Kimber 2K11 Complete Disassembly and New Trigger
Welcome back to Jim's Armory. In this one, Jim takes his Kimber 2K11 - the 5-inch model with the included SRO - well past a basic field strip. The goal is twofold: show viewers how to get deeper into this gun than the typical field strip videos cover, and install a new trigger from Red Dirt Triggers along the way. Here's how the teardown, trigger swap, and reassembly went.
Safety First Jim starts, as always, with the basics: magazine out, chamber checked twice visually to confirm the gun is clear and safe before any tools come out.
The Upper: Toolless Guide Rod and a Simple Field Strip With the slide locked open, Jim uses the gun's toolless guide rod, turning it counterclockwise about a quarter turn to take pressure off the spring. Lining up a second notch releases the slide lock pin, and the barrel and slide come off cleanly. From there, removing the guide rod and spring assembly and moving the barrel link forward lets the barrel slide out the front - a basic field strip that's enough for routine cleaning. Since the video goes further than that, Jim reassembles this portion just enough to set the slide aside, noting the flattened side and curved portion of the guide rod need to face the barrel when it goes back together.
The Lower: Safety, Grip Module, and Ignition Parts Removing the ambidextrous thumb safety requires holding the hammer at half-cock. Jim finds this particular safety very tight, wiggling and pulling it free with help from a screwdriver, and notes that this side could stand to be filed or honed down to loosen the fit. He also points out a small bend in the detent spring - likely factory-installed - that keeps the detent from flying out during disassembly, a trick he approves of.
Lowering the hammer carefully (never pulling the trigger to do it), Jim removes the magwell from MJD, the maker of this grip module, then the spring housing, which frees the grip safety. Behind that sits the hammer strut, sear spring, hammer, and - underneath - the sear and disconnector, which come out with a 1/16th-inch punch. Jim points out the disconnector's function: it runs up through the frame and blocks the trigger from releasing the sear whenever the slide is out of battery.
To reach the trigger, Jim removes the grip module using an 8mm Allen wrench and a nut held from behind, plus two Torx screws through a barrel nut in the middle - one side had Loctite from the factory, which he says is a helpful clue for reassembly since one screw needs to stay stationary while the other turns. Getting the trigger out means backing off the mag release about a quarter turn with a T6 Torx bit while applying slight pressure, which disengages a small tab that rides in a groove inside the grip module.
Pulling the factory trigger, Jim notices it appears to have been honed at the factory - possibly to correct a burr or fit issue - and comments that it's noticeably sloppier than the replacement.
Installing the Red Dirt Trigger The Red Dirt Triggers replacement comes with an Allen wrench, small screws, a sticker, and red and blue Loctite (Jim says he's unsure he'd use the blue). Like the factory trigger, it has an adjustable overtravel screw accessed through a hole in the front, plus an additional pre-travel adjustment screw accessed through a small hole while the gun is partially assembled.
Fitting the new trigger, Jim finds very little side-to-side or up-and-down play compared to the factory part - "a really good fit," in his assessment - and it drops in cleanly under gravity with nothing catching.
Pro-Tip: When installing the mag release, look for the small groove just inside the grip module opening; lining the mag release up with it lets the part seat correctly.
Reassembly and Quality Concerns Reinstalling the grip module means watching the flattened nut carefully - if it's not aligned straight, tightening the screw can break the nut, crack the grip module, or snap the screw. Jim takes his time seating each nut with a fingernail before threading the screws.
Putting the disconnector and sear back requires them to sit correctly in the frame and on the trigger bow before the hammer goes back in. The sear spring is critical: it must sit on top of the sear and disconnector, not underneath - getting this wrong is a common mistake that stops the hammer from staying back when the slide cycles.
With the trigger installed, Jim adjusts pre-travel through the small hole beside the hammer strut, noting he prefers a bit of takeup rather than a trigger sitting right against the wall, calling a zero-travel setup less safe. He also dials in overtravel, checking with the trigger held to make sure the hammer doesn't slam forward hard against his thumb.
Reassembling the thumb safety again proves tight - Jim notes this side needs filing to fit better - and requires the hammer cocked, the mag well reinstalled to hold tension, and a plastic hammer to tap the safety fully into place.
Crucial Safety Checks Throughout reassembly, Jim runs repeated function checks: hammer cocked with safety on, confirming the gun won't fire; safety off with the grip safety disengaged, confirming it still blocks the trigger; grip safety engaged, confirming the hammer won't fall. After the slide goes back on and the guide rod is re-secured, he repeats the full check - cocking the hammer, confirming the sear spring holds it back, testing both safeties, and checking the trigger reset.
Final Thoughts The 2K11 teardown turns up a couple of fit issues Jim plans to address later - honing down the tight thumb safety on both sides - but the new Red Dirt trigger drops in with noticeably better fit than the factory part, and the function checks all come back clean. Stay tuned for more work on this gun, and subscribe so you don't miss it.
