1911 kimber vs s&w

Mot45acp said:

I've had 1 good Kimber (Clackamas made), 1 so-so Kimber and 2 others from Yonkers that were single shots.

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All Kimber 1911's, until their move to Troy, Alabama, were made in Yonkers, New York. Early Kimber's were marked Clackamas, Oregon, since that was where Kimber's headquarters were located. There was never a Kimber 1911 plant in Clackamas, Oregon.

I didn't know that. Learn something every day. My Clackamas marked one was the least prettiest. Not bad, just not as blingy as the others. But it was 100% reliable. I do wish I never sold it.

Mot45acp said:

Yes, you may have a fine specimens, but to me, it is the promag of 1911s

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Funny, I feel the same way about Ruger pistols.

Allow me to make it even a little more complicated. If "used" is okay with you, consider a STI Trojan. No longer made, but fantastic 1911 for the money. I'm biased though, love STI single stacks & have 2 Trojans.

I’ve not spent appreciable time with Kimbers but I’ve seen enough posts on other forums of broken MIM parts. I do have the original parts from my S&W, also MIM, and while people constantly parrot the “good MIM and bad MIM” mantra, even the best of it simply does not belong in certain areas. There’s more to metals than absolute strength, there’s also toughness. Buying a 1911 that doesn’t compromise in so many critical areas is, IMO more likely to yield a better overall experience.

Below for comparison are a few comparison photos. Keep in mind the Smith had less than 500 rounds through it when these parts were mothballed whereas the Colt had seen north of 4000 rounds. The wear would indicate the opposite to be true, and this is simply comparing MIM to cast in some cases.


Parts I replaced in my S&W to feel comfortable with it being a defensive weapon or to improve accuracy.


Some comparison parts between Colt and S&W.


Smith top, Colt bottom, MSH.


Slide stops. Colt right, Smith left.


Thumb safeties. Colt top, Smith bottom.


That’s why many here are saying chose “other”.

JTQ said:

All Kimber 1911's, until their move to Troy, Alabama, were made in Yonkers, New York. Early Kimber's were marked Clackamas, Oregon, since that was where Kimber's headquarters were located. There was never a Kimber 1911 plant in Clackamas, Oregon.

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Finally. This is my most favorite post in a long time.

Clack Kimbers never came from Oregon, they were always Yonkers.

Quality fell off at some point. I own a 90's Kimber, before the series II and it is basically a custom 1911 at an affordable price. I took it apart and several parts have hand scribed Maker's marks.

Dan Wesson was my original suggestion. It appears many agree.

I have a Kimber Stainless Ultra II Carry.. it breaks down like it's full size brothers, very easily. I also own a Kimber Micro 9 Rapide Black Ice which takes its styling from the 1911 Black Ice... And a lot of peripheral accessory items that compliments it... Think Performance Center styling.

Have 4 Kimber's in total and all have performed flawlessly out of the box. I also own three S&W's .. they too have performed flawlessly.

I've got a lot of experience with Kimber 1911's and the best I can say is my experience has been they are highly inconsistent out of the box and will inevitably need SOME tuning. Thing one with a Kimber is to dump their factory mags and get some good quality magazines from the likes of Wilson Combat, Tripp Research, or Chip McCormick. Also be wary of the firing pin block system that some Kimbers have. It's been a long time since I've brushed up on the Kimber lineup, but if the Rapide is one with a firing pin block, be cautious. The Royal II that I had several years back had a mistimed firing pin block. Kimbers also tend to be all over the map with their extractor tension. At the very least, learn how to properly tension your gun's extractor. I've also experienced a lot of pickiness with my Kimbers on the ammo front as well. They tend to do best with hotter loads whether FMJ or JHP.

I've had two S&W 1911's and they were miles better than any of the fiver or so Kimber's that I've had over the years. If, however, you are prepared to spend up to 1800 on a 1911, you'd do well to scour the used market for a Les Baer or an older Dan Wesson Valor. The current pricing of Dan Wesson 1911's puts them very near the entry point of some semi-custom builders like Les Baer. If you wind up going the Les Baer route, be warned, the guns are SUPER tight and WILL take 500-700 rounds to smooth out.

WheelGunMan said:

I have a Kimber Stainless Ultra II Carry.. it breaks down like it's full size brothers, ...

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You have Kimber Ultra with a barrel bushing and a GI guide rod?

Just a little kidding since a Kimber Ultra wouldn't take down like a typical full size 1911.

SwampWolf said:

For $1,500.00 (and maybe a little more), unless you're stuck on a purely 1911 platform, I'd spend some time and effort looking for one of the finest .45 autos ever made: the discontinued Smith & Wesson Model 945 (sort of a blend between "Third Generation" Smiths and a 1911). These pistols were made in the "Performance Center" part of the Smith & Wesson factory when they really were special.

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There is one for sale at my LGS. It is typical 3rd gen smith on the outside but racking the slide and feeling the trigger lets you know it is something much, much different. Wish I could justify it.

JTQ said:

You have Kimber Ultra with a barrel bushing and a GI guide rod?

Just a little kidding since a Kimber Ultra wouldn't take down like a typical full size 1911.

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Yes I do as a matter of fact.