As expensive as a Kimber but a better gun

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Photon Guy

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Anybody who knows Kimbers knows they're expensive. Well, I know a gun that's just as expensive but perhaps even better in terms of quality and performance. What Im talking about is the Coonan. The Coonan is a .357 Magnum semi auto on a 1911 platform and it shoots rimmed cartridges like a revolver. Having shot both I would say the Coonan shoots better. Not to knock the Kimber, they're excellent guns and they shoot excellent but not quite like a Coonan. So, if you're thinking of getting a Kimber you might want to look into getting a Coonan if you want a .357 Magnum semi automatic.
 
Kimbers start at around $800 and IIRC the Coonan starts at around $1400 so tell me again how Kimbers are expensive. Also the Coonan may look like a 1911 but that extra long grip is about as bad as a Desert Eagles.
 
Not everyone believes that Kimbers are all that reliable. I think you have been reading to many of their advertisements.
 
Many of us don't consider the Coonan to be a 1911. It sort of resembles a 1911 externally, but inside it's very different. It uses a swinging trigger, and the barrel cams down on a slot, like a Hi-Power, rather than a link as in a 1911. I believe there are other differences, too, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

Okay pistol, but I'm not interested.
 
Kimbers start at around $800 and IIRC the Coonan starts at around $1400 so tell me again how Kimbers are expensive. Also the Coonan may look like a 1911 but that extra long grip is about as bad as a Desert Eagles.
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The more expensive Kimbers can be as much as $1400 or more. The long grip on the Coonan doesn't bother me, it fits my hands really well.
 
Not everyone believes that Kimbers are all that reliable. I think you have been reading to many of their advertisements.
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I know that Kimbers are decent, I've fired one. As for Coonans being reliable, I can tell you they are from my own experience. I've got a Coonan. I've fired it about 500 times so far.
 
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Not everyone believes that Kimbers are all that reliable. I think you have been reading to many of their advertisements.
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Or well made. Here's an educational photo collage of some of the issues that are common to their guns (links to big):



I'm prepared for the "my Kimber's perfect and those are isolated lemons!" responses but just Google "kimber rust" among other search terms.
 
This thread doesn't really make any sense. Kimber quality control issues aside, comparing a Coonan to a Kimber 1911 is an apples-to-oranges comparison. One is a slightly modified version of the classic 1911 design that's usually chambered in .45 ACP. The other is only loosely based on the 1911 design, is much bigger, and fires .357 magnum. Two completely different guns for two completely different purposes.

Photon Guy said:
So, if you're thinking of getting a Kimber you might want to look into getting a Coonan if you want a .357 Magnum semi automatic.
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If you're thinking about getting a Kimber, you're obviously not looking at large, 1911-esque .357 mag semi-autos because Kimber doesn't make a .357 mag and all their guns are vastly different designs than the Coonan. That's kind of like saying, "If you're looking at getting a Chevy Camaro you might want to look into getting a Ford F150 if you want a pickup truck."
 
This thread doesn't really make any sense. Kimber quality control issues aside, comparing a Coonan to a Kimber 1911 is an apples-to-oranges comparison. One is a slightly modified version of the classic 1911 design that's usually chambered in .45 ACP. The other is only loosely based on the 1911 design, is much bigger, and fires .357 magnum. Two completely different guns for two completely different purposes.
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Kimber makes guns in the .45 ACP and 9mm caliber. Coonan makes guns in the .357 Magnum caliber but they've also started making guns in the .45 ACP as well. I've never used a Coonan in .45 ACP but from my experience with their .357 Magnum model no doubt the .45 ACP would function just as well.

Coonan also makes more compact models so not all Coonan guns are all that big.
 
But your first post specifically mentioned the .357 Magnum Coonan, which isn't really comparable to a 1911 like a Kimber; it's a completely different design for a different purpose.
 
Poor wording on my part. Coonan does make guns that shoot in .45 ACP just like some of the Kimbers do. Having handled and shot guns of both Coonan and Kimber make, I just find the Coonan to be built better and to function better, although the Kimber does have a nice, pretty cosmetic appearance.
 
I don't think Kimber is as synonymous with quality as it used to be but your mileage may vary. I'm kinda interested in checking out the Coonan though
 
Coonan now makes a pistol that fires the .45 Automatic Colt cartridge, but it's not a 1911. Is it reliable? Dunno -- I've never seen one, and I have no interest in trying one.
 
The Coonan is such a unique bird that it's hard to come up with a comparable gun. I spent a boatload of money on a Desert Eagle once, shoulda' bought the Coonan instead. The DE is just too big and too heavy for a 357 and only worked with full power magnum jacketed ammo. The Coonan should be more forgiving, especially since you can swap to a lighter recoil spring, and there's no gas system.
 
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Not to flog a decomposing horse, but given the dozens of 1911 manufacturers at various price points out there, why specifically cite the mechanically different Coonan for comparison? The market is flooded.
 
OK, the OP is a big fan of the Coonan .357. Good for him.

I am a big fan of the 10mm, and Kimber does make a 10mm, that will handle pretty much any hot loaded ammo and will do it very well, at a lesser price than a Coonan.

If I would want a .357, personally would not go semi-auto.

Should I ever want a oddball like the Coonan, GI makes a really nice .50 in a true 1911. Heck, turn any good .45 1911 into a fire breather 460 Rowland.
 
Not everyone believes that Kimbers are all that reliable.
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Are SWAT team does. They have been using the Kimber 1911 for years now. So does almost all our detectives. I never had any issues either and must have 7K rounds through my Super Carry Pro by now. Its my 1911 edc. yrmv...
 
I've owned a Kimber Custom II for over a decade. One of the better 1911's I've ever owned. Kimber started thinking outside the box a few years ago and went with an external extractor on their higher end models. They kept the internal extractor on the base models like mine. There is nothing wrong with an external extractor if it is done right. But for some reason Kimbers version had issues. Those were the guns that soured the Kimber reputation. Their most expensive guns not always working, but their base models were always just fine.

They corrected that years ago, but the internet won't let it die. Kimber makes a nice gun, every bit as good as anything else in the same price range today.

But I bought one of the S&W 1911's several years ago. Smith uses an external extractor which some traditionalists don't care for,but it works on this gun. Even though I'm perfectly happy with my Kimber, I think the Smith is a bit better. It is a bit more expensive too.
 
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