Kimber ?

[Guest RISC777]

Curiousity thought... Threads show up about opinions (going to buy another, came into some extra money, first purchase, etc.) . . . why no Kimber suggestions? Is it that Kimber owners for whatever reasons don't respond? Is it that there are not many members that own Kimbers? Curiousity is a trouble-some thing sometimes (reportedly kills cats even).

[Guest bkelm18]

Not a Kimber owner here but personally I see nothing special about them. I've handled them and fired them but I really see nothing to justify the price over similar guns from other manufacturers.

[DaveTN]

Kimbers are great guns. I owned a Kimber Custom TLEII. I didn’t like the finish on it and am partial to S&W, so I bought a stainless SW1911. Both guns shot great and I had no problems with either. They cost about the same so price really isn’t an issue.

[Punisher84]

I have a Stainless Pro Carry II that I love. I guess, sadly, that I have become something of a snob about 1911s because I work at a range/gun shop. I see alot of people who buy them and don't know how to take care of them or are completely ignorant to Single Action carry. I have had been told "Hey bro your hammer is back!" just one to many times.

I love the 1911 and love Kimber, but I guess I never recommend them because most people that want a 1911 KNOW they want a 1911 and then I'll recommend a Kimber.

[Kano]

This is what Hilton Yam has to say about Kimbers

"

Due to profound issues with the Series II Kimbers directly related to the Series II firing pin safety mechanism, I do not recommend the expenditure of any effort or expense for upgrades. It is far more productive and cost effective to start with a fresh platform that does not include the Series II safety, as you could easily dump a ton of time/money into it and one day have it go "click" instead of "bang."

Tim Lau who is the Administrator on the 10 8 board

"MIM in and of itself is not necessarily bad. I have had good experiences with the no longer available CMC ambi and strong side thumb safeties. Unfortunately, some of the small parts in the Kimbers are of dubious quality and they just happen to be of MIM manufacture".

Brad Blancett a Gunsmith

"Tim I can totally agree with you here . As we are Kimber Master Dealers I see and work on about 7 of these a week.

I cannot a recommend a Kimber Series II for LE work. Just today a Newly picked up TLE/RL SS II Customer had it three days the Ambi safety snapped inside @ the Tenon joint wonderful MIM quality! Will not cycle Fails to feed 5 out of 8 rds and when it feeds it will not eject.

I have yet to see a Colt or Springfield returned for quality issues in the last 6 months".

Edited August 30, 2008 by Kano

[Seaslug]

My very first gun was a Kimber Eclipse Pro II. I had heard at the time (late 2006) that Kimber's QC had gone downhill in the recent past, but I ignored the warnings because of the name recognition (and because the gun was so damn pretty!). Sure enough, I had a fair amount of problems with feeding and extraction--way more than one should ever have at that price point.

My Dad bought a Warrior a short time later, and the same thing happened to him. We were both using Wilson mags in addition to the factory mags, so that wasn't the issue. A little research led to the revelation that this was a widespread problem back then, even though Kimber would not admit that. Dad sent his off to Kimber, and they returned it with a note saying that they had replaced the recoil spring (with a MUCH stiffer one) and polished the feed ramp. The Warrior has functioned flawlessly since.

I went on to sell my Eclipse to a buddy who immediately flipped it for a profit (jackass), and I turned around and used the money to put towards a Pro Covert II (which wasn't produced until the Spring of '07). I haven't had a single problem with that one in several hundred rounds, and it's probably my favorite gun to this day.

Bottom line: Kimber makes some of the prettiest and most well-designed pistols you can find under 2 grand. They cut a few corners for a while, but backlash from customers seems to have corrected that. If you buy a Kimber and do happen to have an issue, you can rest assured that they will stand behind their product and take care of you as quickly as possible. That's about all I can ask for from any manufacturer. Just my .

[EMTRN]

My custom II TLE is flawless.

[Guest Brian@GunDepot]

I recommend Kimber. I also like Springfield and Para in the same price range...

If your 'price shopping', visit a Kimber Master Dealer for the best price.

[Guest sermon8r]

I recommend Kimber. I also like Springfield and Para in the same price range...

If your 'price shopping', visit a Kimber Master Dealer for the best price.

Kimber, Springfield, Para good choices for a well built(assembly line) 1911

I must warn you that 1911s are addicting and you will want more.....

Resistance is futile

[Daniel]

My custom TLE II is flawless.

So is my F-I-L's.

[strickj]

1911's are all the same.

Every other gun is different.XD,Glock,S&W,Sig are all different.Every 1911 is the same relatively speaking

[SpacemanSpiff]

I bought a Kimber Custom Classic over 8 years ago. I was out of the "Gun Game" due to living in New Jersey. I didn't really read up on anything, one of the indoor ranges closed, and I got married and we had a child. Now that I've been in Tennessee, I've been getting back into shooting. Someone I talked to at the gun club said that Kimber had some trouble with quality for a few years due to some of their gunsmiths moving on. I have no complaints about my 1911 or their customer service. Recently, I broke a part while disassembling it to clean (which was my fault). Also, while removing the grip, one of the grip screw bushing unscrewed from the frame and I ruined it removing it from the grip. I called them up and they replaced the parts free of charge.

In short, I have no complaints with my Kimber. I can't make any comparisons to other 1911's since the only other one that I've shot was a Korean War Colt that was my friend father's service gun.

[Guest RISC777]

Kimber, Springfield, Para good choices for a well built (assembly line) 1911

I must warn you that 1911s are addicting and you will want more.....

Resistance is futile

sermon8r,

You're absolutely correct per the addiction.

M&P45, Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, Springfield . . . *sigh*

So many choices, too few dollars.

[rd97]

I have had three Kimbers. Two of them were jamomatics. I just found a Pro Carry Stainless that seems to work great. It is an older model and I have had no problems with it at all. I also had a Colt, S&W 1911, and a Taurus. All were better (IMHO) than my first two Kimbers. The S&W was the best of the bunch. All that said however, I will be keeping this Kimber for a while.

[Wakethor]

I've had a Stainless Series II 5" for about 3 yrs now and havn't had any problems with it. Feeds and extracts fine, no broken parts yet, only replaced the grips.