it snapped right off. It had a bend in the middle and only fed 3 rounds like the others. I'm trying to find someone who makes a stronger spring.

SageRat22 · #9 03-01-2011, 04:42 PM

I use both the 6 round and 10 round in my K22 as well as my K17 in .17hm2.
click the link:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7..._CLIP_MAGAZINE

johnbe · #10 03-01-2011, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SageRat22

I use both the 6 round and 10 round in my K22 as well as my K17 in .17hm2.
click the link:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7..._CLIP_MAGAZINE

Thanks for the link! I'm going to buy one of the 6 rd magazines. If it works, I'll probably get more. I'll post the results. Thanks again for the help!

wproct · #11 03-01-2011, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VertFish

I had a similar problem with one of my mags for a Pro-Varmint. For that gun, you have to push the front of the mag to get a click and then you have to push the back of the mag for a second click. Once double clicked, there were no problems. Good luck.

+1 for this suggestion. I had similar issue with a Classic Varmint, and following this procedure took care of the problem. A little bit of a nuisance at first, but becomes automatic.

johnbe · #12 03-02-2011, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wproct

+1 for this suggestion. I had similar issue with a Classic Varmint, and following this procedure took care of the problem. A little bit of a nuisance at first, but becomes automatic.

Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't resolve the feeding problem. I ordered an aftermarket magazine as suggested by SageRat22. I'll report the results, but thanks anyway for the idea!

VertFish · #13 03-02-2011, 03:11 PM

It sounds like SageRat22 has you covered! I hope it works for you. If it does, buy an extra!

johnbe · #14 03-05-2011, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SageRat22

I use both the 6 round and 10 round in my K22 as well as my K17 in .17hm2.
click the link:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7..._CLIP_MAGAZINE

I just got the new Remington magazines (bought 3) and they work like a champ! The Remington magazine allows the cartridge to sit at a higher angle, pointing it at the breech, not the end of the barrel. I compared the two magazines and discovered there is a difference in the design of the tabs at the top aft end of the magazine. The tabs on the Remington magazines are 0.025 shorter (front to back) with a spread 0.007 closer than the Kimber magazines. It doesn't sound like much, but it affects the angle of the cartridge. The followers of both magazines had a slight bend in the middle with no measureable difference between them. Also the distance from the locking notches to the tops of the magazines were very close to the same between both magazines.

Thanks again SageRat22 for turning me on to the Remington magazines! I hope this helps others with similar problems.

Anson45 · #15 03-20-2011, 02:22 PM

I also had a problem with my Kimber magazine. It would not feed the last round. After reading this post I ordered two remington magazines from Brownell and tried them. They rattle quite a bit and I wonder if they will fall out in field use. Also they did not feed the last round either. Did you have to tweak or as the Kimber customer service calls it, tune the remington magazine?
Anson