Kimber (ultra)

[Tactical]

I’ve been going nuts here trying to decide if I should pick up a new Kimber Ultra CDP II or the Ultra Carry II. I had them in hand today for darn near an hour and feel in love with the gun. What an incredible carry gun. The only draw back for the CDP is the stainless slide which does not make for a very tactical element however what an incredibly engineered pistol. One good thing on the Ultra Carry II is the price.

The question I have is how accurate are these Kimber 3" variants? I know they will not be as accurate as the 5" of course. I am purchasing strictly for carry purposes. If these 3†variants are half as accurate as my friends Gold Match I would be very happy because that puppy shoots 10 ring all day long.


How would the Ultra's handle the +P and 45 Super?

 

[22/22mag]

Hi I had an Ultra carry ten 3'' barrel .The 3'' gun shot right on target as well as my Custom Tle 11 and pro carry 4''.The pro Carry had problems at first but when I changed the 14 rd mags to a 10 rd mag they disapeared.
The Custom Tle 5''a few stalls but after 200 rounds now shoots every time .

I had to trade the 3'' Ultra Carry back to Kimber couldn't get through a full mag and after 500-600 rounds I had it,but as I said shot right on target .It seems .45s in 3'' barrels don't work as well.I called Para about their small carry and told them about the Ultra ten 11 and they said that even their 3'' guns had problems and to stay with 4'' or more.

For the honesty of the Para rep,I would by a Para 7.5 after my new gun a Springfield .38 (pimp) gun newness wears off.

Sorry about the rant on my Kimbers.

 

[Car Knocker]

Hmmm, interesting. An Ultra Carry (I) is my main carry piece. Initially had FTF problems that were resolved by using Wilson mags. Haven't had a problem in several thousand rounds since changing mag brands.

 

[9x19]

I have several 3" 1911 style pistols and none have given me any trouble.

The Kimber Ultra CDP is my favorite.

 

[clown714]

not a prob with my 3".

so I went and bought another

clown

 

[Browns Fan]

I agree with Car Knocker. I've had my Ultra Carry 1 for a couple of yrs now. No hiccups after break-in period. It's very accurate, in fact, I shoot IDPA with it. Great little gun!

 

[Tactical]

How tough is it on the hands after a 100 rounds of shooting?

What's the diffrence between the Ultra Carry I and the Ultra Carry II?

 

[Car Knocker]

Tactical,

I usually run a couple of hundred rounds of fairly warm 200 gr LSWC through mine in a range session and don't have a problem with sore hands except maybe a tender thumb from loading magazines. My wife loves it and it lokks like she mabe getting her own.

Series I doesn't have the firing pin safety.

 

[Eric Bryant]

I've got an Ultra Ten that has had a few teething problems (extractor tension, slide stop interference with FMJ rounds that jumped to the front of the mag, loose front sight, slight hang-up with Schwartz/Series II block pin), but nothing was specifically related to the barrel length, and each was relatively easy to fix (the diagnosis tended to be the difficult part, except with the front sight ).

The gun shoots accurately with a variety of 185 gr and 230 gr FMJ and JHP loads in standard and +P pressures. The hotter stuff isn't too bad to shoot, and standard 230 gr loads are downright pleasurable to plink with. My wife managed to put 5 rounds in a 2" group at 50 ft the very first time she handled the gun, if that's any indication of its (and her) abilities.

If you're not afraid to make some minor tweaks, or know a good gunsmith, or are willing to fight a couple battles with Kimber, it would seem to make for a fine compact defensive firearm. From what I understand, the biggest shortfall associated with the 3" barrel is the effect on velocity and terminal ballastics - the 100 fps lost with the shorter barrel can cause problems with hollowpoint expansion with most brands of ammunition. For this reason, something like the 4"-barrel CDP may make sense.

 

[SFriesth]

I have a Kimber Compact, steel frame. I was helping a buddy set up for a Hunters Pistol sillouete match and decided to try a few shots at the 100 meter rams. With my buddy spotting for me I hit 2 rams out of 10. Held some front sight up out of the notch. Short barreled Kimbers are plenty accurate. I have always found my skill the limiting factor in pistol shooting, not the gun.

Never had a problem with sore hands. I agree with Car Knocker, sore thumb from loading magazines is the problem.

No opinion on expanding bullet loads. I just shoot for fun and 230gr FMJ works for that.

Scott