Kimber - are they still to be avoided?

[Newton]

I have been looking hard at a Kimber Custom II as my first 1911, they seem reasonably priced and well equipped.

Thing is, most everything I have read over the last 6 months is telling me to avoid Kimber as their QC lately is terrible and the guns are little better than junk.

I also hear that they only offer a 1 year warranty which seems very poor compared to the competition.

So should I risk it, or try the new Taurus PT1911 instead.


Thanks

 

[MICHAEL T]

I hear people say that Kel Tec are junk also. I have 3 and their perfect. If I found a Kimber I liked and at a good price I would buy one. I stopped beliving every thing I read on internet long ago. Are they perfect I doubt it but I sure a lot more work than don't. I know I would buy one over the T brand.

 

[Old Dog]

Kimber - are they still to be avoided?

I must really be out of the loop. I didn't know they were pistols "to be avoided." I've purchased a couple quite recently, a little spendy for production 1911s, but I like 'em.

most everything I have read over the last 6 months is telling me to avoid Kimber as their QC lately is terrible and the guns are little better than junk.

Perhaps you need to spend more time away from the internet and hang out with some actual Kimber owners. Every one of my Kimbers is tight, well-fitted, well-finished and more than adequate in the accuracy department.

'Course, I still hate the plastic MSHs and the fact Kimber has the gall to sell pistols for more'n a grand and only give me one magazine with 'em.

 

[finalcut]

Just buy from a dealer that stands behind their guns if you can. My local dealer has a great return program.

 

[JR719]

I own a Custom TLE RL/II and love the pistol. I carry it for work and have no regrets. Ok, well, it's takes more time to clean than a Glock and I wipe it down after I get rained on. I shoot it better and is more comfortable to hang on too, it fits.

The malfunctions I've had were due to two reasons. The first, I had a bad mag, easy fix. The second... Still have problems with, seem to limp wrist when shooting weak hand, stovepipe. My fault, not the gun.

Works good except when I weak hand shoot. Heavier than a Glock (I like), less ammo blah blah. I shoot it better, more comfortable to shoot, and my scores went up. I wish Safariland could figure out a way to make a 295 holster that will work with a light.

Mine is the internal extractor, no problems with it. Heard the external can give you problems, I don't know, never had one.

 

[Condition Plaid]

I carry a CDP II Compact on a daily basis. No issues.

 

[Texastbird]

Kimber would be out of business by now if their 1911s were as bad as certain critics claim out on the "misinformation highway". I looks at some for my first 1911 but I fell in love with the factory ambi safety and lower price tag on the Taurus, and went in that direction. So far with about 500 rounds through the PT1911, I am very pleased with the performance and accuracy. I'm a little sceptical about the longevity of the finish, however, and that's probably where a lot of the extra money goes on a Kimber.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Thing is, most everything I have read over the last 6 months is telling me to avoid Kimber as their QC lately is terrible and the guns are little better than junk.

I'm sometimes surprised that any gun designed by man functions after reading comments concerning them on the internet. Kimber's won't shoot, Glock .40 cals will inevitably blow your hand off, AR-15s can't shoot a whole magazine without six jams and AK-47s can't hit anything at longer than phone booth ranges.

My personal experience with Kimbers has been that both the two I own have run very, very well. No failures to function of any kind, and both ran fine like that right out of the box, without the usually suggested 500 round break in period, etc. Three of my coworkers also own them (two full size models and one 3" model), and none of them have any complaints either. I can't speak for the quality of Kimbers customer service, having never had any need to use it.

Consequently, I don't have any problem recommending Kimbers. (Don't have a problem recommending Springfields either, or Dan Wessons, which are the other makes of 1911s I have enough personal experience with to have an opinion.) Other peoples' mileage and experiences may vary, but I've found Kimber pistols to be solid performers.

 

[CarpeInferi]

Another Kimber owner with no problems here. Bought mine off a friend back around May and have easily put 5-600 rounds through it since with the only issue being stovepipes with Remington UMC ammo. Every other brand I've tried (S&B, WWB, Federal) have all worked as expected. If the opportunity came up again I'd have no hesitation to buy another one.

 

[glockman19]

Kimber - are they still to be avoided?

NO

Quality Copntrol has improved dramatically. in the last 8 months I have bought 3 Kimbers a Custom II, Ultra Raptor II, & Raptor II, all performed perfectly out of the box. Slight drift of rear sights on the Custom II that the local "Smith" corrected for $10 in 5 min.

Custom was bought for $619, Ultra Raptor II for $1,050 and Raptor II for $1,140. More than 1,000 rounds through each and cleaned after every range visit. 99.9% condition.

I would like to get a Kimber Pro model next. A Pro Raptor, Carry, CDP, TLE.

 

[Walkalong]

My two CDP's (Ultra & Pro) are great. One internal extractor and one external.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've had four Kimbers, three Ultras (3 inch barrel) and one Compact (4 inch barrel) for years.
A couple weeks ago I bought a new Ultra Covert II. No doubt as fine a pistol as I've owned in fifty years.

Friends have about another dozen trouble free Kimbers.

I wouldn't hesitate to grab ANY of these Kimbers in a shooting situation.


The day I brought this new Ultra Covert home I checked the barrel for obstructions and started shooting it. It's exactly what I expected, fine quality, accurate and reliable.
Well, I did have to adjust the laser for 25 yards.

I do need to practice with it a bit though.
(BTW, the 10-02 on the target is the date I loaded that ammo)

 

[45shooter]

Step away from the computer for a while and go shooting.
See what works in real life and not on the internet.
I have couple Kimbers along with Norinco, Colt, etc. and my Kimbers have been perfect. The biggest POS I have right now is the Colt New Series 70... a real dog. Fortunately the Colt was purchased to be used as a basis for a custom work so only the frame and the slide will be used.

don't believe everything you hear on the internet.

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

I love my kimbers....Haven't bought one in 2 years, so I dunno about recent production guns though

 

[Hawk]

I had one Kimber where the safety shattered and the type II parts developed issues. Another Kimber has been fine.

No manufacturer is immune from putting out occasional citrus. If you like it, the chances are on your side it'll be trouble-free.

The advice to go with a dealer that'll stand behind the product is good. Should it have to go back, you don't want it happening on your dime.

When Kimber puts out a good one, which I would guess is the overwhelming majority of the time, it's no more prone to "limp wristing", "ammo sensitivity" or "break-in requirements" than your average Glock, SIG or H&K. If you hear any of those phrases invoked to explain away a problem, don't put up with it. Anything and everything required to make it run 100% should be free from a reputable dealer. This specifically includes aftermarket magazines. I can forgive Kimber only including one magazine provided I don't have to immediately replace it with a Wilson.

 

[CajunBass]

Let me see if I got this straight.

You read on the internet that a particular brand of widget is junk, and should be avoided. So you come to that same internet to ask if that information is true?

Why would be believe one report over the other?

 

[lance22]

Everyone who has ever owned a Kimber has thrown it off a building in disgust.

Just kidding.

I bought a tac II about 15 months ago and I love it - it's every bit as reliable as my glocks, except WAY more good lookin'.

No matter what gun you buy, there are going to be people out there sayin' it's a piece of [deleted]. Find something you like and enjoy it

 

[mljdeckard]

I have owned one and recommended them to everyone I know for years, I have never been told it was bad advice. If you run a search in here, you will find a lot of brand snobs who won't believe anything other than their favorite custom/semi-custom (Les Baer, Wilson combat, Nighthawk, etc) is worth shooting at all. You will find threads with nothing but praise, and nothing but mudballs. MIM parts, poor QC, etc, all of which I have neither seen nor heard of in person.

I bought my Custom II NIB for $630. I added trij's, dropped the full-length guide rod and added Hogue wrap-around finger grips. This plus a Ciener .22 conversion kit, and I think I'm going to be buried with it. The only other thing I might tinker with would be a .400 Corbon barrel.

I shot a $2700 Nighthawk custom mostly for fun, and I know how Vincent Vega felt when he said: "That's the best milkshake I've ever tasted. But it ain't worth $5."

 

[f4t9r]

will warrenty as long as you have it and has always been one fine pistol.

 

[MaterDei]

I own 1 and a half Kimbers.

I have a Stainless II that I bought about 5 years ago and have several thousand rounds though it. It stovepiped once when my 9 year old daugter shot it (limp wristing) and it failed to feed once on a reload that I should have never loaded in the magazine. Other then those two incidents it has been 100% with every type of magazine and ammo I've feed it.

My half Kimber is the 22 conversion kit. It is new so I can't yet speak to its qualify and reliability.

 

[Smithers]

Going against the grain...

I bought my Kimber about a year ago, and it would FTF every 50-200 rounds. I even got a couple of stove-pipes and the occasional brass would fly back and hit me on the head. I sent it back twice to get it fixed (extremely long turn around times.) The first trip stopped the stove-piping and brass kisses, but it continued to FTF. I sold the gun to a co-worker at a loss.

It seems that everyone on this thread has had good experiences with Kimber. I wouldn't buy another one since the whole experience has left a bad taste. But I'm still looking to buy a 1911 (those Ed Browns look nice.) If you don't have one, you owe it to yourself to get one.

 

[ID_shooting]

Yup, talk to Kimber owners: Here is my story, http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=68470

Yes, sometimes things you read on the net are true, but hey, not every kimber is bad, but for as much as they want iether thier guns should be stellar or thier service, as of late, both have been off. And yes, the 1k for the gun but only 1 mag is an issue. 1911 mags are cheap, they are just greedy.

 

[Newton]

The above post is not atypical of what I have been seeing, but the good news appears to be that things have improved QC wise at Kimber.

I think that Internet threads questioning the quality of certain brands invariably serve to make the manufacturer sit up and take notice.

Kel-Tec and KTOG.org are prime examples.

FWIW I plan on trying out a Kimber at the range tomorrow (Bullseye in Pittsburgh as I'm away from home this week) - and I will post the results assuming they have one.

 

[armed85]

The Kimber I had (which I sold) had a slide to frame fit that was too tight. I had to clean it constantly or it would jam. When it was clean, it ran great.

The slide to frame fit on my Colt XSE and New Roll Mark 1991 is just right. I field strip my Colts every 500 rounds and only wipe the powder residue off the feed ramp, around the chamber, and anywhere I can reach without taking the slide off the frame. Both are reliable.

Colts are just as capable of the same practical accuracy and have less MIM parts. The only MIM parts are the sear, disconnector, and magazine release. The grip safety and thumb safeties are cast. The slide stop, hammer, and other parts are machined from tool steel.

Kimber uses MIM for the all the small parts. So too does most every mass produced "factory custom" 1911 maker. I suggest you look at the Taurus PT1911 or a Springfield Armory. The quality of the parts is the same and the Taurus is less expensive.

If you don't want MIM, buy a Colt, Les Baer, or Ed Brown.

 

[gridman]

I recently bought a Kimber Tactical Custom II. It was new, so it has the internal extractor. Put 200 rounds through it so far, and no malfunctions. I'm using Wilson mags with it.

So far it's great. I really like the ambidextrous safety.