Kimber Owners, Good or Bad Experiences?

[kmbrman]

I've had a Custom 11 for a number of years, the ext. extractor version and have fired many rounds , never a problem and shoots great !

 

[EddieNFL]

The last poll was almost 40 percent average or worse. This one is a little more in favor of Kimber at almost 70 percent rating good quality or better.

 

[dusty14u]

Raptor II for 2 years now. Has been reliable and faultless. I would buy another Kimber with no hesitation or reservation.

 

[LiveLife]

I shoot with someone who has several Kimbers and they all group very well using my reloads (consistent single hole groups at 7-15 yards).

 

[Sapper771]

I bought one. Had a lot of problems with it. Then had such a bad experience dealing with kimber CS. After two trips to kimber on my dime($120), they finally told me that they didnt know what was wrong with it, but i should continue sending the pistol to them, on my dime, til they fixed it. I traded the gun to the shop i bought it from and took a heavy loss.

If you gave me a kimber, i would turn around and sell it so i could make up for the money i lost with my first kimber. If anyone asks me about a kimber, or kimbers in general, i will tell them to look elsewhere.

 

[swinokur]

1 year old TLE/RL II. Perfect OOB. About 1k rounds through it. 230g WWB, HST +p, Gold Dots. No problems whatsoever.

I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

 

[Badger1911]

My advice regarding Kimber...Buy and Shoot With Confidence! My TLE II was perfect out of the box (with stock magazines, btw) and has continued to function flawlessly for four years now.

 

[Broker]

I own seven Kimber's at the moment, & have owned several more through the years. Have had exactly two "issues". One Stainless Custom ll would lock the slide with ammo still in the magazine, a call to Kimber & they sent a new slide stop "no charge", has run 100% since then.

A CDP Pro ll with the dreaded external extractor was sending ejected cases straight back @ the shooter, removed the extractor & a few strokes with a needle file to "break" the top & bottom edges, & square the face of the extractor took care of that problem, the pistol now drops empties abot 8-10 ft to the right & back of the shooter. This one too has functioned 100%. I should mention this is my daily carry about 90% of the time.

I've owned a couple of others with the external extractor (a Tactical Custom ll & Eclipse PRO ll) that worked fine as they were. All of mine have been accurate, & some exceptionally so. So, bottom line, I guess you could say I'm a Kimber fan.

Darrel

 

[ichiban]

I voted for the second. I've had four (still have two of them) and have had no problems with any of them - even the Pro with the external extractor. However, there are other 1911s that feel better in my hand and that I like better.

 

[EddieNFL]

Then had such a bad experience dealing with kimber CS. After two trips to kimber on my dime($120), they finally told me that they didnt know what was wrong with it, but i should continue sending the pistol to them, on my dime, til they fixed it.

And that is Kimber's biggest problem. Every maker out there is going to have a lemon. It's how they deal with the lemon that separates the so-sos from the front runners.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I traded a Colt for a Eclipse Custom II That was a mistake I will never have another Kimber in my collection . I took beating and traded it for a Dan Wesson CBOB .

 

[trlhrv]

Kimbers

My daily carry is an Ultra Carry II in Stainless. Never a problem and is accurate and smooth. Also have a Pro Carry II with external extractor. Also no problems whatsoever. Just keep them clean and lubed. Might have to replace a mag periodically.

 

[Old krow]

I've had no issues with mine at all and I really like it. I don't know that I would buy a newer one. Their prices seem to be climbing into an arena where other makers offer a better gun for the same or slightly higher price tag.

 

[Valkman]

I have 3 Kimbers, one is my carry gun. Never had any problems.

 

[davidbee]

I am seriously considering a Slightly Used Kimber Series 1 but I dont know what is a good price..the person seems to want $700.00

 

[M2 Carbine]

I have five. They are my carry choice.
Friends have another 8 or 9. I would think nothing of carrying any one of them.

 

[ohioshooter]

I have two..a Stainless one and Crimson Carry one and my Crimson Carry is my carry of choice and it feeds everything and have not had any problems except for maybe a reload or two that was my error on reloading length.

I have seen many people that have problems (on forums) and I think it's like anything else.....if you sell enough of anything there are going to be problems with some of them no matter what brand....you won't find any manufacturer that someone has never had a complaint about.....unless its a hi-point brand...hahahahaha

 

[g.a.stahle]

My first Kimber was a Custom Compact II that I acquired for $400 from a guy that used it as a competition shooter, it was amazing and every day since it was stolen in August of 2009 I miss her terribly.

The Kimber I currently own is a Pro TLE II that I bought brand new. I had some jamming issues with it when I was going through the break-in, but replacing the factory 22lb spring with a 23lb Wolff spring solved the problem. She runs like a top now. I carry this on a daily basis and fully trust it with my life.

 

[majohnson]

Kimbers

I have a Pro Raptor II and a Gold Match II. Both guns have the grip safety that people complain about. I did replace the recoil spring, which allows me to shoot lower pressure reloads. After 3 cervical surgery's, having that option makes it much pleasant to just shoot paper.

 

[velocette]

I've had a Kimber Compact Stainless II (Officers frame, Commander slide) for six years. It is accurate and totally dependable, no matter what ammo I feed it. The only modifications I have made to it are to install tritium night sights and Crimson Trace laser grips.
It rides as I type this message IWB at my side.

Roger

 

[Jonah71]

I've only had one Kimber. An old 2003 PRO BP 10 II and I love it. (probably the most inexpensive model Kimber ever made...I think) And that was only for one year according to my gun dealer. Maybe one of these days after I win the lottery I'll try a new one. But for $500 I couldn't pass on this one.
Cleaning it kinda sucks, but fortunately it doesn't require it often.

 

[Armed012002]

Every big manufacturer will make a lemon.

But Kimber only has a one year warranty and requires a 500 round break-in period.

Colt, Springfield Armory, Smith & Wesson, and Para-Ordnance have lifetime warranties with no 500 round requirement. That's something to think about.

From Kimber's manuals:

WARRANTY

This limited warranty has been drafted to comply with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act, which is effective for goods manufactured on or after December 31, 1995.

Kimber Mfg., Inc. firearms are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship for one year after the date of original new gun retail purchase. The manufacturer agrees to correct by repair or replacement (with the same or comparable quality model) your firearm, without charge, if returned prepaid with a copy of the bill of sale. Kimber Mfg., Inc. assumes no responsibility for product malfunction or for physical injury or property damage resulting in whole or in part from criminal or negligent use of the product, improper or careless handling, unauthorized modifications, use of defective, improper, hand-loaded ammunition, customer abuse or neglect of the product, or other influences beyond Kimber Mfg., Inc.'s control. This warranty does not apply to normal wear of any parts, including metal, wood, plastic, rubber and other materials surface finish or if unauthorized repair and/or alteration has been performed. This warranty does not cover repairs related to unreasonable use, corrosion, failure to provide proper maintenance, damaged or shopworn display guns, gun barrels damaged by an obstructed bore or guns damaged in return shipment due to improper packing and handling.

Kimber Mfg., Inc. reserves the right to inspect any product before making any adjustment covered by this warranty.

Under no circumstances shall Kimber Mfg., Inc. be liable for incidental or consequential damages with respect to economic loss or injury or property damage whether the result of breach of express or implied warranty. Some states do not allow the exclusion of consequential or incidental damages so the limitation may not apply to you. This warranty gives only the original retail purchaser specific legal rights. Other rights may also be available which may vary from state to state.

BREAK-IN PERIOD

Before firing the pistol for the first time, Field Strip and clean the firearm following proper procedures. (see DISASSEMBLY, CLEANING and LUBRICATION and ASSEMBLY Instructions in this Manual) Kimbers firearms are quality custom pieces. Our firearms are hand fitted to tight tolerances. For proper Break-in of the firearm shoot 400-500 rounds of Quality Factory Ball (230g. FMJ) Ammunition, cleaning and lubricating the gun every 100-150 rounds.

 

[JoelSteinbach]

My first was a compact aluminun, my latest is a 10mm Eclipose, with 7 other Kimber keepers in between. I have never had the need to return any of them to the factory. I feel that they are great out of the box shooters.

 

[EddieNFL]

BREAK-IN PERIOD

Before firing the pistol for the first time, Field Strip and clean the firearm following proper procedures. (see DISASSEMBLY, CLEANING and LUBRICATION and ASSEMBLY Instructions in this Manual) Kimbers firearms are quality custom pieces. Our firearms are hand fitted to tight tolerances. For proper Break-in of the firearm shoot 400-500 rounds of Quality Factory Ball (230g. FMJ) Ammunition, cleaning and lubricating the gun every 100-150 rounds.

Almost spewed ice tea on my keyboard.

Every Kimber I've handled was properly fitted (excepting timing in a few instances and extractors in a larger number). Everyone I've shot was accurate, but never felt one that was "tight."

 

[JDGray]

My UCII had an early slide lock issue out of the box, along with an out of time grip safety. Kimber fixed it for me, end of story The gun never had a jam one, in 2000rds fired, and accurate as me.