Posted: 6/3/2017 7:47:43 PM EDT
|
Here in California we have a gun roster, an ever decreasing list of available handguns we can legally buy. Because of this, my options for a 1911, particularly a Commander style, are severely limited. I can get a Wilson, which is over $3000 and completely out of my range, I can get a $450 Rock Island Armory GI MS, or I can get a Kimber CDP II for $1100.
The RIA is bare bones. Non-standard, terrible sights, no beaver tail, no barrel bushing. The Kimber has all the features I want. It's a really nice two tone, skeletonized hammer and trigger, good sights, and I can afford it. The problem is it's a Kimber, and they don't seem to have a very good reputation here. So what's the deal? Are Kimbers really a disaster or am I likely to be happy with it? It really seems like my only reasonable option if I want a 1911 Commander. I welcome opinions. |
It is either over blown or I am lucky. I have a 2007 Custom II with a few thousand rounds through it with no issues. I really do like the gun. The slide feels like it is on bearings. The plastic MSH always bugged me and I do have to replace it. I dropped it putting it in my safe. It landed on the MSH and broke...  Other than that, it has been a great gun.
|
|
I've never owned one............
But two of my good friends have them. One guy has 3 different ones two full size and a commander. The other guy probably has more than 15......... pretty sure every size they make. (few sets of doubles of ones he really likes) I've never seen one of them give them trouble when we shot together. They both swear they've never had any trouble. I think they are like everyone else and a pos escapes now n then. I haven't kept up with how their cs is that's the real question if your buying new. |
|
I wouldn't advise to categorically avoid Kimber, especially in your particular case. I don't think they're always bad guns, but they are not really worth what they charge once you get much past $1000, and their customer service is cranky at best and useless at worst.
For what it's worth, I own several... one bought in earnest and two acquired as can't-pass-up deals. The only one that ever gave me a hint of a problem is the Eclipse 10mm and that was due to magazine experimentation. The other two are .45s and I've never found anything to complain about. I'll admit that they don't get shot very much, though. |
|
My stainless pro carry II is 9mm and has been trouble free since day 1. Even functions on the Winchester white box 115gn ammo that the internet says it wont.
You mentioned commander size and barrel bushings in your post. Kimber's pro models are 4" barrels with no bushing, not 4.25" bushing type barrels. Most people complain about the little tool for take down for the pro and ultra but it really is no big deal. Eta I also have 2 colt gov models, an xse and a series 70. I have no problems buying another kimber if I found one priced well. |
|
I have a pre-Series II (Series I???) Kimber Compact CDP that I bought NIB in 2001 or thereabouts. Â This is a 4" barreled gun with the short grip frame. Â So long as I change out the recoil spring between 800 and 1K rounds (Kimber says 800), my Compact will function flawlessly. Â If I let it get much beyond the 1K mark, then I start having problems with Failure to Feed / Failure to Eject. Â I change out the recoil spring and I'm GTG again. Â
I use Wilson 47D mags exclusively with mine, fwiw. I replaced the plastic MSH with an arched checkered steel MSH and it points better for me than the original flat one. As far as the takedown tool for the bushingless barrel, I have the one Kimber supplies and one I made for myself out of a paperclip.  Either works well. |
|
To echo the outpouring of support for Kimber, I'll put in my two cents.
A Kimber Warrior was my fourth 1911. I carried it on duty, shot amateur 2-gun and 3-gun competitions with it, and carried it concealed religiously for several years. The only reason I don't carry it now is I stumbled into a hell of a deal on a Nighthawk. The Warrior rides back up in my truck vault in case my primary handgun goes down or has to be turned in. I trust my life to it. That said, Kimber definitely saw a decline. There was a time when their name was synonymous with exceptional quality, but their popularity caught up with their fame and the work suffered. Still producing fine firearms, and I would still carry one. |
|
Quoted:
To echo the outpouring of support for Kimber, I'll put in my two cents. A Kimber Warrior was my fourth 1911. I carried it on duty, shot amateur 2-gun and 3-gun competitions with it, and carried it concealed religiously for several years. The only reason I don't carry it now is I stumbled into a hell of a deal on a Nighthawk. The Warrior rides back up in my truck vault in case my primary handgun goes down or has to be turned in. I trust my life to it. That said, Kimber definitely saw a decline. There was a time when their name was synonymous with exceptional quality, but their popularity caught up with their fame and the work suffered. Still producing fine firearms, and I would still carry one. A coworker and I put a few hundred rounds through his tactical tle 2 when he first got it. I would have no problem carrying that gun. |
|
I have one of the bad ones, super carry PRO.
Bought it new in 2012 I believe, never had a chance to fire it because of a work. When I did get to fire it I had nothing but issues with failure to feed and extract. Picked up a couple wilson combat mags and ran about 500 rds through it over a few months and it started getting a little better but not life or death trustworthy. Tried changing all the springs out with wolff springs, that helped but still no perfect. Installed a wilson combat 70 series extractor and haven't had a single issue since, going on 3 yrs. I could have sent it back to Kimber to have them fix it but I wanted to learn how to troubleshoot my own pistol. It was a lot of extra parts for an expensive gun, I still have it and use it but would never buy another. |