Talk me into (or out of) a Kimber

Got the itch for a new 1911. Looking around, I found the two-tone Kimber Custom II on sale for $700, which is pretty reasonable for that model. It's a pretty sharp-looking gun and I have some ancestral connections with Yonkers - it would be pretty cool (to me) to have a 1911 marked YONKERS NY. And it seems to offer a lot of features for the money. My tastes generally run toward simpler 1911s, but one dolled-up model wouldn't hurt anything...

Against that are all the horror stories I've heard about their QC and CS, plus that silly Swartz firing pin block. So tell me - at $700, is the Custom II a good value that'll shoot as good as it looks, or is the Kimber all show and no go?

 

All I can offer is my experience with a Kimber Custom Carry I bought years ago. Accurate, reliable, lighter than the all steel Colt 1911 I owned. Met all my requirements.

 

Those Custom Two-Tone models are a HUGE bang for your buck pistol. They are gorgeous and well made with a great price tag. I have two of the full size guns, one in 45 and one in 9mm. Both guns have been flawless and the 45 is incredibly accurate. It could be that the 9mm just doesn't like my particular reloads. But they are fantastic shooters and nice to look at as well. I think you could definitely do a lot worse.

Here are mine:

 

My first 1911 was a Custom II .45 and I wish I still had it. The fit and finish was very good, and the last new Kimber I bought seems to be of the same quality. I think the '16 models are on closeout as the '17 models are starting to show up. I'm debating buying a Two Tone 5" in 9mm at the moment.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to recommend a Dan Wesson over a Kimber, but for the prices of the Kimber now, hard to go wrong really.

 

I say go pay a little bit and go find a range to actually shoot one first. I bought a Kimber Micro Raptor and loved how it felt in my hand. The price tag was a little steep but I bought it without shooting it. I wish I wouldn't have. I am not able to accurately shoot a Kimber.....or that one in particular anyway. I loved the action, fit and finish. I just simply couldn't hit what I wanted to hit.

 

I still have the first 2 Kimbers I bought, can't say that much for some of the other 1911's I've owned.

 

I've owned a Kimber 1911 for a decade. It has proved to be reliable and accurate. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

 

you want it buy it.

i prefer the old kimbers myself. used to be really great guns. the new ones not so much compared to the old ones. if i was going kimber id find one of the old ones. thats me.

 

I have a Kimber Pro Carry II and a Micro .380, love em' both am looking at purchasing a Micro 9 soon. But shouldn't you make your own decision as to whether or not you should spend the money not a bunch of guys who like or dislike a pistol. your title is a bit misleading , if you actually are looking for good or bad experiences from Kimber owners put me down on the positive side, but making a decision for you is not my job.

 

My all black Custom II is a great shooter, never had any issues with reliability either. It feeds my 200gr SWC'S with boring regularity even when loaded light.
I've seen them listed for right around 1k, which I think is a little expensive but at 700 it would be a good buy.

 

I paid $500 for my all black Custom II. It shoots well enough, and is reliable. Too heavy for a carry gun, it's a range toy that doesn't see much use since I put a Bomar Rib on my RIA.

 

Did you say two-tone Kimbers?



I've lost track of how many 1911s I've bought over the years, and perhaps I'm just lucky (given the incredible amount of Kimber-bashing on the internet), but my three Kimbers (a Custom TLE II, Tactical Pro and the CDP II Pro, shown) have all been splendid. In spite of the fact that I own a couple high end, semi-custom 1911, my TLE II, along with an SA TRP, are my go-to 1911s for range trips and hikes.

 

It's Not A .45 Unless It Has A Horse On It...............

 

I carry [daily] a Kimber UCC II .45 ACP. Reliable, accurate and comfortable to carry IWB or OWB.

 

I've never owned one but I've shot a few, worked on several, and examined many more. I had a friend whose Kimber functioned with his handloads, my handloads, and WWII steel-cased GI ammo flawlessly. My Dad had two (didn't learn the first time ) both gave him conniption fits. I worked on the first one, It didn't like 185 LSWC's, so I smoothed out the ramp, which helped, but then the FTE's set in, he got frustrated and sold it. The second one he bought and sold it before I even had a chance to look at it. He has a Ruger now, and all is well.
Some Kimbers run perfectly, and for those that own them, great. I do know every brand has it's problems, I have two Taurus .45's, both of which run fine, but I am well aware of their reputation. For the price, I deemed them worth the gamble, and for me they paid off. I cannot afford to gamble at the Kimber table, too rich for my wallet.

 

I have four Colts and one Kimber, which, coincidentally, is pretty close to my preference criteria. With all the fine 1911 choices now, Kimber would be a ways down the list IMO.
For $700, it's probably not a bad choice though.

 

My Kimber experience has been sufficiently mixed to say steer clear. For a little more cash, the Colt Combat Commander would be my recommendation for a two tone 1911 with some of the modern bells and whistles.

 

I have 2 Kimbers I bought used from a local gun store. A 4 inch Pro TLE II and an Ultra Carry 3 inch barrel. Both were gently used, e.g. broken in and easy to refurbish with new springs, Crimson Trace grips etc.

I mention the "broken in" because any gun needs some break in time. My Kahr CM9 9mm took about 150 rounds to reach 100% reliability. Kimber's are good out of the box, but you still need to find the best combination of gun and ammo for your needs.

The 3 inch Ultra Carry is now my Every Day carry, with a Crossbreed IWB holster. 100% reliable with any JHP rounds I choose.

I also had Kimber install Tritium night sights on it for me. Fast turn around, reasonable cost.

If you do buy a Kimber, get the right sized (5, 4 or 3 inch barrel) NDZ take down tool ($10). It makes field stripping and cleaning a lot faster and easier than using the little L shaped wire tool Kimber provides. It snaps on the guide rod leaving the slide at exactly the right position to take out the pin. http://www.ndzperformance.com/category-s/1921.htm

 

Here's a terrific example of another meaningless, counter-productive comment in a thread in which an OP is looking for actual information. Sadly, every thread nowadays that references a specific brand or model will end up replete with this type of remark.

As one poster noted, there are many fine 1911 choices out there; I would say though, that someone looking seriously should keep an open mind and be aware of all the non-specific complaints, internet babble, brand-bashing by those with zero experience with a particular brand that internet gun forums are rife with ... As for me, I find that since, for example, Kimber offers pretty good factory front-strap checkering and excellent quality Meprolight night sights at a price point where Colt does not offer these features on comparable models, one might want to do a lot of comparison shopping. Most of my 1911s are in fact Colts, but I've found production pistols from Kimber and Springfield Armory to give me the accuracy, ergonomics, reliability, options and good looks that I desire in a 1911 as well as Colts.

 

My first couple of 1911's were Kimbers, no problems to speak of. I got older, accumnulated more fun money and moved on to the 1911 tanks (Baer and Wilson) - the Kimbers, the Baer and the Wilson perform as advertised - I have a Colt Series 70 that performs as advertised. I do not understand the brand loyalty anger stuff - I would always advise that everyone buy what they want.

 

All I can say is that I bought a .45 Ultra Carry about 20 years and would do it again in a heart beat. That little pistol is a truly accurate piece.

 

I'll tell you what's really gorgeous, Olympus, and that is those grips! What are they made of and how much do they cost? I'd love to get a set like them for a Ruger "New" Model Vaquero that I have sitting around wearing plain, factory black plastic grips.

 

Thank you! Those are both desert ironwood. Unfortunately, I only make them for 1911s. As for price, they have since been sold, but they were pretty expensive.