Springfield or Kimber 1911

Boomer686

Boomer686

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I'm getting more than annoyed at my 1911 not showing up. I've had it on order from a supporting dealer since March. I wanted the Springfield Loaded Black Stainless model (mfr# PX9144LP) but frankly I'm just fed up with

"Well it's ordered... just don't know when it will be shipped.
I don't know if it is in this shipment.If not it wil be in the next one in 6 weeks time."

I've been hearing this for 8 months now!!:mad: I seen a few of these in gun stores on my recent vacation to the states so I know they are out there.

I'm now looking for another 1911. Maybe a Kimber. Another dealer has the Eclipse Target II and the Stainless Target II in stock. I am considering getting one. I just do not have any experience with Kimber. From what I gather you love them or hate them. Anyone have any first hand experience with them?

Regards,
 
I've had the same gun ordered for a year now and I'm told by Springfield's distributor that it will never show up. That model with the combat sights has never come to Canada and it probably won't. Sorry.
 
I'm a zellers kid for the most part. I get my stuff from old navy sometimes.

But very occasionally I wear suits, and I need shirts to go with those suits, and there's this other place in sweden I get bespoke shirts from. Formal dress shirts custom made. I've had less than one a year made, but it's worth it if you want to be comfortable.

When I say custom made, I mean custom made. Actually custom made to my measurements, with the fabrics I choose, with the buttons I choose, with the type of collar I choose, with the type of placket, the type and length of cuffs I choose....any thing I want.

I pay for that privelege of course, it cost me about 90 bucks per shirt, and that's pretty pricey, but I get what I want, and I only wait about 3 weeks from the time I place my order, until the time I get my shirt from Sweden. I pay the big money, and I get the big service, and that's how it should be.


So....why in the hell should the O.P. be getting jerked around on a big bucks gun like this?

I'd do three things.

1. Complain to the gunstore directly, cancelling my order and telling them why.
2. Complain to the importer, or the head company, cancelling my order and telling them why.
3. Complain to the public on a public forum, naming exact names with contact info for those people, naming the companies involved, and then I'd forward the posts to the people named in the above two points, and I'd tell them why.

That's bull.

It's one thing to wait for shipments of old milsurp rifles from communist countries, for which you are paying just slightly more than the going rate for scrap metal, but I'd flip out if I got jerked around for months on a pistol costing well over a thousand dollars.
 
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Actually, since you're spending big bucks, I'd call Walt at ArmsEast and find out if he still has that Colt XSE in stock, that way you can't lose. And you can't lose.
 
Steve David said:
If that is the one you really want, see if Mark at Questar can bring it in for you.
Click to expand...

Good point. I'm banging off an e-mail ASAP.

What bugs me the most about the whole thing is the BS is pushing me towards potentially having to "settle" for something I did not want. I already sold my Springfield 1911-A1 to help fund this purchase because the dealer told me I'd have it in 6 weeks....so now I am sans 1911 since mid-March!

In this day and age I fail to see how a dealer cannot tell you when your order is coming or at least a rough estimate; they said they can't even tell me if my item is in the current shipment??? So how does a business operate like this? No manifest? Just open a box and just hope some stuff is there???

Frustrated,
 
Kinda went though the same thing, I'd bought an XD that was used, after a bit of experimenting with loads I found I was less than happy with the ported barrell (aftermarket Magna port job) and wanted a new one for it.
After getting tired of asking around all over and getting no answers I called Springfield Armories directly and they were straight up with me and very easy to deal with. They explained the facts to me that although they'd love to be able to help me fact was they were selling XD's so fast at the time that they needed every barrell they could get just to keep the production lines going and probably wouldn't have a spare barrell to sell seperate for almost a year.

Another deal I had years later was on a Beretta 9mm, always wanted one but never got around to getting one till word got out they were planning to discontinue them. I was told if you want one new, better order now and hope we can find one on a shelf somewhere. Order went in, downpayment was made and the wait started. Around 8 months later still no beretta, still no idea where it was, got told , yeah, its ordered but,,,,,,
A few weeks later I was on my way home from picking up jr. He lives a couple of hours from the wife and I and we took a different route that "accidently" took us by one of my old favourite gun shops. While i'm leaning over the counter pointing a a box of bullets I wanted I looked down to see the Beretta I wanted, $50 more but the same one. When I asked how the He!! they managed to get one , they said , Simple we ordered it direct from Italy not through the local channels.

I paid the extra $50 and have my Beretta now.

Mike.
 
Have owned both ,but at the end of the day I'd take the Kimber. I currently have 4 of them and have had up to 6 of them in the safe at one time. None have been lemons or had problems.

You would be very happy and not regret your purchase if you bought either brand.
 
The retailer should not have told you it was "6 weeks" away. He should have told you what all the other Springfield dealers tell you.

Basically, Springfield is notoriously slow in exporting products north of the border. Took 18 months for my gun club to get a stock order. Took 14 months for one of my favorite dealers just to get XD45 mags.

It's Springfield and not the retailer or distributor. Again, the retailer should not have promised 6 weeks, though.

However, Springfields are worth the wait. :) My first was an "in stock" model but I gladly waited for my second.
 
In response to the thread title I would say Springfield.

I put my name on a waiting list? with TSE in Calgary for Black/SS Kimber back in June 2008. Still have not been called. If none have come in yet I must say Kimber is a complete JOKE.

I bought a SA 1911 SS Loaded from Wolverine Supplies in July and could not be happier. 500 rounds through the pipe and not 1 issue. This pistol is a work of art.
 
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One thing you have to remember about the American gun industry, these guys can sell every gun they make without having to bother with our pansy-*ssed restrictions, export regs, import regs or any of that. Particularly companies that produce good quality 1911's. If some guy in Arizona wants the latest and greatest Kimber, that's UPS overnight to a dealer who sells more Kimber in a month than Canadians buy in a year. Not enough for Canada, oh well. As the CEO of Remington told a CSSF rep when he was asked about supporting firearms ownership in Canada, "Canada is less than 4% of our business, frankly we don't care"
 
Good point.
I was going to order a Kimber but when I found out about the wait and the warranty BS in Canada, I changed my mind.
I have to say guns are like alot of other products, opinions can vary soo much from one person to another. Get a mid-high level 1911 and it's going to be decent...... hopefully. Good luck.
 
I've had a Kimber on order from a supporting dealer for over a year now, at least he told me that he had no idea when it would come in before I even ordered it.
 
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