I took my new XSE out to the range Friday afternoon and put 200 rounds down the barrel. Over all, I have to say that I'm pretty darn impressed.
The fit and finish are excellent (with one not so minor exception); slide to frame fit is tight and there's none of the rattle like there was with my mid-90s 1991A1. Bushing to barrel fit is very good.
On the upside:
1. It ate everything I fed it, 100 rounds of Georgia Arms 230gr FMJ and 100 rounds of assorted HP including Federal 230gr Hydrashocks. Never a problem with any of it.
2. It was very accurate and shot to point of aim at ranges between 10 and 50 feet. Point of aim was to cover the target with the front sight. COM shots at 50 feet were, frankly, easy.
3. The thumb safety was crisp and moves on and off easily.
4. The trigger was also crisp but let off was on the high side, probably around 6-7+/- pounds.
5. Fit and finish. Colt has really done a nice job here. Someone over there is paying attention to Kimber sales. However...see below....
6. Slide locked back when empty when using both the Colt and Wilson mags. However....see below....
7. The bushing is finger tight and can be removed without tools.
8. Ejection is positive.
On the needs improvement side:
1. The Colt magazine; otherwise known as the Colt Paper Weight. Whether loaded or unloaded this thing is a BEAR (!!!) to seat. A couple of times I thought it was firmly seated only to have it protrude from the grip a quarter inch or so after the first shot. I would never trust the Colt mag with my life. Solution: I switched to Wilson 47Ds (eight rounder) and the problem immediately went away. The Colt mag is back in the box.
2. The other problem was not so minor and seeming so simple to fix. Once home, I decided that a good cleaning was in order and I disassembled while sitting on the back deck. (70 degrees in January doesn't happen all that often.) As I was pulling the recoil spring out, I heard a thump on the deck and then the unmistakable sound of a small part falling into leaves.
Not good. I looked at the pistol and noticed that the rear sight was missing....under the deck I went.
After searching the 1911forum board I found that loose rear sights are a fairly common problem with the XSE. I don't know whether the dove tail is too large or the sight is undersized, but as good a job as Colt has done with the rest of this pistol (they really have) I can't imagine why this is a problem.
So, Saturday morning off the XSE went to the local smith for sight replacement. At shop number one, I spoke to the "gunsmith" :barf: who I asked to install Novak LoMounts as, as long as the rear sight was off anyway....what-the-heck. His answer, "I've never heard of those." My answer "You know the sights Smith and Wesson has been using on their autos for the last dozen years." I retreived the weapon and headed for gunsmith number two at another, smaller, store which caters to the high end hunting rifle crowd. I can pick it up Tuesday morning (they're closed on Mondays).
Aggravating at best.
Would I buy it again? I would, absolutely. Another 250-300 rounds and I'll decide if any custom work is necessary. So far however, other than the sight problem, I'm very happy.
The fit and finish are excellent (with one not so minor exception); slide to frame fit is tight and there's none of the rattle like there was with my mid-90s 1991A1. Bushing to barrel fit is very good.
On the upside:
1. It ate everything I fed it, 100 rounds of Georgia Arms 230gr FMJ and 100 rounds of assorted HP including Federal 230gr Hydrashocks. Never a problem with any of it.
2. It was very accurate and shot to point of aim at ranges between 10 and 50 feet. Point of aim was to cover the target with the front sight. COM shots at 50 feet were, frankly, easy.
3. The thumb safety was crisp and moves on and off easily.
4. The trigger was also crisp but let off was on the high side, probably around 6-7+/- pounds.
5. Fit and finish. Colt has really done a nice job here. Someone over there is paying attention to Kimber sales. However...see below....
6. Slide locked back when empty when using both the Colt and Wilson mags. However....see below....
7. The bushing is finger tight and can be removed without tools.
8. Ejection is positive.
On the needs improvement side:
1. The Colt magazine; otherwise known as the Colt Paper Weight. Whether loaded or unloaded this thing is a BEAR (!!!) to seat. A couple of times I thought it was firmly seated only to have it protrude from the grip a quarter inch or so after the first shot. I would never trust the Colt mag with my life. Solution: I switched to Wilson 47Ds (eight rounder) and the problem immediately went away. The Colt mag is back in the box.
2. The other problem was not so minor and seeming so simple to fix. Once home, I decided that a good cleaning was in order and I disassembled while sitting on the back deck. (70 degrees in January doesn't happen all that often.) As I was pulling the recoil spring out, I heard a thump on the deck and then the unmistakable sound of a small part falling into leaves.
Not good. I looked at the pistol and noticed that the rear sight was missing....under the deck I went. After searching the 1911forum board I found that loose rear sights are a fairly common problem with the XSE. I don't know whether the dove tail is too large or the sight is undersized, but as good a job as Colt has done with the rest of this pistol (they really have) I can't imagine why this is a problem.
So, Saturday morning off the XSE went to the local smith for sight replacement. At shop number one, I spoke to the "gunsmith" :barf: who I asked to install Novak LoMounts as, as long as the rear sight was off anyway....what-the-heck. His answer, "I've never heard of those." My answer "You know the sights Smith and Wesson has been using on their autos for the last dozen years." I retreived the weapon and headed for gunsmith number two at another, smaller, store which caters to the high end hunting rifle crowd. I can pick it up Tuesday morning (they're closed on Mondays).
Aggravating at best.
Would I buy it again? I would, absolutely. Another 250-300 rounds and I'll decide if any custom work is necessary. So far however, other than the sight problem, I'm very happy.
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