opinions on .45 upgrade or buy new?

D

Dave44

New member
I currently have a KIMBER classic and the suggestion was made
to me that I should not trade this one in for say a kimber in the
1000$ range-that i'd be further ahead taking this gun to my local trustworthy smith and stick maybe 300-350$ in it and possibly
have an ever better gun. Any thoughts--Thanks in advance:cool:
 
I depends on what Kimber you're planning to get. If you're looking at a CDP model, do the trade. If you're looking at an Eclipse model, save yourself some money and get your present Kimber slicked up.
 
The basic Kimber is an excellent platform for custom work. In fact, buying a "custom shop" Kimber (like the Gold Match or the Eclipse) is actually a rip-off if you think about it. You could slick your base gun up for a few hundred bucks. With a so-called "custom shop" Kimber you get stuck with MIM parts and other junk that needs to be changed out anyway.

Give Dane Burns a look over at www.pistolsmith.com - He does both full-house and light custom work on basic Kimbers. Word is, he can make one SING like a well-oiled sewing machine. Don't trade for a high-end Kimber. I've been there and done that. They simply aren't worth the money.

Regards.
 
Probably keep it

If your Kimber is accurate and reliable, hang on to it. You might get a $1000 gun that doesn't work. I did.

First you might get some trigger work, then swap out the barrel and bushing. I don't really know what else a Kimber classic needs. Some people don't like the stock beavertail and the plastic mainspring housing, but they work fine for me. I would consider hard chroming the frame if you have a blued model.

Yo
 
I'd personalize your current 1911.

To me, that beats purchasing a "genaric semi-custom" any day of the week.
 
What kind of upgrades are thinking about? I have a kimber custom also. It is super accurate and has a great trigger. After xmas I'm going to have kimber install adjustable sights but other than that it really doesn't need anything. My gun will keep up with my friends high end kimber but I like his adjustable sights better. But then I'm in to how my pistol shoots not all the extra bells and whistles. Mark
 
Good question actually, For one -i'm a lefty so i want the left handed slide release and i'm not sure how much I like the black on black non- adjustable sights. Another note-I made the mistake of borrowing this gun to a friend of mine and some of the military ammo in the tins, and well it didnt get cleaned for about two weeks and i've got some slight residue between the rifling in the barrel that i scrubbed and rescrubbed for hours to no avail, also
some general oxidation on the feed ramp that I mostly polished out. It seems unaffected by these things-shoots fine-but my days of lending out my guns is OVER. I'm not exactly sure what my options are for upgrading, how much different will a trigger job
be?I think the trigger is OK but not great now
 
Spending about $300 your best options are ambi-safety since you're left handed (about $100 installed), fitted barrel bushing (about $50 installed), trigger job ($60), steel mainspring housing -- no real need for it but I hate plastic ($25) and nice wood grips ($50). That brings you to less than $300. Don't make the mistake of dumping too much money into the Kimber. You won't recoup it if you decide to sell the gun. A tricked out Kimber (that cost a fortune) will generally fetch you close to the price of a stock gun.

BTW, I agree with some of the other posters--the best deal on Kimbers is in their basic guns. If you're going to spend $1,000 on a gun, save up another $400 and get a Baer. It's a LOT better gun and a better value than a high end Kimber.
 
I'm jumping into the "buy new" camp. Always nice to have a spare to step in if plan A is not available and you can never have too many! :rolleyes:
Plus, you have a proven performer in your Kimber. If it ain't broke...yada yada yada. ;)
 
for 1400$ I can get a les baer? opinions and price on a wilson?
I dont think they are that much. I really like my hogue grips on my kimber now but thanks for all the info
 
Depending on what you want, it is generally speaking ALWAYS better to buy it with what you want than get it fitted in later. Labor costs are too expensive. You might investigate STI. Their guns are basically hand made for starting under $1000. You can probably get anything you want right out of the box from them.
 
Kimber makes a great gun at a reasonable cost. No need to get rid of it. Ambi safeties aren't expensive. Neither are white dot sights. Night sights are pricey. That and a trigger job. What more do you need?

I sent my full size stainless Kimber to Kimber's custom shop to have some work done on it: checker the front strap, install ambi safety, install three-dot sights, do a trigger job. Frankly, it's now a better gun than my Gunsite GSP-2000.

Don't worry about a bit of lead or residue in the barrel. Soak the barrel overnight in solvent, or try another solvent. Don't have a cow, man.

M1911
 
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Is kimber smithing the way to go --how about a trusted local?
and you mentioned 3 dot sites,are they adjustable?I've heard that the white sites are tough to see when target shooting-any thoughts on that? I'm thinking that I should go ahead with some of the suggestions mentioned here. Thanks for all the info
DAVE
 
Dave:

Kimber's custom shop did a decent job for me. I'm sure a good local smith could do the same.

Personally I prefer 3-dot sights over black sights. I find black sights much harder to pick up. Bullseye shooters typically use black sights (if they're not using optical sights). I can't tell you what you prefer. You'll have to decide for yourself.

No, 3-dot sights are generally not adjustable. For concealed carry, most folks use fixed sights. Adjustable sights are easier to snag and also have the possibility of coming out of adjustment. As you can probably guess, I'm not a bullseye shooter.

M1911
 
I don't get it, You spend that kind of money on a handgun that you have to spend $300-$400 dollars on it to get it slicked up? Shouldn't it already be slicked up?

I like the Kimber and wouldn't mind getting one someday, but the price is unreal. Somebody help me understand.....Or is it one of those "If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand " things :confused:
 
Slick Slidestop: "I don't get it, You spend that kind of money on a handgun that you have to spend $300-$400 dollars on it to get it slicked up? Shouldn't it already be slicked up? "

The whole idea is to customize the gun to set it apart from others,and personalize it. Thats what sets the 1911 group apart from others.. They can start out with a modest price gun that may shoot fairly well, put a lot of money into slicking it up, and then have an expensive gun that they cannot get rid of for anywhere near what they have invested in it. Kind of like a HOT ROD car.:D
 
Slick: Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything the matter with my Kimber I believe this gun new is about 650$ here locally. I don't have to spend anything else on it, but I guess there are a few more things I would like to have-kinda like the hot-rod analogy.I don't plan on ever selling this gun, its that good.You should try a Kimber-you won't be disappointed.Remember-you do get what you pay for!
 
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