[PATH]

Well?

[sm]

Hey PATH.
Personally, they "fit me", you know how some guns just feel better than others--even of the same platform.

My gunsmith would not build me a gun years ago, when I had an itch for another 1911-he told me to buy a Kimber. Lots of features already on the Kimber from the get-go. I have seen him add the features to others to equal what my series I came with. Beavertail, lowered/flared , dehorned, match bbl...etc....

I did have my trigger 'tweaked" CRISP, just under 4 #, we added a Shockbuff. I finally replaced the spring after all this time and rounds...I don't know how many. One hiccup -ever, bad factory rd with low recoil, it did clear the bore. Mine runs with any a mag-- I use/prefer the Wilsons 47D's and the Wilson 7 rdrs.

My gunsmith has guns, he bought for CCW ,for himself a Pro Carry series II. He just wanted a lighter gun, something to play with( the Schartrz system) and to have a change from his other toys. He has never had a problem..In fact right of the box new, all he did was to make sure bore was clear , run over a 1k (one thousand rds) before he quit. Gun would run, he tired of loading mags, he only brought 25 and reloading got tiresome. Cleaned it, tweaked the trigger to his CRISP ( like glass breaks) 4# and thats it. In fact I shot it today.

These Kimbers just fit, have features for the money, and have proven reliable with any ammo I've run . For me.

[WESHOOT2]

Kimbers are well-fit, accurate, and reliable.
I believe them to be the best 1911 value.
Presently...........

No, I own a Caspian.

[PCRCCW]

Because I like 1911's and ran across a PRETTY GOOD DEAL on a LNIB Kimber Custom 2.....hows that? :rolleyes:
Shoot well

[Erich]

I bet "Marketing" is part of the answer.

[El Tejon]

Bang for the buck. Decent gun for the dough, but we are lucky as we have many of those.

[Wildalaska]

Nothing......

[Standing Wolf]

I bet "Marketing" is part of the answer.

Kimber does a better job of marketing and advertising than most firearms manufacturers. As far as this marketing and advertising guy is concerned, that's a plus.

In point of fact, my Kimber model 1911 is what my Colts from years ago should have been.

[JimC]

I never owned a Kimber until last week when I purchased a new Custom TLE II. I had been looking at the Custom II initially.

I have read more bad than good about Kimber pistols over the years, especially the smaller carry guns.

I've had quite a few 1911's over the years and many of them had a lot of $$'s invested into them to get the "extras" that I wanted or thought I needed. I lost a lot of $$'s when I sold or traded them. :mad:

I recently got the urge to have another "combat style" .45 1911. I thought of a Colt as the basis and then custom work, again.

Well, to get what I wanted it would run, rounded off, $2,000 with an 18 month wait at any good pistol smith. The other alternative was the SA Pro Model but with an MSRP of $2395 I would rather have a custom Colt 1911 built.

The Kimber Custon TLE II offered nearly everything I wanted right out of the box for under $800. :what:

No, it's no custom built Colt 1911A1 but it will do what I need to get done. I only hope that it lasts and holds up under a lot of firing.

I may have made a bad choice but only time will tell.

Right now it's slide is already back at Kimber for a lower front sight blade. The NS one that came on the pistol was too high and it shot very low at all distances.

Strike One! :cuss:

[Stevie-Ray]

Well, I own a beautiful self-customized Colt Mark IV that is a tack driver. Now after I put a lot of work into it. My Kimber, on the other hand shot as well at 7-10 yds from the start. This was important to me as I wanted a new 1911 for a carry gun. Paid the price, of course, but not much more than I had altogether with the Colt. And since the Colt is a five inch with a comp, it's not practical to carry.

[355sigfan]

I have a Kimber Custom Series one. All it has is a Harts recoil guide rod (which does nothing much more of a gimick), wilson grips and mags. It runs and shoots as good as my buddies Wilson Protector. I am happy.
PAT

[Skunkabilly]

Variety and attractive and functional ideas that consumers like.

I like their two-tone guns and their external extractor, but not enough to buy one over a 92 Vertec :D

[Sean Smith]

Here is something that kind of annoys me. People are constantly confusing "feature count" with "quality." They think that because their gun has a big thumb safety, a beavertail, fake Heinie sights and a trigger with holes in it that they are getting something other than a mass produced 1911. People will swear that they are getting a "custom gun for less," when really what they are getting is a production gun that looks like a custom gun.

There are old-looking production 1911s (Colt, SA Milspec), and there are new-looking production 1911s (Kimber, SA Loaded). But they are all the same... they all use unskilled labor to make the guns, they all cut corners on parts and materials, and they are all inconsistent as hell. If I was really motivated to, I could make an argument that Kimber is the worst of the bunch when it comes to cutting corners with low-grade materials, but hey! They have a beavertail! :neener:

Why not take this to its logical conclusion and by some 1911 made in the Philipines that has all the same features for half the price of a Kimber? Look... it has a beavertail! It must be at LEAST as good as a Wilson!

[PCRCCW]

Ill agree with Sean and also ask him what he's been smoking? :evil:
Bells and whistles are nice.....Its why Kimber started doing what they have been able to continue doing..sell Kimbers.

Quality of the Kimber line is very good. Bells and whistles aside..the guns are quality items. The frames are FORGED and shipped from S&W...same as most Wilson guns, Dan Wesson and other 'better" 1911's....like S&W's new model.

The controls and damn near every other part in the gun is CMC..I got the CMC catalog yesterday...every component in there, inc. frame, slides and barrels all look like Kimber OEM stuff.

People bitch about MIM parts.....after fitting Wilson, Bear, Brown etc parts to my Kimber and working on the OEM stuff....I GUARANTEE YOU THE MIM STUFF IS TOUGH AS NAILS!!!!!!!!!!
:what:
Most of the MIM parts are much harder to shape/polish than even the best aftermarket stuff or at least as hard.

Just for curiosity I priced out a "Components gun", buying ind. pcs and building a gun from the CMC catalog....a basic Custom 2 would be over 1350$...or about 2 times what Kimber charges for the same thing.....It didnt include "fitting" the entire gun to make it work as a 1911 should.

Ive shot them for over 20 years. Recently Ive researched, looked at and considered buying 1911's for over a year. My shopping led me to the SA loaded series, Kimber, Bear...hell I even found a couple of very very nice custom Norinco's that were stellar guns.

I considered the Philipene made guns, CD, RIA, etc.....many people love them. Some wont let them go...

From what I gathered talking to gunsmiths who specialize in 1911's, owners and competetive shooters..IDPA/IPSC guys,
the Kimber line is the best for the money....I would have to agree.

Shoot well

[Sean Smith]

Just to be clear: I don't think Kimbers suck for the money or anything like that. I owned an old Classic Stainless Target model, and it was pretty neat. But some of the Kimber boosters just tend to get a bit nutty.

Nobody said MIM parts weren't HARD. But hardness isn't the same as strength (glass is quite hard, for instance), and alot of the fluke breakages of MIM parts point to either excessive porosity/voids in the material, and/or excessive brittleness. People have broken MIM magazine releases and thumb safeties clean in two with their thumbs in normal use. That shouldn't even be PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE with a steel part, unless you loan your Kimber to The Hulk.

[Waitone]

Having been in the marketing gig for 20+ years I can assure you the primary means of positioning a product and company in a marketplace is with price.

Once price strata is establlished features and benefits must be used to establlish the validity having positioned a product or company at a particular level.

In positioning at the high end a additional factor kicks in which turns out to be probably the most effective means of maintaining price levels. NO ONE WHO PAYS A PREMIUM OVER MARKET PRICING FOR A READILY AVAILABLE PRODUCT IS GOING TO BELLYACHE THAT IS WAS NOT WORTH THE INCREASED COSTS. To do so is to erect a billboard over your head saying, "idiot." Human nature guarantees those who pay higher than market levels for a product will be happy with their purchase. Any turly market driven company understands the principal and uses it.

Please note: I said nothing about the product being actually worth the premium price.

[tex_n_cal]

As I have often posted over at 1911forum.com, I bought a Series I Kimber Stainless Gold Match, the most expensive gun I ever bought. It needed a trigger job, and jammed as soon as it was a little dirty. I sold it, bought a Colt Gup Cup for $400 less. It also needed a trigger job, but never jams, and shoots just as well as the Kimber.

Over at 1911forum.com, there was an online survey of KImber owners regarding the Series II safety. About 20% reported problems with it.

My brother has two Kimbers, and is happy with them. Most of the Kimbers are okay, but out here they cost at least as much as the Colts do, and aren't any better. The last six Colts I have bought have been good guns, and I think I'll stay with them.

[Wildalaska]

MIM alert:neener:

I have persoanlly seen five MIMd parts break in the past 2 months...

MIM alert finished


WildcoltsruleAlaska

[Keith]

I bought two Kimbers when the first advertising blitz hit the gun mags. I was shopping for a new 1911 and got caught up in the Kimber thing. Anyway, I bought an Aluminum Compact and a Custom Target ... eight - ten years ago?
Since then I've put untold thousands of rounds downrange through each pistol. Perhaps you'll get an idea of how many if I mention that for about four years I had unlimited access to as much free GI ball as I could shoot. And I took full advantage... I still shoot several hundred rounds a month through these guns. I honestly don't know how much ammo I've shot through them, but the full sized gun must have AT LEAST 10k rounds through it and perhaps as much as 20k - the compact somewhat less, perhaps half as many rounds as the full sized gun, whatever that number is...

Results: Zero breakages and Zero malfunctions - other than a few jams easily attributed to using worn out GI mags (hey, they were free too!)
The only thing I've ever done is change out the recoil springs a couple years back - not because of malfunctions, but just because I thought I "ought to".

I know Kimber has had some QC problems at times, which is probably understandable with the rapid growth of the company - but they also have a reputation for making good on their guns.

I don't know much about this new Schwartz system, but I understand the bugs have been worked out of that as well.

I buy and trade guns all the time because frankly, I'm easily bored with any gun that isn't "just right". The two Kimbers have made the cut into that select group that will be passed along to my children; heirlooms for the next generation.

Keith

[fastbolt]

I think Kimber does a good job at marketing research and promotion. They're trying to provide the majority of the 1911 shooting marketplace with products that are being requested ...

They buy good quality parts from reputable companies.

They assemble and fit the pistols fairly decently for production pistols.

I've seen forged carbon steel parts break ... stainless steel parts break ... so I'm hardly surprised MIM parts will break, too ...

I once asked a Colt rep how much better the new enhanced 1911 pistols were, compared to the older production methods and models ... and he said that for the most part the new pistols are being produced on much of the same equipment, and even by some of the same people that were making them in the late 70's ... Hmmm, perhaps Quality Control was the answer all along ...

We see quite a few new Kimbers (& Springfields) come through our range in the hands of L/E and the CCW folks ... Even some new Colts ... For the most part they seem to function fine, although the occasional pistol requires some minor adjustment ...

I DO like the idea of spring loaded extractors ... although fitting & adjusting the "standard" extractors isn't that much of a problem. It's the folks that drop a round directly into the chamber, and then release the slide, that causes more annoying extractor problems than most other causes ...

[Jeff OTMG]

I don't know about the new Kimbers, but I bought my son an Oregon made Kimber for his birthday last month and it seems much better fitted than a New York built gun. The slide and frame feel like they are on ball bearings. I had the trigger, sear, hammer, disconnector, slide stop, thumb safety, extractor, ejector, and main spring housing replaced for him with good parts. I was going to have a NM bushing added, but the smith said that the bushing/barrel/frame/slide fit was perfect and he didn't want to mess with it.

[Standing Wolf]

NO ONE WHO PAYS A PREMIUM OVER MARKET PRICING FOR A READILY AVAILABLE PRODUCT IS GOING TO BELLYACHE THAT IS WAS NOT WORTH THE INCREASED COSTS.

I paid premium prices for Colt model 1911s years ago, as well as premium prices for parts and custom gunsmithing—and all I had to show for it were failures to feed, failures to fire, accuracy problems, and failures to extract.

I'm not sure my Kimber is a premium quality gun—but it at least works and shoots straight, which is a @#$%^&! more than I can say for those @#$%^&! Colts.

That said™, I think you're mainly correct.

[Monkeyleg]

I've owned many guns, but sold far too many. Among the ones I still own are two Kimbers, both of which have been extremely reliable. (Caveat: it took both about 500 rounds to break in).

If the Gun Gods look kindly upon me, I hope to have another Kimber in my possession this year. And I hope that the malfunctions that others have experienced don't accompany that new gun.

I'm not a Kimber sycophant, but the two that I've owned have outshot just about any handgun I've owned, including revolvers. Off of sandbag rests, I can get 1" to 1 1/2" groups at 50 feet with my reloads, and do about the same with good factory ammo.

With my Pro Carry, I had the slide release develop a gouge in it which resulted in feeding problems. I bought a Wilson "bullet-proof" slide release that didn't solve the problem. The new one that Kimber sent me for free solved everything.

[rugerfreak]

There is just something about the Kimbers I don't like---I mean, aside from the exagorated prices----I can't quite put my finger on it---but there is something that just doesn't seem right to me.

They have a fairly good rep and everything----but I don't see myself ever owning one of them. It's just there is something there I don't like. Sorry for being so vague.

[Handy]

The ultimate Kimber would be one of their frames, slide and barrel/bushings assembled with a bunch of old unissued surplus gov't parts.

You'd get the nice fit and accuracy along with tough parts for a decent price. IMHO.

[Croyance]

Mine has always functioned, and functioned well, with no failures of any kind. In that, it has performed the way I want my guns to perform.
The MIM parts have no signs of excessive wear, and neither does the aluminum frame (I have a Pro model).
A lot of "custom" features were easy to install at the time of manufacturing, and companies should have done so, since many prefer those changes.
To suggest that one mass produced product is the same as any other, I.E. buy Phillipino 1911's, is silly. Mercedes, Ford, Kia, and Yugo are all mass manufactured cars, but hardly equal in quality.
I really don't care if the sights are Heinie clones or not (same with other parts), I am concerned with functionallity and durability. Honestly, I don't even like Novak sights, because I don't see black on black very well, unless the lighting is good (Novak only makes black front & rear sights).

[Missouri Mule]

All the addons I want in a prepackaged pistol at a fraction of the cost of a hand built custom.

Took me awhile....but I finally got there!

:neener:

[Snowdog]

What makes the new Kimbers so great?

I own one, that's what. ;)

[TRLaye]

I've purchased six Kimbers. Four for me, two for my girlfriend. Only one had a problem. The link didn't cam the barrel properly. That was a CDP II

The rest shoot so well that I have to use dummy rounds of create malfunctions. I've never had a malfunction attributable to the gun. Magazines and Me? Yeah baby!

My least shot Kimber would be an aluminum Compact with about 10K rounds. I've taken about 30 handgun classes with some combination of the four (why I have two of each model, Classic and Compact). The single modification to all the guns is a short trigger at 4.25#.

My fiancee had a Springfield customized by Gunsite, shot my Kimber and I had to fight to get it back. Now she has her own. ';>).

I don't think you can get more gun for your money. Period.

Tom

[TRLaye]

I forgot to say that I shoot them until I can see the slide cycle before cleaning them. Usually about 1200 rounds for the Classic and 1000 for the compact.

Tom