Is this a decent 1911?

[crazed_ss]

I did a search, but couldnt find a solid opinion..
I really want to get a 1911, but the thing is I dont have a lot to spend.. still I want a gun that is gonna be reliable and go bang when it should without having a bunch of extra work done to it. The local gun shop is running this ad. Is it a good gun/good price? Will it be reliable out of the box?

 

[Radjxf]

Personally, I'd avoid Kimber and if you must have one, get an older series I. They're nice looking firearms, but way too many MIM parts, Schwartz safety (I think) and they seem to have more reliability issues than some other makers. I stick with only Colts myself, but they have gotten grossly overpriced but do seem to hold their value very well. Best best is probably a Springfield Armory, built better than a Kimber IMO with much better warranty service if you need it. Good luck on your search.

 

[RNB65]

Look at Springfield Armory's 1911s. Kimbers have a limited one year warranty. Springfields have a lifetime warranty and are probably a better value. I just bought a new Springfield Full-Size and I like it a lot.

 

[frank c]

I have a Kimber 1911 CDP custom shop 45 cal.My pistol is about 4-5 years old,it has shot flawless.Mine was in the $1,100 dollar range,new.

 

[crazed_ss]

Personally, I'd avoid Kimber and if you must have one, get an older series I. They're nice looking firearms, but way too many MIM parts, Schwartz safety (I think) and they seem to have more reliability issues than some other makers. I stick with only Colts myself, but they have gotten grossly overpriced but do seem to hold their value very well. Best best is probably a Springfield Armory, built better than a Kimber IMO with much better warranty service if you need it. Good luck on your search

Im not necessarily set on Kimber.. just looking for an all around gun for not too much.. BTW, Hmm.. I've heard of MIM parts, but dont know what they are? What does MIM stand for?

 

[Brian Williams]

For someone with a limited amount of money for a 1911 and Do not forget all the goodies that go with it.
Mags $7 to $20 each
Holster $22 for a cheap nylon, to $100+ for a great leather one.
Cleaning stuff, brushes, rod,
Most of all ammo $125+ a case(just quessing on that cause I reload.) at least $19.95 for 100 rd Wallyworld white box winny.
I highly recommend a Springfield Armory GI model. Get one and shoot it then you will know what upgrades you want. I really like my 1911s mostly bone stock

If you have the money for all you need then the one you suggested is a good one, but it has only a 1 year warranty vs Springfield's lifetime.

Metal Injection Molding is a process for making small parts by powdering metal and a polymer together and melting the polymer and using it to do the initial casting and then heating the part to fuse the metal to finish the part. It is a cheap way to make parts that were originally spec'd as milled ordnance steel.

 

[Master Blaster]

Thats an excellent price, both my customs I and II TLE, were over $700.

My custom target I new in 1999 has run flawlessly for about 10,000+ rounds now, the only thing I have had to replace on it was the recoil spring. Its as tight and accurate as the day I bought it and will give any custom 1911 a run for its money.

My TLEII has also been flawless for about 5,000+- rounds.

I cant even remember the last time I had a misfeed or FTE in either gun, very accurate very reliable. I own three colts and have owned a couple of springfields, I still own a Milspec, which needed to have the extractor replaced at about 2000 rounds, but it runs flawlessly since I put a Wilson bulletproof in it a few months ago.

The Milspec is also a fine 1911 and is $1-200 cheaper than the Kimber but lacks the custom features which can easily run you more then the price difference.

 

[xMetal]

If you want a "traditional" type 1911 around that price, you might consider the Para Ordnance SSP. It should be available for less than $600 from most places and is a very nice piece IMO. I got one as my first real handgun and have been very pleased. I've only had it for about 3 months but have put a fair number of rounds through it with no malfunctions at all (with a variety of ammo).

I think it looks great, is single action/single stack and works well. Very accurate too, from what I can tell.

 

[Ironballs]

I had a custom royal (same as add, but polished slides)... but it was series I not II (potentially better trigger)..

she was flawless, i regret that i had to sell her... ate everything and never complained, awesome accuracy as well, and never needed to touch/mod her in any way...

 

[Shipwreck]

I would buy that gun - IF it has the internal extractor. Kimber has so many problems w/ the external extractors, so around Dec 05/Jan 06, they went back to internal extractors.

 

[Retro]

Yeah, my new Kimber Stainless II has internal extractor. I made a post about it with pictures like yesterday, with overwhelming responses, I must say...

I have owned Springfield GI, RIA, and now Kimber, and I must say that SA GI is overpriced for a gun that functions less reliably than RIA. For $100 more, I would rather go with Kimber Custom II to have all the match-grade parts.

Again, most 1911 requires break-in period (except for RIA, which functioned flawlessly without a hitch since Day 1). My SA GI took almost 600 rds to extract and feed correctly... that is, despite all the magazine spring has been replaced with Wolff spring at Day 1.

I was so glad to have traded that piece in, and regardless how unreliable Kimbers are now rumored to be, it can't perform worse than my SA GI.

Go for the Kimber, the gun feels very different... it seems to be larger than SA GI and RIA, but it could be a optical illusion due to the white Stainless finish. But most certainly, it feels extravagant and definitely a steal for $669.

 

[browningguy]

That seems like a pretty decent price for a pretty decent gun. Kimber, just like all manufacutrers, has had issues at one time or the other. I don't see them as being any bettr or worse than he other mid-range manufacturers.

As for MIM (metal injection moulded) parts I don't really see this as an issue any more. There were problems early on because the process is not as simple as some people like to pretend. Once Kimber understood how to design the parts and the moulds it seems to me like the majority of problems went away. MIM technology has been used in aerospace and other high end applications for many years without a problem so why not firearms.

 

[GRP]

Looks like a good deal to me. Kimber makes great 1911's I have a gold match that runs great. As far as MIM parts every major manufacturer uses them. They all have firing pin safetys also. Springfield uses a light weight firing pin and an extra heavy duty pin spring and a heavy duty main spring. A combination which is prone to lousy triggers and light hits.

 

[crazed_ss]

Cool.. thanks for the responses guys.. I think Im gonna go down to the shop tommorow and feel it. I hate going in the gun shop.. only because it's so hard not to end up buying something .. lol

 

[RNB65]

I hate going in the gun shop.. only because it's so hard not to end up buying something..

Ain't that the truth. I stopped by my gunshop tonight to pick up a can of G96 and some .45 snapcaps. I walked out $171 lighter in the wallet...

Oh well, it's only money...

 

[Master Blaster]

The thing that gets me abouth the MIM question, is that a couple of years ago folks were howling about it, and how they needed to replace the mim parts in their mimbers because they were made out of pot metal and would break. Then the Greek chorus would chime in and suggest Chip McCormick parts becuase they were better people had been using them for years and they were much better than the MIMber parts that came in a Kimber .

Chip McCormick was bought by kimber when they moved to Yonkers, about 10 years ago. They are the same PARTS, Chip McCormick parts are Kimber parts.

Properly done MIM parts are made out of a better steel alloy than cast or barstock parts. Properly done MIM parts have 98% of the density of a FORGED part. A cast or barstock part has about 90% of the density of a forged part. The only thing better than a MIM part would be a forged part. No one is making forged small parts.

Unless there is a defect in the MIM part which will show up quickly, its a better part than a cast or a barstock part.

The hammer in my Kimber shows much less impact wear, than the hammer in my Colt from 1978, and the Kimber has fired three times as many rounds.

 

[hub]

i bought a kimber custom II target last november and i really like it. it shoots very good and ive never had any problems with it. i think i paid about 750. i cant really compare it to others because this is the only one i have owned.

 

[scubie02]

if the Kimber is an internal extractor model and you like it, I'd say go for it, but I agree I'd avoid one of their external experiment models like the plague (the record, I have nothing against external's per se--I have two Smith's with them that have been flawless, but Kimber never seemed to get their's right).
Anyway, Kimber's seem nice and seemed as reliabel as anyone's before the whole external thing.

That having been said, I have tended to favor Springfield's as well--have had several of them at this point and never a problem. I also have a couple of the new smith's that have been very accurate and always go boom.

 

[XLMiguel]

That's a decent price for a Custom. I've owned four Kimbers (3 Series I's in three sizes) and one Series II TacPro. All ran well, were thoroughly reliable, accurate, good triggers, etc. That said SA also makes a fine 1911, and their GI/Milspec might have an edge on price. no bad choices. Good luck.

 

[birddog]

I hear this a lot, but mostly from people who don't have Kimbers:

Personally, I'd avoid Kimber and if you must have one, get an older series I. They're nice looking firearms, but way too many MIM parts, Schwartz safety (I think) and they seem to have more reliability issues than some other makers.

My wife and I have a bunch of cheaper firearms, AND a Kimber Ultra CDP II. The Kimber is beautiful. But it's also flawless, with zero FTF, FTE's in thousands of rounds. Well worth the money, in our opinions. And the other guys I know who own the guns feel the same way.

 

[Ala Dan]

In searching for a 1911A1, I would look closely at Springfield Armorys
MIL SPEC pistol. They come from the factory with useable with 3-dot
sights, and a lowered and flared ejection port. Also, the new ones
have a nice set of laser etched, double diamond cocobolo wood
grips with the "crossed canon" Springfield Armory logo~!

And most importantly, compared to the sale price of the Kimber you
posted; you will have some change left over in order too buy some
ammunition.

FWIW, I recently purchased a NIB Springfield MIL SPEC with these
features; and it only cost me $421 + 9% sales tax. But, you gotta
realize- I sell firearms for a living. Your cost should be somewhere
in the $550 range~!