Posted: 4/11/2008 2:52:01 PM EDT
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First, Im new here so Hello all, and second, I searched to see if this has been posted before, so if this is a double tap I apologize. Now the Question, What are Kimbers Cons? In my years of Military and Civilian shooting Ive heard or witnessed the pros and cons from many a firearm. I have never heard anything bad about a Kimber until a buddy of mine was turned away from one after a salesman from a pretty respectable showroom here in arizona turned him away from one citing kimbers unreliability and poor function. Only reason I ask is Iam about to sell my M1A to a buddy so I myself can buy a Desert Warrior, and I just want to ensure im not making a poor $1200 investment, although im sure it wont be. Also I know you all will be somewhat biased seeing as this is a Kimber thread, but just go ahead and give it to me straight! |
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Some people claim they put out a lot of lemons. Also, their magazines leave a lot to be desired. I disagree with 1, and fully agree with II. :) Oh, the other thing I've HEARD is that you should oil them every 100 rounds at the range (beyond the 500 round breakin Kimber recommends). Other than that, it's like God's hand of thunder. :p |
| I just bought a Desert Warrior Tues. I have a Tactical Custom 2 That has ingested everything i have fed it and shoots to poa. I have a broken leg so have not shot the Desert Warrior yet, But if it functions and shoots as good as the tactical, I will be extremely pleased. My limited experiance with Kimber has been two thumbs up, hence the second purchase from them. I usually shoot reloads with Nosler 185 grain JHP. I will second OP on the Kimber mags. |
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The only cons that I have come across is the Kimpro finish is not as durable as some of the other finishes on the market. Their mags suck, I use Wilson mags and they work great. My Pro Carry II has been 100% out of the box thru 2300 rds and is my only carry piece. Diamondback A 45 may not expand but it will never be smaller than .45!!  NRA Member |
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The only con I've seen is that they don't multiply in my safe! I have 2 Kimbers(stainless TLE and a stainless TLE/RL), 1 with the external extractor, and 1 without, and both have been exceptional. I already had plenty of wilson 47d's, so I really haven't used the kimber mags much, wilson's rule! So really, my only cons: 1-they weren't free, and 2 they don't breed like bunnies 'cause I'd like a lot more of them!  what showroom in AZ? I am originally from there. |
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I have an Ultra Carry II and keep hearing about the Kimber mags not performing well but I have had great luck with mine. I have 2 stainless mags for carry and have 4 blued mags that I use for USPSA shoots. All 6 Kimber mags work flawlessly. Cons ?? .... I have none to contribute. |
+1 I'm sorry to say but I dont trust the one mag that came with my kimber, it works ok but the follower gets jammed just trying to load the first round into it and i cant see myself trusting it so I only use it for messing with snap caps. Other than that.... I know of zero cons about Kimbers, mine has been flawless so far except for the one mag but I have 4 Wilson Combat mags to rely upon so its not an issue. I guess the only issue I have is that the finish on my TLE II seems kind of thin and worn down but that just means I have an excuse to have it refinished and have the slide done in flat black and the frame in either coyote tan or OD green, I cant decide which color yet. 
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I have a Kimber Covert Pro. First 200 rounds there was alot of FTE's. After that, no problems at all. It does FTE if you "limp wrist" it. +1 on the Wilson Magazines. Especially if you have an aluminum pistol like I do. The metal followers can do a number on the feed ramp!!!!!
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I have over 3000 rounds of my cast bullet reloads (I cast my own bullets from wheelweight alloy) with zero malfunctions when using Wilson mags. I had some other unmarked mags that I tried using and they were junk. Kimber may recommend lubing every 100 rounds, but I've never adhered to that. I've gone over 500 rounds of my cast bullet reloads at the range without a problem. In fact, the next Bruce Gray class I take this fall, I think I'm going to leave my Glocks at home and use my Kimber. Mine is a Classic Stainless Target LE model, one of 700 made in 1998. some would let it sit, but not me. I shoot the hell out of it, and it shows a fair amount of holster wear, too. But, I'm not going to get rid of it, and my guns are meant to be used, a lot. All I might do is have Karl Sokol at Chestnut Mountain Sports replace all of the MIM parts with milled parts. I know the MIM should last a long time, but I want a 1911 that my grandkids can still use (and my daughter is still in Elementary School! |
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cons: -swartz safety found in most models--mine crapped out one day at the range  -external extractors tended to be more of a PITA than normal... -they tend to be pricey, but imo, tend to also turn out one too many lemons for the price and number of 1911s they put out  --ex: nowadays, it seems to be ill fitted slide stopsgood news about the warrior: no FP safety (lest its a CA model) |
| I definitely have a lemon Kimber Custom II. It works flawlessly with its provided Kimber mag and with anybody that shoots it. I also have 2 Wilson 47Ds and an ETM that consistently cause FTFs w/ everybody else that shoots my Kimber except for myself. I had a Kimber Eclipse II that did the exact same thing with the magazine issue. It is definitely a hit or miss thing. |
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A lot of people are getting FTF and FTE with new Kimbers. The internet is full of threads about it. A friend of mine just bought a custom Ultra Carry. It's a sweet piece. However, when he took it to the range it FTE'd every three or four rounds. He's so pissed he can't see straight. He's got Glocks, Sigs, HKs, you name it, and never had a problem from any of them straight out of the box. Certainly, a few lucky people get very reliable Kimbers, but there are way too many that do not. I was looking into buying a Kimber until I discovered this issue. I really can't understand how a manufacturer can produce so many lemons and remain in business. Kimbers ain't cheap either. |
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i have 2 kinbers, a raptor pro, and the tac pro II, both function fine, the only issues i've had were from 1 of my kimber mags, it will FTF every 4th round. during the break-in of the tac pro, there were a few FTF, i also noticed that the "finish" was chipping off of the feed ramp. a little polishing seemed to solve the issue. the tac only has 300 rounds down the barrel, so it's not realy even broke in yet, i expect it will smooth out with a few more down the barrel. they both shoot POA, and are consistant . my real bitch with both the kimbers is the " wake up " shell to the forehead , every so often, out of the blue, both of the kimbers will ping a spent shell right off the top of my head. WTF ! has this happened to anyone else ? the only 2 handguns i own that do this are my kimbers. |
| I have a CDP II and a series one Gold Match. I probably have 3-4 k in factory and reloads in the CDP II, had one issue with the schwartz safety pulled the trigger and nothing happened, nothing, this when the gun was very new, I do get an occasional casing to the forehead, Kimber sent me a new extractor haven't put it in yet. I also had an issue with 185 grain sabres, that I never resolved. To expensive. But 230 grain factory rounds never a hitch. The Gold match (5-6K) is flawless if it hangs up it's my reloads, usually truncated rounds not seated enough. I have switched all my mags to Kim-pro tacs never had issues with the mags even the cheap blue ones they give you with the guns. Incidentally the CDP II is an offduty carry weapon. |
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For $1200 you've got a lot of options out there in addition to Kimber. I'd look also at Dan Wesson , Colt, even a used Les Baer for 2-300 more. And Springfield has some nice stuff at the $1200 price. I love my Kimber Pro TLE/RLII now, but I wouldn't buy another one and I wouldn't go through what it took to make it reliable. Good Luck, take your time and read the blogs. (Search Kimber,fail. . .Springfield, fail, etc.) http://forum.m1911.org/ http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/index.php |
+1 my kimber pro raptor started rusting after 3-4 weeks of carry. i wear undershirts and its in an MTAC holster. the slide looks horrible. so then i boxed it up and shipped it to accurate plating for a hard chrome job. we will see when i get it back.. wilson 47d's FTW! |
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No full ramp into the chamber, I cannot use semi wad's in my Eclipse full size... and has an issue feeding with some other odd agle personal defense ammo.. do any of yal know if its OK to replace the barrel with a 1911 barrel that has a full ramp? nothing in the way? and do any of the Carry (CDP or cover) pistols have the ramp? |
| Can't complain about my Custom TLE II. It has yet to have one FTE FTF etc in probably about 700rnds (entire time I've had it). I use my supplied Kimber mag as well as chip McCormick Shooting star mags (the cheap ones). I have literally tried to make it fail. Snow, some mud, carbon etc. I LOVE mine and it makes up for my horrible trigger technique! I shoot it the best out of all my handguns. I suppose there is a downside or two that has been said 1) they don't multiply 2) the finish on mine seems a little weak. Never had a problem with the finish till I started using Gun Scrubber. Maybe I'm lucky with no problems, I have heard some people complain about a few things. My fathers old Series one Gold (match?) was AWESOME. |
| You have never heard of Kimber cons until recently? You must live a very sheltered life...The quality of their small parts is lacking. Partly because its MIM but mostly because their quality control sucks. I have had new Kimbers whose thumb safetys snapped in half, plunger tubes fell apart, sights fell off. |
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I bought a Desert Warrior a couple of years ago and really hadn't shot it much. Took it to a department qual the other day and the number of students rotating through was slow off the bat so I pulled out the DW and shot the course. I shoot pretty well with the issued G22 but I cleaned up with the DW. After a few thousand rounds to gaurantee reliability, I plan on making it my primary off duty carry gun. Accurate and reliable. Ran with Wilson mags. |
Okay so I read through this whole thread and for as many Kimbers that are out there not many of you are bitching? I own a Ultra Carry II and a TLE II the Ultra has been flawless 2k rounds. The TLE had some problems going into battery the first 200rds, probably my hand loads, since then it runs like a watch 1200rds. If MIM is done CORRECTLY it is 96% as strong as forgings. Kimber now does all it's MIM in house because of the earlier QS issues from their outside vender. There is a great discussion about MIM if you google it by some gunsmiths/machinists who explains the process and the theory behnd MIM. If MIM parts don't break in the first 800rds you're good to go. I'll most likely go to a GI guide rod later in the TLE II for personal choice. Colts are full of MIM and so are SA, Tarus, and SW so get over it. Unless you want to spend another $800.00 for a gunsmith to refit your pistol with Wilson, Brown, or Bear parts shoot that Kimber until it breaks, it might wear you out first.
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| I just picked up a Desert warrior and it only had 100 rounds(230gr fmj speer, Federal) through it. I now have put 200 rounds(speer, Federal) through it and it jams up 6 times every 50 rounds. I have wilson combat magazines(8 round) and they worked fine in everyones guns. I tried the Kimber mag and it had failure to feed problems also. After 1000 rounds and $500 I hope it will be broken in. I never had a rifle or pistol in my life that jammed this much. I owned 3 glocks and never had a jam. My other 1911's didn't need a break in period and maybe had 10 failures in my years of shooting. I'm going to try switching to FP-10 instead of CLP. |
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My 4" Kimber built in 1998 runs 100% as long as I use Wilson Combat mags. Tried some Chip M. mags and had all sorts of issues. Stock finish is still great(carry her every day), extremely accurate, comfortable to shoot, no FP block either! I had a smith friend of mine tune the ejector to stop the shell-to-the-forehead drill. I have only added night sights, replaced the recoil spring as recommended by Kimber and had the same smith adjust the trigger to be up in the 5.5-6# area(closer to my Glock for Concealed Carry). I have seen lots of issues caused by shooter from limp wristing at the range, cheap mags and failure to clean and replace parts as recommended by Kimber. If you have any problems, contact Kimber. They are really nice and take great pride in their product. Just approach them nicely and don't be a jerk!
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Ive had my custom II for 7 years with no problems except for finish corrosion (its in the shop getting a CeraKote right now). I use wilson combat mags exclusivley though. Have three friends with Kimbers with mixed opinions. (Friend #1) had a pro carry .45 that had several FTF problems, as well as mechanical problems with slide lock. He used Kimber mags in this gun. That pistol has since been traded. He also has a stainless target II in 10mm that had to be sent back to Kimber because of reliability issues. It now functions perfectly (he uses Kimber 10mm mags, but they are night and day different from the regular kimber mags). (friend #2) Has a Custom II TLE RL that had the same reliabity issues as friend #1s 10mm did. He sent it to a local gunsmith and it runs great now(something to do with the pin that releases the hammer being too long?) (friend #3) has a Kimber Match that operates like a dream. He uses Wilson mags too. I recommend running at least 1000 rds through one for break in. |
That's a pretty expensive break-in 
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Yeah, but it's FUN!
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Mine was next to unfired when I got it, and it has many thousands of rounds through it now. I cast my own bullets and reload, so I can shoot fairly inexpensively. An average training session is between 200-400 rounds. We set up a steel course this past Tuesday, and that was good for another 400 rounds down the pipe. I've definately broken mine in by now! Even during "break in", I didn't have any non-magazine related malfunctions. I bought some new SS Pachmayer mags, and they suck. One doesn't even lock the slide open after the last shot. Now I use just Wilson mags and my Classic Stainless Target LE is 100% reliable. If your 1911, any brand, isn't reliable, try Wilson mags first. If that doesn't help, then send it off to Karl Sokol at Chestnut Mountain Sports. As much as I love my Kimber, I'm going to have Karl replace all the MIM parts with tool steel parts. I want my great grandchildren shooting it before it needs to be rebuilt, and my daughter is still in Elementary School! |
| My Gold Combat was pretty tight out of the box with about half a dozen failures in the first 200 rounds. Since then the damn thing runs like a clock. I laugh at all the Glockies that think their little toy guns are the only thing to own. John Brownings masterpiece will be doing their dirty work long after those things have faded from the scene. As for magazines, it is pretty much standard operating procedure with ANY 1911 to use Wilson magazines exclusively, not just kimbers. |
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People bitch and complain when their 3" 1911 wont run. The design given to us from God through John Moses Browning was origionally designed to be a 5" design. The more you get away from the origional design the harder it is going to be to get the weapon to run reliably. If it is your first 1911 start out with a full size model and stick to any major reputable manufacturer, if it has serious problems after break in send it back. These problem threads come about when everyone and their mama wants the venerable 1911 as a carry weapon but dont like how big it is. So they get the smallest piece of metal they can hang onto that remotely resembles a 1911 and expect it to run like a special forces pistol that has been worked over by a gunsmith. Not going to happen. There will be ones that have problems and most of them are ones that come from disreputable manufacturers, or stear away from the origional design. There is nothing wrong with a little battle rattle if your gun is for self defense. Pick a weapon, shoot it and have fun |
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I have a Classic Stainless (not a "II"). The slide regularly fails to lock after the last round, no matter the magazine (I have McCormicks, Wilsons, and the factory mag--all the same). Stovepipes are not uncommon. After eights years and hundreds of rounds, it is regulated to a shoot-for-fun-gun that cannot be relied upon for CCW or personal protection. Frankly, it has been the most unreliable gun I have. And it cost almost $700 (thankfully, it was a gift). |
| My brother bought a pro-carry II a couple of years ago, also it was during Kimber's aborted external extractor experiment. That was the most horrible gun I have ever shot, it had FTF and FTE at least one round per mag, with several different mags, including a couple of different style Kimber mags and some Wilson Combat mags. It went back to the factory at least 3 times and they could not fix it no matter what they did. Then Kimber just decided there couldn't possibly be anything wrong with their product and flat refused to do anything else to the gun. The owner of the store he bought it from took the gun and several hundred rounds of ammo home with him and attempted to shoot with several different loads and came back so embarassed he gave my brother a full refund and a deep discount on a different gun. It was one of the worst experiences ever. I am told this is not typical of Kimber, but it completely turned me off of them. I definitely would never buy one of their guns with the II designation, if I wanted a Kimber I would make sure it was a series 70 style. |
I don't mind doing some of my own work. In fact, I'm planning to build a 1911 soon with an old Essex-framed build I picked up cheap. But, since I use my Kimber for CCW use, I don't do any gunsmithing to it myself. Anything that I will be using for home defense, CCW, duty or backup is only worked on by Karl. Some of his builds, even a full-custom Caspian-framed 10mm 1911 he built was used in a self-defense shooting by a customer in a jewelry store, and the custom work was not even questioned. I just don't want to take a chance at all. I'm already in MA, so that's a BIG issue if I do ever have to defend myself, and I don't want to add any other potential legal problems by doing my own gunsmithing. I may be a little overcautious, but I feel more comfortable this way. I'll do action jobs on my toys, like my Uberti SAA replicas, but not my carry guns. If it's a modified or custom carry gun on my hip, they have all been built by Karl Sokol at Chestnut Mountain Sports. This year is his 25th year in business, and my father and I were some of his first customers. |
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I have 7 Kimbers and were were occasionally jaming every so many rounds I junked the Kimber mags went with 47D's and have not have any more FTF's. I had one that was so bad we called it the Jam-O-Matic untill the mag change nows its a primary carry. FWIW, Gold Combat, Warrior, Desert Warrior, CDP, Covert, Covert Pro, And A Tactical. Funny thing I had problems with my Springfield MC Operator and TRP using the Kimber mags  .ETA, I also own a Wilson Combat CQB and a Springfield Professional and IMO I would not feel worried carrying any of those at any time as long as the mags are 47D's |
Just a quick note ... I shoot and carry an Ultra carry, 3"barrel and the pistol runs like a champ. Not one FTF or FTE after the first 200 rounds and I'm well over 4500 rnds now. I just replaced the recoil spring and can't wait for the next 4500 rounds down the tube. Love my Kimber as much as I love my HK's  ETA: Wilson or Les Baer mags only. Although I'm getting a Colt and CmC soon to try them out. |
ever check the extractor? slide lock back i could deal without, but stovepipes...
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