Kimber Pro CDP

H

Harley Man

Inactive
I am considering the purchase of a Kimber Pro CDP. Is it a dependable CCW? Is it worth the price? What is a good price? If you were looking for a 1911 in this approximate size (full length grip, 4" barrel), what would you do? Thanks for your thoughts.
 
While not a Pro CDP, I have an Ultra CDP. So far (just over 1 month & 250 rounds) I have no reason to complain. It has not had a malfuntion with either generic 230 grain hardball or Federal Hyra-Shoks. Accurate, and for a 3" gun the recoil is surprisingly managable. Easy to carry, weighing 2lbs or less loaded.

Is it worth the money? Well, that is one you have to decide for yourself. You can get Stainless Pro Carry for lots less-and we are talking hundreds of dollars. You lose the night sights, grips, ambi safety, premium trigger, etc. - definetly equipment that would cost more to have added later. But do you feel you need it? You still get the same aluminum frame (although with a different finish), same barrel, a "standard" match trigger, etc. with the Stainless Pro. And for about $60 less, you can get the blued Pro Carry - probably $300 or so less than the CDP.

Personally, I am happy with my Ultra CDP. But, I don't know that I shoot it any better than I would an Ultra Carry. The prices in my neck of the woods for a CDP were running $959 - you could find them for that everywhere. Looking a little deeper would get you down to $939 without haggling. But Kimber has of Feb. 1 raised pricing - I understand the dealer cost of a CDP is now up $40 or so.

Good Luck - you'll like any Kimber you buy.
 
Hi Harley Man. Welcome to TFL and please tell the wife I said hello :) I finally leave for my trip this coming Tuesday so you won't see me up at the Trop for 6-7 weeks.

Back to your question, personally, I do not care for the Kimber "custom" guns. I had three of their highest end models and each had minor problems. A couple months ago, I was given a stainless Gold Match that still hasn't been fired. I might end up selling it to the Trop after my trip.

To the naked eye, the CDP's are very beautiful. They provide you with a lot of custom features that would normally cost a ton of money. However, upon closer inspection, the checkering isn't very good. It's basically straight cut lines. The next time we see each other, I'll show you the checkering on my Baers and Wilsons. You'll notice a drastic difference.

In addition, the CDP's are a crap shoot with the triggers. Sometimes you get a sweet, crisp trigger pull. Other times, there's either creep or it's a fairly heavy pull. The next time you go to the Trop, dry fire all the CDP's there and you'll notice a difference between all of them.

Lastly, I never had a problem with the MIM parts like some others. Many people feel that you should replace the MIM parts immediately. IMO, if you're going to shoot it occasionally, then leave the parts alone until they break.

If you want to stick to the CDP price range, buy a Kimber Pro Carry. Then have a smith install Novak night sights. Buy some nice wood grips and bingo, you have a very functional carry gun. If checkering is a must, then you can always have that done later down the road. It'll still come out to less then a CDP.

BTW, how's the Dillon XL650 coming along? Did you start reloading on it yet?

I just noticed this is post 1776. Good year :)
 
Harley Man,

I carry one every day. I don't how I could recommend it more. I paid $975 for mine from a local shop, but I have seen them as cheap as $850 at the gun shows. Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

David
 
While I don't have a Pro CDP, I do have the Ultra CDP. I can say it's a nice gun to carry and is accurate. But I had to send mine back to Kimber last week. The front night site had already gone out (the two rear sites are fine), the ambi-safety on the right side would not completely disengage the thumb safety, and it had locked back several times while there was still ammo in the clip.

I'm not meaning to flame Kimber because I have peers that carry them and have not had a problem at all. You just never know. The lock back problem was on the first 100 rounds with nothing happening on the second hundred. The other two problems don't worry me much, so I'm sure I'll keep the gun.
 
I'll tell you what, I didn't even like 1911 style guns until I held my Pro-CDP. I compared it to the pro-carry standard version in the case, and there was no comparison. I had to have it, and now I do. It is reliable, accurate, and fits my hand great.

Get one and you won't be dissapointed, or you could follow ArmySon's advice and go Wilson or Baer.
 
Please do not misconstrue my statement about the Wilsons and Baers. The only reason I brought their respective names into this subject is for the sole purpose of comparing the checkering. Nobody needs to spend that much money if they do not want to in order to get a nice reliable 1911.
 
I feel like I have to add to my post on my Kimber Ultra CDP. Just got the gun back from Kimber today - in record time (about 1 week)! Night sight is fixed and glows strong, the ambi-safety is fixed and working properly. Now it'll just be a trip to the range to check the reliability, but I'll bet it'll be super.

Good going Kimber!
 
Thanks to everyone for your input! I'm a slow decision maker, especially when I'm coughing up $1000. The look and feel of the CDP seems just right and I think it is an excellent gun from an accuracy and quality point of view. Are all of you happy with the sights when used during the day? I have a Sig P220 with night sights (factory)and I really don't like them under normal daylight conditions. I was wondering if I might feel the same way about the CDP sights? I like the concept of Heinie Straight Eight sights which seem to work better with my old eyes, but that adds even more money to the equation. Perhaps a Kimber Stainless Pro with a Heinie's would work. Not quite as beautiful as a CDP but quite workable. In your opinion, would I be giving up alot going this direction. I know the specification differences but will it basically handle and shoot the same? Thanks for putting up with this brain dump and providing me with sound advice. Buying a bike was easier because I knew that I wanted a Harley!
 
Harley, I've got a PRO CDP that I've been carrying every day with good results. I replaced the Kimber sights with the Ashley big dot tritium sights. I've put around 1000 rounds thru mine, without a malfunction of any kind. The trigger breaks around 4 lbs. I am very pleased with my CDP.
 
robins said:
While I don't have a Pro CDP, I do have the Ultra CDP. I can say it's a nice gun to carry and is accurate. But I had to send mine back to Kimber last week......and it had locked back several times while there was still ammo in the clip.
Click to expand...

robins:
I have a stainless Ultra Carry. In my case, the slide stop would creep up just enough to just barely catch the slide with rounds still in the mag, so I sent mine back. It happened about 2% of the time. They sent it back to me and it still happened, so once I figured out the problem, they sent me two other slide stops. The last slide stop had the outside corner rounded slightly(the corner that faces the shooter and actually catches the slide.)

I've put 50 rounds through with no problem with the new slide stop, but I'm still not 100% confident, at least not yet. I've put about 1400 total rounds through the gun so far, and it's close to a year old, so it's definitely broken in. If it malfunctions again, I'm sending it back before it's out of warranty. I'm going out again tomorrow, so I'll see.

When the mag is not held open by the slide stop, I really like shooting it. It's accurate, too.

Good luck. You're not the only one who's experienced problems with the slide being held open prematurely.

straightShot
 
I am very pleased with my PRO CDP. Had a few mis-feeds the first 20-30 rounds but not one since(blamed it on the factory mags and Wolf ammo). Aesthetically, there's none finer. Also, with their checkering on the front strap and grips it feels like Vel-cro to the hand.
 
Here's another vote for the Pro CDP. I've carried mine for a while now. I put Hogue's wrap-around grips on it (I don't like the feel of checkering!) For a carry gun, it's Great!

However, I have big hands, so I have to "ride" the safety w/ my right thumb or the safety will re-engage! I'm thinking of putting a smaller safety on it, but it looks so good w/ that big ambi-safety!

J. Wise
 
Well, I was handling a Pro CDP again last night. It is getting much harder to resist buying the gun. I was comparing it to the Stainless Pro Carry to see if I could be just as happy and save $300. My wife tells me that I will never be happy unless I get the CDP. She is probably right (nothing new!). I'm sure the checkering is not up to a Les Baer standard, but what do you want for a gun that is $600 - $1000+ less. There is a gun show in my area at the end of this month, I might see if I can find a CDP at a more reasonable price... a local shop is selling them for $1050. Has anyone bought one online?
 
Just Buy the D*** Gun!

We don't have this kind of time! It's obvious that you are fascinated with the gun, you think its pretty (which is more info than I really want!) It's more than likely going to go bang and keep you chasing ITS accuracy for years!

Besides, I can't wait to shoot it!

Good luck!
 
It was going to be a Kimber CDP, but...After a month+ debating steel vs aluminum, Kimber vs SA, I picked up a Wilson Combat Mill. Protector. The decision is over! The fit and function of the Wilson really impressed me. The slide/frame fit is excellent and incredibly smooth. The trigger is light and crisp. As CentralPaDoug said "I'll be chasing it's accuracy for years!". Well it will sure be fun trying!
 
Hey Harley, I passed up the pro CDP just two weeks ago...instead, I put my $1000 towards my 2001 Sportster XL1200 Custom! NO comparison! Haha!

:D
 
ammoeater, as long as this thread has run in the direction of HD's:
in 1990 I had an 85 sportster (roadster was the official name). I wanted a Springer in the worst way, but $$ got in the path. Was drooling over the new HD's at a nearby dealer when I saw my dream: an 89 Springer. I knew I couldn't afford it, and told the salesman the same. "It ain't ours," he said. "We just put it out an hour ago as a favor for PW State Bank." It was a repo. Six months old and 2400 miles. Called the bank and asked the price. $9500, they said. Whoa, too much. I'll give you $8500. To which they agreed. 110,000 miles later, I still love my Springer. But I wouldn't have paid $13,000 for one new then and I certainly wouldn't pay $18,000 new for one now.

$1000 for a CDP? No, I probably wouldn't pay it. Now. One lesson I've learned is to wait for the seller who has everything to lose if the sale doesn't go through. There are many here on TFL who learned that lesson early. It took me fifty years to learn.

Wait until after the HD 100th anniversary if you want a deal. You may be able to buy your sportster for dimes on the dollar.

No flame, but HD prices can't keep going up forever.

Guns, on the other hand, just don't get cheaper.

Dick
 
kimbers are overpriced. Also a .45 in an ultra compact is not as effective because of the shorter barrel. If you still want a .45 that is ultra compact, try the new Taurus ultra compact with a 10 rnd. capacity. It is polymer, better durability. kimbers only have a 6 rnd capacity. If you have money to burn, kimbers are fine. OTOH, you can get 2 Tauruses for the price of one kimber...
 
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