New concealed carry gun

I've only ever had one Kimber, and it was absolutely awful. That wasn't the bad part though. Everyone can put out a bad gun. If the company stands behind their product and makes it right, I have no complaints.

Most importantly their customer service was astoundingly terrible. This was in 2009, too. Kimbers only have a 1 year warranty, and they won't even look at the gun for any possible problems until you have at least 500rds through it. And they expected me to pay shipping. It was absolutely ridiculous.

It's a shame because I really like the looks of a lot of their guns... but I'm unwilling to give them another shot at this point. Too many companies have spectacular customer service (I'm looking at Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory in particular).

If you get a good Kimber, I'm sure they are great... you just have to hope you get a good one.
 
KenW. said:
I had a Colt Defender several years ago. Absolutely reliable. I just had to inside the barn to hit the side of it.
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Sorry to hear you got a lemon. Sometimes all a gun needs is a little tuning. Swapping the barrel link is often enough to tighten one of these. A super-cheap fix. However, I HATE having to spend money to fix a problem that should not be there in the first place.

I have a Colt Officer's Model (I understand it is the predecessor to and the same size as the Defender) that is nearly as accurate as my Colt Gold Cup.

Lost Sheep
 
I also like the Springfield Compact Range Officer, except for the fiber optic front sight...
So many options. Its gonna be a tough choice. I like the Colt 1991 commander too
I love the looks of the Kimbers, its just with all the QA and cust service and warranty hooror stories, I think that is a deal breaker... too bad because I do like them.

So far my favorite are the Dan wesson, the EMP, and the commander sized Colt.
 
Not to get off topic, but my experience with Kimber earlier this year didn't match the horror stories. When I had a problem with my Kimber Solo, I talked to customer service and emailed them photos. Within 2 days I got a prepaid shipping label and instructions to send the gun in. The projected turnaround time was supposed to be two weeks, but the gun was returned a little over a week later. The report that came back with it showed the work done, parts replaced and results of the test firing with various ammo types. All at no charge.
 
I carry an LC9 with a Galloway kit/RTK trigger.
Extremely concealable .
I've tried to carry officer's models,commanders and full size 1911s,
They are tough to conceal unless one wears a "Long Riders' coat"
 
Just went thru a similar selection process between the DW ECO, the Springfield EMP and the STI Echo. Didn't consider the Colt because of weight.

The EMP has had some QA problems in the past - may be fixed now, I don't know - but I didn't want the ambi safety either.

The STI Echo or Lawman... don't really like their "recoil master" system. Excellent firearms, but hard on the fingers to disassemble. Had one, got PO'd, sold it.

Went with the DW ECO. I have a CCO, fantastic. If the ECO proves to be as good, I'll be more than happy.
 
Good luck!!!

Your best bang for the buck is buying a used high shelf gun than it is to buy a new less quality gun... Rule #1 ... the big calibers that recoil have less rounds through them than small calibers in most cases...
 
1911 45 acp is a great gun

a 1911 45 acp is a great gun but my favorite heavy 8 rounder is a sig sauer p220 45 acp.I owned 2 of them before.
 
My stepbrother loves his RIA and has never had any trouble with it. He bought it because he really liked the way it felt in his hand; he could have afforded to spend more, but it was the one he liked. I too have owned many firearms that were completely reliable and were also inexpensive.

I think his has a 4" barrel. It's a 45. I haven't owned a compact 1911, but l thought I would pass on his experience FWIW.
 
The Springfield Range Officer Compact is a lot of gun for the money.

You would want to change the stock sights for carry.
 
Anybody have any experience with the 3 and 4 inch Kimbers?
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If a person chooses these over a CCO or ECO, a few $100 must mean alot more to them than it does to me. Kimber's start at ~$800 and go up quick. The CCO can be had for $1300 and the ECO for $100 more. There is no comparison in my eyes. Springfield makes a cheaper model, but I think the ECO would be a better choice for me.

Honestly an ECO is a ready to go carry gun with night sights and a tough finish. The Kimber and Springfield are not available with a tough finish and night sights put them near $1100.
 
You can judge what works best for you on a $ sign. I have many more costly pistols but I carry a RIA GI model. Why because if I ever have to use it I don't want it getting lost from a property room like a friends Colt made in 1927 did.
 
I've had a Kimber UCII for several years, it gets carried a lot when it's cool enough here to wear something to cover it with ... great size and weight, swapped the sights and grips, never had it fail in any way and very accurate, regardless of the 3" barrel ... comes in 9mm as well as my .45, I believe ...
 
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