Kimber Compact CDP II with range report.

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I am about to violate the first rule of posting about a gun purchase without posting pictures, but I cant add them right now.
I am looking for any insight or expierences on the Kimber Compact CDP II since I just picked one up. It was an impulse buy that I had not planned on but I believe that I got a good enough deal on it ($700). It has the internal extracter if that matters. The gun has some wear marks on the finish and it was obvious that it has some rounds sent down the pipe.
I will admit that I'm not a 1911 guy and I didn't do any research before the purchase. The first thing that I did when I got home was search the web to see what I had brought home. I was a little shocked by all the negative that I found about Kimbers and the problems that they had. I always thought that they were top shelf, but it seems that there has been some problems with them.
I began to get worried about the gun an I just had to shoot it. The first loads that I ran through it was some cast 200 grain SWC with bullseye that I loaded for my first 1911 purchase a few years ago (Para GI Expert). My Kimber did not like them at all. It would jam a few times with each magazine (Kimber Mags). I'm not holding this against the pistol since my XD and Glock 30 both chokes on these SWC.
I believe that it is a COL issues and not a gun issue, since the rounds were built around the Para. I managed to get 46 rounds through it before I switched to my Berry's 185 HBRN load with Acc#2. It cycled these rounds without issue. I did have several spent cases hit me in the head and I had to double check to make sure I wasent shooting my glock.

 

[burk]

My old one ate everything, but I did start it out with nothing but 230 gr FMJ factory loads for the first 400 rounds. One thing I did notice was that my ejection patterns approved when I went to Wulff Xpower springs, I do believe most Kimber 4" are under sprung. I would also suggest nothing but Kimber Pro Tac or Wilson 47D mags, stay away from Chip McCormick's, they don't like alloy frames. Also Ed Brown makes a drop in machined snakeskin mainspring housing that looks great on that gun.

 

[340PD]

I have the three inch version and have had no issues with any ammo factory or reloads.

When they first were introduced they offered a version with an external extractor that gave people some issues and I believe they replaced all the slides with the internal version now offered.

One thing I did was swap out all the factory metal followers on the Kimber mags with the rounded polymer Wilson version. The flat metal follower on the Kimber factory mags was chipping the alloy frames of the gun. Whether or not this contributed to the flawless performance of my gun, I do not know.

 

[shooter1]

I've owned a few Kimbers (3). Haven't owned or seen a bad one yet. I still own a Pro Carry 4". It shoots with my more expensive 1911 pattern pistols. It, as well as the 3" Ultra Carry and the 5" Custom Target, were all flawless and accurate. If your 4" won't handle 200gn LSWC, it's a loading problem, not a gun problem. As you are already loading BE powder, try 4.8gns and an OAL of 1.24-1.25 very light crimp. That load is well within published load data. Be sure to chamber check every round to be sure everything is in spec. If that loading won't run in that gun, chances are it won't run 100% with anything.
It has been a great load for any .45s I've tried them in, including a Glock 21 & 36.
I heard all the chatter about metal magazine followers destroying the feed ramp on the aluminum frame. Problem was I had about 3k rds through it by the time I heard. There was zero indication that either the Ultra or the Pro had ANY damage to the frame from the mag followers. Just the same, I had a dozen or so Chip McCormic 8 rounders, so I ordered Night Hawk Custom springs and followers and changed out the metal ones. They work great too.
Good Luck! You have a nice pistol.
str1

 

[G'dale Mike]

I loved my cdp and never had a minute's problem out of it.