Talk me into (or out of) a Kimber

FWIW, I worked at a shop that sold Kimber. Their fit & finish was pretty consistently pleasing, in my personal opinion. A few new Kimber firearms sold came back or were sent to Kimber with issues relating to QC that weren't apparent until the gun was actually fired for more than just a few shots. However, even Sigs, Glocks, and HKs would occasionally come back with issues relating to QC. Those that dealt directly with Kimber that I've interacted with were mostly-to-extremely pleased with the experience. As range guns, their metal 1911s hold up very well, both in regards to the function and in regards to the finish (as they have many different finishes, some will hold up better than others obviously.) I'm not as sure about some of their poly framed firearms either way, because of how few were sold and how they were not rented.

If you were purchasing new, the only thing that comes to mind is how many Kimbers are priced around the same as 1911s that are at least as nice, and have a stronger warranty (and may maintain a higher resale value partly from this.) http://www.kimberamerica.com/warranty Some people who came to look at mid-higher end Kimbers, Smiths, or Springfields eventually went in the direction of a used LBC, Wilson, Nighthawk, or Ed Brown, where as others went for a used higher end Kimber, Smith or Springfield that new would have been priced too high for their personal price range. I think customer satisfaction was highest with those going used, perhaps because they got a better value??

As for the Custom II, the place I was at rented one and my take was that it was a reliable gun that shot well with a cosmetically-pleasing & robust finish. However, it wasn't in the rotation long enough to compare to several S&W 1911s, which were being shot on a daily basis for upwards of a decade and were still doing great.

I've had a Kimber Pro Carry II for 15 years now. Till I got this gun you couldn't give me a 1911 as I had a Colt while in the service. It was the most inaccurate gun I've ever shot and I was happy when they took it away.

All that changed when I bought the Kimber. My views on autos changed as the Kimber was accurate, light and a pleasure to shoot.

Would I buy another? You bet I would.

I owned three over the years. One was a joy to own and shoot; the other two had frequent malfunctions.

I personally won't touch the brand again, and/or would never put one of their products in a serious role outside of a range/plinking gun. For me, Kimber exists alongside Remington as a name that has a ways to go rebuilding it's reputation before the value of the product comes in line with the price point.

Old Dog....ridiculed me for my comment, sorry for him.....a Kimber lover although he states most of his are Colts.......sure.

Comment: "It's Not A .45 Unless It Has A Horse On It".....

But it's true, before black guns most semi .45's were based on the Colt Model 1911 design. IMO, the Kimber was always a crude, rude imitation along with the likes of RIA and other cheaply made / cast frame models that hit the market. I would save my monies for a Pre 80's Colt before buying a lessor grade jambOmatic.....OMO.

xXxplosive said:

Old Dog....ridiculed me for my comment, sorry for him.....a Kimber lover although he states most of his are Colts.......sure.

Comment: "It's Not A .45 Unless It Has A Horse On It".....

But it's true, before black guns most semi .45's were based on the Colt Model 1911. IMO, the Kimber was always a crude, rude imitation along with the likes of RIA and other cheaply made / cast models that hit the market. I would save my monies for a Pre 80's Colt before buying a lessor grade jambOmatic.....OMO.

Click to expand...

While I wasn't ridiculing you before for your comment, thanks for the invite. I simply pointed out that your previous comment added nothing of substance to the thread. Fact.

Now your latest comment indicates (1) you didn't actually read and comprehend my posts in the thread and (2) you don't know very much about 1911s. Kimbers have never been "crude, rude imitation ..." and calling a brand a "jabOmatic" also indicates you quite possibly don't understand how the platform operates and how to maintain it. And yes, as far as 1911s go, Colt has always been my favorite, but I don't need you to believe me on that.

Thanks for your insulting remarks, don't believe we've ever met..........glad it's only your opinion.....have a wonderful day.

I'm sorry, but anyone who says it's not a 1911 unless it says Colt or any variation to that statement might has well wear a neon sign that flashes "uninformed". By that logic, any AR-15 that doesn't say ArmaLite isn't a real AR-15. I think Daniel Defense, Noveske, and a half-dozen high end manufacturers would say you're talking out of your rear end.

Let's just be plain and simple, just because a company is the first to produce a model doesn't mean that subsequent companies producing the same model aren't "real". That's just laughable and follows no form of logic that I'm familiar with.

xXxplosive said:

Thanks for your insulting remarks, don't believe we've ever met..........glad it's only your opinion.....have a wonderful day.

Click to expand...

My intention was not to insult you, rather, simply to point out the wildly inaccurate statements you made. (See intelligent post above by member Olympus, also.)

It was in fact clear that you'd not read my posts thoroughly and attempting to invalidate my comments by labeling me a "Kimber lover" was plain silly. Not to mention the fact that you've clearly never inspected any Kimbers side-by-side with comparable Colt models -- one rap Kimber has never had to suffer was that it made "crude, rude imitation" Colts. That remarks of yours would have been quite funny were it no so tragically uninformed. And Kimber has never used cast frames. Yes, the company suffered through a few years with a bad extractor system and questionable quality control from the factory, coupled with customer service support that alas, was horrible compared to that of industry leader Springfield Armory. These were the main complaints along with the perception that the guns were overpriced, concern about trivialities such as plastic mainspring housings and the other perception, that Kimber used too many MIM parts in its pistols.

Now, I've got a few Colt 1911s made between 1979 and 2005, and I can tell you that they are the pistols that look crude and rude next to any average Kimber. If you'd been buying Colts during this period, and actually shooting them, you'd know that an awful lot of bad pistols came out of Hartford during that era.

Gratuitous photo of a couple favorite Colts in a Kimber thread ... Series 70 repro, LW Commander XSE ...

Thanks for your opinion.......we've never met..........let it rest.

Have a wonderful day...

Would be nice if the OP would chime in, let us know what he's thinking. This is a great price for a Custom II, unfortunately only for Team Bud's people at the moment, but looks like nine owners are pretty happy. https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...2/KIMBER+3200301+CUSTOM+II+TWO-TONE+45ACP+7RD

Concur. Sometimes I have to wonder when an OP starts a thread (knowing full well he/she may garner a lot of conflicting opinions) and then never even bothers to return and post in the thread he/she started ...

Old Dog said:

Concur. Sometimes I have to wonder when an OP starts a thread (knowing full well he/she may garner a lot of conflicting opinions) and then never even bothers to return and post in the thread he/she started ...

Click to expand...

I think I heard him yell "Fire in the hole!" as he fled.

The first 1911 I ever fired was a Nighthawk, which was a mistake..haha I ended up buying a Custom II as my first 1911, eventually a Classic Custom. I loved both of them (wish I still had the classic) but started to fall for the commander size.

Apparently you didn't see some of Kimber's best efforts -- of the non-flashy variety -- such as the Custom TLE II or the Desert Warrior ... Or the basic Custom editions ... ??

I just picked this Kimber Pro Carry HD up over the weekend and already put 100 flawless rounds through it. Not sure what you mean by "flashy" but Kimber has a lot of more subdued models. I wouldn't call mine flashy. Mine is tighter fit than any Colt I've ever owned and so far seems to be reliable.

Gosh, Olympus, that doesn't look "too flashy" to me ... Not even an ambi-safety, no bling to speak of ... looks to me to have everything one needs on a basic carry 1911, nothing you don't need.

BTW, you've got the alcohol and the firearms covered, where's the tobacco?

Old Dog said:

Gosh, Olympus, that doesn't look "too flashy" to me ... Not even an ambi-safety, no bling to speak of ... looks to me to have everything one needs on a basic carry 1911, nothing you don't need.

BTW, you've got the alcohol and the firearms covered, where's the tobacco?

Click to expand...

Ha, thanks! No tobacco for me, just alcohol and firearms.

Sergei Mosin said:

Finally went and looked at some Kimbers up close today. They're nice enough pistols, but they're not me - too flashy, too many features that I don't need or want. I guess I just have simpler tastes in 1911s.

Click to expand...

Sounds like more of a basic G.I. style might be what you're looking for.

I'm not going to talk you into or out of it.

My opinion is that if you want a Kimber, then buy a Kimber.

Kimber does beautiful work and they have a great reputation. Just based on this, I see no real reason not to buy one if you want one.

I had a Custom II for a while, just over 500 rounds through it when I sold it. I used Wilson Combat magazines in it but the factory mag worked fine as well. The only "malfunction" I ever experienced with it was a VERY odd one. Actually, it happened while my wife was firing it. She was shooting 5-round slow-fire. After the 4th round the slide locked back. I knew that something was odd because she'd only fired 4 rounds of the 5, so we immediately checked the gun. The 5th round (still live) was in the chamber, yet the slide was locked back. Somehow the last round had jumped clear of the magazine and into the chamber while the empty case from the 4th round had been ejected. A freak happening, only that one time. I expect that the mag spring needed a bit more tension to keep that last round secure until the slide picked it up (that particular mag had probably been left loaded for some years).

I didn't sell the gun due to that one incident which was probably due to the magazine. I sold it because after I bought my CZ 97 B I lost interest in the 1911 platform. I don't dislike the 1911, I just love the 97 B much more and want to shoot it every time there's an opportunity for .45 ACP. The Kimber was a good gun, nice trigger, accurate, and felt like good quality. I don't understand the Kimber haters, but perhaps their personal Kimber experiences have been different from mine.

Sergei Mosin said:

It is. I realized that, not for the first time, while looking at the Kimbers. I have a couple of examples of 1911s with some of what used to be called semi-custom features on them, but they're outnumbered by the more basic GI type guns, and those GI types are my favorites. That puts me in the minority, but what the heck, I still shift my own gears too.

Click to expand...

Sounds like Kimber is not the right brand for you then. They don't offer any model that is similar to a GI style. You're best looking at other brands for that. All Kimber models are going to be more modern in their configurations.

I too have been eyeing the Kimber Custom II on Buds Gunshop site at only $695. Seems like a great price.
I just spent some cash building my first AR or I'd jump on it.

The only thing is that it's 2 toned. That wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker, but I prefer blued steel.
They have some, but not at that price.