Sorry for the length of this post - but have to get my thoughts/experience out there.

 

I tried to do a bunch of research on 1911's, however, as everyone knows it's such a huge platform with countless options. I did my best to research different models that fit my preference and learn about them/read up.

 

I am a fan of history and the 1911's looks and background in general, so this is a must for me. I really was looking for a more classic look 1911 chambered in .45 cal. I know you can get pretty serious with modifications, but personally a lot of modifications, adjustable sights, etc. just kind of turn me off. My purpose for this gun is target, home defense, and mostly just bc I love the look and history behind it (I know 9mm would be better for target purpose, but 1911 IMHO should be 45).

 

So....I went to Heritage Guild, Lou's in Raritan and Effingers.

 

I am on a budget and wanted to keep it under $850 - which I know rules a ton of them out right off the bat. The ones I was considering were Springfield Mil Spec or GI, the Remington R1, Rock Island Armory, Taurus, Desert Eagle. I liked some of the Kimbers, but didn't think I could afford any.

 

1)Heritage: had Rem R1 stainless which I liked, but it wasn't jumping out at me (was in my range at $749). The rest of their Sigs, Kimbers, Colts were nice but a little outside my range. As in past visits there, their service was poor, acted like I was hassling them, and provided no opinions or knowledge.

 

2)Lou's: had a ton of options and I really liked the customer service there. Good guys willing to tell you what they think and take the time to explain things. When I walked in there I was basically searching for the Spring Mil Spec, but the guy immediately said he hated them, doesn't buy them, and that it's in his opinion a crappy 1911 that rattles, etc and there are much better options. I took his opinion seriously. I loved the style of the STI Spartan IV, but they only had it in 9mm and I want .45. He tracked one down and said he could order, but I wanted to finish shopping and said I'd call back. Also, I wanted a full size 1911, but the Spartan V he had was set up with adjustable sights and the coloring I wasn't wild about. He was honest and didn't try to hard sell me on anything - just offered his opinions and knowledge.

 

3)Effingers: this was last on my list because I don't really see them as a great gun shop and usually their collection is limited. Off the bat he showed me Desert Eagle, Rem R1, Taurus - all OK, but didn't jump at me.

Then he goes "well here's a Kimber in your price range" - which took me by surprise b/c thre Custom II at Lou's was $925 (it had night sites and maybe another mod that I forget). This was the black Kimber Custom II with standard low profile sights for $769 base. I loved the solidness, style, and the feel of it. This one did jump at me. Much to my disgust, the day of searching left me finding the 1911 I wanted at 4:50pm.... NICS was closing and I couldn't bring it home. I put down 50% and am paying balance and picking it up this week or next weekend. He said he's going to throw in some ammo and a cleaning kit too. The guys were all old guys and the guy who helped me was a veteran and very knowledgeable about 1911's.

 

I am sorry for this ridiculously lengthy post, but I really wanted to share my experience and welcome any opinions, thoughts, etc. that any of you 1911 guys may have. Anybody own the Custom II? Thoughts on it? I know most everyone here either loves or hates Kimbers, but I welcome comments from both sides. Thank you!

glad you found what you wanted. enjoy your 1911. I personally hate kimbers, but thats just preference. sounds like you got a decent deal with ammo and cleaning kit included. good luck with it, happy shooting, and dont forget to use that cleaning kit every 5-700 rounds. a clean 1911 is a happy 1911. also dont forget to put a drop of oil on each side of the slide before each use.

I have a Target II Stainless 9mm. It's a awesome gun that I love to shoot. Glad you found what you wanted at the price you were looking to stay at.

 

Remember, give that gun a nice little pre-clean before you shoot it for the first time. As was said above, keep the rails lubed, but not wet. And before you form any opinions on that gun, give it 500 or so rounds. It does have a break in period. I had two FTE's in the first hundred rounds and mine has been trouble free ever since as long as I don't use Winchester ammo. But she eats everything else I throw at her including my reloads. If you need a hand on field stripping it, drop me a PM and feel free to stop by (I'm right by Paramus about 25 minutes away) and I'll show you how to break it down and re-assemble it so you don't get the "Idiot" mark on her.

 

Good luck.

 

C

I definitely plan to give it a thorough clean and lube before my first range trip.

 

Been watching YouTube for field strip instructions. It absolutely looks more difficult than stripping my Glock or O/U. I think am going to give it a try after a bunch more research. May take you up on the in person lesson tho..thx for the offer.

 

What is the mark you're referring to? (Def dont want to do that).

 

Wasn't expecting to get this Kimber so didn't do as much research on it as I did the aforementioned brands I was checking out. Read a few horror stories about early on FTF, bad factory magazines, and/or rust on barrel upon initial strip. Anyone have any experience with these "horror stories"?

I have 50% deposit to guarantee a hold, but can always get that back and keep searching if I determine its a risky buy.

 

Thanks

I bought my .1911 because my son watched Captain America and asked if I could buy Captain Roger's gun.

 

Ok... twist my arm, right?

 

So seeing as this was basically a range gun and I wanted it to look like it came from World War II, I bought an Auto Ordnance. It was made in America, priced right, and accurate looking enough to look like it came from the war. I couldn't be happier with it.

 

Yes, stripping it is more of a pain than modern guns, but you are talking about 100 year old technology. The more you shoot that gun, the more you understand that John Moses Browning was a genius. Gadsdon Glock was a genius as well, but his guns have no soul. My 1911 has a soul... kind of hard to explain, but you have to own a .45 and a Glock to understand.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Auto Ordinance if I wanted another 45. That being said, you made a fine choice with your Kimber. Have some fun with it.

love my springfield range officer...700 and change out the door.

In all honesty you should just go Wilson combat out your order in pay half then make payments until its paid off. Your wait will be 8-12 months but far worth it and you can option it out to your personal preference!

my kimber has been good, 1500 rnds down the pipe.. just break it in per the instructions and it will be good, 230 grain ball ammo for 500rnds.. dont shoot the 500 all in one session, break it up and clean and lube it inbetween, you should clean it every 200 rnds anyway.. dont let the gun dry up.. i do this with all my pistols..

 

The barrels are in the white so if the gunshop took care of it while on their shelf you will be fine, if it was handled continuously and not wiped down it could have some rust on the barrel.

 

forget the horror stories most of them are false.. most of the people posting them do not even own a kimber..

 

 

 

 

Were you at HG yesterday?

Yes.

No horror stories with mine. My barrel is stainless.

 

The "Idiot Mark" comes about when you don't pay attention putting the slide release in. It can swing around and leave a circular mark from just above the trigger to just below the detent pin that holds it in place. If you get one, it'll drive you nuts.

 

The offer stands.

 

A pic of mine as she sits.

 

 

C

Thanks for the post. Im in the search for a 1911, was in Lou's last week, and was going to stop in Efingers for kicks. Guess I waited too long. I'm eyeing up springers as well so it sounds like we're on the se page. Thanks again.

I was in a similar dilemma recently for my first 1911 and decided to go with Remington Enhanced,

The R1 and the stainless had the appeal but this one was the best in my hand from Remington.

I also considered Springfield and Sig 1911 Nightmare with a bobtail.

 

So far very pleased. Very accurate at 25yds , better than my G21 ..........

 

Eventually as usual i ll end up owning all of these above.

 

I did consider Kimber but wanted to pay around 8-900$.

 

Yes.

With your girlfriend and another guy?

CM - no I was solo at HG.

Ah, OK. I was there betwee 2:30 and 4. Don (the blond, short-haired salesman) and I were joking around with a guy who couldn't make up his mind on a pistol. His girlfriend was nice as she was taking verbal jabbing from all of us...

I have the TLE RL II which is basically the same as the Custom II except it has a rail/front strap checkering.

 

I am pleased with mine. In the beginning i had an issue with the slide lock locking back too early. A little

sanding and the issue was resolved. I recently posted a review of it here.

 

As far as the opinions of Kimber my advice is to ask people who have actually owned or currently own them

to get some real feedback. Most people I know have been very pleased and a couple guys I know have not.

Thing is people tend to think this only applies to Kimber. Really all makes and models you will get good

and bad reports. I think you will come to like it a lot. I certainly have.

 

Topher, that's beautiful!

Jay, thanks. I love it. Put another 250 rounds of reload thru it today. For a "picky" gun (it is a 9) it eats everything I throw in it. And, as was said above, when a company pumps out 70,000 firearms a year using a 100 year old design, there are bound to be those that have issues with them. For me, my Kimber has proven itself enough that it lives in the nightstand drawer.

 

C

So last night I felt like hitting Bullet Hole with the Glock for some range time.

 

I called beforehand just to see if they had the Kimber Custom II in stock that I was looking for. They had one left for $755 - which from all the places I visited was the lowest price.

 

I examined it as best as I could while there. He said they hadn't had it in the store long and that when they are there they don't last long (I was concerned about this factor with the model at Effingers after tony357 said that if it's handled a lot and not cared for, it could have rust on the barrel). It looked in great shape to me and racked real smooth.

 

I decided to buy it. They didn't offer me ammo and cleaning kit (like Effingers), but they did not charge for NICS and they agreed to give me 1hr free of range time, so I considered it a wash.

 

I will say, it was incredibly difficult to NOT SHOOT IT at all last night. As I've been told here and thru research - you can't shoot it out of box, which was a worthy sacrifice in order to preserve this gun as best I can. So I shot 200 rnds thru the glock and a few mags on my buddies AR.

 

While handling the 1911, I immediately realized how shitty the factory mag was. So while there I picked up a "Chip McCormick match grade 8 round mag" . From what I have read those are supposed to be great?? I am very pumped up to learn how to field strip this beast and get it ready for some rounds.

 

**I took some pics on my iPhone to show the forum for kicks - is it possible to post them from iPhone? If not, I can try from my macbook tonight - anyone have an easy explanation of how to do this? I've attempted and failed before

 

Thanks for everyones input.

Congratulations!!! Get some pics up.

 

C

Will work on some pics tonight - see if I can figure it out.

 

What do 1911 .45ACP guys recommend for Cleaning your 1911? For my Glock 19 I use a Hoppes Oil, Sovlent and Boresnake type kit. I know it could be a different story with a 1911...?

Will work on some pics tonight - see if I can figure it out.

 

What do 1911 .45ACP guys recommend for Cleaning your 1911? For my Glock 19 I use a Hoppes Oil, Sovlent and Boresnake type kit. I know it could be a different story with a 1911...?

 

thats good, your manual will guide you threw the cleaning.

I guess my real question was: what do people suggest for cleaning of the bore on a 1911 - a boresnake or pads and rod?

 

I only use boresnake on my glock and shotgun, so would need to invest in a .45 boresnake or a rod cleaning kit.

I use a rod and patches. Works fine. Most of the time I hit it with a de-leaderizer as I shoot lead. If you don't, Hoppe's should work just fine.

 

C

I use hoppes copper solvent with patches.. rarely use a bore brush..

I guess my real question was: what do people suggest for cleaning of the bore on a 1911 - a boresnake or pads and rod?

 

I only use boresnake on my glock and shotgun, so would need to invest in a .45 boresnake or a rod cleaning kit.

 

I use a patch with Hoppes about one a year and just run a bore snake through each gun once or twice after each range outting. Never had a problem.

I shot some steel targets early today at my friends farm. The Kimber Custom II performed flawlessly for 75 rounds using Federal 230 grain. Would have shot a little more if the rain wasn't a factor...

 

First time shooting a 1911, let alone my own. It was a pure joy. I definitely noticed a big difference in quality between the Kimber factory mag and the McCormick mag I picked up.

 

I was amazed at the ease the Kimber took the .45 bullets. So solid. Shot great and dead accurate. Extremely happy with it.

Congratz on the good experience..

Everyone should own a 1911.... Or five.

 

 

 

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