Stop order on Kimber?

[Katana8869]

I ordered a Kimber Pro Carry II HD 3 weeks ago and it's still not here. In the meantime, I have been seeing alot of negetive post on Kimbers in general.

I am considering calling my shop and telling them to order a SA Loaded Champion in SS instead... any opinions on which is better?

 

[glockman19]

I think Kimber is better. wait another week and then ask for your money back. also find another gun store that might have a better distributor or order directly from kimber. The Pro Carry is a nice gun.

 

[BADUNAME13]

I like Kimber. Bought 2 since January.

My CCW is a first gen Pro Carry.

I've got a few older Springfields... they now have locks. I don't buy guns with locks. (You can take them out... but buying a Kimber is usually cheaper by the time your done.)

 

[Dobe]

Kimber had a tough time with MIM parts and their extractors. This lasted for several years. I think most of this has been corrected. But, it is your money, and you need to feel comfortable.

 

[kentucky_smith]

Nothing wrong with Kimbers except belligerent internet commandos.

Personally, I have 2. No problems with either, favorite pistols.

 

[doubleg]

Kimbers just playing hard to get, they did they same thing to me. In the end it will be worth it.

 

[rcellis]

Every brand seems to get some bad word-of-mouth from time-to-time. I attribute this to a number of causes:

* Sometimes a company goes through a rough spot - I personally think this is fairly rare these days

* Sometimes a complaint will bring forth a number of that-reminds-me comments - this tends to inflate the apparent 'problem' to epidemic proportions.

* Sometimes the mall ninjas, internet commandos and mini-wienners think it makes them look wise to pour derision on a particular brand/model.

The bottom line is to treat such posts with caution - whatever the reason for them, the complainer will usually be more emotionally invested in their position than the satisfied owner. After all, the satisfied owner is either out shooting their firearm, or are cleaning same and feeling sorry for the poor fellow.

 

[countryrebel]

Just get the kimber,you will be happy,dont worry about what other people are saying because 99% of it is not true.

 

[lawdogso]

I have sure had some bad luck with my two new ones. See my post http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=271225

lawdoso

 

[Retro]

Well, I had no mechanical problems with Kimber stainless II (internal extractor), it feeds and shoots very reliably with no jams, etc... but i had two major non-mechanical problems with it. 1) that pistol shoots consistently 5 inch too high on all ammos tried. Installed Tritium night sites and switched out barrels, still shooting 5 inches too high. 2) the sharp skeletonized trigger cut into my finger after prolonged firing.

A lot of reliability problems were associated with external extractor models made between 2001- 2005 (? confirm).

 

[dhoomonyou]

CANCEL it.
I HAD a PC 2, traded it for a GLOCK

 

[GRP]

If you like the Kimber buy it. At the clubs I belong to a lot of shooters like Kimbers and I don't hear many complaints. I have one and it works well. Remember Kimbers sells more 1911s and the Internet hears mostly from the problem users. From what I hear, Kimber sells in the neighborhood of 50,000 1911s a year, that stacks up to a lot of pistols over the years. These negative posts are small compared to the number of guns floating around out there.

 

[NIB]

3 weeks ago and it's still not here

You guys must not have been around to guns yet when we had to wait at least 6 months for a SIG 226 or a Beretta 92 back in the day.

 

[never_summer]

i waited 6 weeks for mine, runs awesome and no complaints here.

 

[Autolycus]

When I had one it was a nice gun. Worked well after the breakin. I would recommend it to someone.

 

[Hawk]

I had one that broke its safety and had FPB issues. It was reminiscent of what Douglas Adams described as "spontaneous nonlinear structural exasperation" wherein the parts simply got tired of being there. There was nothing unusual going on at the time.

I had another that had no issues. I have "statistical clustering" written on my forehead so take it for what it's worth.

 

[Katana8869]

Thanks to everybody that has replyed so far

I think I am going to stick with the Kimber for now and give it another couple of weeks. If it still doesn't come in then I will give second thoughts to the Springfield.

Does anyone shoot LSWC reloads for range use in their Kimbers? I intend to shoot this gun alot and since I have about 2000 LSWC bullets in my shop right now, that's what I will be shooting for awhile so I want it to work with them.

My Springfield Trophy match shoots them fine, but my G30 and my XD45 absolutely refuse to cycle the things no matter what load or OAL I use.

Thanks again!

 

[..]

Just get the kimber,you will be happy,dont worry about what other people are saying because 99% of it is not true.

But he's supposed to beleive you?

 

[swingset]

Even if Kimber made a flawless gun (they don't), they're still not a very fun company to deal with when your gun isn't right.

I had 3 Kimbers, a TLE, an Elite and a Rimfire Target (all bought within a month of each other). I have had problems with all three at one time or another, but the Rimfire especially is a total dog. Will not run consistently and even after 4 trips to Kimber it's still not what I'd call a good shooter.

What chapped my butt was polite calls to their CS were met with curt, short answers and a begrudging "well, I guess we'll take a look at it" (on my shipping dime, I might add). Then, when it came back after a long wait still working like crap, my calls to CS turned into an inquisition on my shooting and cleaning methods (none of which seem to cause any other make of gun I own to stop running). Hearing "Well, just keep shooting it, it should break in" is insulting. Until my Kimbers, I never owned a gun that wasn't supposed to work until 1,000 rounds. I've sold off two of those guns, and only keep the 3rd because it's unreliable to the point I can't sell it in good conscious.

Lastly, Kimber's warranty stinks. 1 year parts and labor? I'm sorry, for a top-shelf company that's crap. Hi-Point has a lifetime, no BS warranty. Kimber? Nothing of the kind. That says it all. Never again with those folks.

I've switched to Smith & Wesson 1911's and not only are they cheaper for what you get, but the guns so far have been vastly more reliable and Smith's lifetime warranty gets my vote...as does their excellent customer service.

Kimber is living off of a reputation they no longer earn, IMHO.

 

[Tin Gizel]

I recently bought a Kimber Ultra Carry 2. Haven't even got 500 rounds through it yet, but so far I really like it.

However, I will mention that reading all the negatives about Kimber has me a little worried. Regardless, I won't fret until I have a problem, which to this point, the pistol has performed flawlessly.

 

[mmike87]

I had no issues with my Team Match II. It was a nice gun. I traded it only because with my Baer and Wilson I never really shot the Kimber much, through no fault of the gun's.

 

[berettashotgun]

Traded my Kimber off years ago, it was a great weapon, but was nowhere near carry reliable for me.
Use a Para or Beretta Cougar (in 357sig ) these days.
I heard a bunch of crap about Para's about 2-3 years after I started using them, still have not had a single problem,FTF or otherwise.
I'm sure the Kimber will be worth your wait.
They just weren't for me.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Is their any gun board you missed with this question? Kimber will be fine . I rather have a Colt but thats me.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I have two non "series II" Kimbers and they have been awesome. My Springfield Champion is not as nice but I like the Tritium Novak sights.

I was at Sportsmans Warehouse today and was looking at the latest from Kimber. The fit and finish quality really seems to have improved over last year when I looked at them. I noticed that they have gone back to the internal extractor which is a good move after all the issues with the external.

 

[MattB000]

I've had many kimber 1911s over the years and have several friends that own them as well. The advice I always give people is, take the magazine that comes with the gun and THROW IT IN THE TRASH. I'm not kidding. Get yourself a Wilson mag and everything will work fine.