Kimber poll to set the record straight

Never bought one. I have bought a new STI, used Caspian, and a used Para GI Expert. All excellent shooters-knock on wood.

A friend works at a Kimber dealer and has shared the horror stories of their CS, and the nightmares experienced by customers in shipping, etc.. So, I share his thoughts by vicarious ownership experience; should be higher quality and/or customer service level for the prices charged.

Buy one used that's broken in? May be an entirely different ballgame....

my kimber has 4000+ rounds though it. still using the original ~12 year old recoil spring and original factory mag.the only failures i ever have had with it are 2 stove pipes, that i think are related to the cheap bulk umc ammo i shoot

its amazingly accurate, infact its hands down the most accurate pistol i own, better then my target 22/45, browning hi power,Beretta 96 and my old usp45.

Is the record straight yet?

Buy one used that's broken in? May be an entirely different ballgame....

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I'm going to share a personal anecdote to address this. I've hesitated to post this because it's actually about somebody that does occasionally frequent this forum. Hopefully, he won't mind my sharing this....

Right before the Christmas holiday break, a gunnie that I know decides that he wants to buy a bunch of 1911 pistols (all 5", in 45ACP) to put away as future gifts for his not-yet-shooting-age kids. He didn't want to gift the pistols right away, but he'd come into an end-of-year windfall and wanted to spend it while he had it. He decided to buy the pistols and put them away until the time was right to gift them. His one concern was putting them away unfired, since if one/some provided defective he might have issues years down the road in getting them serviced under warranty. He decided to buy them now and shoot 400 rounds ('break-in') through each of them before putting them away. He elected to buy Kimber pistols - many of the Kimber models met the price/feature point that he wanted. In the end, he bought a passel of pistols and started to prep them for break-in and subsequent storage in the back of his safe. Over the last six weekends, I have been helping accomplish this break-in.

To date, I have shot 400 rounds each through:

• Kimber Custom II Stainless
• Kimber Custom II Blued
• Kimber Custom II TLE Stainless
• Kimber Custom II TLE Stainless
• Kimber Custom II TLE-R Stainless
• Kimber Custom II CDP

That means that I fired 2400 rounds of ammo through six (6) NIB Kimber pistols. Ammo used was predominantly S&B 230gr FMJ, with a smattering of 230gr FMJ Aguila and Blazer Brass.

During this break-in shooting, I experienced two (2) stoppages (other than running out of ammo). One of the TLE's and the one TLE-R had one instance each where a round failed to load, and wound up with the rim not quite slid up under the extractor hook in what almost looked like a 3-point jam. (I was moving fast and didn't stop to really examine the jam..) A simple malf drill ejected the offending round, and the round was subsequently fired in a later string without issue. I was using a CMC PowerMag+ magazine and S&B ammo when both malf's occurred.

The only things done to the pistols before firing them (other than oil/grease) was replacing the mainspring housing with a Colt arched unit and replacing the FLGR with a USGI-spec guide rod and plug. (In the FWIW department, C&S is the only outfit that I know of that makes a true USGI plug, and that is what was used in these pistols...) We also used a smattering of magazines; I used my standard and well-used CheckMate/Colt hybrid 7rd units initially but mostly used a bunch of new CMC PowerMag+. We did not make any effort to use the provided Kimber magazines. The pistols were not cleaned during this shooting; they got an initial break-down and lube and then a final clean and lube when the shooting was completed.

So there you have it; I can personally vouch for a sample size of six (6) new 5" Kimber's, none of which needed anything special to get them through their first four hundred rounds. Four (4) of these Kimbers shot 400 rounds without a single issue at all, and two (2) had a single malf. Maybe the shorter barreled variants would provide different results, but I'm pretty well settled on the notion that the 5" variants represent a decent package for the money spent.

Oh, and yes - I got the keep the brass.

My brother has one and I love it wish I had the money to buy my own

I bought one years ago before the prices went crazy. Its a custom stainless target that shoots great and is comfortable enough to shoot all afternoon. It had a little teething pain at first FTF where the slide would not close completely. I called Kimber they told me to change the slide spring. After I did that its been a great shooter.

My Custom II just passed 700 rds. flawlessly.

It's interesting that there are more people who say they would not buy a Kimber based on what they've read (presumably on web forums) than there are people who own the gun and are unhappy with it.

I don't have an opinion here since I don't care much for the 1911 platform. I just think the poll shows the power of negativity over positive experience.

My physical experience with a Kimber has been one, a very well made one, before the move out of Oregon. Did not get to fire it, but was VERY nice in the hand.

As they left my state for New York, and now New Jersey... (No offence meant, but Newark left a lasting impression with me !!) it's a bit more polarizing with the few other owners here I've talked to.

Apparently, for many of us Oregonians, anything they made after they left us is Junk Kind of hard to find unbiased opinions locally.

I'll admit however to being tempted at times by their entry level models, mostly because I prefer to buy US made products if possible before foreign.

I voted no. I've had three of them and three of them were problematic, each in their own special way.

Eclipse Target II - VERY picky about mags and ammo.

Royal II (before Kimber offered them with Turnbull bluing) - lots of issues with the Series II safety, on multiple occasions with a round in teh chamber I would get on target and squeeze the trigger only to meet with a click rather than a boom

Desert Warrior - VERY loosely fit, but fed fired and ejected everything, experienced small parts breakages (slide release and thumb safety in particular) within the first 1500 rounds of a gun that was purchased BNIB from my local Kimber "Master Dealer".

Never again will I own a Kimber or recommend them to another.

Bought a 3" version in 2007. What a jamming POS it was. Beautiful pistol, but after two trips back to Kimber I would never trust my life to it. Yes, it was kept clean and lubed and no, I didn't limp wrist it at all. FMJ's would jam often and duty rounds were jamming every other shot, this was after being "worked on" by Kimber.

I've owned my Kimber Custom Defender II for 10 years. I bought it used so I have no idea how many rounds were fired thru it. I've fired just about every type of ammo thru it.I've shot thousands of 200gr LSWC and 230gr JRN rounds of my reloads thru it. It has had exactly one fte. (A-MERC case I knew was bad. I just wanted to see if it would work.) No parts breakage. No failure to feed. No failure to fire. One failure to extract. Thats with Chip McCormack, Kimber, and no-name gunshow mags. I shot 1,000 of my reloads thru it with no cleaning or maintainance except keeping the rails oiled with Colt gun oil. I think I have a keeper. YMMV.

My Kimber Ultra CDP has been my EDC for over 8 years. I'd say that's a pretty good recommendation as I doubt many carry anything they're not 100% sure about. I fired it for 250 rounds when I first got it, then strapped it on. It's never failed, even though the 3" is the most maligned. It now gets shot anywhere from 14 rounds to 1 box of HydraShoks depending on how badly I shoot. I doubt I've put more than 28 rounds through it in any one range trip, as it's simply the most accurate out of the box weapon I've owned, and it completely outclassed the HK USPC it replaced. I've owned only one Kimber, mostly because I'm a Colt guy. But there's no doubt I got one of their best. Based only on this, I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

I did nearly choke on the $950 I paid for it. But if I knew then what I know now, it would have been easier on the wallet.

I didn't vote because

you had nothing that came close to my feelings on the subject. I think that all in all they are good guns but, they are overpriced. Don't get me wrong, I own five of them, but I didn't buy any of them new and probably won't ever own a new one. I generally get them for about 60-75% of new in like new condition. I have two duo-tone Taurus PT 1911's that I paid $600(new) and $400(barely used). I can't see spending $200 more for a bare bones Kimber Custom that probably won't shoot as well as my Taurus guns.

800+ rounds through CDP 3" which I is my EDC. Three failure to battery in first 50 rounds. No worries since with all types of ammo and mags and more accurate than me.

My custom II has been 100% reliable out of the box and is extremely accurate. I think it's a great 1911 value for the $679 before tax price I paid for it. Only thing I didn't care for were the all black Novak sights so I put 3 dot night sights on mine.

Update: Just passed the 1000 round mark with nary a hiccup. No problems to report.

I didn't vote as I didn't see a relevant option.

I own more than one and they never given me any troubles, although the recoil springs on the Ultra Carry need to be replaced a lot more often than on the larger 1911s, but I wouldn't really recommend them as I think you can do as good for less money or better for the same money.

But then I'd say the same thing about Colt, who IMHO have been living off their reputation for a very long time now. My first Colt was about my worst gun ever and why I learned to be a pretty decent 1911 mechanic to get it to run. Buy a Colt if you plan to sell it later, buy something else if you plan to shoot it a lot.

They're "ok" for the money, in my opinion.

The barrel looks like stainless steel, but it's actually carbon steel in the white with no protective coating or finish. If you don't keep all surfaces of the barrel coated with oil, it will rust.

The thumb safety, grip safety, hammer, sear, trigger, and just about everything else is metal-injection molded (MIM). For under $1,000 MIM is acceptable, but don't pay over $1,000 for MIM parts.

Their magazines suck.

They're not known for great customer service.

If you run into problems:

1. Buy good magazines.
2. Make sure the extractor is tuned properly. It's pretty easy to do yourself. Google tutorials on "1911 tune extractor".

If the above does not fix your problems, don't even bother with Kimber's customer service. Find a gunsmith to help you.

Good luck.

"The barrel looks like stainless steel, but it's actually carbon steel in the white with no protective coating or finish. If you don't keep all surfaces of the barrel coated with oil, it will rust."

This varies model by model. My Gold Match II has a stainless steel barrel.

Don't see a poll choice so I'll respond without voting:

There has always been enough negative feedback on Kimber that I probably would never recommend one to anyone. I believe the old adage "Where there's smoke, there's fire" and don't necessarily believe that Kimber's reputation is a bad rap based on the "fact" (I've heard it a million times) that "they sell more than anyone else, so they have more problems". Sorry, not buying into that theory.

Having said all of that, I probably would not risk buying ANOTHER Kimber. Yes, I have one (Ultra CDP II) and yes, I carry it - almost every day. It has never failed in any way, and is very accurate. But, I have purchased four 1911 pistols since, and have never had the urge to own another Kimber. Maybe I'm being too hard on Kimber, but again - I'm not willing to risk getting a lemon and for the kind of money Kimber charges, I'll stick with Colt.

Edit: Just want to add that I also do not buy into the "all Kimbers are junk" mantra. I'm sure they fall somewhere in between, I just don't have the burning desire to own another.

I believe the old adage "Where there's smoke, there's fire" and don't necessarily believe that Kimber's reputation is a bad rap based on the "fact" (I've heard it a million times) that "they sell more than anyone else, so they have more problems". Sorry, not buying into that theory.

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http://www.atf.gov/statistics/download/afmer/2010-final-firearms-manufacturing-export-report.pdf

Colt @ 29331 (1911s)
Springfield @ 12592 (various 45ACPs)
S&W @ 9323 (1911s)
ParaOrd @ 16726 (1911s)
Sig Sauer @ 63092 (various 45ACPs)
Remington @ 11017 (1911s)
CZ/Dan Wesson @ 3542 (1911s)
Kimber @ 85991 (1911s)
Ed Brown @ 1876 (1911s)
Les Baer @ 2540 (1911s)
Nighthawk @ 1439 (1911s)
Wilson Combat @ 1952 (1911s)
STI @ 253 (1911s)
Glock @ 10502 (various 45ACPS)

As long as Dan Wesson keeps making 1911's, I see no reason to buy a Kimber.

Kimber Custom II, no problems, accurate

Kimber Ultra Carry Raptor, doesn't like to feed first HP from a fully stuffed mag, one short feeds fine, (tried different mags, same thing), VERY accurate

Kimber TLE/RL, no feeding problems, grouped like a shotgun, tried lots of ammo, same thing.

Don't know if I would go out of my way to buy another one (Ruger is next on my list) but I would trade into one.

Just remembered, I traded into one commander size and haven't shot it yet.