Is my "new" pistol actually used?

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

corncob

Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2003
Messages
337
Location
Lexington, SC
I just bought my first handgun, a Series I Kimber Pro Carry, from a local gun shop a few days ago. Tonight I went to another local shop (that has a range) to shoot it some. I shot pretty well and was standing around shooting the breeze with the range guy, who owns several Kimbers, when the conversation turned to magazines. He looks at mine (the one I got with the gun) and asks where I got it. Turns out it isn't a Kimber magazine. I hadn't noticed. He says my gun must have been used. I thought I had bought it new. It came with all the stuff a new gun comes with (plastic bag, manual,etc.). The tag on it in the shop did not identify it as used. When I thought about it the guys in the store never actually said one way or the other. The pistol showed absolutely no signs of use when I bought it, but it is a Series I and must have been sitting in the case for over a year. Surely these guys wouldn't have deliberately misled me, but I guess it might be possible that I missed something.

Does anyone know if Kimber shipped any aluminum-framed pistols with different magazines? Mine is polished, with a welded floorplate and a one-piece rounded metal follower.

I though I got a pretty good deal. I paid just a little less than what shops are asking for the Series II guns. Did I get taken for a ride? Am I going crazy?
 
For the most part Kimbers come with a Kimber mag, Im not saying they cant come with some other mag but I have not seen one.
If its not a series II then it has been sitting longer than 1 year. Its very doubtful that a NIB pre series II would be cheaper than a series II.
The very few pre series II that are NIB that I have seen are demanding a healthy price. I have seen them sold as Unfired for a cheaper price but that is still considered used. I would just ask the dealer, you could also call Kimber and they can tell you the manufacture date and where it was shipped.
 
My Kimber didn't come with a Kimber mag and I know for sure I bought it new - I helped my dealer unpack the distributor box. But that was back in about 1996. Maybe Kimber didn't label their mags back then...
 
My Kimbers (series 1) don't have the name "Kimber" on the mags - just an "S" stamped on the bottom.
 
The gun may have been a NIB Trade in ...or an unfired gun a guy traded for something else. The store my have switched mags on you also.....they have been known to do that. My Kimbers never came with Kimber mags.

Even if the gun was NIB when taken in by them its still sold as a used gun.
The only gun they can sell as NIB is one they bought and has never been recieved by another party.......

Shoot well...............
 
Kimber Magazines

Kimber doesn't make its own magazines. They buy'em from Metalform, and that rounded metal follower is a Metalform proprietary design. Bet the
mag has two little holes in the baseplate for a bumper pad...right?

Before you get all disgruntled...Metalform supplies magazines to Colt, Springfield, and Chip McCormick, too. Shooting Stars are Metalforms,
and I suspect that at least some Powermags are too.

Likely the reason that your magazine doesn't have the Kimber trademark is Metalform wasn't tooled up to stamp it, and Kimber needed magazines
in a hurry.

Look at Colt OEM magazines...the ones with the prancin' horsie. If you
see a "C" stamped on the base, Colt made it. If it has an "M"...it's a
Metalform. Colt hasn't made their own magazines in years, so you'll
probably have to find some older pistols with the original mags to get
a "C" magazine.

This is pretty much the standard practice these days. Kimber doesn't
make their own small parts either, but are supplied by a vendor...Read
that as: Brought to you by the lowest bidder."

Don't worry, be happy...
Tuner
 
It sounds to me that you got a dang good deal. The series I kimbers seem to comand a premium. And by the sound of things yours might really be a NIB firearm. And even if it isnt you said yourself you couldnt find a single flaw or evidence that it was used. When you think about it thats really all that matters.
 
My Series 1 Kimber doesn't have Kimber on the mag either. And it was NIB for sure.
 
Your "range guy" may not have been around Kimbers very long. I have 2 pre-series II pistols and neither one has Kimber on the mags. Both were bought brand new 5 or 6 years ago.
 
My Kimber did not come with "Kimber" mags either. In fact the first time I saw a Kimber mag was when I bought a couple off a guy on the 1911 forum.
 
It's impossible to tell if you pistol was NIB unless you really take a good look at it before you shot it. There are thousands of pre-owned firearms sold as NIB that have in fact been shot. If it was pre-owned you should have been told.

Frankly, I consider any pre-owned firearm that looks NIB as a used gun in 100 per cent condition. If you bought a series one Pro Carry in 100 per cent condition for around the price of a new Series II you did just fine and I wouldn't give it another thought.
 
Some dealers are really bad at mixing up LNIB guns with brand-new stock. Personally I doubt your Kimber was really brand-new if it is a Series I. However, the key factor is the condition. If the thing looks perfect, with no scratches and wear what's the problem? I own guns I've fired that are still in better shape that some new ones fresh out of the package. I'm serious, as Colt workers in particular are notorious for scuffing up new guns before they ever even get them in the box. I would've bought a new Series 70 my dealer had, if it wasn't for the big scuff mark on the slide that was there when we first opened the box.

On a related note, I also bought another brand-new Colt that had the wrong grips on it. Colt confirmed they never shipped any pistols with the grips in question, so apparently somebody at the dealer did a switcharoo when it first came in.
 
Thanks guys....

I think I will call the dealer to confirm one way or the other, but you have put my mind at ease that at least they weren't trying to pull something over on me.

Incidentally I love the pistol and plan on keeping it forever. Once I put the obligatory 500 or so rounds through it I'm going to go ahead and get my CWP. It is a fine shooter, but I doubt it will ever replace the 12 guage under the bed for HD.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top