Kimbers

[bhunted 887]

The tight excuse is bullshit. Kimber has convinced buyers that tight always equals quailty. It doesn't. Kimber has put their quality control and final fitting on the buyer, knowing that the gun will wear itself in after 500 rounds. But the problem is, since the gun was not fitted correctly from the start, and had to bash itself together for 500 rounds. the next 5000 the gun will wear out quickly... luckily for them, few kimber ever see that many rounds.

 

A properly built 1911 will be just as tight to start, but will stay that tight after 10s of thousand of rounds

I never used being tight as an excuse for anything. Just said they were. I also shot its first rounds without a prob. What you want me to say? My experience for my first Kimber is bad?

 

I like mine. I really still love my Colt prob more. I have no interest in buying another 1911/Kimber. I like different selections of 1911s. I MAY buy another 1911... Just don't know what or when. You can see by my profile comment, I'm an H&K fan, so I'd prob get flack for that too. So to each their own.

 

 

Like I said, there really are not that many bad guns out there. It's mostly personal preference. While I may tease folks about what they buy, I have never bad mouthed their choices.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using TT 2 Pro

[bhunted 887]

Its a Caddy.

What kind?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using TT 2 Pro

[DSD1026 48]

Cadillac Cimarron..  Caddy's failed attempt to break into the compact car sector. 

[bhunted 887]

Cadillac Cimarron.. Caddy's failed attempt to break into the compact car sector.

Forgot all about that model. Wow....

....still not a good example.

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

[zoid 24]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the Kimber Ultra Raptor II. My parents have moved down to VA and my sister is out in PA, so I was thinking about getting my CC and picking one of these guys up? I've read some bad reviews of 3" 1911's.

 

Thanks

 

I did a review on mine (TLE RL II).  Yes I did have an issue of the gun locking up prematurely in the beginning.  Sent it back to Kimber and they didn't really solve

the problem.  Ended up being the slide stop which I sanded down a hair and after that things were good.  I do not like Kimber's customer service

policy which is limited to only 1 year.  Firstly they are a marketed as a higher end 1911.  They command a higher premium than an average 1911.  They

present themselves as such.  When I called the customer service department the first question they asked was "How long have you had the gun?"

I was a little put off.

 

That being said I have had a good run with this 1911.  Has served me well in many matches and has been a blast.  I've since upgraded to a Springfield TRP.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnS2y4bjhhA

 

 

[Kimber45 3]

Hey all..... I've had my Kimber stainless compact for 16 years for the past 14 I've been carrying it as my off duty and I have never had an issue. I bought her at Rays ran 500 rounds through her and have be we looked back. Only issue is It doesn't like wolf ammo.. ( steel case ) other than that eats everything... as far as cc goes Iam a big guy and in a T-shirt it doesn't print and isn't that heavy... the only other issue I have to deal with is out on the range with the young guns with their Glocks and Berettas the question is " dude your hammers back....!!!! ". So yeah Iam a big Kimber fan.....

[Spartiati 63]

I had Raptor Pro. Was a great pistol. Sorry I sold it.

 

I now have a Super Carry Ultra HD which has turned out to be a great pistol. Very accurate and since a couple hundred rounds went through it has run flawlessly. Only complaint I have was factory finish was not durable. Sent it to Severns and had hard hat finish done which has been great.

[zoid 24]

the only other issue I have to deal with is out on the range with the young guns with their Glocks and Berettas the question is " dude your hammers back....!!!! ". So yeah Iam a big Kimber fan.....

 

People actually don't know this about 1911s?  Well I guess if you're not familiar with the platform.

[redwings9 5]

Kimbers like all firearms can and well fail. I have two series 2 with the swartzs safeties and one without. Granted Kimbers due command a higher price however for me they combine many of the things that I am looking for that are not  or were not available when I got mine for strictly carry purposes. Two of mine are ultras and after breakin I have have  had no issues and carry one every day and I know that any of them will serve me well in a fight.  

 

Handguns are a tool of convince if I knew I was going to be engaged in a gunfight I would rather have a rifle or a shotgun both of which are far superior for the task at hand or better yet not be in the position in the first place.

 

Much of the net is full of horror stories about Kimbers in general ,series 2 in particular , short 1911's  (they can be picky) etc. take it for what it is worth..... Most of these people probably shoot a box or two maybe every couple months or so and have a litany of opinions.

 

I trust no firearms for self defense until they have proven themselves after approx 1000-1500 rounds. Even after that any gun can and may fail on the next round......

 

I like the ultra series as the weight is manageable and the grip and barrel length work for me..... Now if I am going to train for five full days with minimal availability to clean and lube the gun I would rather go with all steel full length 5 inch 1911. But thats me...... In the mean time I carry my ultra carry every day......... Take this for what its worth ......just another opinion. What ever you do spend far more money on ammo,train regularly  like you  carry and if and when you have to defend you or yours fight to win.

 

Good luck and take care.

[DeerSlayer 241]

Although I love to shoot 1911's, I believe it to be a poor choice for and EDC weapon. Any striker fire hand gun would be a better choice IMO. Also think about this, should you have to use it to defend yourself chances are your going to be without it for a long long time. Maybe in a year or two you will get it back from an evidence locker. I wouldnt be as upset to loose a Springfield xds, Glock, or S&W M&P. For $550 you can just go buy another. A Wilson Combat, Kimber, or Les Baer would suck to loose, so why risk it? Also it is much heavier, nothing like having a heavy gun holstered pulling your pants down all day. 1911=great shooter, but bad CCW firearm. Just my opinion though.

 

[bhunted 887]

Although I love to shoot 1911's, I believe it to be a poor choice for and EDC weapon. Any striker fire hand gun would be a better choice IMO. Also think about this, should you have to use it to defend yourself chances are your going to be without it for a long long time. Maybe in a year or two you will get it back from an evidence locker. I wouldnt be as upset to loose a Springfield xds, Glock, or S&W M&P. For $550 you can just go buy another. A Wilson Combat, Kimber, or Les Baer would suck to loose, so why risk it? Also it is much heavier, nothing like having a heavy gun holstered pulling your pants down all day. 1911=great shooter, but bad CCW firearm. Just my opinion though.

Seriously? You base half your decision based upon losing the gun for whatever reason? You stand a better chance of losing your house by not paying your mortgage and your house is the biggest investment you'll mist likely make in a lifetime.

 

Heavy gun I agree with which is why I stopped carrying a 1911 long ago. But if you can bear it, todays holsters make it much easier than back in the 80s when I carried mine.

 

Price is what it is. Everybody complains about something. Price, function, support, etc. But there are a lot more good stories than bad and that is just life.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using TT 2 Pro

[SgtToadette 59]

For the same price as a Kimber, what else is out there? Springfield, some Dan Wessons, STI, and a slew of other options. None of those options come with the same spotty reputation as Kimbers.

 

Does that make Kimbers bad guns? No, in the same way that Beats headphones aren't bad headphones. Considering the quality of materials, construction, and QC, the product is priced above where it should be.

 

Kimbers, like Beats, are marketed well and look good.

[bhunted 887]

I purposely researched the good vs bad Kimber rep before buying mine. I didn't find enough evidence to deter me away from the gun... I found a small handful of issues that were corrected to date among the net. If you take a hop over to the Kimber forums, there are a lot of great CS stories that are fairly current. So again, like everything else, problems will always be expressed more than praise. What we read in these forums or even owners we meet in person, no way depict the problems they may or may not have among the vast array they have sold. They wouldn't/can't survive on bad reputation.

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

[DeerSlayer 241]

Seriously? You base half your decision based upon losing the gun for whatever reason? You stand a better chance of losing your house by not paying your mortgage and your house is the biggest investment you'll mist likely make in a lifetime.

 

Heavy gun I agree with which is why I stopped carrying a 1911 long ago. But if you can bear it, todays holsters make it much easier than back in the 80s when I carried mine.

 

Price is what it is. Everybody complains about something. Price, function, support, etc. But there are a lot more good stories than bad and that is just life.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using TT 2 Pro

Ok here is a better analogy, would you buy a 1963 split window corvette to drive back and forth to work every day in the city? Or would a new fully loaded Honda Accord be a better choice for an everyday driver? To me the Corvette = 1911 and the Honda = Glock or similar. Just more practical. I would be pissed if someone rear ended my vett at a traffic light during rush hour. The Honda would be an ohh well S*#t happens deal. To me a 1911 is a range toy or competition gun, not a self defense weapon. Better choices now exist for EDC since its inception over 100 years ago. That's really my point.

 

I will also admit that I personally shoot better with a 1911 in hand than any other semi auto I've ever handled. John M. Browning was a genius!

 

Old article, but still good info on the subject.

http://blogs.militarytimes.com/gearscout/2011/06/08/read-this-before-you-buy-your-first-1911/

 

[bhunted 887]

Still, the car analogy is still off. A split window is not meant to commute in. Referring to a gun, that analogy would be like not taking my expensive guns to the range. My thought is, if I cannot shoot it because it's a collector item, I won't buy it. (Hence, I sold all my collectables). No more than buy the split window just to showcase and never use it. Best we leave that part out of this conversation. There are better ways to analyze things.

 

I'm not going to try get this across any more than I have. I tend to always do my own research. Me listening to 8 people, (not to say I won't check into it), here would not deter away from a purchase unless they had the world behind them. There are just too many factors to be met with such a small quorum of people. I just can't base decisions that way. I have to go outside the box and decide on a whole.

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

[redwings9 5]

DeerSlayer just a few points concerning range toys/comp guns..... The 1911 is and always has been a combat gun, however with the advent of all of the supposed new bells and whistles and  throw in the various competitions many of the arms including the 1911 format have involved into something else all together.

 

All handguns are a weapon of second choice or last resort and more importantly  as it relates to EDC they are  concealable, easily carried and can go just about anywhere etc.  This is true dating all the way back to cap and ball revolvers ,single ball single shot flintlocks etc. If we knew we were going to be in a fight we would arm ourselves with a rifle possibly a shotgun.

 

Regarding dropping the trousers thing........IMOP never and I mean never drop the trousers with the handgun attached no matter what holster,what style holster handgun etc. It is a recipe for disaster.

 

IF and when  general issue CC  should  ever come train regularly  like you carry, (i.e.  in everyday clothes, with the carry holster and how you carry the extra ammo .Obtain CC insurance and don't worry about the loss of the weapon...... your lawyer will take care of that......... Provided  we are found not guilty of any wrong doing. JMOP

[Vlad G 345]

Hint: Most competition enhancements are for reliability and usability. Which is why eventually they make into "combat handguns", whatever that means. 

[DeerSlayer 241]

Just out of curiosity do any law enforcement agencies, or military's anywhere in the world still issue a 1911 as a combat weapon? And if the answer is no, then why not would be my next question.

 

I think if it was used as an open carry weapon as intended upon design then the 1911 would be an excellent choice. Again only my opinion, from a guy that only carries occasionally when visiting free America. I don't consider myself an authority on CCW, compared to guys that do so every day as part of their career. I'm here for knowledge and I respect everyones answers.

 

As far as dropping your pants with weapon still attached, that's not what I meant. I was referring to the weight of the weapon itself pulling down your waist band and belt being uncomfortable.

 

And I 100% agree with having CCW insurance if your going to carry.

 

[Lien 1]

Just out of curiosity do any law enforcement agencies, or military's anywhere in the world still issue a 1911 as a combat weapon? And if the answer is no, then why not would be my next question. I think if it was used as an open carry weapon as intended upon design then the 1911 would be an excellent choice. Again only my opinion, from a guy that only carries occasionally when visiting free America. I don't consider myself an authority on CCW, compared to guys that do so every day as part of their career. I'm here for knowledge and I respect everyones answers. As far as dropping your pants with weapon still attached, that's not what I meant. I was referring to the weight of the weapon itself pulling down your waist band and belt being uncomfortable. And I 100% agree with having CCW insurance if your going to carry.

 

Apparently some of the special ops Marines are packing Colt 1911s once again.  

 

http://www.gunsandammo.com/reviews/semper-fi-colt-m45a1-cqbp-marine-pistol-review/

 

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/08/09/why-the-marines-adopted-the-m45-colt-1911/

[redwings9 5]

Vlad I would venture to say that any gun in hand that is used to defend you and yours would/should be considered a "combat handgun" or for that matter a combat shotgun,rifle or golf club.........  

 

Not to be  @#$% just curious what competition enhancements that are applied are done so to enhance reliability and use ability.....Grips,checkered front straps, better magazines  ???? just wondering.

 

Deer I realize what you meant about the pants just wanted to mention it as you would be surprised at the number of guns that come  out of holsters or lay on the floor around some cops ankles while taking care of business........ Good belt and holster will solve most of what you were asking about as it relates to carry. Take care.

[Vlad G 345]

 

 

Not to be  @#$% just curious what competition enhancements that are applied are done so to enhance reliability and use ability.....Grips,checkered front straps, better magazines  ???? just wondering.

 

 

Nearly all. Better sights let you shoot better and faster. Better triggers allow for better control and accuracy. Better ergonomics like extended safeties, shaped grip safeties allow your hand to ride higher, keep down muzzle flip and reducing the risk of limp wristing. Same for checkering, extra cocking serrations, undercut trigger guards, etc. Flat cut and grooved slides means better sight pictures and less glare, Extended mag releases means less need to alter your grip and more leverage. Flared magwells means less chance to fumble a reload, heavy full length guide rods move the balance forward for better muzzle control and in some cases enhance reliability (although that's not as much of an issue). Flaring and opening ejection ports and extended ejectors improve ejections. Tuned extractors (or replacement ones like the Aftec) enhance everything about reliability. Match barrels and bushings improve accuracy.

 

And so one and so forth. Lightened Hammers, skeletonized triggers, better grips, better springs, all matter and all serve to make the gun more reliable, more accurate, and easier to shoot.

 

It is a bit of a misconception that competition guns are unreliable. Some of that comes from the days of ultra tight bulleye guns that didn't really have to cycle well as long as they were accurate. Most of today's race guns need to run reliably for thousands of rounds with minimal maintenance or cleaning and every possible ergonomic advantage is squeezed out of it. Yes competition guns are sometimes unreliable because you are experimenting with them all the time, but you always fix that because you can never win if your gun jams. 

 

Most of those changes eventually filter down to the "combat" market once they have been debugged to absurd extremes in the competition world. Heck 5 years ago everyone pointed and laughed at USPSA guns with red dots as being idiotic race only things. Today, high speed trainers use them and we have factory guns with provisions for them like the CORE.

[redwings9 5]

 Vlad,Understand and I knew where you were going with this.

 

One question. How many of these tricked out guns get carried everyday? Granted some  of what you list can and may be applied to some carry guns (however I would bet a dollar to a donut that most people who carry on a regular bases do not add much beside the gun they bought and truth be told they would be better served buying lots more ammo,practice like they  carry  .  

 

IMOP You do not need most of what the high speed low drag so called tactical operators are selling. There are no buzzers,timers, threat indicators,or  course briefing in a gun fight. 

[SgtToadette 59]

I purposely researched the good vs bad Kimber rep before buying mine. I didn't find enough evidence to deter me away from the gun... I found a small handful of issues that were corrected to date among the net. If you take a hop over to the Kimber forums, there are a lot of great CS stories that are fairly current. So again, like everything else, problems will always be expressed more than praise. What we read in these forums or even owners we meet in person, no way depict the problems they may or may not have among the vast array they have sold. They wouldn't/can't survive on bad reputation.

 

I understand that bad news gets the attention, especially in a field where the item is expected to work 99.99% of the time. Still, you would expect that other companies would have the same volume of issues reported if they were equal quality products. I haven't observed that to be the case. It's also reasonable to postulate that the reason why there's "a lot" of great customer service stories is because there's a lot of customer service queries.

 

I don't think Kimbers are bad, just overpriced. They don't strike me as a good value for my money given the quality of the competition at the same price point.

[Vlad G 345]

@redwings

 

Well its NJ, so none. In the free world I know people who carry their competition guns, but most don't On the other hand most are full size guns and not suited for carry plus they can quite expensive. And then there are "legal' issues people are concerned about because of the notion that a modified gun might get you in trouble in court. I don't travel to place I can carry often, but I can tell you when I did, I carried the gun I cared least if the baggage handlers stole it.

 

I find it amusing that the notion persists that some how buzzers and timers are not "real" yet a lot of the schools nowdays use them. But that launches us into the "will competition get you killed" thread and as fun as that discussion was, we should probably leave that for its own thread.

[2Alpha 6]

Back when I lived some what freer america, I carried a 3" STI 1911. It had the same work done that I do to my custom comp guns.  Narrow fiber optic front sight, blacked out rear sight.  ambi safety fitted to my hand.  Grip safety disabled and fitted to my hand.  Barrel throated and feed ramp beveled. Grip tape

 

Most people don't make changes to their carry guns, but then again most people just throw the gun in their holster, rarely practice and are terrible shooters

[mag1 0]

a little late, but yes. I had one and got rid of it asap.

3" barrel in any 1911 is a no no

[redwings9 5]

 Mag .....3 inch 1911's can be made very reliable , emphasis on made to be reliable. Most people do not take the time and or effort to tune one to run well enough to justify the time and effort. Granted most Mil spec 5 inch guns can be good to go right out of the box and the further we get from the JMB design plus the ammo intended for use in the original design FMJ you start getting issues like FTE,FTF,stove pipes etc.

 

Like I said for me they work for everyday carry and I am confident that they will do the job at hand. The extra barrel length and grip length especially when driving  can be a PIA this coupled with the weight of the standard steel 1911 add at least one extra mag and a flashlight and you are humping a lot of weight each and everyday summer and winter.

 

I have found that the alum.  frame model in the 3 inch size work for me 365 . I am not a fan of the ambi safety on a carry 1911 as I have found that they are just to easy to bump off during every day activities in a IWB holster,but again thats just me and I think on a carry gun 1911 format carried as they were intended the grip safety is a necessity and would not alter that at all. 

 

Like I said when I had to train with minimal availability to clean between series and very high round counts I do not use an alum. frame models and the shortest one I have ran is the 4.25 inch length...... Most of the internet no no that you are referring to revolve around this..... Find me someone who is willing to stand in front of one and that will be a real short list.....  JMOP

 

Take care and be safe.

[diamondd817 827]

Kimbers are what you show your friends. Glocks are what you show your enemies.

[redwings9 5]

diamond ,thats pretty good, would make a good bumper sticker, kind of like "Got Sig" in the meantime provided the person in question was confronted with actual enemies and they had justifiable cause it might be better to be shooting then showing them....... JMOP