 RanchDressing 
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Joined: Jun 2009  AZ, USA
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Posted: 7/19/2012 11:43:09 PM
THE IMAGE ABOVE IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT Not trolling. It seems like time and time again I hear just as many people who loath them, as I do people who are happy. My question is this: Have any of you Kimber owners ran your weapon through a balls out course? I'm not talking "hurrr, my Kimber has 700 flawless rounds down the pipe". It seems like I keep seeing accounts of 1911's in general shitting the bed in various reputable courses (Ayoob, Yeager, etc). Someone gimme the skinny. 
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P08
WAIT FOR IT!
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Posted: 7/20/2012 12:06:40 AM
Some say great, some junk. I think it points to poor QC. That said, I prefer Les Baers myself.
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Posted: 7/20/2012 12:07:22 AM
[Last Edit: 7/20/2012 12:08:06 AM by MP0117]
I've owned two.
A TLE-RLII and a Pro Carry Tactical. Neither of them like JHPs so I sold them for more reliable weapons, a Glock 17 and a Glock 19, and both functioned flawlessly. A couple guys I know have had cracked frames etc. Buyer beware. |
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jakoury256
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Posted: 7/20/2012 2:19:17 AM
Almost every combat pistol class I teach at least 1 Kimber shows up and around the 75 to 150 round mark they start having problems.
I love shooting them but would never carry one for protection. The tolorences are just to tight when they get warm and are a little dirty. 1911 for show, Glock for pros Standing by for the hate (where you at Larry  ) |
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Posted: 7/20/2012 3:05:33 AM
Most work. Those that don't get blasted on the internet and the stories regurgitated again and again.
One big issue with the 1911 is magazines. The ones that come with Kimbers are crap. Another issue is many guys reload LSWC. And, LRN, too. Both are more problematic than 230gr FMJ, as can be the quality of the reload vs. factory ammo. Run a Glock with ProMags using lead SWC or trunicated cone reloads and see how long and how well that gun runs. Many Glock .45acp guns cannot even run LSWC. |
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Posted: 7/20/2012 3:31:47 AM
Havnt seen one run through a complete class without a failure. Take that for what its worth.
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Madcap72
I wish all the ladies, were holes in the road...
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Posted: 7/20/2012 5:53:32 AM
OLD Kimbers, from before they got big are GTG, NEW Kimbers from when the dude from Sig ruined everything are SKETCHY.
I'd straight up buy a Filipino 1911 or Norinco before a Kimber. |
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Posted: 7/21/2012 6:04:17 PM
[Last Edit: 7/21/2012 6:05:35 PM by garretts1776]
Happy Kimber Custom II owner, almost 6k rds without a single failure. very worn gun but runs perfectly every time with every mag I have tried. I run it dry 80% of the time, same reliability. Carry it every day and it gets soaked in sweat and dirt when I work outside. I have never seen a kimber go tits up, but thats just me. My gun is about 6 yrs old, and didnt really start getting used till about 3 yrs ago, so maybe the new ones are debatable, idk. I do know that I trust mine way more than the G17 I sold due to shitty reliability
 yes, it struggled with fmj.
edit: the only thing I do not understand is the shitty plastic MSH, which I swapped out with an ed brown a long time ago |
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Posted: 7/21/2012 6:26:03 PM
A few years ago I almost bought a stainless Target-II in 10mm but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $1000 for a plastic mainspring housing and a bunch of MIM parts
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Posted: 7/22/2012 12:56:41 AM
Originally Posted By garretts1776:
Happy Kimber Custom II owner, almost 6k rds without a single failure. very worn gun but runs perfectly every time with every mag I have tried. I run it dry 80% of the time, same reliability. Carry it every day and it gets soaked in sweat and dirt when I work outside. I have never seen a kimber go tits up, but thats just me. My gun is about 6 yrs old, and didnt really start getting used till about 3 yrs ago, so maybe the new ones are debatable, idk. I do know that I trust mine way more than the G17 I sold due to shitty reliability yes, it struggled with fmj.
edit: the only thing I do not understand is the shitty plastic MSH, which I swapped out with an ed brown a long time ago LOL, are you from Oppositesville? |
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Posted: 7/22/2012 7:00:36 PM
Originally Posted By RanchDressing:
Originally Posted By garretts1776:
Happy Kimber Custom II owner, almost 6k rds without a single failure. very worn gun but runs perfectly every time with every mag I have tried. I run it dry 80% of the time, same reliability. Carry it every day and it gets soaked in sweat and dirt when I work outside. I have never seen a kimber go tits up, but thats just me. My gun is about 6 yrs old, and didnt really start getting used till about 3 yrs ago, so maybe the new ones are debatable, idk. I do know that I trust mine way more than the G17 I sold due to shitty reliability yes, it struggled with fmj.
edit: the only thing I do not understand is the shitty plastic MSH, which I swapped out with an ed brown a long time ago LOL, are you from Oppositesville? nope, just use and carry quality weapons, not plastic |
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Posted: 7/23/2012 12:24:10 AM
Originally Posted By jakoury256: What exactly is the shooting schedule in these classes that you teach.Almost every combat pistol class I teach at least 1 Kimber shows up and around the 75 to 150 round mark they start having problems. I love shooting them but would never carry one for protection. The tolorences are just to tight when they get warm and are a little dirty. 1911 for show, Glock for pros Standing by for the hate (where you at Larry ) |
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Posted: 7/23/2012 12:51:27 AM
I own a TLE/RL II with approx. 1000 rounds through it. I've ran it through a course using it as a secondary weapon,. Have yet to run it as primary weapon. I've never had any problems with the pistol, it shoots anything i feed it. Did carefully break it in using a mix of fmj ball ammo and jhp ammo for the first 500 rounds . I pretty much do that with all of my 1911 pistols.
Guess I'm lucky and got a good one :) |
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dpmmn
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Posted: 7/23/2012 12:57:24 AM
I owned a kimber once, the slide on it was the biggest piece of shit that I have ever seen.
Long story short, it went back to kimber 4 different times all on my dime and each and every time it came back the problem was never fixed |
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Posted: 7/23/2012 1:38:15 AM
I've got 2: a custom classic, and an ultra carry 2. I wouldn't buy one new but picking up a beat one used it is great place to start setting up a nice 1911. I replace the MSH, re spring it(18-20 recoil, 25+mainspring), flat firing pin stop, C and S hammer, disconnector, sear, slide stop, HD extractor, and extender ejector. My Gf carries the ultra for ccw, I have a 460 rowland conversion kit on the custom for hogs, put about 1000 rounds down range no frame problems.....(230 grain LRN at about 1175 fps aint bad out of a 1911)
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Posted: 7/23/2012 6:15:20 AM
[Last Edit: 7/23/2012 6:18:12 AM by Tac56]
I currently have only one Kimber in the stable, but I have previously owned two others. My current gun is a Ultra CDP (first gen) in .45. It was a gift from my wife several years ago. I have always replaced my magazines for carry with Wilson 47d's and that is the only 1911 mag I will bet my life on. Once the CDP broke in, (200 or so rounds), I have had no problems with it whatsoever. If I had to guess, I'd estimate the round count on this gun in the 4000-4500 range, with a large part of them being fmj hand loads or Winchester SXT'S duty loads. I have replaced the recoil spring twice and that is it for replacement parts. I carry this pistol in my CCW line up routinely and without second thought.
My first Kimber was a first gen Custom II, blued full size. It shot well and ran without problem on Wilson mags. I sold it to a Sheriff's Deputy buddy who wanted a 1911 for duty use. He's still carrying it today after about 10 years, with no complaint other than the finish is pretty beat up. My second Kimber was a stainless pro carry in .40 cal. This gun was my worst experience with any semiauto pistol I've owned. It would not feed. Period. Didn't matter what ammo or mag, clean or dirty, I could not get through a single mag without a failure. After about 700 rounds of trying to make it work, I sold it off at a loss and was glad to be seperated from it. The lesson I took away from that gun was to stick with the original caliber when using a 1911... The broad flat meplat of the .40 round had a effect on this guns ability to feed. So, as you can see, my experience with Kimber is with the older generation of guns, and for the most part, positive. I wold not hesitate to pick up a good used custom II or similar pistol from them. My hesitance in the newer generation guns comes from QC concerns that many others have experienced and broadcast. -Tac |
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Madcap72
I wish all the ladies, were holes in the road...
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Posted: 7/23/2012 4:31:37 PM
Another problem I ran into selling new Kimbers (in 2008) is their stainless guns suffered from improper passivation, with stainless that means cleaning the parts with acid and rinsing them to remove all the carbon steel that gets imbedded from the machining process.
Long story short, we'd pull gun that were brand new out of the case, with rust spots all over them. Not a mechanical thing, but just another item to add to the list of poor QC/QA from that time frame. |
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Posted: 7/23/2012 9:47:28 PM
They are ok. Just wouldn't buy one brand new anymore.
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GunDisaster
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Posted: 7/23/2012 10:10:32 PM
I don't care for the stupid added safety in most of them. But I have a Kimber Super Carry Pro which is 70 series style with all the high end custom features I want in a carry gun. I had to replace the recoil spring after a few hundred rounds. But now it's gtg and has been dead accurate and reliable. I also don't care for the Kimber mags, I use Tripp Research Cobra mags. I'm thinking about picking up a full size Super Carry next since I like my Pro so much.
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Posted: 7/23/2012 11:38:22 PM
I own 3 and have not had a problem. they are every bit as good as the 4 colts and 2 springfields I have. It seems to be a lovem or hatem thing.
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Woody600
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Posted: 7/25/2012 4:23:13 PM
Originally Posted By Bionic1: They are ok. Just wouldn't buy one brand new anymore. What's the cutoff? I am selling a 2005 TLEII. Not b/c of issues, but I REALLY WANT a Colt LE901 rifle. I'll get a Colt 1911 later on. Yes, Kool-Aid drinker. My Kimber did go back to Kimber once b/c of extraction issues. Ever since, it runs great. It is one of the external extractor models, I know that they have not always been highly praised. |
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Posted: 7/28/2012 7:58:03 AM
My Pro Carry has been flawless. Only using reloads 230gn lrn and 201gn lswc. Have not reached the 500 round mark yet. Enjoy shooting my HK's alot more. Picking up a Solo today. I'll let you know how it does.
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The_Beer_Slayer
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Posted: 7/28/2012 8:22:30 AM
i have owned 2. an original gold match and a tactical. both were flawless guns. i still have the gold match and only sold the tactical because someone liked it more than i did.
i didn't run either in a "class" but i have run my gold match over 800 rnds in a couple of days working on pistols skills with no maint until i was done. thats easily equal to what i have shot in classes before. many of the LE guys i shoot with run kimbers here and like them a lot. Kimber got a REALLY bad rap for some bad qc a few years ago and the the external extractor issues hurt them again. it also doesn't help that their customer service seems to be crap. i am not sure i'd spend the money on a new one when i can get a les bear or wilson for close to the same price. that said if i find a used one that runs, i'd buy it. |
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Posted: 7/28/2012 8:49:25 AM
I have a stainless gold match, probably a 2000 model, that i use for uspsa single stack, so a lot of rounds through it. Shooting swc reloads. Love it. No problems that i didnnt cause - i broke the rear site and kimbers customer service was great.
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Posted: 7/28/2012 9:48:29 AM
So you see, OP, the truth has plenty of different versions....
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Posted: 7/28/2012 10:02:59 AM
Marine Corps Special Operations uses Kimber! Enough said.
Semper Fi |
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