kimber custom II.....

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

brian923

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
676
i see a couple of these for sale around my house, and i think that they look like a pretty good gun, but i keep seeing posts about kimbers not being what they are said to be? i thought that they were a reputalbe gunmaker, but these post's are making me kinda nerves. i like that i can get a kimber 1911 for 550.00$. i think its used, but it doesnt have any scrathes, or dings to speak of. are these good pistols? the only info i can find on the custom II's are from the kimber website. are these pistols parts interchangable with other 1911 parts? i.e. safties, firing pins, ect.....


thanks guys, brian
 
I would say they're good guns. I have a Kimber TLE II, which is a Custom II with factory night sights and a checkered frontstrap. It's been great. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Parts are interchangeable as far as 1911s go. What I mean is that there are certain parts that need fitting regardless in this design. Most aftermarket parts are oversized to accomodate variances in manufacturer's tolerances.
 
the custom 2 that i have shot was an excellent pistol, nice trigger, accuarte as i could hold. my only complaint was that they didn't have any dots on the sights just black front and rear which is just fine for the intended purpose of the gun. though the blacked out sights were something new to me it took no time to get used to em, and hit right where i aimed everytime.
 
just my experience, <$0.02

i used to have a TLE/RL II. very accurate, no reliability issues that i experienced after break-in. wish i could say the same for the glock rail light i foolishly scored with the package deal. sold the TLE as i did not like the reassembly characteristics of the firing pin block mechanism, or the cure for a problem that doesn't exist extractor.

the frame mounted firing pin block plunger DID catch in the firing pin retainer plate slot if one dissassembled the slide when new. cured same by filing ramps on both sides of milled slot.

THIS IS WHY MOST KNOWLEDGABLE BOXCAR USERS REQUIRE AT LEAST 200 ROUNDS BREAK IN BEFORE BETTING THEIR ASSETS ON THE 1911 SYSTEM. with/without the firing pin safety, i prefer 500 rounds. feel the need to point out that i HAVE had reliability probs before generating 500 empty cases with colt, kimber, and springfield.

also, it is NOT {IMHO} out of the realm of "real world" considerations that one could have the need to field clean the frame, without access to tools. i find this nearly impossible in "morphed" non-JMB original designs. the man's genius is best displayed in the OEM 1911 system. it has all the tools needed onboard for complete take-down except for the grip panels. this is a moot point as they have no bearing on the mechanical function of the pistol.

as far as the ~BROKE-IN~ TLE II going "BANG" when the sear released and cycling in a fresh round, not ONE problem that wasn't cured by tossing a magazine over my shoulder. [again, kimber, colt, sprgfld.]

....i don't know what the difference is between myself and others, but have had NO reliability issues after break in with 3 kimbers i have owned.

gunnie

just remembered, a friends 11-A1 colt commander had probs with an OEM plastic overtravel adjustable trigger that had either moved from factory setting, or wasn't set properly at factory. it engaged overtravel screw before sear. resulted in 10+Lb trigger pull. also, the mainspring housing required a screwdriver levered against the grip saftey to force it out of the mount slots. mr. dial caliper revealed the housing to be an average of .009" wider than the other housings i removed from other handguns that went in with no strain. ended up stoning the flats and retainer rail for a somewhat less forcefull R&R drill. i doubt it was parkerizing induced as it became bare, polished metal before the desired results were obtained. told him to get another housing, or send back to sammy c's for replacement.
 
Last edited:
I have a Kimber Custom II. It is a good gun--accurate, reliable, and well made. My brother and cousin are looking to buy pistols and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this model to them.
 
Kimbers tend to take a beating on the 'net. Because of this I almost did not buy one. Then a friend picked up a Pro Carry II. I shot it and liked it. I warned him it would jam like crazy for at least the first 500 rounds because that is what I read. Here's what happened:

Never a jam. Once the slide locked back with rounds still in the magazine. He called Kimber and they sent him a new slide stop. No troubles since. My buddy is no sharpshooter but he did hit a clay with that Pro Carry II at 100 yards. Took him 4 tries from a bench. Sure, it was a lucky shot. But I was amazed that short Kimber did it.

Two months later I traded in a stainless Springfield Armory Mil-Spec for a Kimber Stainless II. The Kimber is a much better weapon than the Springfield. I really like my Kimber. Good trigger, good accuracy, I like the black sights. And to think I almost didn't buy one.

I think there have certainly been some problems with some Kimbers. All the stories can't possibly be made up. But I also think there is a lot of piling on, a lot of "Kimbers suck!" with some of these people shouting their negativity without ever actually owning a Kimber.

Go ahead and get the Kimber. I'm betting you'll be happy with it.
 
I have Four Kimbers a Custom II and Pro carry II, Ultra and full size Raptor II's.

I got the Custom II because I loved the Raptor II so much I wanted another gun just to shoot a lot.
 
I have a custom II, i love it.

It's been reliable for me, fires almost everything I've fed it.

Only issues I ever had are with 4 rounds of Blazer Brass 230gr FMJ that just didn't feed or eject properly. But then I shot about 1200 rounds of Blazer Brass so far, so 4 rounds out 1200 isn't bad!

I've shot 200 rounds of range reloads, 200 rounds of WWB JHP, 50rds of Gold Dot, 100 rds of Hornady TAP 230gr JHP +P, 200rds of hand loaded Golden Saber 230gr, 50rds of Federal 165gr Hydra-Shok and about 500 rds of Fiocchi 230gr

No issues with those rounds, I always keep a log of how many shots I fired at the range and mark any issues. The 4 rounds that jammed happened somewhere after 700 rounds have been shot off.
 
johnle

if you are buying your blazer brass case from wally world, [as did i before the recent price hike], i have noticed that some of these bullets will push back into the case when feeding from the mag to bbl. not sure if same is due to soft electricly applied jacketing metal or loose crimp.

on the up side, they do deform much better than FMJ. :)

gunnie
 
I love my Kimber

I own an Ultra CDP that I use as my primary carry weapon. I love it. The action is smooth and have had no problems with it in the 6+ years I have owned it.

One thing to beware of- you are researching something on the internet. That means you will find a lot of negativity without necessarily having all of the facts. This forum is a great resource for doing research, but you must also filter that information. Not everyone gets on a forum to explain how happy they are with something; more people will get on one to complain about a product, experience, etc. You will find folks out there that love "their brand" and do everything to promote it- including dogging the other guys. While this is not the rule, it does happen.

Go to a range / dealer that rents the weapons. You will get a chance to shoot a broken-in and (more than likely) abused weapon to evaluate for yourself. Go to your local range or gun club and ask around if anyone shoots Kimbers. Keep researching on the internet, but use your best judgment when evaluating the responses.

Best of luck on whatever you choose.
 
Kimbers biggest problems seemed to be external extractors and a recent issue with their finish. Mechanically, an internal extractor gun should be fine. They tend to be overpriced in my neck of the woods, but I wouldn't snub one that was priced competitively.
 
I have an Eclipse Custom II, and I love it. Yes, it is the most expensive pistol I have ever bought, but that puppy can shoot.

Pretty too.
 
They tend to be overpriced in my neck of the woods, but I wouldn't snub one that was priced competitively.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I consider the Kimber Custom II and the Springfield Loaded comparable when it comes to features. Here in California Loadeds seem to be more expensive than Custom IIs.
 
I've had my Custom 2 for about 3 months with 1800 rounds of FMJ and JHP through it. I bought it used for $670, the gun maybe had 50 rounds through it before the original owner gave it up. The original no-dot sights sucked but were ok. After I replaced them with night sights, I'm way more accurate now, especially at 25 yards. It's only issue is with the cheap Blazer Brass from Walmart. It can shoot 5-6 boxes with 3-4 FTFs one day, then go back with a couple more boxes and it can jam on half a magazine. Feed it good ammo and its a problem free. No cheap stuff, but blazer ammo is good for clearing drills.

My brother has a ss Pro Carry and its great to shoot, just don't feed it Fiochi ammo, every other round is an FTF. My Custom 2 will eat Fiochi all day no problems.

Get that Kimber if you haven't already, you'll be glad you did.
 
I've also got a Custom TLE II (blue, non-rail, internal extractor); as someone else noted, basically the same as the Custom II w/night sights and FS checkering. Great pistol, 100% reliable from day one and very accurate.

Don't be scared off from a Kimber purchase by what you read on the net (at least visit the Kimber forum on 1911forum.com and see what actual Kimber owners have to say).

I'm puzzled by those who claim problems with Blazer Brass. I got a great deal of a couple cases of this, and have shot thousands of rounds through various 1911s, including a couple custom and high-end pistols -- never had a single problem with the stuff. FTFs could indicate a magazine problem or perhaps another easily curable adjustment in the pistol.
 
I like Blazer Brass too. It shoots without problems in my Custom II and LB Concept II. It's probably just a case of a gun not liking it.
 
I have two Kimber's. a Custom II and Custom II Tactical. Both are awesome pistols. It is hard to decide which one to carry since they both are remarkably acurate. It seems like they hit everything I aim at with no effort at all.
 
I just got a Kimber Custom II about 2 weeks ago and I love it so far. This is probably one of the most accurate pistols I've shot right out of the box and has a very solid feel to it. My only problem was when I got it I bought 4 boxes of Blazer Brass which would FTF about every 2-3 clips...At first I thought "Oh no, the internet was right...This thing is a Jam-o-matic", but then I switched to Monarch (academy house brand) and haven't had any problems since. If you get one I would reccommend trying out different ammo until you find out which one is right for your gun.
 
i am going back between this kimber and a polymer 45. but i think that i will stick with the kimber for my 1911 choice. thanks guys. ill keep you all posted as which i am going to buy. i have just found out about taurus's 24/7 long slide 45, and its much like the OSS that i really want. and its only around 370.00$ a little bit more in my price range, but i will seriously give the kimber custom II a good look. thanks again, brian
 
As for the blazer brass that mentioned above, most of the time my Kimber likes it and other times it doesn't. The last range trip with it was a mix of blazer brass, 2 WWB 100rnd packs and 2 bags of the local range reload. Sometimes I take the 8-rnd mags and sometimes the 10rnd mags. It ate the reloads just fine, 2-3 FTFs of the first 50 of the WWB and the other 150 no problems. The first 3 boxes of blazer brass fed just fine and the last box gave me the most problems. As for JHP, it fed all 400 except for 1, which was the last round in one magazine, and so I quite sure it was the magazine on that one. But as I said earlier, my brother's Pro Carry does not like Fiochi at all, but feeds other brand reliably. If anyone has any suggestions as to what could be a possible culprit with the blazer brass, I definately would like to hear them.



EDIT: Forgot to mention, Fiochi ammo feeds just fine in my Custom 2.
 
Last edited:
Old Dog & kamagong

maybe just different lots of ammo? my FTF's with blazer were from bullet set back while feeding. these are the only jams from easily 2K rounds bought when wally world sold same for under $12. can only recall about four that did so, but feel safe saying <5. still, pretty good odds for nearly reloading costs in store bought new ammo.

not magazine related as same ammo worked fine when bullet stayed put.

positive side, as mentioned above good jam clearing practice.

gunnie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
Kimber Custom II - Opinions? Experiences?
Replies
17
Views
1K
MCNETT
M
T
  • Locked
Experiences with Kimber Custom II?
Replies
16
Views
1K
AAChang
A
V
  • Locked
Should I get it? Kimber Custom Target II
Replies
2
Views
422
target1911
T
J
  • Locked
Kimber Custom II vs Springfield loaded
Replies
16
Views
1K
Justang
J
JCSC
  • Locked
Kimber opinions
2 3 4 5
Replies
105
Views
4K
Casefull
Casefull
Back
Top