Is there any quality to Kimber's Custom Shop and their new Super Carry Custom HD?

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kuma

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I posted a little while back about choosing between an Ed Brown, a Dan Wesson and a Kimber. I was about to goto a gun show, and when i did i found the 1911 choices to be very underwhelming. There wasnt a Dan Wesson or Ed Brown to be seen. If the Kobra Carry was there, it would already be here with me, but since then I had a car issue causing me a little set back in the gun fund.

I know a guy who runs a shop and is liquidating inventory and wants to sell me the new Kimber Super Carry Custom HD at the price of 1200. I still kind of want to hold out for the Kobra Carry and save for another month or two.

Can anyone speak on the quality of Kimber's custom shop? Is it really as terrible as everyone says?

And should i just stop second guessing myself, shut up and wait for the Ed Brown? :banghead:

Sorry to beat a dead horse with this topic. I just want to know if Kimbers Custom Shop makes reliable 1911s. I know the fit/finish may not be up to snuff with the EB, but is that worth doubling the price? And would a VBOB be a much better choice at not that large of a price jump?

Thanks in advance.
 
Kimber does not have a real custom shop. All their guns are production guns off the same lines. There is nothing custom about it. DW is better but I would save for the Ed brown.
 
Okay, I kind of figured. A shop near me will sell the Kobra with Gen III to me for 2435 no tax or any other fees so it will be that out the door. That a fair deal in your opinion?
 
Kimbers low end basic Custom II is built every bit as well as Kimber high end guns from what I've seen. Now some of the high end guns may have a few cool parts.

Bottom line for me. If you want a Kimber, get the cheapest one. Custom II, TLE II, Pro TLE II, etc. A $700-800 Kimber is a fine gun. A $1300 Kimber deosn't make any sense to me. Spend the extra for the higher end fitted 1911's.

If you can swing it for a Dan Wesson Valor, Ed Brown, or Les Baer...........then do so. I doubt you'll be disappointed with any of those.



I could buy an Ed Brown sight unseen. But with the Dan Wesson or Les Baers, I'd want to hold it and inspect it myself before buying it. Unless I was buying it unseen from a reputable custom 1911 tuner like Severns Custom. And that makes sense anyways because i have special tastes when it comes to sights, safeties, and finish. So sometimes buying from a 1911 smith saves me time, he can fix it to my personal spec before I ever even see it.
 
That is about right. he last time I priced one it was OTD for right around $2400 no tax + $10 transfer.
 
kuma said:
Okay, I kind of figured. A shop near me will sell the Kobra with Gen III to me for 2435 no tax or any other fees so it will be that out the door. That a fair deal in your opinion?
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Fair deal? Well that depends on how much money you think the shop should make off the sale. My LGS charges me about $200 (OTD) below the listed price shown on Ed Brown's website regardless of the model or options. When you consider that all he has to do is send an email to Ed Brown and fill out a form when I pick up the pistol, it's easy money.

You will LOVE the Kobra if you buy it.


kuma said:
Can anyone speak on the quality of Kimber's custom shop? Is it really as terrible as everyone says?
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I have a Stainless Pro Raptor II from Kimber's "Custom Shop". I have zero complaints. It's proving to be a really good 1911 and I have no regrets at this point. It was surprisingly well put together from the factory with a properly fit barrel, very good slide to frame fit, the mag release and thumb safety were excellent and the trigger was better than just good. I bought it as a project pistol so have changed all the internals to Ed Brown parts and I really enjoy shooting it. It has a 4" barrel and no barrel bushing but it didn't get the memo that it's supposed to be unreliable. :rolleyes: It even made easy work of 100 rounds of a problematic 185gr LSWC load last weekend. If it can eat that stuff it can eat anything!!
 
i'm not a huge fan of browns, but i would take one over any kimber "custom shop" in a heartbeat. i don't think the two are even in the same galaxy as far as quality is concerned.

i think the springfield armory custom shop beats both.
 
Yeah, but with Springfield Armory arent you basically looking at the professional or bust if youre going for a Kobra Carry equivalent? And I tried to get the guy to go a bit lower on the Kobra Carry, but he said that Ed Brown Prices were "Firm" and taking the tax off was the best he could do, guess thats not exactly right..ha
 
I would absolutely LOVE to get a dan wesson cbob... As of the current however, I have a kimber TLE II. Surprisingly problem the only hand gun I own that has not had a jam. Wonderful feel, fit between the frame and the slide is great, overall just a great gun. Can't speak of their "high end" guns and mine is also a few years old now (though it is a II seires). My father had an old I series gold match that was a beautiful and flawlessly functioning firearm
 
I would take a Kimber over a Taurus, a Springfield over a Kimber and a Brown over a Springfield. Just my personal experiences.

I'm sure DW makes a fine 1911, but a horrible CS experience prevents me from mentioning the full name.
 
EddieNFL said:
I'm sure DW makes a fine 1911, but a horrible CS experience prevents me from mentioning the full name.
Click to expand...

The problem with DW 1911s is that some are way better than others ... typical of production 1911s. There's no dealer where I am so I had to have my LGS order a Valor and V-Bob. I didn't get lucky and it's taken me a lot of work to get them to where they should be, but I'm finally starting to enjoy them. The list of problems included barrel movement when in battery for both of them, an impossibly stiff thumb safety on one and a non-functioning mag release on the other. In addition, burrs inside both frames that were gouging and dragging on the magazines during insertion and ejection and also on the triggers. If you're lucky enough to buy a good DW then they really are excellent 1911s for the money, almost Ed Brown good for a few hundred less. However, when you buy a semi-custom 1911, you shouldn't need to be lucky and so the extra cost is worth it to me.
 
Springfields custom shop is commendable. Unfortunately they are starting off with a Springfield though.

The end product is nowhere near an Ed Brown (usually)

If your really picky then any 1911 is going to need to end up in the hands of a good smith eventually.


OP: Read this:
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=321236
(Note: You're welcome to see a DW bias in the above review, but this guy makes a living fixing 1911's, so he should be biased towards finding flaws, not ignoring them, not to mention he deos excellent custom work)
 
Awesome, I have a lot to think about. I guess if I was going to get this Super Carry HD custom, I might as well spend a bit more for the DW or Baer, and if Im going to spend a bit more, i might as well spend a bit MORE on the EB, ha. I just wish I could talk the guy down a bit bc from what Ive heard from people, and on this forum, is that they can go for 2200.

Ive had the opportunity to hold a SA Custom carry and the fit wasnt that great for me. Wish I could have fired it but I wasnt at a range.

How much better is the Kobra than the Baer Custom Carry?
 
I own a Springfield, Kimber, and a Llama wannabe. The Kimber is now fitted with a Ed Brown barrel and bushing, along with a trigger job. Of the three the most accurate are the Kimber, and the Llama, that is shooting from a rest not unsupported as I now shake to much.
 
Yeah Im kind of starting to wonder if I should get a cheaper model and upgrade with a few EB parts. But at the same time, while this Kimber Super Carry HD has the 'carry melt' I wonder how it will hold up vs. EB's Gen III coating. Anyone have personal experience on that?
 
kuma said:
Awesome, I have a lot to think about. I guess if I was going to get this Super Carry HD custom, I might as well spend a bit more for the DW or Baer, and if Im going to spend a bit more, i might as well spend a bit MORE on the EB, ha. I just wish I could talk the guy down a bit bc from what Ive heard from people, and on this forum, is that they can go for 2200.

Ive had the opportunity to hold a SA Custom carry and the fit wasnt that great for me. Wish I could have fired it but I wasnt at a range.

How much better is the Kobra than the Baer Custom Carry?
Click to expand...

The Kobra will be prettier and a hair more accurate for the first 500 rounds until the Baer loosens up.

Baers are all about being a tool and have that look. But they can be prettied up when they become due for a refinish.
 
How much better is the Kobra than the Baer Custom Carry?
Click to expand...

It is not that one is better than another they are different. They were built using a different philosophy and a different approach.

The Kobra is as much a work of art as much as it is functioning 1911. The finish on a Ed Brown is incredible. That is why they cost what they do. It is the time that the goes into the finish IMHO that brings up the price. Their fit is also very good. The one downside is that the barrel is not hard fit. Some people report avg accuracy from them but that has not been my experience but I am not a 3" 50 yard shooter. They are the best looking of the semi-customs.

The Les Baer IMHO is a working mans semi-custom 1911. They are not as pretty. They are more utilitarian. They have a much more serious business type look. What they do have going for them is a hard fit barrel. Which makes them more accurate than other semi-customs.

Really you cannot go wrong with either but you need to match your aesthetic to the gun.
 
I had a Super Carry Pro and the finish quality was terrible. So was th reliability. I sent it back and was told the finish was "within specs." They did some very low quality work to "fix" the reliability. I posted a thread on it previously, with pictures.

If I'd had the money for a Brown, I'd have gone that route. Now I just wish I'd spent a tiny but more for a Dan Wesson. Had to take a loss on the Kimber, and will never buy another.

Notice the terrible attention to detail and the nice gouge below the feed ramp the "Custom Shop" put there when they tried to fix it. I was told specifically that the "Custom Shop" had done the work. Only took about 7 weeks round trip for this "custom" repair to get back to me, too. :rolleyes:

Also notice the frame wear with only 850 rounds through it. They use too soft an alloy. I have other aluminum framed 1911s (not Kimbers) with none of those problems, even with over 3x the round count.

KimberSCPaftermathsampling.jpg
 
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To the OP, if you are leaving Springfield, Wilson and Nighthawk from your list, you are making a mistake. The Springfield Pro is the best 1911 I've ever seen or fired, and their custom guns aren't much different. Also, the TRP is a very nice gun for the money. I wouldn't recommend against the guns you listed, other than the Kimber, but don't limit your options at all with the 1911. There are so many great ones out there to be had. ;)
 
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SnowBlaZeR2 +1....

I am not a big Springer fan but their custom shop does nice work and is a "real" custom shop vs Kimber. While not much choice in 1911s I cannot really call it the wrong choice....

There are so many great 1911s on the market it is hard to choose just one. The OP also did not state what they will be using the gun for. To me this goes a long way to dictating what gun to choose.

Many of the best are guns most people have never heard of. For example the Pistol with no Name from Guncrafter which runs about $2500

pwnn_right_700.jpg


pwnn_left_700.jpg
 
rellascout said:
SnowBlaZeR2 +1....

I am not a big Springer fan but their custom shop does nice work and is a "real" custom shop vs Kimber. While not much choice in 1911s I cannot really call it the wrong choice....

There are so many great 1911s on the market it is hard to choose just one. The OP also did not state what they will be using the gun for. To me this goes a long way to dictating what gun to choose.

Many of the best are guns most people have never heard of. For example the Pistol with no Name from Guncrafter which runs about $2500

[]
Click to expand...


I'm so glad my credit cards are in a block of ice in my freezer.
 
I've heard great things about those Guncrafters, and would love to get my hands on one some day to see if they live up. No one I know has one and I have never seen one.
 
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