Kimber

[Mike903 1]

Just wondering if their pistols are any good? Admittedly I'm no where close to being an expert on hand guns but I've never heard much about them.

[Ronald Silver 2]

I heard they have tight tolerances. Most of the barrels are NOT stainless steel unless it's specified. There's some youtube guy nagging about rust rust rust on the barrel.

[grumpy3132 0]

I have a Target ll in 45acp , great gun, feels good in my hands , good balance , very accurate . My favorite , no regrets on this one . You will get a lot of haters and bashers comments on kimber , but I for one have had no problems at all . Just use a high quality FMJ round . I will purchase another ! See if someone will who belongs to a range and owns one will let you try it out before you buy one .

[deadeye74 5]

If you look on 1911 forum, there is a whole Kimber section. From what I have read and what I have heard, a Kimber can be a coin toss, it either runs like a champ, or if it has a problem it will always have a problem no matter how many times it is fixed.

 

Regardless, I am still considering one myself.

[lunker 274]

Kimber is one of those brands that nobody stays on the fence about. I know people that love theirs and some that would happily trade for something else. Without trying to stir any pots here , I think I can say:

1) Their customer service is supposed to be excellent

2) Their quality control is a bit hit-or-miss since the introduction of their 2nd Gen guns (which is probably a big part of the love/hate relationship).

3) Thier guns definitely look "pretty". Kimbers are stylish looking.

4) They use more MIM (metal injection molding) parts than most quality 1911 manufacturers. Some folks are just fine with this. Some aren't.

 

Be warned, if you go to the two main 1911 forums, the haters to defenders ratio is probably 7:1, or worse. Many of the haters though think nothing of spending $2k or more on a 1911, so it is really about what you are looking for in a gun.

Kimbers are a price niche gun. If you want an inexpensive and basic 1911 (i.e. matte or parkerized finish and no bells and whistles), you have good choices for less money than a Kimber. This inludes Rock Island, Taurus, and (my fav) STI Spartan. If you want semi-custom, then you are looking in the $1600 range and have Dan Wesson, then higher in price you have Les Baer, Ed Brown, Nighthawk Customs. The Kimbers occupy that space in between the base guns and the semi-customs. They compete with Colt (which is what the person who wants classic looks buys), STI Trojan, Springfield Armory, and Smith and Wesson (and probably one or two other brands I forgot).

 

Now, my opinion. If I had to rank my choices of mid-range 1911 manufactuers whose gun I would buy, Kimber would come in last on that list. The Smith and Wesson 1911's don't have the classic looks or exact functionality, but they just flat out work. I bought a Colt Series 70 Repro because I dig the classic style of the Colt. I am always eying an STI Spartan. Kimber is not the only brandwith its detractors. If you mention Springfield Armory, Ray Ray will goad you into buying one and GlennP will tell you why they are garbage. In the end, you make your own choices.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Yo, Lunker - STI makes more than just the Spartan and the rest of their line deserves a look. Just sayin'

[lunker 274]

Yo, Lunker - STI makes more than just the Spartan and the rest of their line deserves a look. Just sayin'

 

Agreed. It was just easier to mention the Spartan and Trojan because they fell into general price ranges.

[Bully 749]

I have one. 9mm. I love it. Customer service, when you finally get through, is excellent. Great shooter. VERY accurate. Nice balance. If you're close to Bergen County or Bullet Hole, let me know, we'll meet up and you can take mine for a spin.

 

C

[BigHayden 77]

FWIW I have a Kimber Compact Stainless II that has been great, but I'm also in the process of replacing some of the parts. I replaced the grip safety (which is factory MIM) and the thumb safety with Ed Brown pieces, so they match my Dan Wesson. Same with the slide stop and the mag release. For me, the MIM parts are OK, but as long as I'm in there replacing parts, I'm going to replace them with quality pieces instead. Other changes I made were comfort things, like a short trigger and a Wilson Combat round butt mainspring housing.

 

One other thing to be aware of is the Series II guns. They have a Rube Goldberg firing pin safety in them that has the potential to be damaged. When you depress the grip safety, a little transfer bar pops up into the slide, pushing up the firing pin block allowing the gun to be fired. The problem comes in when you are reassembling the gun. If you hold the grip safety while reinstalling the slide, you can damage the bar, which may make it unable to disengage the firing pin block. Embarrassing on the range, possibly dangerous if used in a defensive situation. Many other manufacturers solve the drop safety problem by installing a light firing pin and a heavy firing pin return spring; even Kimber uses that solution on some of their guns.

[blksheep 466]

I have a Kimber Custom II and love it. I feed it Tula Ammo which is steel cases and have never had a problem with about 300-400 rounds through it. I bought 2 Chip McCormick Shooting Star Mags along with my one kimber and a bunch of 6 dollar mags from cheaperthandirt.com and I am good to go. I looked at the TLE II years ago and never pulled the trigger and the 100th year I decided I wanted to get one. I looked at SA Range Officer but no one had one in stock anywhere and decided I wanted the Kimber. I pulled the trigger and couldnt be happier.

[zoid 24]

My experience with the Kimber has been very good as of late. Originally when I bought it the slide stop

had an issue in which it would lock the slide back prematurely. I sanded it down a little and since then

the gun eats absolutely everything. I've put round nose, hollow points, semi wad cutter, flat point, all at

varying loads and have not had one single issue. It's my favorite handgun of all the ones I've owned

and shot.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

The ones I have owed have been great but one is a full custom 1911 built off a Kimber Classic and the other is a factory Kimber Classic when they were built in Clackamas, Oregon a long, long time ago. No Schwartz safety stuff to be wary of.

[1911NUT 0]

I own several kimbers...have had a few issues (which kimber took care of) but over all i would say they are a solid gun, very accurate, and look great.

[tony357 386]

My team 2 in 9mm has been good..

[Ray Ray 3,566]

If you mention Springfield Armory, Ray Ray will goad you into buying one and GlennP will tell you why they are garbage. In the end, you make your own choices.

 

I'm happy as long as the OP buys one in 45acp. And if not, it better be in 10mm. That's all I have to say.

[SW9racer 262]

I would not buy another Kimber, I would either spend the extra for the better brands or spend less on a base model and have it worked on by someone.

[stevek 0]

We have 3. A Raptor II, Pro Raptor II, and and Ultra Raptor II...all have been flawless. YMMV

[Mr.G 8]

I'd love to add .45 in my collection. Problem is I won't get plenty of trigger time on it b/c .45 ammo is expensive!! I'll never have time to reload. Maybe 9MM 1911.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

I'd love to add .45 in my collection. Problem is I won't get plenty of trigger time on it b/c .45 ammo is expensive!! I'll never have time to reload. Maybe 9MM 1911.

 

Or buy a 22lr conversion kit for cheap plinking.

[Mr.G 8]

That too! I already have a P226 9MM/22LR setup. Time to add this to my collection..

 

Or buy a 22lr conversion kit for cheap plinking.

[Fallout 3]

They are good, I almost bought the warrior 1911 but my springfield stole my interest.

[kkuo12887 0]

Kimber is one of those brands that nobody stays on the fence about. I know people that love theirs and some that would happily trade for something else. Without trying to stir any pots here , I think I can say:

1) Their customer service is supposed to be excellent

2) Their quality control is a bit hit-or-miss since the introduction of their 2nd Gen guns (which is probably a big part of the love/hate relationship).

3) Thier guns definitely look "pretty". Kimbers are stylish looking.

4) They use more MIM (metal injection molding) parts than most quality 1911 manufacturers. Some folks are just fine with this. Some aren't.

 

Be warned, if you go to the two main 1911 forums, the haters to defenders ratio is probably 7:1, or worse. Many of the haters though think nothing of spending $2k or more on a 1911, so it is really about what you are looking for in a gun.

Kimbers are a price niche gun. If you want an inexpensive and basic 1911 (i.e. matte or parkerized finish and no bells and whistles), you have good choices for less money than a Kimber. This inludes Rock Island, Taurus, and (my fav) STI Spartan. If you want semi-custom, then you are looking in the $1600 range and have Dan Wesson, then higher in price you have Les Baer, Ed Brown, Nighthawk Customs. The Kimbers occupy that space in between the base guns and the semi-customs. They compete with Colt (which is what the person who wants classic looks buys), STI Trojan, Springfield Armory, and Smith and Wesson (and probably one or two other brands I forgot).

 

Now, my opinion. If I had to rank my choices of mid-range 1911 manufactuers whose gun I would buy, Kimber would come in last on that list. The Smith and Wesson 1911's don't have the classic looks or exact functionality, but they just flat out work. I bought a Colt Series 70 Repro because I dig the classic style of the Colt. I am always eying an STI Spartan. Kimber is not the only brandwith its detractors. If you mention Springfield Armory, Ray Ray will goad you into buying one and GlennP will tell you why they are garbage. In the end, you make your own choices.

 

Springfield Armory offers a very sizable military discount.

 

$1400 for a SA TRP Light Rail which is a very good price.