Good day gents,
I purchased a Kimber Rimfire pistol a short while ago from Frontier Firearms (excellent service by the way) and I thought I'd share my impressions.
Pros:
1-Craftsmanship. No machining marks to be found anywhere, the quality I'd expect from a high-end pistol maker.
2-Accuracy. This pistol has a 5 inch match-grade bull barrel with a match barrel bushing. Very tight groups while firing standing at 25 meters.
3-Government Model / 1911. I am primarily a Government Model / 1911 shooter and you really cannot beat practicing with the same platform using economical .22LR ammunition. A lot more trigger time for your buck.
4-Adjustable sights. Very easy to use and adjust.
5-Lightweight. Frame and slide are built from aluminum. Very easy for youth or lady shooters.
6-Trigger. The trigger is top notch. 4-5 pound pull, barely any slack to squeeze before you are surprised by the shot.
7-Magazines. I bought this with 3 10-round magazines. I am glad to report that they all feed very well.
8-Disassembly. This pistol is torn down exactly like its .45ACP big brothers. Very good practice and nothing new to learn. Why do I mention this? My father recently bought a German made Walther ''Colt Government Model'' in .22LR and it is mechanically different and a little awkward to disassemble.
Cons:
1-Reliability. This might be due to the legendary ''break-in period'' but I am sorry to report that she is a finicky princess when shooting cheap .22LR ammo. However, automatics chambered for .22LR generally operate better with hotter loads. I have shot about 1500 rounds of various makes.
a) Winchester Wildcat 40 Grain Lead Round Nose: Several FTE per magazine, often not powerful enough to operate the action. Not recommended.
b) Winchest Super X 37 Grain High Velocity Hollow Point 1330 FPS: Again, constant FTE and FTF. I was really surprised with these rounds, I shot 100 before I got sick of them and gave them to my father. Not recommended.
c) Winchester Super X 40 Grain High Velocity Round Nose 1300 FPS: These cycled very well except for the occasional dud. Highly recommended.
d) Winchester 333 Round 36 Grain Hollow Point 1280 FPS: These cycled better than Winchester Super X Hollow Point 37 Grain for some reason. Somewhat recommended.
e) Remington Golden Bullet 40 Grain Round Nose: No problems. Highly recommended.
f) CCI Mini-Mag High Velocity 40 Grain Round Nose: Good to go. Highly recommended.
g) CCI Stinger 32 Grain Hollow Point 1640 FPS: A bit on the expensive side for .22LR but you cannot beat it. It sounds like a 9mm and functions flawlessly. Highly recommended.
End line: Like most .22LR automatics, go for heavier bullets and higher velocities and you won't have problems. Cheapo bullets aren't worth the headache.
2-Magazine slide stop. This pistol's action does not stay open when the last round is fired. I can live with it but I definitely would have preferred to have that feature.
3-Price. 850$ for a .22LR is expensive.
My Mods:
1-Kimber Pinned Ambidextrous Safety. (I am left handed)
2-Strider Flat Dark Eath Gunner grips. The pistol came with black double diamond checkered rubber grips, not a big fan. However, I am very impressed by these Gunner Grips. Very aggressive design, they glue your hand to the gun. I took the opportunity to apply blue loctite to the grip screw bushings when I changed the grips, I nearly stripped the frame when I was installing the Gunners.
Future mods:
1-Mainspring Housing. I might change the checkered plastic flat mainspring housing for an arched steel one with lanyard loop. I seem to have a better grip with the arched model.
2. Time will tell.
Overall, I'm very impressed with this little pistol. I have wanted a dedicated Government Model in .22LR for a very long time and so far I do not regret it. Of course, this is a Kimber so I paid a premium price (about 850 shipped). Expensive but definitely worth it for the quality.
Here are pictures. The black on the end of the barrel is carbon residue, the barrel is all stainless.
I purchased a Kimber Rimfire pistol a short while ago from Frontier Firearms (excellent service by the way) and I thought I'd share my impressions.
Pros:
1-Craftsmanship. No machining marks to be found anywhere, the quality I'd expect from a high-end pistol maker.
2-Accuracy. This pistol has a 5 inch match-grade bull barrel with a match barrel bushing. Very tight groups while firing standing at 25 meters.
3-Government Model / 1911. I am primarily a Government Model / 1911 shooter and you really cannot beat practicing with the same platform using economical .22LR ammunition. A lot more trigger time for your buck.
4-Adjustable sights. Very easy to use and adjust.
5-Lightweight. Frame and slide are built from aluminum. Very easy for youth or lady shooters.
6-Trigger. The trigger is top notch. 4-5 pound pull, barely any slack to squeeze before you are surprised by the shot.
7-Magazines. I bought this with 3 10-round magazines. I am glad to report that they all feed very well.
8-Disassembly. This pistol is torn down exactly like its .45ACP big brothers. Very good practice and nothing new to learn. Why do I mention this? My father recently bought a German made Walther ''Colt Government Model'' in .22LR and it is mechanically different and a little awkward to disassemble.
Cons:
1-Reliability. This might be due to the legendary ''break-in period'' but I am sorry to report that she is a finicky princess when shooting cheap .22LR ammo. However, automatics chambered for .22LR generally operate better with hotter loads. I have shot about 1500 rounds of various makes.
a) Winchester Wildcat 40 Grain Lead Round Nose: Several FTE per magazine, often not powerful enough to operate the action. Not recommended.
b) Winchest Super X 37 Grain High Velocity Hollow Point 1330 FPS: Again, constant FTE and FTF. I was really surprised with these rounds, I shot 100 before I got sick of them and gave them to my father. Not recommended.
c) Winchester Super X 40 Grain High Velocity Round Nose 1300 FPS: These cycled very well except for the occasional dud. Highly recommended.
d) Winchester 333 Round 36 Grain Hollow Point 1280 FPS: These cycled better than Winchester Super X Hollow Point 37 Grain for some reason. Somewhat recommended.
e) Remington Golden Bullet 40 Grain Round Nose: No problems. Highly recommended.
f) CCI Mini-Mag High Velocity 40 Grain Round Nose: Good to go. Highly recommended.
g) CCI Stinger 32 Grain Hollow Point 1640 FPS: A bit on the expensive side for .22LR but you cannot beat it. It sounds like a 9mm and functions flawlessly. Highly recommended.
End line: Like most .22LR automatics, go for heavier bullets and higher velocities and you won't have problems. Cheapo bullets aren't worth the headache.
2-Magazine slide stop. This pistol's action does not stay open when the last round is fired. I can live with it but I definitely would have preferred to have that feature.
3-Price. 850$ for a .22LR is expensive.
My Mods:
1-Kimber Pinned Ambidextrous Safety. (I am left handed)
2-Strider Flat Dark Eath Gunner grips. The pistol came with black double diamond checkered rubber grips, not a big fan. However, I am very impressed by these Gunner Grips. Very aggressive design, they glue your hand to the gun. I took the opportunity to apply blue loctite to the grip screw bushings when I changed the grips, I nearly stripped the frame when I was installing the Gunners.
Future mods:
1-Mainspring Housing. I might change the checkered plastic flat mainspring housing for an arched steel one with lanyard loop. I seem to have a better grip with the arched model.
2. Time will tell.
Overall, I'm very impressed with this little pistol. I have wanted a dedicated Government Model in .22LR for a very long time and so far I do not regret it. Of course, this is a Kimber so I paid a premium price (about 850 shipped). Expensive but definitely worth it for the quality.
Here are pictures. The black on the end of the barrel is carbon residue, the barrel is all stainless.
