Buying (new) Kimber Compact tomorrow - any factory defects to watch for?

B

Battler

New member
Today I fondled a Kimber compact stainless, and the price was right - however I want to know the extents to which I can avoid buying a "lemon" (despite the fact that the factory/a smith could probably fix it).

One thing I noticed, when comparing it to a pro carry they also had, was that the slide was tighter - I could ride the slide in slow and it would kind of bind up somewhere near full-foward (I have never owned a 1911), even though when dropped "properly" it went into battery easy.

The dealer said the gun was nice and tight - and that people pay smiths money for such tightness, and breakin would remove it. The slide was not tight to rack, or tighter than the other, btw., just tighter toward the end - and I'm unsure of the gun's oiling.

Should I worry about this?

Whether/not this is a problem, do guns of this type tend to have a breakin over which they may jam a bunch?

Is there anything else I should look for before purchasing one off the shelf?


thanks,
Battler.
 
Battler, I bought a Kimber Compact in January. All I can say is that I've been very pleased so far. I have about 300 rounds through it without the slightest hitch. No jams, no failures to fire, no parts flying off the thing. And, it sure is pretty!

I'm putting another few hundred rounds downrange this weekend. I'll let you know if anything changes.

I'm pleased with my purchase and I'd do if all over again.
 
Why would a tight slide be a problem? That is something you should want. By the way if anything were to go wrong with the pistol (in the first year, sometimes more), send it to Kimber, they will fix it for you at no cost.

For the record, my Kimber compact custom 45 ACP in steel, (I like a heavier pistol, it's 34 ounces empty) has not had a malfunction of any kind whatsoever after about 1,000 rounds. Guys who have problems will complain repeatedly while those who have no problems seldom mention the fact. I thought I would post a positive review to counter the sour-pusses.
 
Nothing wrong with tight slide; but binding at a certain spot could be bad.

I posted this as well to another forum, and an (allegedly a gunsmith) guy described how this could be a problem.

I'm going to ask them if they have another model in the back room. I DO want to pay their price (they had it a bunch cheaper than 2 other places).

I really want to avoid having anything wrong if possible. It would p*** me off royally, and last time I checked mailing off a pistol is no picnic.

The voices are still telling me to buy it though :)


Battler.
 
The compact I "owned" was generally a good weapon.It did however have its problems.It had the dreaded slide stop problem.It was bent and the slide would not lock.The biggest problem was the thumb safety.It actually got locked on and the gun was usless.Kimber did take care of it in a timely fashion.If you like the gun go for it.All companies make lemons,some more than others.
 
I've had a custom compact lightweight for the last year and it is really a fine piece.
Very accurate and reliable, not to mention pleasing to the eye.

As said above, every co. has some lemons but I think Kimber makes an excellent product overall.

I dont think you'll regret the Kimber purchase. If you dont like it, resale is also very good.

Good Luck,

Dave
 
Battler,

I have the Ultra Elite. I am new to 1911s. The Kimber Pro Carry was my first and a week later the Ultra Elite was my second--all in October '99. Two weeks ago the ejector on the UE began to wobble and the plnger tube on my pro carry broke loose--both with only 500 rounds. Kimber will do the warranty work if sent to them. However, the cost of shipping and the lost use far out weighed the cost of having the work done locally. The accuracy of each is impresseive.

I have experienced several failure to feed S&B FMJ with the UE. The mag for the Pro-Carry fails to lock on the last round.

This has been my exerience with Kimber. I, also, purchased a Colt Light Weight Commander in January 2000. No problems with it after 500 rounds.

Good Luck!

Vee

------------------
 
My stainless Compact had one FTF, one failure to lock back the slide in the first 200 rounds, has been otherwise flawless in 800+. Very accurate (makes me look good :)). I trust it. Go for it. M2
 
Bought it, love it. Well, actually, I bought from another store - the one I was looking at had the lockup problem, and the safety just didn't have that "click" - as soon as I found another sample with these remedied the check book came out.

Zero screwups in ~150 rounds of hardball and some 185gr Golden Saber - including a lot of rapid fire. Coming from the Glock 30, the gun is a little more controllable (in my hands), and WAY more accurate (in my hands - trigger short/light enough that I don't have time to flinch.)

I didn't have any jams; but this gun sure doesn't feed like a Glock does - you have to rack the slide hard to get ammo to go in, unlike the G30 for which HPs just slide on in.

Both this Kimber compact and the G30 are different guns. But (at least in my test) with the Kimber functioning perfectly, and aside from the lower capacity, the Kimber is a step ahead in the "filling the target rapidly and accurately with lead" stakes. And oh what fun to rapid-fire!! Reminded me more of spraying the target with a military-pattern scary-looking rifle than shooting pistol, with that no compromise truly-single-action trigger pull and good grip.

I'm just coming to grips with "cocked and locked" carry in a Milt Sparks Versamax 2 - not for the faint-hearted!!


Battler.


[This message has been edited by Battler (edited April 10, 2000).]
 
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