Last weekend, my wife & I had to vacate the house for a while – the realtor was bringing someone through to show it. We went to lunch, but still had a lot of time on our hands.
We really had no where to go, & she had no ideas, so I suggested we go over to my favorite gun shop & see if I could spend the Father’s Day gift money she & my daughter had given me. She agreed to, & off we went.
When I got there, he exclaimed “where have you been?” About a month or 6 weeks ago, I asked him about a 4” or 4¼” 1911, & he had nothing in stock. At the time, he told me to check back after he came in from vacation but I never did. He starting rattling off some of the guns he had – “can I sell you this?” & “can I sell you that?” he would ask, & I kept saying no. “A Commander length 1911 is what I was looking for” I reminded him. He offered that he could show me a Kimber or 2. Kimber was one of the guns I wanted to look at – although not a true Commander length – but I also wanted to look at Colt & S&W; possibly Para & SA. I told him to let me look at the Kimbers. My wife, who was up looking at the used revolvers, started to hang a little closer…
Out he comes with 2 Kimber cases – 1 containing a Pro Raptor II, & 1 containing a Pro CDP II. I started laughing as I picked up the Raptor, then the CDP. “I must be holding – what - $1100?” I asked, & he looked at me funny. “I mean in each hand” I explained & he looked normal again & said something to the effect of “well, you know I’ll work with you”. (My wife was now closer….)
I put them back & told him no way. We have to sell our home & buy another as I am being relocated to another state, & it just wasn’t the right time to part with that much money. “Don’t you have anything with a 4” barrel in a 1911 that isn’t a Custom Shop gun?” I asked, & he just shook his head. “Sorry, but you know I’ll work a deal on one of those you were looking at” he said, but then I just shook my head. I think my wife sighed in relief as she drifted off.
Then he said “Wait a minute – this is a 4” 1911, but it’s used” & reached behind the counter. What he pulled up was a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry II. “I ran 3 magazines through this last night without a problem” he explained. “I haven’t cleaned it yet, but I don’t think it was ever in a holster”.
“How much?” I asked, as I reached for not the gun but the price tag. “Don’t bother” he said as he pulled the tag away. “I’ll go $675 for you.”
I started looking it over, my wife started to get a troubled look on her face. “You know we need to buy a home, the last thing you need is another gun” she said quietly. I continued to look it over.
“Look,” I said to her, “I have the money from Father’s Day, plus I have the money I have been saving for years that my mother had given me for birthdays & Christmas before she passed away.”
“You still have all of that?” she asked.
“Yes, but it’s still not enough to cover it.”
“Is this what you really want?”
“Well, the guns I was looking at that I was considering would be a few hundred more than this, or maybe more like the guns he first brought out.”
She just looked at me, and then I started to feel a little manipulative & guilty. “Hey look, they’ll be opportunities after we move, I can wait” I said, & laid the gun on the counter.
“No, we can afford to kick in the extra. If you want it, go ahead & buy it”
So, I went home with this:
Excuse the not-to-creative photography, I’m on the road but brought the gun with me in the hopes of finding a public range & time to shoot. (It didn’t happen.) But I have had time to clean it up & look it over. There is absolutely no brush or rub marks on this gun as you might see from some holster wear, the rubber grips look new, the bead blasting & anodizing on the frame look flawless. Trigger pull (dry firing) is crisp & feels consistent. With the slide removed, there are no scratches or gouges on the bottom of it or the top of the frame from the action moving back & forth. There is a dark spot on the very front edge of the barrel that might be from oxidation, & 1 almost microscopic nick on the edge of the back strap where it meets side of the frame. It’s too small to see in the pics.
In the end, he agreed to throw in a Kimber stainless magazine & a hard case, as the gun didn’t come with one. (Funny thing – the gun had a McCormick - branded mag in the chute, not a factory mag). I have 2 other 1911s, both Kimber & both Series I; a 5” Stainless & a 3” Ultra CDP. I’ll be anxious to see how this Series II runs. So far, I have had no problems with either of my other 2 Kimbers.
Oh - & on my way out, I offered to buy my wife a used Model 15 for range work but she found no humor in that. She is great though, I married very well (the 2nd time around).
So – for $675 & a couple of extras, did I do OK?
We really had no where to go, & she had no ideas, so I suggested we go over to my favorite gun shop & see if I could spend the Father’s Day gift money she & my daughter had given me. She agreed to, & off we went.
When I got there, he exclaimed “where have you been?” About a month or 6 weeks ago, I asked him about a 4” or 4¼” 1911, & he had nothing in stock. At the time, he told me to check back after he came in from vacation but I never did. He starting rattling off some of the guns he had – “can I sell you this?” & “can I sell you that?” he would ask, & I kept saying no. “A Commander length 1911 is what I was looking for” I reminded him. He offered that he could show me a Kimber or 2. Kimber was one of the guns I wanted to look at – although not a true Commander length – but I also wanted to look at Colt & S&W; possibly Para & SA. I told him to let me look at the Kimbers. My wife, who was up looking at the used revolvers, started to hang a little closer…
Out he comes with 2 Kimber cases – 1 containing a Pro Raptor II, & 1 containing a Pro CDP II. I started laughing as I picked up the Raptor, then the CDP. “I must be holding – what - $1100?” I asked, & he looked at me funny. “I mean in each hand” I explained & he looked normal again & said something to the effect of “well, you know I’ll work with you”. (My wife was now closer….)
I put them back & told him no way. We have to sell our home & buy another as I am being relocated to another state, & it just wasn’t the right time to part with that much money. “Don’t you have anything with a 4” barrel in a 1911 that isn’t a Custom Shop gun?” I asked, & he just shook his head. “Sorry, but you know I’ll work a deal on one of those you were looking at” he said, but then I just shook my head. I think my wife sighed in relief as she drifted off.
Then he said “Wait a minute – this is a 4” 1911, but it’s used” & reached behind the counter. What he pulled up was a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry II. “I ran 3 magazines through this last night without a problem” he explained. “I haven’t cleaned it yet, but I don’t think it was ever in a holster”.
“How much?” I asked, as I reached for not the gun but the price tag. “Don’t bother” he said as he pulled the tag away. “I’ll go $675 for you.”
I started looking it over, my wife started to get a troubled look on her face. “You know we need to buy a home, the last thing you need is another gun” she said quietly. I continued to look it over.
“Look,” I said to her, “I have the money from Father’s Day, plus I have the money I have been saving for years that my mother had given me for birthdays & Christmas before she passed away.”
“You still have all of that?” she asked.
“Yes, but it’s still not enough to cover it.”
“Is this what you really want?”
“Well, the guns I was looking at that I was considering would be a few hundred more than this, or maybe more like the guns he first brought out.”
She just looked at me, and then I started to feel a little manipulative & guilty. “Hey look, they’ll be opportunities after we move, I can wait” I said, & laid the gun on the counter.
“No, we can afford to kick in the extra. If you want it, go ahead & buy it”
So, I went home with this:
Excuse the not-to-creative photography, I’m on the road but brought the gun with me in the hopes of finding a public range & time to shoot. (It didn’t happen.) But I have had time to clean it up & look it over. There is absolutely no brush or rub marks on this gun as you might see from some holster wear, the rubber grips look new, the bead blasting & anodizing on the frame look flawless. Trigger pull (dry firing) is crisp & feels consistent. With the slide removed, there are no scratches or gouges on the bottom of it or the top of the frame from the action moving back & forth. There is a dark spot on the very front edge of the barrel that might be from oxidation, & 1 almost microscopic nick on the edge of the back strap where it meets side of the frame. It’s too small to see in the pics.
In the end, he agreed to throw in a Kimber stainless magazine & a hard case, as the gun didn’t come with one. (Funny thing – the gun had a McCormick - branded mag in the chute, not a factory mag). I have 2 other 1911s, both Kimber & both Series I; a 5” Stainless & a 3” Ultra CDP. I’ll be anxious to see how this Series II runs. So far, I have had no problems with either of my other 2 Kimbers.
Oh - & on my way out, I offered to buy my wife a used Model 15 for range work but she found no humor in that. She is great though, I married very well (the 2nd time around).
So – for $675 & a couple of extras, did I do OK?
