Sometmes I get the "1911 fever" so bad...

K

Kentucky Rifle

New member
..that I think I hear them calling my name. "Pssst! Will". "Over here, buy me"! :) At least that's what I tell my wife. (Who just rolls her eyes.)
Man! That Kimber "Ultra Carry and that new "Ultra Ten II" (24 ounces!), does anyone have one of those that they'd like to tell me about? I'd be GLAD to read that! Please.

Kentucky Rifle
 
I bought a Kimber CDP on impulse and I've regretted it ever since. I really wish I'd have bought a Colt XSE and a Dillon press with that grand. Live and learn.... Now I've got to blow four hundred bucks on the CDP to get it like I want it. Either that or sell it, take the loss, and buy an XSE leaving the press to wait.

I really hate impulse buying. I also hate MIM parts and plastic mainspring housings on 'custom shop' pistols that cost a grand.

Callahan
 
I was looking at the Kimbers, but I got a Springfield Loaded Stainless instead. More features for less money, no plastic on the gun anywhere, and 100% reliability so far. Shoots right nice, too...puts the bullets right where I want them. For $649, it's hard to go wrong with a SA Loaded Stainless unless you just have to have something that says "Kimber" on the slide.

1911a1.jpg
 
I used to think it would be nice to have one 1911. Now I think it would be nice to get it some playmates. It's an addiction that never gets better. It's worse for those of us that also have a passion for other autos, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns.
 
Inspector/Lendringser..

Inspector: Sorry you're displeased with your CDP. Can you please give me a little more information? Does it shoot OK?

Lendringser: I'm not locked into something that says Kimber on the slide at all. Your Springfield looks mighty fine. How much does it weigh? Does it handle hollowpoints OK? Did it come just as in the picture? (Wood grips and all?) That's a great price for such a nice looking piece. Wow! I feel like I'm being sucked into a 1911 vortex.:) That is a GREAT picture! A lot of posts have extolled the virtues of the Springfield 1911's.
(Still sitting on your Jetfire at work?:p)

Kentucky Rifle
 
The Springfield came with most of the doodads pictured. The only things I added were hex-head grip screws and an extended slide release. Everything else, including the Cocobolo grips and the extended safety, Novaks, Ed Brown memory groove, beavertail and Delta hammer, came as part of the "Loaded" package. It also has a two-piece full-length guide rod, which I am ambiguous about.

I've only tried 230gr. GoldDots and regular 230gr. ball in it, but they both fed just fine.

(And yes, I am still sitting on my Jetfire at work, even though bigger artillery is never far away.) :)
 
packerbacker -
Welcome to TFL! Spoken like a true American. :)
 
Candy is dandy but the 1911 is what it's all about!

Sure I'm old fashioned. I take my hat off indoors. Salute the flag. Open doors for the ladies. Say "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" to those older than me. And still carry a 1911 for everyday use. I like most of the other high quality offerings but find myself leaving them in the gun safe most of the time.

At a recent class I was the only student carrying the 1911. The instructor even made a comment about his amazement that so many people are "sticking with the old 1911." During the class each student was required to shoot everyone's handgun to learn the different types. After the class was over nearly every one of my fellow students tried to buy my Kimber.
 
Jack, we have a big discrepancy here.

The good Inspector sounds like he hates his Kimber and you sound like you love your's. Would you mind telling me if it's a CDP model? And if it is, make your case. Just friendly discussion here. No offense intended to any brand or person. :)

KR
 
Yeah, my CDP shoots good. That's not the problem. I bought it on impulse and traded a couple of perfectly good firearms (along with a boatload of cash) for it. When the dust settled and I found myself leaving it in the safe and carrying my trusty S&W model 66 instead, my opinion of the gun changed. It simply doesn't excite me. Basically, I want out.

I want a Colt instead. I just bought a reproduction and I love it. It needs a modern (XSE) companion. Nothing wrong with Kimber.... I'd love to own a Classic Custom someday, hopefully a series I.
 
To Kentucky Rifle:

No. My Kimbers are Compact Customs--steel frames on both. Bought the first as a primary CCW choice. The second because I got the chance to buy it NIB for about $150 less than retail. Always thought it was a good idea to have a backup in case of problems.

Accuracy is very good with both and reliability is perfect as long as I don't try to feed them cast semi-wadcutters. My first one has gone through several thousand rounds with no troubles and is just as tight and accurate as day one. My second still looks as if it just came out of the gun shop.

The finish on my first is getting a little ragged as it lives in a Galco IWB holster and I practice drawing it (dry fire) almost daily. One of my hunting buddies bought one after he saw mine and reports the same kind of reliability. My only gripe is that his is actually a tad more accurate than mine:mad:

He won't trade with me, the puke! And after all I've done for him:)

I'm sure there are poor examples of every make and model handgun on the market. I've been fortunate with my two Kimbers.
jack
 
Will,

I've had the fever too but I've been trying to supress it. We have a 7 month old child now & my wife quit her job - income down & expenses up so I'll just have to wait awhile. I try not to even look at 1911s so I don't get myself worked up. I just have to content myself by fondling the U.S. Army 1911 (made by Ithaca Arms) my dad brought back from WWII. He gave it to me a few years ago.
Did you ever buy an Autauga? Good news, Autauga is selling the design to another manufacturer and it may be back in production sometime next year. Great gun, I've got 2 of them.
 
MIM, plastic, crap, cheap, machined, flimsy, molded....

I'm not one to be for or against MIM parts, but that's what came with my gun and if it breaks they'll fix it. I'm still quite new to this 1911 game and plastic or steel, aluminum or alloy, you just have to decide for yourself how you want your overall gun to be. Kimber, IMHO, stand by their product and is a decent manufacturer of "production" 1911s. My best Kimber is the Custom Eclipse II and I must admit, that when my front sight went dark after 100rds. I was disappointed. But that slight problem, didn't really filter in to me as much as to hate the company and swear never to buy anything from them. After all, the gun is a great shooter and I can tell the difference with the extra things the Custom Shop did with it - the checkering, tight slide to frame fit, match barrel, match trigger.

Shoot, even my Wilson CQB has MIM parts in it, but whose to argue that those MIM parts in itself would make the gun a piece of crap...

Kimber_Custom_Eclipse_II.jpg
 
1911 Fever

Kentucky Rifle, there ain't no cure for the 1911 Fever. They sorta are like eating potato chips, you can't stop with one.
 
Lendringser,

Hate to tell ya but that ain't no Ed Brown grip safety on your Springfield. I love Springfields, don't get me wrong (I own 3) but I don't like the grip safety they are using on the loaded model. IMHO the raised tab is too big and square and digs into my hand. I love the Ed brown I have on my SF Defender! Try not to drool! :D
 
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I had to make my pic smaller.....

OK.. How do you guys put a pic in your post?? All I was able to do was give this link that I don't even know where it is? Damn, and I was trying to show off......
 

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Kentucky - follow your instincts!

Here is the 1911 in my stable that "lights my fire":

CDPLoPixel2.jpg


The 3" Ultra CDP differs from the 3" Ultra Carry only in the extras that are included. By extras we are talking about night sights, frame finishing, frame checkering, heavy carry melt, rosewood grips, different trigger, etc. Kimber is the only manufacturer to offer a 3" 1911, I think that says something about their engineering.

Mine is accurate and reliable. It did have a tendancy to lock the slide back before the mag was emptied; while I could have contacted Kimber about it I instead did some reading & found that condition is not uncommon in a short barreled 1911. Seems the increased recoil allows the cartridges to jump forward a little in the mag, and the nose of the bullet will nudge the tab on the slide stop, move it up & activate the lock. This only happened to me when shooting 230g hardball - any defensive HP in any weight functioned fine - but I shortened the tab a little & now it functions just fine. Had that not have worked, I would have contacted Kimber.

I liked my Ultra CDP so much, I bought a 5" Classic Stainless as a stable mate. This is the bone stock full sized SS 1911. This gun is every bit as reliable as my CDP - and maybe a little more accurate, probably due to the added 2" of barrel. I'm close to sending this one off to a pistolsmith for some work. Not that it needs any, but it will be interesting to compare an aftermarket custom to a factory custom.

I wouldn't be concerned with the critics of MIM technology. It is here & it is here to stay. Ruger is using it for parts in their semi-auto rifles. I know, because the company I work for owns a company that manufactures tungsten alloy and also machines it into parts. They lost the Ruger account to competition from a MIM house. In fact, Ruger has so much success with it that they wouldn't consider allowing my firm to bid on the work using similar technology. I'm not sure how many parts Colt or SA uses that are MIM, but I would bet there are a few & if not now, they will be.

Plastic MSH? Yes, Kimber uses it & I would prefer steel in my 5" gun. I'm going to swap it out on my Classic Stainless, but I'll leave it on the CDP as it is lighter in weight. But that is simple my own preference, the factory unit works fine. If I'm not mistaken, Colt also uses plastic. Not sure about SA.

Kimber, Colt, & SA all make nice guns. I would suggest Kimber, you won't regret it!
 
Singlestack said:

OK.. How do you guys put a pic in your post??
Click to expand...

Your pic has to be "out on the web" somewhere - like on your own website, or a photo hosting service. Photopoint used to work but won't anymore. The web page location of your pic must end in ".jpg" for the pic to become embedded in the message. Photopoint's pages don't end that way.

If your pic isn't on the web, or the page doesn't end in ".jpg", you'll get a link instead.
 
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