SA EMP .40 or Kimber CDP II ?

[Fourtyfive]

I have a Colt Defender in stainless but I've got a hankering for one of the above. I have read about a lot of SA's going back to the factory and not so much about the Kimbers. I just love the look of both , got to have one , any thoughts ?

[QuietDan]

SA EMP 9mm is my carry weapon, aluminum alloy receiver, steel slide, cross-cannons cocobolo grips. Small, tight, reliable, accurate & form-follows-function beautiful. So watch-like tight when new it needs about 200 rounds through it to loosen it up. If you don't do that and send it to the factory, they polish the feed-ramp, give it a kiss and promptly send it back to you all good-to-go.

SA EMP 40 cal is steel receiver, steel slide, cross-cannons cocobolo grips and barks a little louder than the 9 mm.

I know what I'd get.

Edited September 23, 2012 by QuietDan

[DaveTN]

Kimber Ultra CDP II $1250.

Springfield Armory EMP 40 $1015.

S&W M&P 40 Shield $425.

All three of the above are SD Carry guns, none are target quality. I owned a Kimber SIS Ultra, it was nice, but not worth the money for a 3†1911, IMO.

I recently picked up the M&P Shield for a compact .40.

[Guest razorblade]

Have both. Hard to beat the Springer. Not much experience with the Kimber, though. A few hundred through the Springer. Were you looking at a .45 Kimber? If so, caliber might make the difference.

[TMF]

I have a CDP II with the 4 inch barrel. It still feels full size enough, so it isn't as snappish as the 3 inch, but more concealable than the full size. It's a little lighter since it has an aluminum frame. My biggest gripe is the finish on it (the receiver). It scratches way too easy. I've given up filling it in with the sharpie. I just don't care enough anymore since I don't intend to sell it. Other than that I love it. It goes bang every time and looks good doing it.

Edited September 24, 2012 by TMF

[Guest Tndlc]

The EMP is awesome. The Kimber .45s are too. I'd like to have the CDP Ultra in 9mm just to see which was best. That way I'd win no matter what.

[Fourtyfive]

Yes , looking at the .45 in the Kimber. I have a few .40's ; Sig and Kahr. My Defender is a .45

Edited September 25, 2012 by Threeeighty

[tndadofnine]

I have a Kimber Ultra Carry 2, and the EMP in .40. My wife has the EMP in 9mm.

The Kimber it was my favorite gun to shoot...until I got the EMP .40. Which lost it's crown to the EMP 9mm when we got that for my wife. Just really enjoy shooting that gun. Accurate, reliable, and fits my hand perfectly. I am not a really big guy, and have smaller hands, so it is perfect for myself and my wife. If you have bigger hands, it may feel too small.

Doubt you could go wrong with either.

[McAllyn]

I had the Ultra Carry in 40. It was way too snappy to be comfortable for me, so I moved back to my 9MM Defender.

Mac

[PackinMama]

I have a 9mm EMP. It is by far the nicest handgun I've ever had the pleasure of shooting. It is crazy accurate, especially for a 3" barrel! I've never had any experience with Kimber, but I will say that if you go with the EMP, you will forget about the Kimber.

[tnhawk]

My Kimber Ultra CDP II was frequently carried for several years. It has been a dependable, accurate and lightweight for a 45 acp pistol. After shooting several 40 caliber pistols, I decided to get an EMP 40. Although the size is similar, it weighs more than the Kimber. It has been accurate and reliable just as the Kimber is. As they fit the same holster, I often rotate carry between them.

Edited October 3, 2012 by tnhawk

[Fourtyfive]

Guess I'm just gonna have to go fondle a few ....thanks for the input.

[tnhawk]

Guess I'm just gonna have to go fondle a few ....thanks for the input.

The end result could be 2 new pistols!

[hipower]

Naw..he's too smart to do that. Right?? Even I wouldn't do that. Not more than once or twice anyway.

[Fourtyfive]

Would that be crossbreeding ?

[Dennis1209]

I had the same dilemma and fate intervened.

One day I came down with a severe case of the "hankering", hankering the idea to scratch my itch and buy either the EMP or CDP II. So...

That "one day" I suddenly found myself in front of the gun counter at LA Firearms in Union City, TN. As soon as I arrived at the gun counter, the gun sales associate seen me and immediately came rushing over and said, "son, I can see you caught a severe case of hankering, how can I help you?

I relayed to him my symptoms and what it would take to get that "hankering" off my shoulders, an EMP or Kimber Ultra CDP II.

He said, "son, I have the Rx you need in stock, if you want the generic brand I'll have to order it for you, and the EMP will take at least a couple of months to get"

I said my hankering is getting pretty powerful, let's look see at that Ultra CDP II right there, no the other one to your left. As I picked it up I subconsciously started to fondle and caress it, and I started to hear whispering voices in my head, "you want me, you need me, you gotta have me, take me, take me"! I asked that sales associate if he heard that Kimber whispering to me and he stated it happens all the time.

So there you have it, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[PackinMama]

Hahaha I love the story!

The Kimber is very pretty....actually very very close in looks to the EMP. The only differences I can see, without getting out my EMP to compare, is the Kimber has front strap checkering (the EMP does not and I've always kinda wished it did) and the grip safety on the Kimber is stainless (the EMP is black, which results in tiny little scratches where the safety rubs as it enters the frame), and the ambi safety lever is stainless (EMP is black). The EMP comes with Trijicon night sights (which are awesome!) and, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Kimbers that I've seen usually have plain old black sights (that seem to me to be very hard to see). I personally have to give the first prize in pretty to the EMP though.....mainly because of the beautiful cocobolo grips with the crossed cannons.

So, in all honesty, the Kimber does seem to have a couple things going for it that the EMP could use (front strap checkering and stainless grip safety), but the EMP has a couple things over the Kimber (Trijicon sights and prettier grips). However, the Kimber could easily be fitted with your choice of night sights, and the grips could be changed out to some really nice custom grips.

The EMP has a bull barrel that is incredibly accurate for a 3" barrel.....I'm not sure what the Kimber has in that department, but I would love to see how the two of them shoot in a side by side comparison. The EMP also has an amazing trigger, again not sure about the Kimber since I've never shot one.

Does this comparison make it easier for you to choose? Probably not. I'd say it boils down to whichever one makes your heart go pitter patter the most.

Remember, half the fun is shopping around and making your choice!

[Fourtyfive]

I think the Kimber is bull barreled and night sighted as well. I just ordered some spalted hackberry grips for my Defender to try and curtail the hankering.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Threeeighty

[StumpyBeagle]

I've carried a Kimber CDP II Pro everyday for three years. I have had zero issues with the finish or the pistol. it looks as good as it did the day I bought it. The only issue i had was with the original Kimber magazine not feeding the last shell properly but I purcased three Wilson Combat 47d's when I bought the pistol and they have been flawless. The Kimber is a real tac driver. It's easy to carry and conceal, it's light, thin and comfortable. I looked at the EMP before buying the Kimber and decided that I'd rather have the .45 over the 9mm and .40.

[Guest Frightful1]

I have owned the S/A EMP .40 for about 2 years now. Other than one trip to Springfield for an ejectractor/Ejector tune up it has been flawless. I use it as one of my EDC,s in the fall/winter/spring depending on how I must dress. I found that the grip was a touch narrow for my big hands so added a rubber finger 3 side grip that fits under the standard grip panels. (Pachmyer or Hogue, I don't remember) That solved the lack of checkering on the front of the grip and made the gun much more comfortable for me. I have not had much experience with Kimber, but I don't think you could go wrong with either one.