Looking at my first 1911

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

crewchief

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
206
Location
Outside of Toledo
I am going to be coming into some extra cash here in the next week or so and my Wife, god love her, said why don't you get that 1911 you have always wanted.:neener: So I have been doing reserch for a long time and I think I want this:
http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/eclipse/eclipsetarget.php

She has all of the features that I am looking for except a beveled mag well. So I was wondering if anyone out there has one, or can vouch for Kimber in general. BTW if you are going to mention something semi custom like a Les Baer forget in I have a limit of $1000.

Joel
 
I'm a Colt guy, recommend them to anyone to anyone who will listen. That said, I have had a Kimber in my stable & it was a nice pistol...100% reliable, dependable and above avg. accuracy. If this is the pistol you like, I think you'll be happy w/ your purchase.
 
I think the Kimbers are fine pistols, but I have recently fallen in love with the S&W models. You should definitely check them out. They cost about the same with the most expensive model I have seen is the Doug Koening model for 950 dollars.
 
I hope this helps. I'm sure there are some who would disagree, but this is the conclusion I have come to from my own experience.

You must get a 1911 if you have always wanted one. You can always change your mind and sell if it doesn't live up to the legend.

You might consider a Springfield Mil Spec. At about $300 less than a basic Kimber, it is a lot of gun for the money. If you don't already know, the Mil Spec is NOT the same as the GI model. This is something even the gun shop may not make clear to you. The biggest functional difference between the two is more visable sights on the Mil Spec.

The Kimber is an excellent pistol. It comes with all the extras you need. Understand the Eclipse model you are interested in looks nice, but is functionally not any better than a basic full size Kimber. If the extra cost is worth it to you, go for it. I think the Kimbers are better than the Springfields (when comparing apples to apples). I'm sure you will get many different opionions on what is best. Compare two side by side and draw your own conclusions.

Les Baer and other high end 1911's are nice, but not necessary. If you are planning to compete in competition, it might be worth it, but a basic Kimber very accurate as is.
 
Thanks guys, so I will open it up a little here and ask what Kimber's do you like in the $1000 range. I do like stainless, but the wife thought the above was pretty so I thought it was a nice compramise for the permission:uhoh: Anyhow I am pretty much open, but I am leaning kind of heavy on the Kimber side of the house.

Joel
 
I do like stainless, but the wife thought the above was pretty so I thought it was a nice compramise for the permission
Click to expand...
The solution to your conundrum? Get two--one she'll enjoy, one that suits your tastes, and you'll enjoy both! Win-Win!
 
If you do decide to purchase a Kimber, I would suggest you order from a Kimber Master Dealer. Kimber charges them less than a non-Master dealer, which translates into a lower cost to you. You might find your Kimber at a slightly better price online, but if something needs to be tweaked back at the factory, your KMD should run interference and ship it back for you. Just my $0.02.
 
I own an Eclpse Target, I also have a CDP Pro and an Ultra Carry (all series II) and enjoy shooting all of them. The Eclipse is a much more accurate gun than I am a shooter.

Some Kimbers (External Extractor versions) have had problems, I have put about 2000 rounds through the CDP adn about a thousand through the Eclipse and have had effectively no problems (a few FTF during break-in but nothing since)

The 1911 bug is a dangerous one, they are sort of like the old Lay's potato chip ad, you cna't have only one (the little buggers breed in the safe ;) )

Good Luck and Enjoy what ever 1911 you get, they are one of lifes pleasures.
 
Take a hard look at the Colt XSE series of 1911s - Government model or Combat Commander. They are well under $1000 and are excellent in quality, workmanship, finish, reliability and accuracy.

I read somewhere recently that the XSE series are the best 1911s Colt has produced in the last 25-30 years. A friend owns a stainless Combat Commander XSE, and I would agree with the above.

The Springfield Armory loaded 1911s are also excellent 1911s and excellent values. I own two Springfield 1911s and am 100% pleased with both. Springfield has gotten it right regarding 1911s, as has Colt with the XSE series pistols.
 
Thanks guys, so I will open it up a little here and ask what Kimber's do you like in the $1000 range.
Click to expand...

I have two Kimbers, a Tac Pro II 9mm and a Desert Warrior, both of which are in your price range +/- $100 or so. Both have been very good weapons, in my experience with them.

I'd lean towards recommending the Warrior or Desert Warrior, simply because both are very traditional 1911s internally, with all the external bells and whistles on them.

But then it depends a lot on what you plan on using your 1911 for, primarily and otherwise. Range gun? CCW? Home defense? etc.
 
I say stay away from the Kimbers in general. Ive read a lot of bad things regarding the last generation of external extractors lately. The other reason being that the customer service is extremely hit and miss. They also dont offer pre paid shipping should you have to send it back. If you want more on the Kimber issues check out www.glocktalk.com 1911 forum and look up the kimber.
http://www.glocktalk.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=77

Personally Ive had great success with my Springfield Armory fullsize Loaded 1911, and my Smith and Wesson Scandium Commander. The SA has been incredibly reliable. I have yet to run across any FTF/FTE malfunctions yet. Ive also heard great things about the Customer Service should you need it. The Stainless version can be had for well under a $1000.00, parkerized for around 650-750.

The Smith has been great also. I bought it used and had a light primer strike issues early on. I called SW and they immediately sent out a pre paid shipping label. Sent the gun off for free and it was repaired no questions asked. I was worried since I was not the original owner, but they did not asked and did not care. They seemed very genuine about fixing my issue. It took them right around three weeks and my gun was fixed. They also included two mags free.
Its been flawless since. They make a great product, and stand behind it. They also make several Stainless versions for well under $1000.00 .

I dont think you could go wrong with either of these. I also feel its important for a first time 1911 owner to get a 1911 with the least amount of issues from the start. It can be discouraging to own one and not have it run right.

Hope this helps,

Naji
 
I'm currently fighting an overwhelming urge to get a Dan Wesson bobtail commander.:evil: By all accounts they're outstanding weapons.
 
I have a kimber SS target with adjustable sights. Not worth it. Start off with Novak sights and don't look back.

My Kimber runs without interruption as long as I use Wilson mags. Anything else causes it to gag. IIRC Kimber originally rolled its own mags at first. It they still do, do your self a favor and deposit said OEM mags in the trash.
 
redneckdan said:
springfield has a lifetime warrenty
kimber has a 1 year warrenty
Click to expand...

You are saddly miss informed. Kimber will warranty thier product for life. My Kimber was well past it's 18 month mark and it probly would have been cheaper for them to give me a new gun after they hard fitted a new slide and all the other misc that went along with the new IE slide.

Slvr Surfr said:
I say stay away from the Kimbers in general....
Click to expand...

Check out the rest of the gun forums, every manufacture has problems, I've heard of Glocks tearing apart down the mag wells, Les Baers cracking slide rails, you name it, someone has had problems with it. Most of Kimbers stem from thier experiment with the External Extractor and too tight of tolerance, which they are doing away with the EE's. Stay away from the External Extractor, it's not very easy to tune like a traditional Internal Extractor is.

I have a Kimber TLE/II - It just came back from KMI, and I believe for the money you can't do much better. The gun came back tuned so well you don't even realize you're shooting a .45, it has the recoil of a 9mm and has been 100% reliable, since haveing an Internal Extractored Slide put on. The Kimber Tactical is worth a look, it has an ambi safety and magwell. The options and quality you get from a Kimber are top notch for the price. The only 2 things I've done to my TLE are a GI guide rod & Plug and factory installed ambi safety, other wise she's just like she came out of the box and has all the custom features people spend alot of money one, ie; BT, skeloton hammer, Checkering, tuned trigger, ect.

I also own a Mil-Spec 5" and a Mil-Spec Champion 4" - My Springfields are 100% reliable as well. If you look around, not too many people leave thier Mil-Spec's stock, they customize them and in my opinion might as well have bought Springfield Loaded models. My 5" is becomeing a target pistol, most of the work being done by a gun smith and my 4" is just a tinker toy that I'm learning to do minor gunsmith work on. Trust me, by the time you get done buying upgraded parts and paying gunsmiths... you could have bought a factory custom and had money left over.

1911's are a Sick Twisted Deseasse... I just sold a GI and now I want either a 9mm or 10mm... only problem with this is I still have the 5" Mil-Spec getting work done by the gunsmith and I have more parts in the mail for the Champion, I need another 1911 like I need another project :uhoh:

BTW: after you have a few 1911's, if you get into working on them, you'll find that you have "hand-me-down parts" which is an excuse to buy another 1911... guess were the 4" Champion came about?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top