You should heed their advice.
Why exactly is that?
You should heed their advice.
It took a week or so, but the brand-bashers finally arrived ... Cute little phrases, yet no actual experience cited or even semi-useful commentary provided (that's okay, we can tell you're an expert on 1911s by the tone of your post). Ah, well. We were due.
At least the faithful Dan Wesson fanboys arrived on time (as they do in any 1911 thread, e.g., "Springfield Armory or Colt? What should I buy" Standard thread response: "Buy a Dan Wesson.").
So what are you looking for in a 1911? Do you want a basic G.I. model, or something with a few bells & whistles? Budget
I didn't really mean for this to be a generalized "choose my next 1911" thread. I just wanted some input on Kimbers given my relatively limited experience with them. I heard they were on sale and they looked nice in pictures, but when I got my hands on them, they didn't do it for me. That's really all there is to it. I'm sure I'll scratch the new 1911 itch somehow, just not with a Kimber. Maybe it'll be a new DW or an old Argentine gun or something else entirely - who knows!
And don't get me started on that d*+n rebounding thumb safety that colts come with these days
I have known a few folks that have owned Kimber 1911s and they both have had issues with inconsistent performance. Apparently Kimber will not help them at all and they told me Kimber only has a 1 year warranty. ***???!!!! 1 year warranty from a company that considers themselves a fine 1911 maker?
Get a Ruger SR1911.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/Rinspeed/Kimber-8.jpg
As I've posted several times in the past I love all the Kimber hate because it keeps the prices down on the ones I want made in the late 90's. Funny thing about the vast majority of the twits who talk smack about Kimber is they have never owned one, or even shot one, they are just regurgitation crap they have read on the errornet. My uncle's, neighbor's friend had one and it sucked, sounds rather stupid. I have no illusion that Kimber is all that and they don't put out some dogs but on the other hand when you sell 80K 1911s a year you are going to have some unhappy customers.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/Rinspeed/Kimber-8.jpg
Don't think they've been released yet, they're new for 2017. I have a CZ branded 1911 A1 which were supposedly made by Dan Wesson. Fit and finish is good as is my Valor, but when I read they only made 1k or so of the CZs I decided to put it away to see what happens with the value of them, Might use it towards another Nighthawk or Wilson down the road.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/Rinspeed/Kimber-8.jpg
As I've posted several times in the past I love all the Kimber hate because it keeps the prices down on the ones I want made in the late 90's. Funny thing about the vast majority of the twits who talk smack about Kimber is they have never owned one, or even shot one, they are just regurgitation crap they have read on the errornet. My uncle's, neighbor's friend had one and it sucked, sounds rather stupid. I have no illusion that Kimber is all that and they don't put out some dogs but on the other hand when you sell 80K 1911s a year you are going to have some unhappy customers.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/Rinspeed/Kimber-8.jpg
That's how you do it, say you don't like them and then say why. Good stuff.
At the time I purchased my Kimber they were, IMHO, a lot of bang for the buck, and since it has been flawless, I am very happy with it. Truthfully though, if I were in the market for a new 1911, I would look elsewhere as others have been putting out great guns at good prices and have caught up with Kimber in the bang for the buck area, IMHO.
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.
I've had a number of Kimbers over the years and my results have been inconsistent at best. My first Kimber was an Eclipse Target II which had a fantastic fit and finish, but never functioned 100%. Admittedly, it was an earlier Series II with Kimber's not so great attempt at an external extractor. After repeated feeding and ejection problems over the first couple hundred rounds, the gun was sent back to Kimber and the top end was replaced with a slide with a traditional extractor setup. When the gun came back, the extractor required some tuning to get feeding and ejection ironed out. The second Kimber was a Royal II with a traditional extractor. The Swartz firing pin block was mistimed and required a trip back to Kimber. Number three was a Desert Warrior which did function 100%, but I didn't care for the super slippery finish and lack of front strap checkering. I also had a parts breakage with this one, specifically the right side thumb safety lever sheared off. Not a huge deal, but still took cost me some time and money to replace the part with a proper Wilson Bullet Proof part. While I was at it, I also swapped out the slide stop for a Wilson's Bullet Proof part. Fourth Kimber was a Custom TLE II that seemed completely fine out of the box, but taking the gun to class quickly showed this to be a less than trustworthy gun. About halfway into the first day, I found I was having to tap and rack every three or so shots. Culprit, bad extractor. Extractor was replaced and gun was sold, same as all previous Kimbers.
At the end of the day, I'm of the opinion that if you're wanting a 1911, there are far better options than Kimber. I've owned and still own a number of 1911's from Springfield, Colt, Wilson Combat, and Les Baer. The latter two are generally more than twice the cost of a standard Kimber, but they work. The former two (Colt and Springfield) are at the same price point and my experience with both brands has been that they don't have anything remotely resembling the indigestion inducing problems of the Kimbers I've owned over the years. I can officially say that I've washed my hands of that particular brand. If you want a good 1911 in the sub $1,000.00 price point, go for a Colt, Springfield, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, or even Sig. If you can creep into the $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 range, go for a Springfield TRP or a Dan Wesson.
You opened a thread that had been dead for a year and a half to share this?You don't have to own one to know that Kimber sucks.
I didn't really mean for this to be a generalized "choose my next 1911" thread. I just wanted some input on Kimbers given my relatively limited experience with them. I heard they were on sale and they looked nice in pictures, but when I got my hands on them, they didn't do it for me. That's really all there is to it. I'm sure I'll scratch the new 1911 itch somehow, just not with a Kimber. Maybe it'll be a new DW or an old Argentine gun or something else entirely - who knows!
Now you know how they got the name "MIMber" LOL.
An instructor's worst nightmare is a student with a Kimber. At least you should be proficient in clearing malfunctions.