So Many 1911's. Why Kimber and not Colt or others?

N

NeverAgain26

New member
I am looking for a new 0.45 (my first). I have my eye on a Kimber but I see Colt, Springfield and a host of others out there in the market. The Kimbers are more expensive but are they really made a lot better or am I paying for the name?

If they are better, what specifically is better? Anybody know?

Also, what does it mean when a gun 'shoots itself loose' after a lot of firing?
 
Of the choices you listed I would pick the colt. The new colt's are supposed to be made to the tightest tolerances. If you get one try to get one with the new rollmark. The kimber is also a very nice gun, it comes with nicer features than the colt, but costs 200 more and isn't really made any better. But if you want the bells and whistels you might as well get them preinstalled on the kimber. I got a springfield milspec and am happy with it, but the new springfields are made in brazil and there're a lot of complaints of shoddy workmanship on them over at 1911forum.com. If I had to do it over again I'de have gotten an american gun, a colt or kimber, probably colt.

This is just my personal opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt. If you can you should rent each gun you're considering and pick the one you like the best. Good luck, it's hard to go wrong with any of the brands you mentioned.

Take care
 
The Kimber, Springfield, and Colt are all very good guns; however, the Kimber fits in another category as well that the other two don't: The Kimber is an Excellent gun. Hold all three in your hand. If there is still a question of which is superior after this, I would be surprised. The Kimber is built to much tighter standards than either of the others. The Colt and the Springfield are covered with sharp edges that you could shave with. The Springfield's grips, while wood, are rough and ugly. The rear sights of the Colt's are often loose in their dovetail. A Colt I inspected had a very poorly fitted thumb safety that did not line up with the notch in the slide. The rear sight fell off of my friend's Defender. The Springfield's frontstrap is not rounded gracefully like the Kimber. I held all three in my hands with a very open mind before I made my purchase and to me their was no comparison. The Kimber is in a class all its own. And shooting my Kimbers (plural) has only reinforced this belief.
 
If you want something mil-spec: Colt M1991A1/Government Model.

If you want something more customized: Kimber Eclipse II.

The choice really boils down to whether you prefer back-to-the-basics or a full house custom.
 
Kimber and Springfield Armory both build a very good pistol. Colt hasn't anything better than "almost okay" in over ten years.
 
EXPERIENCE

The Kimber brand is: better finished, more accurate, more reliable.

But you can buy any of the three mentioned, as it will end up with how well the specific example you are holding works (for you).

Springfield has a marvelous Custom shop.
 
Kimber pistols work right out of the box and I have only heard of a few unhappy owners. I have a Kimber Custom Compact which cost me $520 and I trust my life to it. With this said, I own a Springfield 1911A1 loaded and it is as reliable and accurate as my Kimber. Yes, it has one very sharp edge in front of the grip frame where the magazine goes in. I have fired a lot of Colt 1991 pistols and I have to say I really like them. Regards, Richard
 
I would choose a used Colt LW Commander made prior to 1975 even though I would have to pay extra for BoMar sights, extended safety and trigger job. Just partial to old Colts.

Raider
 
Thanks

I now realize that I posted this thread without checking out other threads in the Forum. There are a lot of threads on the merits of the various 1911's out there and just reading those, I learned a lot and got a lot of opinions.

Still, all of your responses were very helpful and I learned more. I guess when I get to the shop and hold the guns in my hand, I'm coming home with either a Kimber or a Colt.

When I get one, I will post a picture. Thanks again.;)
 
I guess I'm about 30 minutes late! Anyway, I think the offerings from all 3 companies are quality products. I've examined them, & I think that Kimber is the most popular because they offer the most value for your $ spent.

This probably holds the most truth in their base guns, The Classic Custom & Classic Stainless. That's not to say the higher end guns, when compared to the offerings from Colt & SA, aren't better values - I believe they are (& that is why one of mine is a CDP :D ). The base guns just give you so many features for the money that they are hard to beat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top