Posted: 11/8/2013 4:06:33 PM EDT
| So I'm buying a 1911 for conceal carry gun and I love the compact kimbers. I've been reading a lot of posts about compact 1911s being crap, but no one put any specific complaints on the forum, only generalized " they suck, they're crap" comments. I'm curious if they are not "broken in" or are they really trash? I would love some specific problems people are having with them. I love the 1911 package, but don't have the cash to buy the commander length and a carry gun. I am a guy with a small frame so concealing my service model xd is difficult...compact 1911 fits all my needs. Any insight would be great, thanks |
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Wife has this gun :Kimber Sapphire Ultra II
It initially had some issues with 115gr WWB, but has been flawless with 124gr & 147gr loads. It was our first 1911 so it could have been user error or just needed some breaking in. She carries it in a crossbreed supertuck with 147gr Ranger-T or HST. |
my compact 1911 is a sig p238.  really. right out of the box with night sights, seven rd mag and nice grips. oh yeah, and i like it's desert camo finish. i also like that it feels like a gun in my 3XL hands, unlike my wife's LCP that makes me feel like ET trying to shoot. whoever that fellow was that left colt and went sig was seems to have done a nice job with some of the improvements. never was a sig guy, but some of their "newer" 1911 clones are pretty nice. much as i like this thing.......that still sounded a little blasphemous. good thing none of my Colts were in earshot. |
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I am on my 2nd micro. My first was a CDP, and I was one of the unlucky few that had consistent feeding issues, and FTE. After the 2nd return from being "fixed" my buddy fell in love with it and had to have it. He still has it, but it is a safe queen. Not knocking Kimber whatsoever, just my shitty luck.
I have a loaded Springfield now, and after about 500 rounds this thing really loosened up, and I love it. Not one single hiccup. It is only my carry when I am on my bike. 2nd fiddle to a Commander, and most recently a Railgun. I should have bought a Colt, then I would have all 3 sizes in Colt. Springfield is nice though, and I cannot complain about her: 
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| The reason they are sometimes finiky is the gun was designed as a 5 inch gun and then shortened up so the timing is much tighter in fun the shorter you go. Take a full size gun and remove the mag and pull the slide back and look at the distance between the back of where the mag would be and the breech face. That distance if slide movement is the time the mag has to push another round up to be fed into the gun. Now do this with thr shorter guns. In the 3 inch the slide barely clears the mag. This is alot less room for error than a 5 inch so slightly weak mag springs etc can cause problems. For a compact i would avoid the 3 inch guns and go with an officer size gun ie 3.5 or larger slide. A nice reliable one is what kimber calls thr compact which is an officer grip and a 4 inch slide. On a pistol the grip is what ya have to conceal more thant the barrel. |
| I have a 4 inch Springfield that has been at the gunsmith's for over 4 month's now. I missed the platform and purchased a 3 inch Kimber Tactical ultra ll from my local gun store. Even while making the purchase I had the don't buy Kimber thought after what I have been reading on this sight. This weapon is 25 oz and I now have gone out 2 or 3 times and have fired it around 400 rounds. This weapon has had zero malfunctions and is accurate at least to 20 yards, I have not gone further with it. So I have to say I like the Kimber and to be specific this model. It came with a magwell that my gunsmith filed down to match the VZ thin grips I added. I cant wait to get my other 1911 back from the gunsmith because of all the fancy things he is doing to it but now that I have this one he can take his time. |
I used to have an old Detonics Combat Master, one of the original chopped-n-channeled 1911s. It ran fine after I replaced all of the original springs in it. It was a 1977-78 era Seattle gun that had been nickel-plated by a previous owner, which wasn't too bad. The high-polish buffing, wavy slide surfaces due to someone's overly-aggressive rust removal, and ham-handed front strap checkering added to its funkiness.
I'd love to find another one if the price isn't astronomical. |
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Thanks for the input, all. I'm going to handle a few more 1911's, compact and officer size. If I can find an officer I like I'll probably go with that. My wife, 2 yr old & 5 yr old are too important to me to take a chance on a "might not work when it needs to." Again, I appreciate all the input.
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| I have a Kimber Ultra CDP II. I've probably put a thousand or so rounds through it. I had a couple of FTF/FTE in the first couple of hundred rounds using the Kimber mag. I switched to Wilson mags and it ran without a hitch. Now it runs fine even with the original Kimber mag. |
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I carry a kimber tactical ultra 2 most of the time and love it. I will say it has been picky with certain ammo. The hollow points with super wide mouths that are also usually pretty light bullets tend to not load the next round sometimes, but that's an easy fix. All other ammo is great. Actually just put a deer down tonight with it that was wounded.
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Run a Defender for a few years, gets carried from the time get up till bed. Some night when pull it off it covered in sweat.
There have been days where it has probably set in sweat a good part of the day. Two friends have the RIA compact and they have run 100%. The one guy shoots his a lot. |
I have an SA Ultra Compact 3 1/2" that has been very reliable. It's only issue is it is picky about magazines. It would always feed ok but wouldn't always lock open after last round with SA factory mags. I have two Wilson Combat and four Chip McCormick match grade mags. Never had a problem with any of them.
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One of my favorite designs is the commander slide on an officer's frame. Kimber makes this as the Compact Stainless II
KIMBER |
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I'd recommend the Colt Defender. I have one in .45 and its been great so far. i really really want to like my defender. but its about to take its 3rd 3 month trip back to colt. It won't feed 230 JHPs more or less at all. my friends warned me about 3" 1911s i should have listened. |
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I know I'll need a fire suit from the flaming I'm going to get but see if you can get someone to let you try their RIA. If you were around Corpus Christi Texas I would. I have a RIA Tactical Compact and have had ZERO function issues. It did lose it's front sight after a few hundred rounds, replaced them with some old Colt sights. |
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Thanks for the input, all. I'm going to handle a few more 1911's, compact and officer size. If I can find an officer I like I'll probably go with that. My wife, 2 yr old & 5 yr old are too important to me to take a chance on a "might not work when it needs to." Again, I appreciate all the input. OP, with Kimber, it's 50/50 roll of the dice if your going to get a good one, or one that sucks. Then your lower your odds even more the shorter you go. Most of the members posting in your thread are posting up pics of other/better pistols and telling you what they have, and they are NOT Kimbers... I've seen some Kimbers that shoot 100% but I've seen more that won't. I would go with a 4.25 inch Springfield or a Colt. As others have said, it's not the length of the pistol that is hard to conceal, it's the grip. YMMV... |
| I have a Kimber Ultra CDP II and it is one of the ones that suck. I just recently got it to run by changing out all the inners with wilson parts Kimber was no help. It is 50/50 like the other guy said if you get one that runs or one that doesnt. I personally dont understand how this happens but it does.LOL |
| I have one of the Kimber's that has run 100% thus far. I was reluctant to buy because all the bad press but am happy thus far. My first choice would be the Dan Wesson ECO but the cost knocked it out for me. My model is the Tactical Ultra II, how can Kimber be such a hit and miss weapon. They look well build with tight tolerances could that be the issue or what is it that makes them such a hit or miss company. I am happy mine runs well but am bothered by all the others who were not as fortunate. |
Compact 1911's these days are a whole different animal than before so when someone tells you that compact 1911's aren't reliable just tell them to step out of the past and learn some relevant information for a change. Then walk away and enjoy your compact 1911  .
There are several excellent brand/models available now. We have a Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II that is a fantastic little gun and has been as reliable as possible. My personal compact 1911 is an STI Elektra .45acp. A little pricey but its extremely light and has been 100% reliable no matter what I shoot out of it and its so accurate its amazing, I LOVE this gun! 
They come in other colors for y'all that have no taste lol. |
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Compact 1911's these days are a whole different animal than before so when someone tells you that compact 1911's aren't reliable just tell them to step out of the past and learn some relevant information for a change. Then walk away and enjoy your compact 1911 .
There are several excellent brand/models available now. We have a Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II that is a fantastic little gun and has been as reliable as possible. My personal compact 1911 is an STI Elektra .45acp. A little pricey but its extremely light and has been 100% reliable no matter what I shoot out of it and its so accurate its amazing, I LOVE this gun! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/Brandiwynter/IMG_20120302_234741.jpg They come in other colors for y'all that have no taste lol. Sweet I especially like the cuts of the rear serrations on the slide. 
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Sweet I especially like the cuts of the rear serrations on the slide.
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Compact 1911's these days are a whole different animal than before so when someone tells you that compact 1911's aren't reliable just tell them to step out of the past and learn some relevant information for a change. Then walk away and enjoy your compact 1911 .
There are several excellent brand/models available now. We have a Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II that is a fantastic little gun and has been as reliable as possible. My personal compact 1911 is an STI Elektra .45acp. A little pricey but its extremely light and has been 100% reliable no matter what I shoot out of it and its so accurate its amazing, I LOVE this gun! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/Brandiwynter/IMG_20120302_234741.jpg They come in other colors for y'all that have no taste lol. Sweet I especially like the cuts of the rear serrations on the slide.
Me too, they work extremely well too. |
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I'm to dumb to imbed this video. 
You can get any gun to run if your willing to put the time, effort, and money into it. As a whole compact 1911's have more issues then say 4" or 5" models. I would recommend you listen to this 2 part podcast on the 1911 pistol, some really good info. Part 1/part 2 So Rob Pincus has become so knowledgeable as to determine that every sub-compact/compact 1911 doesn't work while an entire nation of gun owners have somehow been fooled by their guns into thinking that they work when they don't. Dude, that's just BS...if you want to base your beliefs on what some guy in a video says go ahead but don't confuse it with fact because the fact is a well made compact 1911 runs just fine. I've had my STI for two years now and I have no idea how many hundreds of rounds have gone through her without a single gun related malfunction out of the box. Our Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry had a couple hiccups during its break in period but after about 50 rounds it has run as smooth as silk. I'm always amazed how someone can watch a video or listen to a podcast or a story from the gunsmith at their local gun store and from that decide they have it all figured out. Lame. |
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So Rob Pincus has become so knowledgeable as to determine that every sub-compact/compact 1911 doesn't work while an entire nation of gun owners have somehow been fooled by their guns into thinking that they work when they don't. Dude, that's just BS...if you want to base your beliefs on what some guy in a video says go ahead but don't confuse it with fact because the fact is a well made compact 1911 runs just fine. I've had my STI for two years now and I have no idea how many hundreds of rounds have gone through her without a single gun related malfunction out of the box. Our Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry had a couple hiccups during its break in period but after about 50 rounds it has run as smooth as silk. I'm always amazed how someone can watch a video or listen to a podcast or a story from the gunsmith at their local gun store and from that decide they have it all figured out. Lame. Quoted:
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I'm to dumb to imbed this video.
You can get any gun to run if your willing to put the time, effort, and money into it. As a whole compact 1911's have more issues then say 4" or 5" models. I would recommend you listen to this 2 part podcast on the 1911 pistol, some really good info. Part 1/part 2 So Rob Pincus has become so knowledgeable as to determine that every sub-compact/compact 1911 doesn't work while an entire nation of gun owners have somehow been fooled by their guns into thinking that they work when they don't. Dude, that's just BS...if you want to base your beliefs on what some guy in a video says go ahead but don't confuse it with fact because the fact is a well made compact 1911 runs just fine. I've had my STI for two years now and I have no idea how many hundreds of rounds have gone through her without a single gun related malfunction out of the box. Our Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry had a couple hiccups during its break in period but after about 50 rounds it has run as smooth as silk. I'm always amazed how someone can watch a video or listen to a podcast or a story from the gunsmith at their local gun store and from that decide they have it all figured out. Lame. You go girl.
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So Rob Pincus has become so knowledgeable as to determine that every sub-compact/compact 1911 doesn't work while an entire nation of gun owners have somehow been fooled by their guns into thinking that they work when they don't. Dude, that's just BS...if you want to base your beliefs on what some guy in a video says go ahead but don't confuse it with fact because the fact is a well made compact 1911 runs just fine. I've had my STI for two years now and I have no idea how many hundreds of rounds have gone through her without a single gun related malfunction out of the box. Our Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry had a couple hiccups during its break in period but after about 50 rounds it has run as smooth as silk. I'm always amazed how someone can watch a video or listen to a podcast or a story from the gunsmith at their local gun store and from that decide they have it all figured out. Lame. Quoted:
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I'm to dumb to imbed this video.
You can get any gun to run if your willing to put the time, effort, and money into it. As a whole compact 1911's have more issues then say 4" or 5" models. I would recommend you listen to this 2 part podcast on the 1911 pistol, some really good info. Part 1/part 2 So Rob Pincus has become so knowledgeable as to determine that every sub-compact/compact 1911 doesn't work while an entire nation of gun owners have somehow been fooled by their guns into thinking that they work when they don't. Dude, that's just BS...if you want to base your beliefs on what some guy in a video says go ahead but don't confuse it with fact because the fact is a well made compact 1911 runs just fine. I've had my STI for two years now and I have no idea how many hundreds of rounds have gone through her without a single gun related malfunction out of the box. Our Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry had a couple hiccups during its break in period but after about 50 rounds it has run as smooth as silk. I'm always amazed how someone can watch a video or listen to a podcast or a story from the gunsmith at their local gun store and from that decide they have it all figured out. Lame. So instead of listening to the experience of instructors who see thousands of students a year, the experience of an instructor and gunsmith who has built 100s of 1911's and my own personal experience I should base my stance on you?  " />
I never said my post was the end all be all or that I had it "all figured out". If your compacts run then thats great, I have zero issue with those who carry 1911's. Perhaps if you had taken a little time to actually listen to the podcasts you would have seen that. I'm sure you are as passionate about the guns you own as I am about the guns I own, i'm just giving the OP a little more info that I found useful for myself. |
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people will say and do anything for a buck anymore. I realize I am the only man alive to actually see a glock jam and live to tell about it so take that pincus now I am the expert. he puts that crap up there and shows videos of dopey and sleepy who dont even know how to hold a gun and damn if they dont make it jam and now he has a 2 part movie showing he knows the secrets of the universe, ha ha ha go peddle you crap to someone who cares.
1911 owners were doing just fine before him and will continue to do fine without him. its his opinions and he has a right to them but we dont have to care. |
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Holy. Bullshit. I couldn't get past the "credits" at the end of that YT vid, so I chose not to click the podcasts. I own a lot of pistols, 2 Glocks. In fact, I bought a brand new 19 just last week, so I am not here to bash. I carry one of my 1911s daily, and trust my micro without question. Did the Kimber micro I used to have function well? No. I sold it. Guns that don't function should be fixed, or ditched. For him to denounce all 1911s for personal carry is just ridiculous. I am glad you trust him, and I am glad you are happy with your carry. |
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Holy. Bullshit. I couldn't get past the "credits" at the end of that YT vid, so I chose not to click the podcasts. I own a lot of pistols, 2 Glocks. In fact, I bought a brand new 19 just last week, so I am not here to bash. I carry one of my 1911s daily, and trust my micro without question. Did the Kimber micro I used to have function well? No. I sold it. Guns that don't function should be fixed, or ditched. For him to denounce all 1911s for personal carry is just ridiculous. I am glad you trust him, and I am glad you are happy with your carry. Quoted:
Holy. Bullshit. I couldn't get past the "credits" at the end of that YT vid, so I chose not to click the podcasts. I own a lot of pistols, 2 Glocks. In fact, I bought a brand new 19 just last week, so I am not here to bash. I carry one of my 1911s daily, and trust my micro without question. Did the Kimber micro I used to have function well? No. I sold it. Guns that don't function should be fixed, or ditched. For him to denounce all 1911s for personal carry is just ridiculous. I am glad you trust him, and I am glad you are happy with your carry. The podcast is not Rob Pincus by the way. I've owned 1911's and as you may have guessed I'm just not a big fan anymore. But I still find the podcasts to be informative and entertaining. The guy being interviewed loves 1911's so I don't think he will come off as "abrasive" as Pincus is. |
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I'm to dumb to imbed this video.
You can get any gun to run if your willing to put the time, effort, and money into it. As a whole compact 1911's have more issues then say 4" or 5" models. I would recommend you listen to this 2 part podcast on the 1911 pistol, some really good info. Part 1/part 2 Pincus is a Dinkus! |
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The longer the barrel the less finiky the gun is. A compact can be reliable but it just needs good mags, mag springs etc. A full size has alot more time for that round to get pushed up in the mag and ready to chamber. The 3 inch guns have NO margin for error on this. Like i mentioned earlier go to a shop and pull the slide back on one and see how much space you have behind the back of the mag and the breech face when the slide is all the way back. The 3 inch gun barely clears the back of the mag. When it gets there, its coming forward regardless if the the round is up or not. On a full size there is more time so if the springs a little weak it will still work. For best reliability in a compact, look for the 4 inch barrel and short officer size grip as thats the best of both worlds. easier to carry and conceal than a full size due to the grip and more reliable than a 3-3.5 inch gun due to the barrel length.
If its having extraction issues tuning the extractor is easy and can be done at home in a couple minutes to add extra tension. Alot of guns come with extractors that are not properly tensioned. |
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Back to the topic, after reading the piece in this month's National Rifleman, I wound up buying a Ruger SR1911CMD at a gun show last weekend.
Took it to the range and found it's accurate and reliable. As Rugers tend to be. I love it! Yes, I coulda bought a real Colt Commander in stainless at the show. I just couldn't justify the extra $400 that would have cost. |
