Anybody own a Kimber 1911?

[ALbasser]

Been thinking about buying a new 1911 pistol and I'm torn between Kimber and Springfield Armory. Seaching the internet has gotten me nothing more than starting a thread "Abu Garcia or Shimano" in this forum  : Does anybody have experience with either, or both? I know very little about specific handguns.

[Redlinerobert]

Springfield Armory,  I have a V-10 Ultra Compact.  Love this gun.  Full stainless with coco bolo grips.  I dont think they make it any more though.

[skunked_again]

ive got the Pro Carry II. its a dream to shoot. i love every part of it. i also have a Para Ordnance LTC. its also a dream.

i bought my son a a Springfield GI .45 as a gift before he went to Afghanistan. we only shot a box of ammo through it but i really liked the gun as well.

for the most part, i think any brand name 1911 will serve you well. they are a blast to shoot.

[Stasher1]

I've owned two Kimbers, (an early pre-Series II Pro CDP and a Stainless Pro Carry II) along with a couple Colts and a pre-CZ Dan Wesson and while the Pro CDP was a decent pistol, the Pro Carry II was a total piece of crap.

Plagued with problems right out of the box, it would lock the slide back after every 2nd or 3rd round due to a poorly manufactured slide stop. Replaced it with a Wilson Combat part and that problem went away. A few hundred rounds later, the mag catch broke and dropped my mag on the ground while firing. Replaced it with a factory part and discovered another problem. The mag catch hole in the frame was machined improperly (oversized) putting the mag catch too low in the frame, which in turn held the mag too low so rounds would hit the frame instead of the feed ramp. It probably wouldn't have been an issue had the factory mag catch been a bit larger to allow proper fitting (like most aftermarket mag catches) but unfortunately it wasn't.

Add to that the numerous failures to return to battery due the Series II firing pin safety plungers not being radiused and chamber mouth not being fully radiused, and you have a pistol that wasn't even suitable to be a range toy, much less a serious defensive sidearm.

My advice is to pick up a bone-stock Springfield or Colt and send it to a reputable gunsmith for tuning and reliability package, and leave the Kimbers in the case.

I had over $1200 in my POS Pro Carry, trying to make it reliable enough for daily carry...and it never went more than a few hundred rounds without some kind of problem. Traded it for a Sig and never looked back.  

[Sfritr]

I tend to agree with Stasher,  Beautiful guns but mine had issues as well.  The springfield XD will be much cheaper and comes with accessories as well as a nice case.  I am a Beretta man by choice but the XD has everything you need for much less in the pocketbook

[roadwarrior]

I bought the Pro Carry II for my son. He shoots a lot and

really likes the gun. I'm surprised Stasher1 had such a terrible

time with the weapon. He sounds like he knows his guns, so

be sure you buy from a reputable dealer if you decide to get

the Pro Carry II. Problems like that should result in replacement,

not repair.

8-)

[Stasher1]

Kimber's customer servive is a joke. Their standard response to customer complaints is "Put 500 rounds thru it and call us back if its's still not working right." Hell, the stupid thing wouldn't go 500 rounds without a malfunction. : I put about 2500 rounds and $1200 thru it over a 5 year span and never did get it to function well enough to be trusted as a daily carry piece.

It's funny, my $500 Glock has none of these problems. It may be uglier than a cartload of crushed buttholes and have some of the worst ergonomics of any modern firearm, but it goes bang when I need it to.

[TommyBass]

I have a Kimber Ultra Raptor II (.45) and it works amazing.  Best shooting pistol I have shot, both cycling and accuracy.  Not to mention it looks pretty sweet as well.

[Bantam1]

My experience is that all 1911's need some sort of break in period. Most problems are with magazines or barrel links and slide stops. I have a lot of friends who own both Kimbers and SA and they are all happy. I shot all of them and they all shoot nice. SA has excellent customer service from what I have been told. Anything mechanical can have something happen in production. A tollerance of one part can be off by a few thousands of an inch and cause problems.

If you want a basic 1911 with some extras I would look at the Springfield Loaded model. Change out the external trigger lock stuff to the Series 70 parts and you're done. You'll have a nice shooter that will last for a long time.

I own a Para and it has been decent and super accurate. Its currently at the gunsmith getting some work done. A little early b-day present to myself   I did get a smoking deal from one of our reps so this is why I bought the Para. If I were to do it again I would buy the Springfield TRP. My 1911 has been strictly a target gun, I trust my life and my property to my HK USP 45 because it will always work.

[skunked_again]

theres not 1 1911 on the market that wont need a barrel bushing and a spring after 2000 rounds. its the facts of life when shooting a big round.

most other .45 models are the same, theres just too much recoil in the short action.

[ALbasser]

OK that is enough bad about Kimber for me. I was considering getting a basic Springfield 1911 GI and eventually getting it to a gunsmith and having it tweaked. I am taking a trip to a few different firearm shops this weekend to check out every model I can find and get some live feedback from some dealers. I would like a 1911, but I have my eye on a Sig Sauer P220 which may beat out any 1911.

[Bantam1]

Sig P220 is a nice pistol. I should have never sold the one I had.

[skunked_again]

OK that is enough bad about Kimber for me. I was considering getting a basic Springfield 1911 GI and eventually getting it to a gunsmith and having it tweaked. I am taking a trip to a few different firearm shops this weekend to check out every model I can find and get some live feedback from some dealers. I would like a 1911, but I have my eye on a Sig Sauer P220 which may beat out any 1911.

two posts?...............lmao

theres a lot of stuff youll never own then.

[ALbasser]

Nah not just on this forum. I looked at just about every website I could find on Kimber 1911's and it seems they have a lot of the same issues. Seems like there is more good then bad, but even more good about Springfield.  I checked out a p220 today and I'm hooked. Now I just gotta find a used one so I can afford it. Thanks for the help guys.

[Koop]

I have a custom target 2 and love it.  Wouldn't trade it for anything, I have fired many side arms over the past 10 years and nothing comes close to this, weight, natural zero, everything is perfect.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I wouldn't be so hasty. We have several law enforcement

officers, FBI, military guys (current & former) and other gun experts

on this forum. (No insult intended to anyone that has already posted).

I suggest letting this thing run a few more days before deciding

on a weapon. There are lots of great guns out there. Depending

on what you want it for and your commitment to practice and

maintenance, you might also consider a revolver. The old technology

is "bullet proof". For fun shooting and home protection, the

.357 Colt Python is THE BOMB!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Python

8-)

[skunked_again]

im to the point Internet opinions are just that.

ask about the quality of Quantum reels........

ill never imply that Kimber firearms are flawless but i post on 2 forums dedicated to just the 1911 and the general opinion is Kimber makes a great pistol. stasher is a perfect example, he said he had problems with one and not the other. that happens. at one time i shot 500 rounds of .45 a week. if i said i didnt have problems that would be a lie but once again any short action that has to absorb all that energy will have a problem.

lastly, go rent a lot of different handguns. you should be able to make up your own mind. most places have a good selection for rent.

good luck, let us know what you ended up with.

[ALbasser]

Before I make my final decision I will definately a few to try them out. What I am really looking for is something to carry in my truck or in the woods for personal defense/snake killer. I have .44 mag (SWEET gun) and .38 special revolver and love both of them. I don't own a .45 or an auto loader yet so that what I am looking for. Any suggestions besides what has already been mentioned in .45 ACP? I handled a Taurus PT145 and it was nice, but I'm not sure if I would like the dual action only.

[skunked_again]

i like the Ruger P series a lot. the gun is bulkier and has more weight but the flip side is its very user friendly when it comes to breaking the gun down for service.

as far as 1911's theres no major brand id not suggest. you could buy a Charles Daly and have a gun smith tune the piece and have a cheap master blaster.

as said before the Springfield XD is a fun gun. i have the .40 and im currently shooting the gun and not cleaning it, keeping track of rounds through the gun to see how many rounds the gun will eat before it starts jamming. i have 2 coffee cans full of emptys and the gun still eats ammo without fail.

i have 2 Sig P226's and 1 P239. all 3 also love to eat ammo. heres a nice vid on these guns.

[Stasher1]

im to the point Internet opinions are just that.

ask about the quality of Quantum reels........

ill never imply that Kimber firearms are flawless but i post on 2 forums dedicated to just the 1911 and the general opinion is Kimber makes a great pistol. stasher is a perfect example, he said he had problems with one and not the other. that happens. at one time i shot 500 rounds of .45 a week. if i said i didnt have problems that would be a lie but once again any short action that has to absorb all that energy will have a problem.

lastly, go rent a lot of different handguns. you should be able to make up your own mind. most places have a good selection for rent.

good luck, let us know what you ended up with.

Very true. The early Pro CDP was a great little pistol, but unfortunately Kimber no longer takes the time to properly hand-fit their parts during the assembly process. It's a shame, because they build some very attractive pistols and they've sold a bunch of them that function well...but I know I'll never own another one. I think there are much better options in that price range.

Ok, I'm done bashing Kimber.  ;D  

If you're looking for something nice in that price range the HK USP Compact .45 is sweet and can be configured for "condition one" carry like a 1911.

[Micro]

With respect to 1911 style pistols, I've owned Colt, Springfield Armory, Para Ordnance and Auto Ordnance.    

In Colt, I've owned a blued 80s series Government in .45 ACP, an 80s series blued Commander in .45 ACP, two 1991A1s in Government and Officer's sizes, and one stainless enhanced Commander in .38 Super.  IMO, the Colt are the best of the lot.  

In Springfield, I've owned two MilSpec models, including one of the originals that came with the brown plastic grips and dark olive colored parkerized finish, and one blued 5" model.  IMO, these are extremely close to the Colts in fit and finish.  And equal in terms of reliability.  The models I owned were essentially equivalent to the 70s Series Government models.  

In Para Ordnance, I own a P12 45 which I like very much.  I don't think it is finished as well as the Colts, but it is ultra reliable with any ammo I've run through it.  I love the high capacity.

Of the four brands, the only one I didn't like was the Auto Ordnance.  After a few hundred rounds, it developed a crack in the frame.  It was replaced by Auto Ordnance after several long months and then promptly sold.  

I really like the looks and feel of the Kimbers.  But gun forums are replete with posts about reliability problems and poor customer service.  It seem getting a reliable gun is hit or miss with this brand.  That's too bad, their rifles are ar incredible.  So I've avoided Kimber based on all I've read.