Springfield loaded target 1911 chamber

I cannot confirm on the barrels, but the specs look similar, with the differences in the the ambi safety for the Springfield vs no ambi safety for the Kimber. Both barrels should be ramped for better feeding though. YouTube has some different videos, watch them to see if the barrels are ramped.

They have different guide rods too. They are around the same price, so a toss up. I go with Springfield for the warranty, which may not mean much where you are.

I had this for a few years but, unfortunately, I had to sell.

It definitely had a fully supported, ramped barrel. Hope this helps.

I have both a Kimber and a Springfield Armory in 1911.
I have a SA Loaded Target in 9mm. It has a ramped barrel. It's a great gun and has been 100% reliable for me.
You should have no compunction about buying one. SA has great customer service and their products are, generally speaking, excellent. I can't even remember them having any recalls, like some of the other manufacturers.
I have two XDMs as well. Also great guns.
My Kimber is a Custom Target II in .45. It has also been 100% reliable. However, a few years ago, I bought a Kimber Commander-size in .45. I had some FTE problems. I eventually sold it. I have read some anecdotal reports of quality issues with Kimbers, but they are strictly anecdotal. (Both my Kimber and my SA are over 10 years old.)
If I were to buy another 1911 today, of the two brands, I would probably give the edge to SA.
Also - Not to confuse you, but you might want to broaden your search to include RIA (Rock Island Armory.) They're made in the Philippines and have a great reputation. I had a 9mm Commander of theirs for awhile; it worked great, but I realized I had no need for it and sold it.
Also - Look at the features you get on each respective gun, like the front sight. I prefer fiber optic for target shooting, and both my Kimber and SA came with basic black steel front sights. So I eventually sent them to Dawson Precision to swap in fiber optic front sights - which costs money. So, see which gun already comes with the features you really want, so you don't have to add more to it.
And of course - Consider buying used vs. new. I am astounded at the new prices nowadays.
PS - People sometimes get caught up in the "specs" of a gun, and many times, it really doesn't make that much difference one way or the other. Like ramped vs. unramped. What matters is whether the gun works as advertised.

My SA loaded is a .45, and not the target model, so I cant comment on the chamber for the 9mm loaded. The .45 is a nice shooting gun right out of the box.

The .45 loaded chamber:


My SA Ronin 4.25” 9mm has been a great gun. This is a tad more no-frills than my Kimber, but it shoots very well. SA also makes the Garrison and the Emmisary models, I don’t know if these fit your wants or not. Here is the Ronin with my matching two-tone Ultra Carry II 9mm.


My Kimber Stainless Target II 9mm is another outstanding firearm. The sights and trigger were dialed in from the get-go, no adjustments needed for either one.


It has been laser-beam accurate for me and 100 % reliable with a variety of 115,124,135 and 147 grain fmj and jhp loads. This is 30 shots of Winchester white box 124 gr fmj at 12 yards. I am sure if I had used a rest the group would have been smaller.


You can’t go wrong with either one, IMHO find one or the other at a price you can’t say no to and buy it. When you do, let us know how it shoots for you.

Stay safe.

It has a ramped barrel, if that's what you're referring to.

Seconding CNobbe, as I just checked my SA Loaded in 9mm -- ramped barrel.

I don't think a ramped barrel means it is not fully supported. I am pretty sure it means the feed ramp is part of the barrel, not part of the frame.

JPSauer said:

has an unsupported chamber

Click to expand...

"Unsupported" is a complicated term.
Typically, all that means is that a portion of the case head is not surrounded by the barrel. So, the case head has to do its job and retain pressure.


In standard pressure ammunition, this is unlikely to be an issue. There's that "maybe" but, there are any number of firearms out there with less-than perfect "chamber support."

I have a couple Springfield PI9134L, (9mm)
#1 (top one) has 70K rounds on it and has been trouble free (other than replacing recoil/firing pin springs but I consider that normal wear)
I liked the first one so much I bought a spare before it goes of CA's stupid approved handgun list.
The fiber optic front on #1 I added, the adjustable rears are factory.
(Diamonds on #1's grip are worn to a polish)

Mine seems to feed everything, 95/100/115/124/147 empty cases....


I haven't shot the Kimber but I can recommend the SA.
It does have a ramped barrel, chamber support looks good to me.
Maybe a tiny bit unsupported at the ramp.


Here is the barrel from one of mine
Sorry if the pics are not great.


PS: #2 has been trouble free as well but only has about 1K on it.

I bought a new Springfield Loaded Target model a few years ago, and have had three of the Kimber stainless Target guns in 9MM. Both the SA and Kimber 9mms used integrally ramped barrels with well supported chambers. My Springfield had reliability and accuracy issues from the start. The three Kimbers functioned reliably from Day 1.

Were I currently in the market for a 9mm 1911 type pistol, I'd go with the Kimber since I've had such good luck with the Kimbers I had before.

I didn't like the full length guide rod either and replaced mine with a short GI rod and plug in a couple of seconds.

It’s just another way people say if it has a ramped barrel or not. There is less material removed from a ramped barrel because the round doesn’t hit the frame first, then transition into the barrel.

It's my understanding that all 1911 barrels with the Wilson/Nowlin or Clark/Para ramp cut are "fully" supported. It's also my understanding that the Springfield Loaded 9mm (and the Kimber, too) use the same W/N feed ramp cut.

The Rock Islands are Para cut if memory serves.

The picture in the post directly above, top right is a good depiction.