My new (first) Kimber - definitely a mixed bag

R

rock_jock

New member
Well, I couldn't wait three more days to open my Christmas present (it's only my wife and I and 10-month-old son this year so it didn't really matter). Of course I should mention that I knew exactly what it was going to be since I bid online for it and had my wife handle the details - a new Kimber Compact SS Lightweight. I have been so looking forward to this gun since I have never owned a 1911 and only fired one a couple of times. I asked my wife to have an Ed Brown tactical ambi safety installed by the dealer who received the gun. She also ordered a couple of Wilson mags for it to supplement the factory mag it came with.

So, I brought it out to range today and put 150 rounds of Winchester, UMC, Blazer, and Federal Hydrashoks through it. Overall, I am happy with the gun, but it did NOT meet my expectations of a Kimber based on the rave reviews I have read on TFL. Here is a summary of the good and the bad:


Plusses:

- The gun is VERY accurate. I was getting consistent 6" groups offhand at 50 yards, and a few 3-shot strings that were around four inches.

- It is a beautiful weapon, very aesthetically pleasing.

- The weight and balance and feel of the gun is just right for me, and I think it will make a great CCW gun.

- The gun is obviously a high quality piece of workmanship. The fit and finsh were very good, and the slide to frame fit was tight.


Minusses:

- The most disappointing feature of the gun was the trigger. First, there was about a good 1/8-1/4" of takeup. I hate takup on triggers. Second, it was mushy, not crisp at all. Finally, the weight was probably 4.5-5 lbs, which is wasy to heavy for a 1911 IMO. Actually, I wouldn't mind the pull weight too much if the takeup and mushiness were gone.

- The sights, while adequate, were nothing to get excited about. A simple front blade and non-adjustable square notch, both in black with no white outline or contrasting markings. Not exactly conducive for a quick target acquisition. These will need to be changed if I am to carry it.

- The ambi safety. Yes, I know it wasn't a Kimber factory part, but I just wanted to rant on the lack of good gun parts for lefties. To begin, the left side of the safety (for right handers) protrudes further out from the gun than the right side (for lefties, like me). The amount it protrudes is perfect, ... that is, if you happen to be right handed. The left side, though, is flush against the frame. What this means is when I hold the gun with my right hand, I can easily flick the safety on and off, but with my shooting hand I cannot. What is the deal with that??! Then, there is a small ridge on the right side of the safety that digs into the knuckle of my thumb whenever I hold the gun. It was so bad that I was bleeding by the end of the shooting session. What is the deal with parts manufacturers? Can't they make some simple items geared towards us southpaws? Even their doggone ambi safeties are made with wrong-handed people in mind.

- About 1/3 of the time the spent brass were flying straight back and hitting me in the forehead. Not comfortable.

- Finally, with about every fifth mag that I ran through the gun the slide would lock back and the last round either popped clean out of the gun or was left just sitting on top of the follower, i.e., not actually seated in the mag. I don't know if the slide was causing this problem, or the mag. And no, the two or three times it happened I didn't think to mark the mags so I don't know it was isolated to one magazine or not.

Anyway, I am fairly pleased with the gun and am happy to finally have a 1911. But, it certainly does not measure up to the perfection I had hoped for.
 
Congratulations on your new toy.Sorry to hear about some of the disappointments.I think a 4.5 to 5lb trigger pull is pretty decent on a stock 1911.I personally wouldn't want anything less than 4lb for a CCW.As far as the Ambi-safety goes, you may want to look into a different manufacturers' safety....not all are made the same.I wouln't worry too much about the sights either, as these can easily be replaced by yourself or you can have the dealer do it if you don't feel comfortable.I don't own a Kimber so I'm not sure about the other problems but I'm sure others here wiil be able to help you out.

Happy Shootin' :)
 
Congratulations on the Kimber. Well, you found out the weak links. One problem I've seen is that Kimbers often have improperly tensioned extractors, which could be causing your ejection problem. You can send it back to Kimber (and spring for the postage) or find out how to tension the extractor yourself -- http://www.m1911.org.

Another weak part of the Kimber is the slide stop, which could also be causing some of the slide lock problem. You can get a good aftermarket slide stop for about $25, which will just pop in.

Kimber triggers are hit and miss. Some are good from the factory, others are heavy and creepy. (BTW, it's hard to know the real pull weight without using a scale.) On a CCW gun I don't think a lot of trigger takeup is necessarily bad.

I agree that Kimber sights are nothing to write home about, but they work. You might be able to file the ridge off the ambi safety to make it more comfortable.

For less than $100 you can get a smith to tension the extractor, clean up the trigger, and file down the safety.
 
You've been bitten by the 1911 bug! Sorry to hear about that! I am a recovering 1911-aholic. Although, not as bad as some on TFL. The 1911 fanatics have a "svengali" affect on your way of thinking. The 1911 is a true classic. Having said that, it is no longer "King". Kimber is no better or worse than any other factory 1911. At least you didn't let someone talk you into a Wilson! You really would kick yourself! Be open minded and don't get suckered. There are better alternatives to the 1911. I'm not endorsing any one of them, I'm just giving my opinion. Now, if the 1911 is truly your personal best option, by all means go for it! I'll add, that my favorite factory 1911 is a Springfield. Can't beat that lifetime warranty and with a 1911, you'll need it! Good luck and no offense intended!
 
CSAY,

There is no doubt that the "image" of the 1911 had some sway over me, and of course you are about the JB cultists on TFL. But ultimately, it was the the need to have my curiousity satisfied and as a burgeoning gun nut, to add a much-needed classic to my collection.
 
...see kids... how it goes when you open presents early! :D

Too bad about your disappointment, and your disability; that being left handed in a right handed world.

Hope you can get it all worked out.
 
Am I missing something???

I hate to say this, but I don't see where any of the "minuses" were anything to really gripe about. The worst of those sounds like you simply need to get the extractor tuned properly. Regarding the trigger pull, 4 to 4.5 pounds is about as light as you want on a carry gun (it IS supposed to be a CCW and not a target gun, by the way). Any lighter and you're going to make some trial lawyer really fat & happy after a shooting incident. Regarding the safety, I have an Ed Brown Tactical unit on my Gov't Model, and I have no trouble using either hand. I was being poked by the bottom edge of the safety lever as well, but I simply beveled it and applied some cold blue afterwards.

If all currently-made 1911s were as "imperfect" as yours there'd be a heck of a lot less complaints out there. I say get that extractor re-tensioned, bevel the bottom edge of the safety, and then enjoy it the way it is.
 
Can't see how any of the minuses are anything to gripe about?!

Guess some of us set our sights a little lower than others.

Hot brass hitting you in the eye during a SD situation is a deadly minus.

The magazine problem seems like a bad thing since it obviously does not work as it is SUPPOSED to.

The sights are not easy to get a quick sight picture with.

The safety is difficult to wipe off!

Sounds like the PERFECT carry gun for someone with a death wish:rolleyes:

Of course, maybe for the 1911 fans out there, it did seem like an awfully small list of problems...

CANIS
 
Amen CANUS. It's funny how these problems should be acceptable in a 1911. When you consider the nature of the beast, I guess so. I've been associated with various WWII vets over the years and the consensus was that they were inaccurate and quite problematic, not automatic. Yes, of course, gunsmithing can solve many problems, but gunsmithing should not be needed on a factory new pistol.
 
NOT 'FACTORY NEW"

Been 'modified' at gunshop (per customer request).

Not sticking up for brand or type, but have fired enough different guns to understand perfection is elusive (like in marriage).

Although admit to noticing 1911-style guns require more tuning to reach perfection; not Knocking, just noticing.

My 1911, of course, is perfect (Caspian, of course).
 
I don't think adding an ambidextrious safety is much of a modification. I'm talking about other mods that sometimes have to be done just to make some of them functional. I hardly think expecting one to be 100% functional and reliable out of the box, is asking too much. And before someone says, "Mine is 100% with no mods, how about that!", I am not saying ALL of them, but in my experience I have had more "out of the box" reliability problems with the 1911s that I've owned. That should be a very rare occurence, but it's not.
 
For the sights, it seems that quite a few 1911's come with black on black sights. I agree, it is terrible for quick aquisition. Still, that is the industry standard for 1911's. Quite a few target pistols come like that, such as the Beretta Elite II. This really isn't the fault of Kimber. Old timers seem to be more okay with this.

As for the trigger, the weight is set that way for liability reasons. They don't want to be sued by a "victim's" family for building guns with a hair trigger. Just because you are sure you intended to shoot a rampaging criminal doesn't stop these law suits.

I have had problems with extended magazines feeding right. These were the Chim McCormick ten round magazines. I've never had any design as touchy about good magazines as the 1911.

Sorry the trigger sucks. That's why I dry fire at a store before buying. At least I can try some of it out.
 
Shoot it some more and I bet the Kimber will work better for you. I guy was gripping about his Beretta that had all sorts of problems, You know what?

After a good cleaning and lube his second trip to the range most of his problems were gone.

I had a Taurus that I didn't break in and I cussed it then traded it. The guy that has it says it works great now. An expensive leson for me.

Shoot a few hundred more rounds and let us know what happens. plunker
 
I guess I missed something

I thought Rock-Jock was just saying that he thought that a Kimber (with all it's hype and price tag) would be better.....not that it was bad...but just he expected better. Many of you know much better than I do..but if I but a systema..I expect to do some tweeking...but if I but a kimber..I expect to rock and roll. Maybe I'm just way off........but then my wife tells me that often.
 
RH is right. I am for the most part happy with the gun. If I gave an impression otherwise I apologize. I was just griping about a few things that I expected to be a little better. The trigger is the main thing I am bothered about since I hear everyone rave about the crisp snap they get on their Kimbers. And I really don't mind a 4.5 lb trigger (although now that I have dry-fired it more it seems very comparable to my Glock with regard to the pull tension, so perhaps it is more like 5-5.5 lbs), but I DO mind the takeup and creepy feeling. That, IMO, is unacceptable for a gun at this price.

The thumb safety thing bothers me too, but that is a bias against lefties and not Kimber's fault. As far as reliability, the problem I mentioned happened just a couple of times, only with the last round of a magazine, and the net result was the gun became a six-shot instead of a seven-shot. I will, of course, resolve the problem before I ever carry it for CCW.

I didn't intend this thread to turn into a flame war on 1911's. It was really intended to: (1) get some feedback on whether I was being too picky, and (2) provide a review on a new Kimber for prospective buyers.
 
I've found that most 1911's require a bit of breaking in. I suggest that you oil it up real well and fire a good 300 rounds through it in one range session. Keep it well lubed during this time by reapplying lube every 50 rounds or so.

With the slide off, slide a loaded cartridge up under the extractor. There should be enough tension to hold it in place. On the trigger bow should be two tabs, at least there is on my full size SS Kimber, that can be bent to adjust take up.
 
Can't see how any of the minuses are anything to gripe about?!

Guess some of us set our sights a little lower than others.
Click to expand...

Either that, or some folks are just impossible to please. :rolleyes: I don't cuss out my truck and write to GM just because a tire went flat. If the tire went flat, then the battery died, then the CV joint broke, then the engine blew, THEN I'd be just a little pi$$ed!
 
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