So I had a Springfield TRP and I traded it and I really like the looks of the Kimber they are some of the best looking 1911's.  Problem is that every time I do any kind of research I run into horror stories about the newer Kimbers not working right and the customer service sucks.  I really want the 3inch but would consider a larger one.  I just can't have a $1,500 gun jamming up on me.  Thoughts from some Kimber fans?

You want a Kimber after owning a TRP???.  Over rated in my opinion

I have two and they run flawless.

I own a few as well as colts, and springers and Baer's. All of mine are 100% but every mfg can put out a qc issue gun so don't let everyone else decide which gun you want. I love all my 1911s equally but I wouldn't pay 1500 for a Kimber.
If you like something buy it,  it is your money

I am happy with my custom II and every other Kimber I have shot. Good pistols in my book if had at the right price.  

Me too...

I was looking at the Covert II  and it lists for about $1,600.  Not sure what the street price is but I would guess maybe a couple hundred off that?  I have thought about buying another TRP but would prefer a smaller 3 or 4 inch barrel and that is just not an option on the TRP.

I'm picking up a full size Stainless II this week. I was in the same boat. Go look at all the other manufacturer forums also. Every one of them have some sort of issues also. Even the high end ones. The kimber was sexy as hell, my local LGS is a master kimber dealer. I know the guys there really well, I've bought multiple firearms and all my reloading components from them. I looked at all the 1911s in my sub $1000 budget. I picked the kimber and he said good choice and that it was of his most reliable guns. Most 1911 issues I've researched about seem to come from the non-full size versions.

I had one.  It was a great gun.  I sold it when I consolidated calibers earlier this year.  Never had one issue.

Probably a lot cheaper if you don't mind some minor "blemishes" where the serial numbers were

Everyone has opinions and if I followed the wisdom of some probably ones who have never owned a Kimber but heard from a friends friend that they are shit I wouldn't have two that have been nothing but perfect. In the past I have owned Colts and have tried some of the more expensive 1911's. I found that they both did the same thing, put holes in things where I was aiming. The more expensive ones looked better but for me I always looked at them as tools and hated to spend high dollar on something that I hide under the seat or in the golf cart or in the boat. or on the motor scooter. That's just me, but my 3 inch Tactical Ultra II is a great little 1911 at 25 oz. and its easy to conceal and carry. No problems what so ever. The same goes for my TLE/RL 5 inch has always worked and worked well when the trigger was pulled. Now I am only speaking of a sample of 2 but the bashing from the would be exports should show that at least one out of the two is junk. If you like them and you shoot them well buy one and don't listen to the others. Also if your looking on their web site for pricing they are high, you will find your model for much less than they list. Good luck and if you look further down both of mine are posted with pictures.

Eh, I could ramble on about experiences and and knowlege from slinging them and working at a range and having friends that work at ranges and all that as well as the QC issues that are well known.





I'll just leave it at I would not buy one.

Most Kimber problems can be solved with a simple extractor tension adjustment. I recently bought a used Super Carry Pro HD, look to have less then two to three hundred rounds fired. My guess was, he bought it was having problems and traded it in. Sure enough nothing but FTF's, took a few minutes to adjust the extractor(too tight) and it was running like a thief.
I own five Kimbers, the other four were good to go right out of the box. I also own a TRP and a MC OP, truth be told I think TRP's are one of the most if not the most over rated 1911s made. It's a good gun, but there is absulutly nothing special about it. My Kimbers have far less tool marks and shoot just as well, a couple better.

I have a Pro Carry 2. I love it.  It has never had a single issue

I have an Eclipse Pro Carry II target.

Mine has been Flawless , don't believe everything you read on the internet.

It's funny to me that arfcom picks certain firearms to love and certain ones to hate .

It's called experience, and large sample size.



 

Finally found me a good one.  

Kimber raptor pro.  First 1911 I've ever had that would run

Once I yanked the Schwarz safety firing pin block out of the slide I've never had an issue with my Custom II. I swapped out the plastic mainspring housing for a metal one and replaced the full-length guide rod with a GI type and the gun has been great.

Frankly, I think all the Kimber bashing is just ARFcom fashion. I suspect that the vast majority of the posters who put down Kimbers have never owned or shot one.

I've owned several Kimber models. Mostly Pro Carry ones. One in stainless that I sold and bought another one because it didn'e have the light rail that I wanted. The I sold that one and got a 5" barrel model Custom II. I later sold that to finance a Colt Delta Elite because of the better ballistics of the 10mm rd. I was planning on having a lot of work done to the Colt DE, but, decided to sell it and get a Kimber TLE/RL II 10mm instead. I'm keeping this one. I've never experienced any problems with any of the Kimbers that I have ever owned. I just sold them to finance other gun projects. I've done this with all of my guns, not just the Kimbers. This has given me an experience of diversity with many different guns. I owned a number of Colts (Combat Commanders and Govt models; not any of the Gold Cups) and out of the box the Kimbers are better values and shoot as well as the Colts for the same price. Kimbers are fine in my book.

I've heard mixed reviews about Kimbers. I've never owned one, but I've shot a few and had good experiences with all of them. Hell, a buddy of mine has a Desert Warrior and we have straight wore that damn thing out. Probably 10-15K rounds of .45 though that thing (at least) and who the hell knows how many rounds of .22 through his .22 conversion kit, and that's just since I've know him. I mean, we've shot that thing so much that both the recoil spring is getting weak on it. Both in the gun and in the conversion kit. Anyway, as far as know, he's never had any issues with it at all.

The biggest gripe I hear about Kimber is their customer service.

I'd say go for it if it's what you want. I've always been under the impression that Kimber was good to go. I'd buy one if I didn't want a TRP more.

skip the kimber


This is the only 3" 1911 I ever had that ran

STI ESCORT





http://www.stiguns.com/the-sti-escort/


http://www.brazoscustom.com/sti_guns/escort.htm

Garbage.

I had a Pro Carry and a TLE-RLII. Neither would reliably feed JHPs.

Went back to tupperware guns.

These are nice OP. Seriously.

Dam you got rid of a TRP?
What are you drunk!
The TRP is solid my friend!

I would take an STI target master over a Kimber. Like a 9mm 6.0" target master.
Look at that thing.

Im kinda over Kimber these days. STI all the way.

I rather enjoy my custom II. No failures aside from a slide lock issue that Kimber was very helpful with, they have a new slide lock on its way to me now. I thought i was taking a gamble buying my Custom II but after 550 rounds in one session, 100 of which were JHP with no issue of feeding or extraction I'm very happy. The slide lock issue was, out of 550rnds the slide locked back twice on power mags with rounds still in them. Not a huge deal, and Kimber is fixing it.

Regards,
Adam

I have had a few Springfield Armory's and a few Kimbers in the last 15 years and have shot many more that have belonged to friends over that time.  I've owned a Springfield Mil-Spec, a Loaded, an Operator, and a GI Milspec. I've also owned a Kimber Custom II, an Ultra-Carry II, and a TLE II.   I'm down to just two now, the Kimber Custom II and the Springfield Mil-Spec, both of which are highly customized now.  However, all of them, Kimber and Springfield, ran good and would shoot any ball or jhp that I ever tried through them right out of the box.

Here are some general observations I made during my ownership of them.

1 As a general rule, the Kimber's were more accurate out of the box than the Springfield's. The exception was my Springfield Operator which for some reason would easily out shoot all my others combined.

2 The Kimber's as a general rule did not have as durable finish as the Springfield's. Their Black Oxide finish is poor and I have also encountered much more rusting issues with the Kimbers than I ever did with the Springfields. Most rust issues with the Kimber were with the barrel. Rusting on the exterior and some in the bore. Never had this with the Springfield's.

3 Both brands seemed equally reliable. I never had the failures associated with the firing pin block on series II Kimber's that many complain of on the Internet. And both would eat any ammo they were fed.

4 I personally favor the look and feel of the Loaded Springfield's over the Kimber's.  I don't as much care for the looks of the factory sights and grip safety on most Kimber's, like the Custom II for example.  However, the grip frames on the Kimbers seem to be more uniform from one gun to the other. The Springfield's depending on age may or may not have more material than normal around the grip front strap and under the trigger guard giving them a blocky feel.

5 Neither one of them have a decent mainspring housing. One is plastic and the other has the stupid ILS system. Both will probably function fine, but I always change them to a simple metal housing.

6 When purchasing a Kimber that is finished in black oxide for example, you may get a mix and match of carbon steel and stainless steel. I have seen this several times now and you can't tell just by looking. When I chose to refinish my Custom II, I found that I had a stainless steel frame and a carbon steel slide. I had no idea until we stripped it down to refinish it.  I have never heard of this issue with Springfield Armory's

7 This is strictly my opinion of the Kimber, that all models they sell are just a collection of mix and match parts meaning that the differences between their expensive high end models and their cheaper introduction models are purely cosmetic. The entry level Custom II will likely shoot just as good as the much more expensive Custom CDP for example.
Again,just my opinion, with the Springfield when you purchase a higher end model such as a TRP for example, I feel that you are getting a 1911 that has actually been fitted and tuned to a level superior to their cheaper entry level guns like the Mil-Spec line or the Loaded line up. Meaning that you will likely get a nicer gun for the price point then you would with a competing price point Kimber.  Bottom line, the entry level cheaper Kimber's are a great value for the money, most likely wielding accuracy and reliability on par with their expensive guns. On the contrary, the more expensive model Springfield Armory's will likely result in a gun that has nicer fit and finish and smoother operation than similar priced Kimber's, thus being the better value for the dollar.

Either way, if your results are like mine, both will serve you well. It just depends what you want to spend and what your expectations are.


Edited to add- To more specifically address your post. My 3" Kimber Ultra-Carry ran good! It was surprisingly accurate for a 3" 1911.  While I never had any issues with it, my wife did. The little light weight gun requires a good secure grip to make it function well. Something my wife could not always achieve resulting in a limp wrist induced malfunction.  But for me with stronger arms it never was an issue. Mine had a standard non-ramped barrel. I remember some folks complaining about the aluminum frame showing some battering when they first switched to the ramped barrel 3" Ultra's. I never witnessed any sign of battering with mine. I'm not sure if the current 3" guns from Kimber use a ramped barrel or not.

Edited to add again - Here is a couple pictures of the two that I still have. The Springfield Armory Mil-Spec and the Kimber Custom II.  Both of them have had a lot of custom work done to them. The Kimber by a local gunsmith and the Springfield by me. I carry and shoot the Springfield much more as you can tell. It has close to 20,000 rounds through the pipe and the Kimber has probably closer to 3000 down range. Regardless, both have been great guns.

3rd generation 1911 nut here.

I've owned more than one, Springfield, Kimber, STI, ect.

The STI's are better fitted, more accurate,  and more reliable out of the box.

Shooting and practicing USPSA/IPSC can easily burn up 10,000 rounds or more a year.

The early Kimbers were nice, but like posted above rust was a constant issue, until I had them METALIFE'd

I would not buy a new gen-II Kimber today

Kimbers are the bro trucks of the 1911 world, don't be that guy











jk my dad has one and its ok, but I wouldn't spend money on one

Think about it, if you already have a bro truck, then the Kimber would just complete the ensemble. Oakley's, a bass pro hat, and a realtree hoodie  really drive the point home.

I miss my truck, at least I have my Kimber.

Adam

OP, one thing to consider when looking at Kimber vs all of the other 1911 manufacturers out there is sample size. I remember seeing a document someone linked to here or on sigforum or 1911forum a couple of years ago. Kimber manufactured around 75,000 pistols that year. That's more 1911's than the rest of the manufacturers made combined that year. Ruger hadn't released their SR1911 yet at the time I don't think.

With Kimber making so many pistols, there are going to be lots more of them around that people give their reviews on, and more often than not, bad reviews are more popular than the good reviews...

I've seen Kimbers in the gunstore but never handled or fired one. Don't let the internet make the decision for you. Just like every manufacturer, there are good ones made and lemons. Personally, I won't buy a Taurus because of my experience with my PT1911... but there are dozens of others that own PT1911's that have absolutely no issues.

Kimber is the same way. For every one that's a POS, there are hundreds that give absolutely no issues and feed everything.

I have a pro cdp II and an ultra cdp II.  Both have been great.  I prefer the ultra (3").  It is fantastically accurate and reliable.  It's also easier to carry.  I haven't had any issues with either of them.

I own several 5" 1911's and my 2006 full size stainless target II in 9mm is one of the best looking and shooting 1911's I have ever handled or shot.....I absolutely love mine.....And have had zero problems to date!

I own several 1911's , from full size to ultra compacts. Manufacturers from Springfield, Kimber and now sig.

Of all of them the sig is the tightest of the bunch. My springfields  are preloaded version that I had work done for carry guns. Kimber was the first loaded gun I ever bought.

I picked up a Kimber custom classic when they first came out. Other then finding that the gun had a magazine preference , the gun has run fine. I use it as one of my carry guns. Punches touching holes at 25 yards with my carry ammo.

I decided to add a pro carry 2 to the stable last month. My local shop had a special running that dropped the price to 650 bucks. The only thing the gun did not have was night sights. I ended up finding night sights on sears web sight for 90 bucks. The sights are factory and was made last October.

So far I have put 500 rounds done range with the gun and no malfunctions. Also it likes all the hollow points from six different manufacturers.

Kimber seems to make the occasional good gun.

The difference between that target and a Gold Medal kimber is 2 holes. I had a Colt Gold match, Springfield Longslide, neither would hold a candle to Gold Combat Kimber, Hell my Glock 21 would shoot with them or better. I don't know why but a G21 Glock will shoot.

Mine are both Series 1 I had a Gold Target that was close but just did not like the shinny finish.





 

Hilton Yam did a write up on the Kimber Warrior in 2010 if your interested in reading. http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=232 My Kimber Custom TLE II has over 7k rounds through it with just replacement extractor and recoil springs. It did have failure to feeds with the Chip Mccormick 10 round mags so I went back to Tripp mags and it has been extremely reliable.

I wouldn't trust any 1911 under 4.25" - just based on my experience.  The reliability just isn't there, velocity suffers, and concealability is all in the grip length.  I'd love a 5" slide on an Officers-size frame.  But a Springfield Champion is a damned near ideal gun.

My Kimber (Raptor) has been very reliable and accurate.

It digests Hornady Critical Defense loads by the boxful with no feeding issues, and of course FMJ (those are the only loads I have run in it).

I use Wilson Combat mags in mine.

Accuracy is excellent.

This is the only Kimber I have owned, and my other 1911 experience includes several Colts and a SIG.

Maybe I just got a good one, I don't know.  I know a lot of people hate on 'em, but I am very satisfied with mine.

As for their customer service, I have no idea, because I've never had any reason to use it.

Put me down with the "most gun companies can make good guns, and most gun companies can make the occasional lemon" school of thought.

I had a 3 inch kimber pro carry2 crimson and that little gun was very pleasant to shoot and Accuracy was great. I never once had any failures of any kind and I purposely tried to create one,I ran a variety of hp and ball ammo through it and never gave me hiccup .

With that said there customer service is non existent and probably the worst I have ever experienced EVER! I would probably not buy another just because there customer service is terrible!

Should have stuck with your first post of leaving it alone ....your not the only one with experience or an opinion

I've owned 4 and have 1 left. I started out with a custom II when I first got into firearms that couldn't go through a mag without something happening. I literally gave it away. I also had a Springfield at the time that was the same way. I sold it and got out of 1911s for a while. I started getting the 1911 itch again and wanted a trp but could only find kimbers locally. I picked up a tactical custom II and while it had a malfunction on the first mag, it ran great after that. I then picked up a tactical entry model that I still have. It's had rust issues, but has run great and has had no malfunctions to date. It's been stored for a long time and is probably covered in rust. I need to check it out tomorrow. I then bought a desert warrior. It was a good gun, but I traded it for something that I can't even remember.

While I still have one, I'll never buy another. I can't seem to trust them even when they run flawlessly. They've known about the rust issues for years and have yet to try and fix it. I've seen them on the shelves brand new with rust on the slides and barrels. Not sure what I'll do with the last one I have.

Eta: I also have 2 trp's and a mc operator that have all been really good guns.

I wasn't talking about myself exclusively, plus my experience and opinion parallels some of the top 1911's guys.





You should read some of Hilton Yams articles.
 

I understand the fact that as humans we have our likes and dislikes for what ever reason. But the constant Kimber bashing that some people never miss an opportunity to hammer away is almost stalker like in its veracity. My opinion they are just as good as any other 1911 in their price range, the fact that they have so many more option's then others make them very appealing. My sample size is 5, three great out of the box, one simple mag picky and the other a simple five minute extractor adjustment. Five great running 1911s, two are four inch and one a three and it's been golden right out of the box.
I use two own Colts(three) sold them Kimbers ran better and looked better doing it. I currently own a TRP and MC Op. Also good guns, better then the Kimbers? No pretty much the same as any 1911 in that price range. Actually like the MC more then the TRP, the only real difference in those guns is the front strap checkering and the recoil system, the MC wins in the later.
Many continually hammer away at the Kimber II FPS, I actually much prefer it too a series 80 FPS. But if you don't want a FPS Kimber sells a boat load of series 70 guns, two of mine have no FPS. My CDP PRO is 13 years old many thousands of rounds fired, carried more then any other gun I own and never a problem since day one.
Yesterday, took three 1911s to my range. Shot 150 rounds though each, doing a 50 round combat qualification course. Consists of everything from the holster, failure drills, primary hand, support hand, shooting on the move, speed reloads, etc. all three guns were within one round of each other. Also did Dot Torture and FAST drills. Again all three neck and neck. Firearms used are below.

I have two Kimbers that run just fine.  One was in CA jail and I took it from the gun counter (NIB) and out to the range to successfully complete an IDPA match with it.    The only mods I have done is grip tape on the front strap.  I have never owned any other 1911 that didn't require mods and break in to run correctly.  





I have a long history of modifying Colts to make them run right, and also sent back some Springfield Armorys for ramp work due to piss poor feeding.  





Most Kimber haters have exactly zero experience with them.  It is equally hard to gain experience in shooting and fucking women when they never get off their X-box or out of their basement.  
Wanna talk about a real piece of shit, and I mean US president level shit, and that would be a Sig GSR.  Pure garbage when they were introduced.






 

I bought a Kimber Grand Raptor last year and couldn't be happier.  Such a beautiful gun and it shoots even better than it looks.

I have owned two Kimbers one stainless procarry and a Ultra CDP II. Nothing but problems out of both. I sold the Stainless. But decided to keep the Ultra cdp really like it but it did cost $$$ me to get it to run. Changed out all the internal parts to Wilson and that did the trick. I have about 700 rds thru it with out a problem. I would give you a 50/50 chance of getting a kimber and it run out if the box. I will never buy another as long as I live just not worth the trouble. Good luck.

I have a stainless target II, it's my second one, I sold the first one because I was in a financial jam.  Both were flawless,  my current one has only > 500 rds through it. I also have a kimber solo with several hundred rds through it, it's also been flawless.  

I think the thing to remember is kimber pumps out a lot of guns, which means a higher percentage of duds. They're are a lot of happy kimber owners,   I've read about problems with every manufacturer.

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I have a tactical pro II. Out of the box it wouldn't run HP either. A little polish on the feed ramp solved the problem. I've had it for 9 years now and I love it.
There are a lot of great pistols out there in that price range so look around before you buy. But if you find that you like the Kimber best then buy it.

I have owned many 1911s of many brands including a couple custom builds. Between my experiences and those of others at work I will not own another SA. I have not owned a Colt made in the last 15 years so can't speak of current production. I own 15 Kimbers. One is at about 40k rounds. The 9mm is at 12k. The others aren't over a couple thousand.

Minor tuning on a couple of them. Don't believe the bs. Most by the ignorant and inexperienced. My 9mm was 800 rounds dirty when I arrived at McNamaras four dash class and shot another 1300 without cleaning. One failure to extract at about round 1800.

Internet experts say no 1911 can do it. 9mm 1911s suck and all Kimbers suck. Blow me.

In 35 years of 1911s I have never had a Kimber part break.

Best value in the Kimber line is the Tactical Custom II HD for about 1200 if you want all the bells and whistles they offer.

I realize this is a 1911 forum, but I find it ridiculous that I'd need to spend more time/money polishing the ramps on a $1,200 pistol to make it function like my $600 Glocks and M&Ps.

Carry on.

If I were wanting a subcompact 1911, I'd take a very hard look at a Springfield EMP. I know they are in 9mm (or .40) but they are built specifically to work in those calibers at that size and seem to have a good reputation. They sure are pretty too!