Kimber Eclipse Target vs Colt Delta Elite

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PublicEnemy

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Hey everyone, the title says it all. I am in the Market for a 10mm 1911. I ruled out eaa , glock, and dan wesson no longer makes a 1911 10mm. I know several people love to bash kimber, and the other half swear by them. I have heard a few times the rented range kimbers outlast the colts and SAs. I have never owned a kimber, nor a colt so I can not judge either by experiences.

From First look, in my opinion, the kimber looks far more attractive. Probably the reason I am having a hard time with the decision. I have been researching and i would say 65-70 percent of people said buy the delta elite. I know kimber uses MIM parts, so does colt, but kimber has a few more MIM parts. The Kimber comes with adjustable night sights, beavertail grip safety, attractive finish, skeleton trigger and hammer, and front strap checkering, while the colt has none of that. Apparently the colt is more reliable and will last longer? And the kimber more accurate?

So seriously I need some no BS responses with no opinions bashing kimber with no support. I know i could send the colt in to the colt custom shop and have all that stuff installed but it would cost more than the kimber and not sure if it would be worth it anyway.
 
Hmmm.....I own a vintage Colt Delta that I wouldn't take 1K for. It will seriously be the last of my weapons to leave my safe. OTOH, I trust my life to a Kimber UCDP each and every day. I consider myself a Colt guy, but I think you'd be well served either way. I must say, I think the Eclipse the loveliest of 1911s.
 
Bought a Colt Stainless Delta when they first came out (late 80's, I think). Shot it some, until I got my hands on a S&W 1006, then just never shot it. Didn't care for the Colt at all, for the money, it should have been a lot better than it was. Bought a Kimber Eclipse a couple of years ago, very satisfied with it. The Kimber works great with jacketed bullets, have an occasional mis-feed with SWC bullets, but I've not tried too hard to get them to feed, as the S&W gobbles anything. S&W made the best 10's ever, IMHO.
 
Thanks for the replies, yeah I'd love to have one of those smiths, I'd also like to have a glock 20, but I guess my heart just wants a 10mm 1911. I honestly plan on conceal carrying either one of these guns for a while. Right now I'm leaning towards the colt because it's reliability, durability and also the eclipse finish is pretty weak, I know there is the stainless version also.

The colt doesn't have a ambi safety , I'm a lefty, so I'd probably send it off to ge a commander hammer, skeletonized trigger, checkering, and night sights. Does anyone have a guess in how much this would cost from the colt custom shop?
 
That's one of my faults to the Colt. That much work to a Colt will be real close to doubling the price tag. I carry a 4" Eclipse on a regular basis, the finish has held up fine on the four that I have.
 
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Yeah your right, the kimber stainless comes with the hammer and trigger, beavertail grip safety, but no front checkering or ambi safety. I could live without the checkering on the colt. The hammer, trigger, and ambi safety will cost about 170 bucks, then to a good gunsmith to do the rest. No way that will cost 400 altogether?
 
Broker- glad to hear your finish is holding up well. How hard are you on it? Or do you try to be careful?
 
Go Colt DE ...

Old School '80s, box-stock DE ...
delta_001.gif

Vic Tibbets custom DE ...
Delta-1.jpg

New School DE (circa 2009) ...
2009shotshow01152009023qz8.gif

It's all 10mm good ... :D

:cool:
 
Man I love the plain look they have. Before it's all said and done I will have one even if I choose the kimber first. Lol. I guess the only thing I don't like about the kimber is the bashing they take, even though I know several avid gun owners who own them and love them. I just think the colt is a tad over priced for what you get. If colt would just put a little more effort and add a few little extras I would be all over it.
 
PE, this opinion is worth what you are paying for it. (smile)

If I was a lefty my first choice in a 10mm would be a Glock 20SF. It's as ambidextrous out of the box as any gun out there. If you're going reload for the 10 (advisable) get an after market barrel to protect from bulged brass and allow you to practice with cast bullets if you like. YMMV!

Dave
 
Dave T- Honestly, you can not beat the glock 20. Although I'm not a fan of its looks, trigger, or ergo, it does what its supposed to, Shoots. I love the reliablity and how much abuse a glock can take and i must say glock does have the 10mm down and especially for the price. But to me the glock would make a perfect night stand gun or woods gun when im chopping wood etc. not good for ccw lol. I feel i have 10mm fever because every 10mm i see i want. :D . Never thought choosing a 10mm would be so hard, especially since there isnt a ton of manufactures who make them :banghead:
 
Well then, have you considered the Glock 29? I have one and it has replaced my Colt Delta as my woods/vacation gun. The Colt I want to keep rather pristine, so it is now relegated to safe duty. I don't have to worry about uglying up a Glock plus it packs a little easier than the 1911. Also holds more rounds. I shoot 200 gr Double Tap loads almost exclusively.
 
If I had to choose I would say the New colt delta elite I think that thing is Damn Sexy :)

Colt%20O2020.jpg


I want one
 
Dan wesson does have one 10mm model out this year. It is a limited edition. I have seen a few on boards. Do a little hunting.
 
I read the bashing of the kimber and have to smile. I have one and it has spit out over 6k rounds with nary a burp. I had a Colt Commander at the same time but sold it and kept the Kimber. Never regretted it.

When I got my 10, I went with the S&W. Yes, a used 1076 but have enjoyed it just as much as the Kimber.

Of the choice between a Kimber or Colt, I would have to go with the Kimber, but you might want to consider the S&W as well.

Any of the 3 will work.
 
You may consider the Kimber (gasp!). They are good guns, the Eclipse has what you need for a high power gun you probably won't be using for home defense or carry. Even if you do, it is still set up to do the job.

- Adjustable sights. With a 10mm and the possibility of using different loads depending on your needs at the time, adjustable sights will be an advantage;

- Checkering, will enhance recoil stability/control when shooting;

- The beavertail is a definite improvement for extended range sessions. The
A1 grip safety is okay, but the beavertail will also get the gun lower in your
hand for less muzzle flip and faster followup shots.
 
People are going to bash EVERY gun on the market if you read enough. Everyone produces "lemons" but as a whole they are a fine production pistol. You shouldn't regret ever buying the kimber and it will serve you well for a very long time. Really you can't go very wrong with either one though.
 
Dtsdave- I'll definitely do some hunting. I really like dan wesson and heard nothing but good things about them. I could possibly go that route. Is the limited edition like a pm7

Calaverasslim- thanks for the input, thats good to hear

Magnumite- I plan on ccw for this gun occasionally. My main ccw will either be a new glock 23, or a hk p30l v4. Haven't decided yet. I like the fact it's carry ready and definitely the front strap checkering.

Get R Done Guns- your a completely right. I've been trying not to listen to the things I read, because who knows the actual truth behind it.
 
It sounds to me like the OP already has an idea of which one he's leaning toward. Both are good guns and unless you're running thousands of rounds a year through them, I doubt the increased MIM parts of the Kimber will cause you many problems.

I've always been a Colt fan, but I just don't care for the government features of the Delta Elite. Now if it was a Delta Gold Cup, that would be a different story! :cool:

But having never owned a Dan Wesson before, neither the Colt nor the Kimber can hold a candle to the Dan Wesson. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll be able to find a nice DW in 10mm. I've found that most people who own Dan Wessons take very good care of them. Now I'll show off my recent acquisition, a factory two-tone 2009 CBOB in 10mm!

P6180058.jpg

P6180057.jpg
 
Zerodefect- yeah it looks sweet, they have some left on gunbroker, but is it worth 1600? Personally I don't really think so, I think I like the PM7 better,
Especially for the price. And that thread you posted , 2 of the owners where having problems out of 60 guns just in one thread lol
 
The Kimber is a fine choice...I love mine. I can't speak for the Colt because I've never owned one. I'm sure it's a fine choice too....You'll see a lot of internet bashing of different guns by people who have never even owned that particular weapon. The MIM is a non-issue.


Here's my Kimber all dirtied up...why? Because I shoot it and shoot it a lot!

DirtyKimber.jpg

Mine is a 45 but my brother owns a 10mm...it's a gem too. The Eclipse is one of the best looking 1911's out there.
 
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