Kimber 1911 how good are they

[GD45]

my .02

I've been looking for an entry 1911 forever and have yet to buy (mostly due to $) but have looked at almost everything out there (RIA, STI, Ruger, Norc, Para etc). everyone at the range says that for the money a custom II will run me i should get an STI as the fit and finish are amazing (they really are) BUT, this may sound ridiculous to some but i'm an aesthetics guy, looks are important to me and I want a stainless 1911! love the look of the kimber and as an entry level stainless, the custom II comes with most of the upgrades you'd want. anything else in that sort of range in stainless is either a GI or Mil-spec and would require upgrading various parts.

After months of going back and forth I still find myself drooling over the Kimber daily so maybe i should take that as a sign...

PS. love these DD Frag grips by VZ

 

[bollox]

^^^ You should always get what you want not what internet/range commandoes say is better.... unless they want to pay for it.

Kimber SS guns are sweet.

 

[RED CAT]

Kimber!

I really like my Stainless II.

 

[cbabes]

the SIS is my dream 1911, over nighthawk and wilson.

kimber is top shelf and contrary what some may want you to believe, they are used by various agencies as issued side arm. from what i have been told by owners, customer service is excellent and the bang for your buck is not easily matched by anyone else.
kimbers aren't for everyone, but to say they are average is flippant and off side.

i got a norc for my first 1911, don't regret it one bit, it works flawless, it ain't a tack driver by any stretch, but it never fails. i can't say that about the colts or springer trp's if seen fail numerous times at the range.

if you like the kimber, buy it, you will not be disappointed.

these days average is springfield, colt, and a few others that have sat on laurels for too long.

anyway Kimber will beat any other ~1k price guns on the market for the reliability and accuracy out of the box
vote for Kimbers all the time, one of the best 1911s in the medium price range

FWIW, I ran quite a few Kimbers on a commercial range and they were real work horses. I had a couple sights break, and a few safeties (both are MIM if it makes a difference).
The frames lasted more than 6 years, the slides at least three. Each year would see at least 30,000 rds through each gun.
They were not 100% reliable throughout the period and unfortunately I didn't keep records of stoppages, but they were not consistently failing and they were extremely accurate shooters. My friend took one of the 40cal Stainless guns that had been in use for three years, and was able to shoot a tight fist sized group at 25yds. He was quite impressed with the trigger and accuracy.
I also tried out Taurus, and STI Spartan guns in smaller numbers and they failed rather quickly in comparision with barrels cracking and slides failing in about a year.

mine is excellent ! worth every penny.

Well I am surprised that some posters here like misanthropist do not think Kimbers are all that good. I agree more with the posters I have quoted above. I recently bought a Kimber Desert Warrior which is not the first 1911 I have owned. The Kimber is by far the most accurate gun I have ever owned. Even the article posted by misanthropist on the Warrior says that the guns that had a few minor updates ran with distinction 15-20,000 rounds. I will update as I put mine through its paces but this gun is extremely tight and well made.

 

[misanthropist]

If a brand or model of gun failed to run for fifteen thousand rounds I wouldn't call it mediocre, I would call it garbage.

LA SWAT have had all kinds of problems with their Kimbers. FBI's HRT guys (those that haven't abandoned the 1911 altogether) dumped them as well. For the average gun owner who puts a few hundred rounds a year through any given gun, they're more than sufficient...if you want a serious hard use 1911, Kimber is not it.

 

[Don_Dragon]

I really like my Stainless II.

Just got one. Shooting it for the first time next time I go to the range.

 

[MtlCanada]

Just got one. Shooting it for the first time next time I go to the range.

Nice pistol, got to love stainless steel.Give your impressions after you hit the range.

 

[cbabes]

If a brand or model of gun failed to run for fifteen thousand rounds I wouldn't call it mediocre, I would call it garbage.

LA SWAT have had all kinds of problems with their Kimbers. FBI's HRT guys (those that haven't abandoned the 1911 altogether) dumped them as well. For the average gun owner who puts a few hundred rounds a year through any given gun, they're more than sufficient...if you want a serious hard use 1911, Kimber is not it.

Hope you are wrong as I paid a nice price for this baby. I would rather modify it into a "hard use" 1911 than sell it and buy another. What in your opinion on these guns fail causing you to come to your conclusion? How many rounds did you shoot through the one you owned?

So far I am only at around 600 rounds down mine in the last two months. Shot the IDPA Ontario provincials this month with it as well. Plan on putting thousands of rounds through this baby before the end of the year so I will update. Using it every Thursday for IDPA. From my experience so far I love this thing. Super tight, super accurate.

 

[45alot]

Hope you are wrong as I paid a nice price for this baby. I would rather modify it into a "hard use" 1911 than sell it and buy another. What in your opinion on these guns fail causing you to come to your conclusion? How many rounds did you shoot through the one you owned?

So far I am only at around 600 rounds down mine in the last two months. Shot the IDPA Ontario provincials this month with it as well. Plan on putting thousands of rounds through this baby before the end of the year so I will update. Using it every Thursday for IDPA. From my experience so far I love this thing. Super tight, super accurate.

From my personal experience,My firing pin stop/extractor was fitted poorly (Extractor "clocking" because of bad or improper installation,as well extractor did not hold it's tension well VS. a barstock extractor,M.I.M steel is for Hotwheels .Barstock,or Forged is for guns.

 

[cbabes]

From my personal experience,My firing pin stop/extractor was fitted poorly (Extractor "clocking" because of bad or improper installation,as well extractor did not hold it's tension well VS. a barstock extractor,M.I.M steel is for Hotwheels .Barstock,or Forged is for guns.

Thanks for the input. I will be bookmarking this thread and updating my gun if I notice any of this. Going to build a Kimber Super Gun but as of now looks and feels like I am already there! LOL

 

[Sambaru]

Except MIM is also used by many non-custom (read under $2500) guns and also in cars, appliances, tools, etc. People talk as if MIM is utilized solely in Kimber guns and no where else in the world.

You can't deny MIM is not of the highest quality but there is nothing wrong with well executed MIM. It's a procedure that has been around for 40 years, and a lot of the bad shiz you hear about Kimbers are from earlier days when they got their MIM parts made in India. Now everything is made in house and you will find anecdotal evidence of Kimber failures are not nearly as high now as it was 6-8 years ago. THAT's really when you hear all the horror stories of Kimbers crumbling into dust because of poor MIM parts.

A lot of people cite 1911 gurus who look down on Kimbers and advise against them. Obviously this is the case not only because they need to promote their own thing but because they can easily afford to purchase $3000 guns. Ask a car expert.. we'll say Jeremy Clarkson what cars he thinks are the best. Is he going to say,"Honda Accord?" No, he will say a Ferrari or Lambo or something. Not everyone can afford Lambos though and Honda Accords will do just fine (though they are "worse" cars).

People lose track of the fact that Kimbers are popular because for $1200, you get a ton of features. Find me another brand of 1911 that offers the same bang for the buck that doesn't use MIM at all and I will buy that instead.

 

[misanthropist]

Hope you are wrong as I paid a nice price for this baby. I would rather modify it into a "hard use" 1911 than sell it and buy another. What in your opinion on these guns fail causing you to come to your conclusion? How many rounds did you shoot through the one you owned?

So far I am only at around 600 rounds down mine in the last two months. Shot the IDPA Ontario provincials this month with it as well. Plan on putting thousands of rounds through this baby before the end of the year so I will update. Using it every Thursday for IDPA. From my experience so far I love this thing. Super tight, super accurate.

Unfortunately I am not wrong. Usual Kimber problems are extractor failure, bad barrel timing, small parts failures related not just to MIM but specifically to cheap MIM. In particular slide stops on the Kimbers tend to fail, causing either premature lockback or failure to lock on an empty mag. Feed ramps cut poorly is another Kimber fetish.

I didn't put any rounds through the one I owned, because I did not own one...I did not and would not buy a kimber. For the money, there are better guns and I haven't spent that kind of money on a 1911 since well after the Series II Kimbers came out, which is the point at which they began to have serious problems.

If I had, it wouldn't mean much anyway...you know what they say about a sample size of one. You might happen to get a good one, or you might get a lemon, and either way it would tell you nothing about the overall quality of the brand. All you can do is look at large scale testing or, if that's not available, aggregates of anecdotal evidence from people who see large numbers of 1911s. That is why we look for the opinions of big US 1911 smiths and of the upper-tier trainers (particularly those who have a history with the 1911 like Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers). If you spend enough time around enough shooters, you find out what is working, what is not, and why.

 

[Sambaru]

Unfortunately I am not wrong. Usual Kimber problems are extractor failure, bad barrel timing, small parts failures related not just to MIM but specifically to cheap MIM. In particular slide stops on the Kimbers tend to fail, causing either premature lockback or failure to lock on an empty mag. Feed ramps cut poorly is another Kimber fetish.

I didn't put any rounds through the one I owned, because I did not own one...I did not and would not buy a kimber. For the money, there are better guns and I haven't spent that kind of money on a 1911 since well after the Series II Kimbers came out, which is the point at which they began to have serious problems.

If I had, it wouldn't mean much anyway...you know what they say about a sample size of one. You might happen to get a good one, or you might get a lemon, and either way it would tell you nothing about the overall quality of the brand. All you can do is look at large scale testing or, if that's not available, aggregates of anecdotal evidence from people who see large numbers of 1911s. That is why we look for the opinions of big US 1911 smiths and of the upper-tier trainers (particularly those who have a history with the 1911 like Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers). If you spend enough time around enough shooters, you find out what is working, what is not, and why.

misanthropist, I almost always agree with your posts but I politely have to disagree here.

You are right, there were a lot of parts failures in Kimber but those seem to have stopped after they stopped buying garbage MIM from 3rd world countries.

So you have never owned a Kimber but you have just heard horror stories on the Interwebs...

Larry Vickers gets free 1911s from Wilson Combat, I would sure hope he speaks highly of them and doesn't say things like,"Well, buy ###x brand.. they are just as good as Wilson Combat!" No more free Wilsons for him LOL.

People might say I am just trying to make myself feel better about owning a Kimber and you are damn right I am. LOL. I don't have the money for a Wilson Combat; SIGs and S&Ws are worse than Kimber (this was before the new E series from S&W); and there are not enough Colts and Springfields (what I really wanted) to choose from in this country... so Kimber it was. I will be replacing anything that breaks along the way so in 10 years I will have a mutt of a 1911.... but that is part of the fun, right?

 

[misanthropist]

If they are improving that's good but it's also news to me. However Ron Cohen is gone so it's a possibility.

Colts and mid-level Springfields are harder to track down but as you noted, they are better pistols.

I agree on the SIG 1911s and don't have much experience with the older S&Ws but you may be right that they are worse.

Some people fixate on "personal experience" with guns. I believe that is a mistake. It's very easy to find people who have 500 rounds of personal experience with a gun, and that tells you nothing. I can tell you what the standard problems with Kimbers are, and I can tell you that after speaking (in person, directly, not here on the internet) with people for whom the combat 1911 is not just something they saw in a movie...people who fix duty 1911s for a living...

You can tell yourself that Vickers is just pumping a different brand, but if that were the case you'd really have to wonder why he doesn't hesitate to recommend other guns. Why would he target Kimber specifically?

No, Kimber build fancy, cheap 1911s. You may get 5000 rounds out of one, trouble free. And if that's good enough then don't worry about it and drive on. But if you want a no-bs assessment of Kimber 1911s, well, you've heard it.

 

[lil_juiced_coupe]

I will never understand how people make decisions and opinions based only on other people's opinions and what they rea and then try and make a valid argument based on no personal experience. Are kimbers amazing battle tested and proven firearms? Meh probably not. We live in Canada and it will never have to be proven in the field of battle.
I have owned the spectrum of 1911s from cheapy norcs to nighthawks and everything in between. I have put many rounds through them all and best bang for your buck for esthetics and quality kimbers are my choice (Springfield is a close second if I didn't have to send mine back a zillion times for warranty work).

 

[cbabes]

Unfortunately I am not wrong. Usual Kimber problems are extractor failure, bad barrel timing, small parts failures related not just to MIM but specifically to cheap MIM. In particular slide stops on the Kimbers tend to fail, causing either premature lockback or failure to lock on an empty mag. Feed ramps cut poorly is another Kimber fetish.

I didn't put any rounds through the one I owned, because I did not own one...I did not and would not buy a kimber. For the money, there are better guns and I haven't spent that kind of money on a 1911 since well after the Series II Kimbers came out, which is the point at which they began to have serious problems.

If I had, it wouldn't mean much anyway...you know what they say about a sample size of one. You might happen to get a good one, or you might get a lemon, and either way it would tell you nothing about the overall quality of the brand. All you can do is look at large scale testing or, if that's not available, aggregates of anecdotal evidence from people who see large numbers of 1911s. That is why we look for the opinions of big US 1911 smiths and of the upper-tier trainers (particularly those who have a history with the 1911 like Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers). If you spend enough time around enough shooters, you find out what is working, what is not, and why.

You never owned a Kimber? WTF? LOL The upper-tier trainers are the most misleading source of information on the net, especially if you are inquiring about their sponsors. I tried to be open minded with you but this is simply ridiculous.

 

[Aqualung]

You never owned a Kimber? WTF? LOL The upper-tier trainers are the most misleading source of information on the net, especially if you are inquiring about their sponsors. I tried to be open minded with you but this is simply ridiculous.

I don't need misanthropist to validate my Kimber purchases (I have 3 and am buying a fourth); neither should you.

 

[45alot]

Thanks for the input. I will be bookmarking this thread and updating my gun if I notice any of this. Going to build a Kimber Super Gun but as of now looks and feels like I am already there! LOL

Good, i'm glad you like the gun,Kimber frames and slides have alway's been good quality (Forged).But over time it may be a good idea to replace the more important small parts e.g.: Extractor,firing pin stop,Ejector,plunger tube ect.You being happy is the most important thing above everybody's opinion.

 

[Wolfstrack]

edited

 

[misanthropist]

You never owned a Kimber? WTF? LOL The upper-tier trainers are the most misleading source of information on the net, especially if you are inquiring about their sponsors. I tried to be open minded with you but this is simply ridiculous.

If you wanted to know about the overall quality of a car manufacturer, do you think you would get more accurate information from a bunch of enthusiasts who owned one each of that brand, or from an automotive journalist who had spend years researching data aggregates?

If you have one that runs, that's great. 25,000 rounds through a Kimber is terrific and makes me suspect it's one of the earlier Clackamas Series I guns, which were very good pistols.