Kimber 1911's

[Quantum Singularity]

Now that the senate in Kalifornia passed the AB273 bill, I might want to get a Kimber before buying a handgun becomes very hard (I hope Davis won't sign the bill) I've shot many Kimbers and like their accuracy--but never owned one. I would like to know how durable are they? I want a gun that lasts. My other concern is disasembly-- they look hard to disasemble compared to a Sig or Glock.

[This message has been edited by Quantum Singularity (edited August 29, 2000).]

 

[Matt VDW]

A Kimber, or any other 1911-style pistol for that matter, is harder to field strip than a Glock or a SIG, but the disassembly routine isn't hard to learn.

Treat the Kimber right and it should last longer than you do.

 

[B27]

Kimbers come with an excellent barrel bushing wrench and well illustrated instructions. Once you have stripped it a couple times it actually becomes sort of fun.
As for durability, the only part you will probably ever have to replace is the recoil spring.

------------------
"He is useless on top of the ground; he ought to be under it, inspiring the cabbages."
Mark Twain

 

[WIL TERRY]

My Kimber GOLD MATCH has about 5000 rounds through it. About half and half 45ACP and 400CORBON. It has yet to serve up its' first stoppage...though it did go full auto once. Hey, it never missed a lick there either. In my work I've talked to 100's of Kimber owners and if memory serves I've yet to ever speak to a seriously disgruntled one...just got off the phone with another Kimber guy; owns 10, "never had a malfunction" These are truly good 1911 pistols. TM

 

[RikWriter]

Good choice. The Kimber Classic Custom is the best buy out there in a 1911 style handgun. I have had five Kimbers, over 12,000 rounds through them combined without a jam or parts breakage.

 

[Wedge]

Have a Glock and a Kimber Custom Target among others things... The Kimber is a Jam-O-Matic and is a nightmare to dissasemble. I would not want to own one! (it is on loan to me).. sorry guys, but I feel this 1911 design is ancient and I want something I can tear down easily AND doesn't jam on me. My Walther P99 doesn't jam, the Browning Hi Power doesn't jam. Anyhow, having only shot this one 1911 I have sworn them off for anything other than target practice, I just don't trust them.

 

[RWK]

In .45 ACP, I have a Kimber stainless full-size Custom/Classic 1911A1, a Sig P-220, and an H&K USP .45 Tactical. All are outstanding semiautomatics. The Kimber is very durable, reliable, and accurate. I experienced a 1 to 2 percent jam rate with the Kimber for the first (approximately) 400 rounds. Now, however, it is every bit as reliable and as accurate as the Sig or the H&K -- which really is saying something.

If you want a reasonably priced (about $600) 1911A1, I recommend Kimber or Springfield, with the slight edge going to Kimber.

 

[Jonpod]

I, like RWK, have a Sig220, H&K Tactical, and a Kimber Custom stainless. They are all great guns but I would have to say that the Kimber is my favorite. It is the most fun of the three to shoot. Yes breaking it down is more complicated than the Sig or H&K but it can be enjoyable after you do it a few times. I like the Sig as my second favorite. Unfortunately, because money is limited, I plan to sell the Tactical in order to fund the H&K P7M8 that I put on lay-away just today. Since I only have one 9mm I thought it made sense to trade one of the three 45's. Besides, I have really wanted the P7M8 for some time now. Anyway, I think Kimber makes outstanding pistols and I would highly recommend for you to own at least one. I plan to buy another some day. Probably one of the smaller ones that are more easy to carry concealed. Good Luck in your decision.
As for reliability, I have had the Kimber for about 3 months and it has fed over 500 various rounds with ZERO problems. 100% reliability so far.

 

[CastleBravo]

I have a Kimber Classic Stainless Target and am very happy with it. Extremely accurate and quite reliable, though it is slightly finicky about ammo. It doesn't seem to like Pro-Load 200gr +P Gold Dot HP , but feeds Winchester Supreme SXT 230gr and Hornady XTP 200gr +P perfectly. Mine functions really well with Wilson Combat magazines (10 and 8 round), but I've heard that some Kimbers don't like the W.C. mags. FWIW.

C.B.

 

[motorep]

I've got several 45s, one is a Kimber Gold Match. It feeds anything, and with mags that are marginal in the others. It's never choked, it's a very well done 1911. It also has the deepest blue finish I've ever seen, including that of early Colt Pythons.