Mossyrock
08-11-2005, 10:45
I was going to wait to post this until I had ALL of the bugs worked out, but it has come up in conversation in a couple of different places, so I might as well spill the beans. I will add as much detail as I can, but if I miss something, please feel free to ask. You have read some of this before, but I have filled in quite a bit of detail that I skipped the first time out.
I have just finished converting a Kimber Compact Stainless in .40 S&W to 10mm. This pistol is based on a 4" bull barrel without a barrel bushing. The barrel was rechambered to 10mm by Hunter Customs (who advised me to stick with factory-level ammo). I installed an EGW flat-bottomed firing pin stop, a 25 pound main spring and a heavy duty recoil spring by Wolff specifically designed for the Kimber Compact. It is rated at 20 pounds and Wolff advertises it for use with heavy loaded ammo (i.e. +P). The Kimber Compact is a strange beast whenn it comes to recoil springs. While it is a 4" gun like the Springfield Champion, it actually uses OACP-length recoil springs. here's where it gets strange. A recoil spring rated for 18 pounds in an OACP is only rated for around 16 pounds in the Kimber Compact. If Wolff had not recently come out with a Kimber Compact-specific recoil spring, this conversion would have been more complicated than it was. As it is, if I want a recoil spring rated at anything heavier than 20 pounds, I will have to shorten a heavier rated recoil spring for a Commander or Champion. I have cut down a 24 pound recoil spring for a Champion already, just as an experiment. (I originally wrote that this was a Commander spring. I was mistaken. I checked my springs last night, and my Commander spring is still intact.) I have installed it, and it hand cycles with no spring bind issues, but I haven't shot with it yet. I am using a Cominolli recoil system with dual buffers. Sometime in the future, depending upon the beating the recoil system takes, I may try a Sprinco recoil system. Thus far, 250 rounds into the exercise, the buffs on the Cominolli don't have a mark on them. ;D
As a precaution, I replaced the MIM Kimber slide stop with an Ed Brown Hardcore slide stop. This is in contrast to what a gunsmith friend advised me. He suggested running the Kimber MIM part until it broke. When I asked him if HE would like to be shooting it if/when it broke, he just grinned and told me that HE wouldn't shoot it at all! No faith...
I have shot it with factory-level loads (PMC and Silvertips) with no problems. At this point, my round count is around 250 with no undue wear and tear. I am using a standard 10mm 1911 magazine (Metalform) because my 10mm OACP mags from Metalform haven't arrived yet. (They charged my account for them yesterday. With any luck I will see them soon!!)
I built this little beast as a cheap way to get a 10mm CCO. I was going to build one on Caspian components until I stumbled upon this .40 S&W Kimber Compact NIB. All in all, I am happy with the way it turned out. It is SCARY accurate (1.25" @25 feet, offhand) with ammo it likes. When I started this project, I had no intention of feeding it Double Tap level ammo or my heavy handloads. That's why I have a Pointman Seven and a G20 Longslide. My intent is to keep it loaded with Silvertips for "social purposes" and work up a Silvertip equivelant handload for practice (any suggestions?). I might try it with some heavier stuff (curiosity being what it is), but it won't get it as a steady diet. As the round count progresses, I'll post the results. I will probably replace the recoil spring every 500-750 rounds, just to keep battering to a minimum. Besides, springs are cheap!
With the ammo I have tried, this is a very controlable little package. Surprisingly, it is easier to shoot than my Colt Lightweight OACP in .45 ACP. Sure, the Kimber weighs more, but it is firing a more powerful cartridge. That opinion may change with different ammo.
When I get the bugs worked out, my intent is to do some other 'smithing on it to include replacing the Kimber sights with Heinies, the MIM internals with tool steel parts, replacing the grip safety with an Ed Brown and the trigger with a long, solid Videki. It is perfectly functional as it is, but I can't leave well enough alone. Stock guns are boring. I might also have the front strap serrated or checkered. I am leaning towards serrating it, but I am having a hard time finding a stainless serrated OACP-sized mainspring housing. If you have one laying around you are willing to part with, let me know.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Mossyrock/BarrelHood.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Mossyrock/KimberCompact2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Mossyrock/TargetKC.jpg
I have just finished converting a Kimber Compact Stainless in .40 S&W to 10mm. This pistol is based on a 4" bull barrel without a barrel bushing. The barrel was rechambered to 10mm by Hunter Customs (who advised me to stick with factory-level ammo). I installed an EGW flat-bottomed firing pin stop, a 25 pound main spring and a heavy duty recoil spring by Wolff specifically designed for the Kimber Compact. It is rated at 20 pounds and Wolff advertises it for use with heavy loaded ammo (i.e. +P). The Kimber Compact is a strange beast whenn it comes to recoil springs. While it is a 4" gun like the Springfield Champion, it actually uses OACP-length recoil springs. here's where it gets strange. A recoil spring rated for 18 pounds in an OACP is only rated for around 16 pounds in the Kimber Compact. If Wolff had not recently come out with a Kimber Compact-specific recoil spring, this conversion would have been more complicated than it was. As it is, if I want a recoil spring rated at anything heavier than 20 pounds, I will have to shorten a heavier rated recoil spring for a Commander or Champion. I have cut down a 24 pound recoil spring for a Champion already, just as an experiment. (I originally wrote that this was a Commander spring. I was mistaken. I checked my springs last night, and my Commander spring is still intact.) I have installed it, and it hand cycles with no spring bind issues, but I haven't shot with it yet. I am using a Cominolli recoil system with dual buffers. Sometime in the future, depending upon the beating the recoil system takes, I may try a Sprinco recoil system. Thus far, 250 rounds into the exercise, the buffs on the Cominolli don't have a mark on them. ;D
As a precaution, I replaced the MIM Kimber slide stop with an Ed Brown Hardcore slide stop. This is in contrast to what a gunsmith friend advised me. He suggested running the Kimber MIM part until it broke. When I asked him if HE would like to be shooting it if/when it broke, he just grinned and told me that HE wouldn't shoot it at all! No faith...
I have shot it with factory-level loads (PMC and Silvertips) with no problems. At this point, my round count is around 250 with no undue wear and tear. I am using a standard 10mm 1911 magazine (Metalform) because my 10mm OACP mags from Metalform haven't arrived yet. (They charged my account for them yesterday. With any luck I will see them soon!!)
I built this little beast as a cheap way to get a 10mm CCO. I was going to build one on Caspian components until I stumbled upon this .40 S&W Kimber Compact NIB. All in all, I am happy with the way it turned out. It is SCARY accurate (1.25" @25 feet, offhand) with ammo it likes. When I started this project, I had no intention of feeding it Double Tap level ammo or my heavy handloads. That's why I have a Pointman Seven and a G20 Longslide. My intent is to keep it loaded with Silvertips for "social purposes" and work up a Silvertip equivelant handload for practice (any suggestions?). I might try it with some heavier stuff (curiosity being what it is), but it won't get it as a steady diet. As the round count progresses, I'll post the results. I will probably replace the recoil spring every 500-750 rounds, just to keep battering to a minimum. Besides, springs are cheap!
With the ammo I have tried, this is a very controlable little package. Surprisingly, it is easier to shoot than my Colt Lightweight OACP in .45 ACP. Sure, the Kimber weighs more, but it is firing a more powerful cartridge. That opinion may change with different ammo.
When I get the bugs worked out, my intent is to do some other 'smithing on it to include replacing the Kimber sights with Heinies, the MIM internals with tool steel parts, replacing the grip safety with an Ed Brown and the trigger with a long, solid Videki. It is perfectly functional as it is, but I can't leave well enough alone. Stock guns are boring. I might also have the front strap serrated or checkered. I am leaning towards serrating it, but I am having a hard time finding a stainless serrated OACP-sized mainspring housing. If you have one laying around you are willing to part with, let me know.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Mossyrock/BarrelHood.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Mossyrock/KimberCompact2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Mossyrock/TargetKC.jpg
