Kimber Kwestions....

[Acmemfg]

Never owned a Kimber before, do now. Couldn't believe there it was..in stock..free shipping..no tax. Reasonable price too.
Buddy of mine took a shine to my Kahr (which in .380 I wasn't all that big a fan of anyway). So, a deal was struck. (any of you guys in the market for some Kahr accessories???)
Bought a Micro 9. I have heard tales of quickly wearing recoil springs, peeling/chipping finishes, iffy QC, and a few other bad reports. Conversely I have heard much good about this pistol and Kimber in general.
I like to make up my own mind as a rule, but I figure some insight can always be helpful. Any opinions and/or first hand experience with tis one?
One thing I already know...quality leather gear for this Kimber requires a HEALTHY waiting period....

 

[jherm77]

I own a Kimber Raptor 1911, my favorite gun. I've had no issues at the range or with carrying.

 

[ScottChapin]

I have a super ultra HD. I really like it a lot.


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[FarmerTan]

Never owned a Kimber before, do now. Couldn't believe there it was..in stock..free shipping..no tax. Reasonable price too.
Buddy of mine took a shine to my Kahr (which in .380 I wasn't all that big a fan of anyway). So, a deal was struck. (any of you guys in the market for some Kahr accessories???)
Bought a Micro 9. I have heard tales of quickly wearing recoil springs, peeling/chipping finishes, iffy QC, and a few other bad reports. Conversely I have heard much good about this pistol and Kimber in general.
I like to make up my own mind as a rule, but I figure some insight can always be helpful. Any opinions and/or first hand experience with tis one?
One thing I already know...quality leather gear for this Kimber requires a HEALTHY waiting period....

I know this much: it's the one I will buy if you end up loving it.

I've tried and tried to get my wife to try it out at the localish gun dealer's place.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Kimbers are interesting. Theyre beautiful, well-crafted guns but they also have their issues. The feeding issues with them are well-documented and you shouldn't have to send a gun back to get fixed in this day and age because the recoil spring that it comes with is too weak.
Ive got quite a few friends and coworkers who have owned Kimbers and some of them were alright and others had to be returned for feeding issues.
IMO, if you want a Kimber because its a Kimber, then I hope it works out for you but theres other and IMO better 1911 style guns out there. Kimbers are very cool though and a Kimber revolver is on my wish list. I just don't know that I would trust a Kimber 1911 to protect my life or that of my family.
I hope it works out for you though but if it doesn't, theres always someone out there who wants a Kimber and is willing to take a chance on one.

 

[nikonNUT]

No complaints with the Kimbers I had. The basic line like the Ultra Carry, Pro Carry, and Custom are fine pistols. I had a Warrior SOC that I liked a lot (It was a series 70 clone, hate the series 80 doohickey )and I didn't have any trouble with them. Having said that they went away to finance a couple of Nighthawks that I would carry to hell and back and trust my life to them for the whole trip! While lots of guns run MIM parts I can say that fully CNC'd all metal small parts make me fell warm and fuzzy aka no fears (not 100% but you get the idea) of an accidentally porous small part failing at the one time when I need my carry to work.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

From having worked in a gun shop and as an instructor, I have had plenty of hands on experience with the kimbers. I was fortunate enough to qualify for the pro staff program and got pistols and rifles at quite a hefty discount. I acquired 5 1911s through these means. At this time I only own two 1911s and they are 2 of the 5 kimbers I bought. CUSTOM TLE II in 9mm, and the full size stainless Raptor in 45. Both have been great guns for me.

in the past 2-5 years it seems the cost of entry into a 1911 platform had fallen from roughly $900 to about $500. This certainly changes the game and I think there are much better guns to be had a this price point than there were 10 years ago.

The shop I worked in was in a very wealthy neighborhood, home to a couple billionaires. We moved a fair amount of higher end 1911s and kimbers weren’t treated as premiere as they were in other places. I’ve never seen any unusual catastrophic failures from kimbers, just the occasional MIM component failure. These were typically on our used and abused rental counter kimbers.

As to spending retail on a kimber... at the time I’m acquired mine, I wouldn’t have considered it. I didn’t have much of a budget and what I did save for a 1911 in my collection would have been happily spent on a ruger or smith and Wesson. At one point I purchased our rental ruger when they were first released. For the money this was a way better gun to be had over one of the 1911A1 springfields, by a good margin. What I would have bought retail and probably still would was the smith and Wesson E-series. These are nice well built guns. I sold a bunch of them with ease, one to my very own father.

Kimbers are nice, nicer than some in some aspects and fall short in other wayS, but it’s up to the purchaser to decide the priorities. I don’t carry single action guns, so I was buying to build my collection and have a nice pistol for fun at the range.

I hope you enjoy your new pistol. If you ever get the chance try one of the full size 1911s in the 9mm chambering. I know it’s sac religious to even consider such a thing, but they are wonderful to shoot.

 

[OkieStubble]

Man, hearing all these scary stories on the reliability issues of 1911 tolerances, is like throwing a wet blanket on wanting my very first 1911. I wouldn't want to spend $1100 + on a Kimber and find out it doesn't work reliably or is high maintenance or ammo finicky.

I have wanted a Springfield Champion for so long now. But I think carrying a Glock for 20+ years has ruined me.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

Man, hearing all these scary stories on the reliability issues of 1911 tolerances, is like throwing a wet blanket on wanting my very first 1911. I wouldn't want to spend $1100 + on a Kimber and find out it doesn't work reliably or is high maintenance or ammo finicky.

I have wanted a Springfield Champion for so long now. But I think carrying a Glock for 20+ years has ruined me.

I wouldn’t shy away. I didn’t mention it in my post, but my understanding of a lot of the kimber reliability issues were early on in the brand’s existence. Guns of the last decade are pretty well debugged from what I know.

1911 is tried and true. Pick one from good stock and maybe upgrade a few parts. I knew plenty if guys who’d buy a kimber for $900 and drop $200 on replacing MIM parts with Ed brown, or Wilson replacement parts. Another trend was buying the kimber or similar gun, then replacing a few of the internals with the high end manufacturer parts and having the gunsmith give it a trigger job.

just know what you want it for. Carry might be a tougher decision to make. Range toy and great addition to the collection, is actually a much easier choice. The upper tier Springfields are great, and has a good reputation.

 

[Whilliam]

Cannot speak to quality issues on Kimber pistols, but I had to return a month-old SuperAmerica rifle to Kimber twice: once for a bolt-stop failure, and once for slam fires. Each time, turnaround was 3-4 months.

No Kimber product shall ever darken my door again.

 

[Acmemfg]

@OkieStubble
Can’t say anything about how Kimbers roll, but I can say for certain if you are after a rock solid 1911, look no further.

 

[shoelessjoe]

I did a flyover of the 1911 Forum’s, Kimber sub-forum & the Micro-9, just like most every other handgun ever created, seemed to garner mixed reviews. One thing nearly all agreed upon was that Kimber does have excellent customer service. My preference has always been for Government-size 1911s, but that said, a friend has, carries & swears by his Micro-9. Put yours through its’ paces, using a number of various 9mm factory rounds, & if all goes well, you’ll have unshakable confidence in your new carry piece.

Man, hearing all these scary stories on the reliability issues of 1911 tolerances...

Kinda like all those scary & dangerous Glock AD, ND & Kaboom stories?

While my intent here is not to exhonerate the 1911, there are far, far, far too many variables that must be weighed before throwing Browning’s baby out with the bath water ... e.g., & just for starters, the seemingly endless number of manufacturers churning out a seemingly endless number (& variety) of 1911s; 1911 components; 1911 magazines; .45 ACP ammunition* & all the metalurgy (plasticurgy ), tolerances, & quality control related thereto.
* apples & oranges ... the first time out, my HK45C had a series of disconcerting feeding hiccups & only after some research, did I learn that the OAL on my (early) reloads, which had fed flawlessly in the 1911s, was a wee bit too long the 45C.

For over 30-years & with the exception of a Kimber EC2, which did have early (sub-100 rd. count) Federal American Beagle 10mm feeding issues, my Colt, RIA, & Springfield 1911s (.22 TCM; 9mm; .38 Super; 10mm & .45ACP) have yet to experience a failure to feed, extract or fire.
... & along those lines & for nearly the same number of years, none of my Glocks have ever had a AD, ND, Kaboom or misfire.

I wouldn’t shy away. I didn’t mention it in my post, but my understanding of a lot of the kimber reliability issues were early on in the brand’s existence. Guns of the last decade are pretty well debugged from what I know ... just know what you want it for. Carry might be a tougher decision to make. Range toy and great addition to the collection, is actually a much easier choice...

Kimber’s early Clackamas 1911s are still regarded as some of finest they ever produced ... seeking entry & acceptance into the 1911 market, a rifle producing-only Kimber used top-shelf components in their early hand-built & hand-fitted 1911s. As a sidenote, Clackamas-rollmarked 1911s were never built in Oregon, but by Kimber-Jerico Industries in Yonkers, NY ... where soon thereafter, Kimber would absorb Jerico & then relocate.

In the early 2000s and for who knows why ($$$s?) Kimber began using external extractors on their 1911s & this miscue, which turned decent pistols into jam-o-matics, cost them dearly ... in fact, much of today’s anti-Kimber sentiment is nothing more than residual fallout from the external extractor debacle.

As mentioned earlier, aside from some early failure to feeds, which in retrospect, I might blame on .40 S&W-like American Eagle 10mm, my internal extractor EC2 has run flawlessly & quite accurately ... do I like the fact that Kimber cut corners on it by using MIM components, a carbon steel match barrel & a plastic MSH, yea, I suppose. All MIM componets & the plastic MSH have been replaced with carbon &/or stainless counterparts & being that the pistol is well maintained, barrel rust is a non-issue. I would have no qualms trusting my life with the EC2 & truth be told, the same held true when it was bare bones stock.

 

[OkieStubble]

I did a flyover of the 1911 Forum’s, Kimber sub-forum & the Micro-9, just like most every other handgun ever created, seemed to garner mixed reviews. One thing nearly all agreed upon was that Kimber does have excellent customer service. My preference has always been for Government-size 1911s, but that said, a friend has, carries & swears by his Micro-9. Put yours through its’ paces, using a number of various 9mm factory rounds, & if all goes well, you’ll have unshakable confidence in your new carry piece.


Kinda like all those scary & dangerous Glock AD, ND & Kaboom stories?

While my intent here is not to exhonerate the 1911, there are far, far, far too many variables that must be weighed before throwing Browning’s baby out with the bath water ... e.g., & just for starters, the seemingly endless number of manufacturers churning out a seemingly endless number (& variety) of 1911s; 1911 components; 1911 magazines; .45 ACP ammunition* & all the metalurgy (plasticurgy ), tolerances, & quality control related thereto.
* apples & oranges ... the first time out, my HK45C had a series of disconcerting feeding hiccups & only after some research, did I learn that the OAL on my (early) reloads, which had fed flawlessly in the 1911s, was a wee bit too long the 45C.

For over 30-years & with the exception of a Kimber EC2, which did have early (sub-100 rd. count) Federal American Beagle 10mm feeding issues, my Colt, RIA, & Springfield 1911s (.22 TCM; 9mm; .38 Super; 10mm & .45ACP) have yet to experience a failure to feed, extract or fire.
... & along those lines & for nearly the same number of years, none of my Glocks have ever had a AD, ND, Kaboom or misfire.



Kimber’s early Clackamas 1911s are still regarded as some of finest they ever produced ... seeking entry & acceptance into the 1911 market, a rifle producing-only Kimber used top-shelf components in their early hand-built & hand-fitted 1911s. As a sidenote, Clackamas-rollmarked 1911s were never built in Oregon, but by Kimber-Jerico Industries in Yonkers, NY ... where soon thereafter, Kimber would absorb Jerico & then relocate.

In the early 2000s and for who knows why ($$$s?) Kimber began using external extractors on their 1911s & this miscue, which turned decent pistols into jam-o-matics, cost them dearly ... in fact, much of today’s anti-Kimber sentiment is nothing more than residual fallout from the external extractor debacle.

As mentioned earlier, aside from some early failure to feeds, which in retrospect, I might blame on .40 S&W-like American Eagle 10mm, my internal extractor EC2 has run flawlessly & quite accurately ... do I like the fact that Kimber cut corners on it by using MIM components, a carbon steel match barrel & a plastic MSH, yea, I suppose. All MIM componets & the plastic MSH have been replaced with carbon &/or stainless counterparts & being that the pistol is well maintained, barrel rust is a non-issue. I would have no qualms trusting my life with the EC2 & truth be told, the same held true when it was bare bones stock.

Great post. Doesn’t AD stand for accidental discharge and ND means negligent discharge? That sounds like people problems to me, not Glock problems?

 

[shoelessjoe]

Great post. Doesn’t AD stand for accidental discharge and ND means negligent discharge?

No, AD stands for Adrian Dantley & ND, North Dakota ...

Yes, and For The Win: That sounds like people problems to me...

 

[dojpros]

Mixed bag re Kimber across the board as the moved away from Series I guns to Series II with Schwarz safeties and/or external extractors. I have only owned Series I, all steel, 5 inch 1911s.

Extrapolating only from training/experience (direct and otherwise) re sub 5 inch, non steel 1911 style guns.

If you are plinking with it, do whatever you would like.

If you thought this would be put in for defensive use:

1. I would " break it in" with a 150 ish rounds of ball after cleaning it and making sure it was well lubed after numbering the magazines so I could isolate any issues. I would measure the recoil spring before I fired a round.
2. I would confirm POA/POI and reliability with my 9mm defensive round of choice and my ranges of choice ( 1, 7 and 15. (25 rds-50 rds)
3. I would clean, lube and measure the recoil spring again. If it was more than a a coil shorter, I would replace.
I would be inclined to replace every 500 rounds regardless.


If it started giving me grief in the process, unless it was a bad mag, I suspect I would dump it for a glock 43 or a Sig p365 and move on if I needed to fill the micro 9mm niche.

Please let us know how it goes.

 

[Acmemfg]

Arrives from Texas tomorrow. Looking forward to putting it through its paces. To date the best all around sub-compact 9mm sidearms I have used over the years are a S&W Shield (1.0) and Glock 26 (4G).
No quarrel with either the Glock 43 or SIG P365; own both. Never a problem with either. The Micro 9 was acquired to replace a Kahr CT380. Just can’t get behind that cartridge.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Have two, a 45 TLE II and a stainless steel target in 9 mm, both 1911 style. Both perform flawless without any problems.

 

[Bhugo]

Never owned a Kimber before, do now. Couldn't believe there it was..in stock..free shipping..no tax. Reasonable price too.
Buddy of mine took a shine to my Kahr (which in .380 I wasn't all that big a fan of anyway). So, a deal was struck. (any of you guys in the market for some Kahr accessories???)
Bought a Micro 9. I have heard tales of quickly wearing recoil springs, peeling/chipping finishes, iffy QC, and a few other bad reports. Conversely I have heard much good about this pistol and Kimber in general.
I like to make up my own mind as a rule, but I figure some insight can always be helpful. Any opinions and/or first hand experience with tis one?
One thing I already know...quality leather gear for this Kimber requires a HEALTHY waiting period....

Can’t wait to hear how you like this!

 

[accunlmtd]

I have owned an Eclipse (external extractor) for a long time, shot the heck out of it. Only issue I ever had was that the MIM hammer snapped apart (and that was after LOTS of rounds thru it).
I shoot a lot of NRA Bullseye. My 45 stage is a Springfield Range Officer. Great machine. I did have a trigger job done and a tighter bushing, also swapped some springs to fit my preferred load. It runs all day every day, never an issue.

For the 22 stage, I used the above Kimber Eclipse, swapped out the top end with a Nelson conversion. Did a trigger job, and it has served very well for a number of years, never had a misfeed.

No 1911 is perfect, all can have some issues, and those issues can be resolved easily.
I do like the fit and finish of the Kimber, but then you are paying for that as well.

I believe ( based on many years with 1911's) a lot of feeding issues are caused by the user. I have seen people swap recoil springs and start having problems. They don't realize that the recoil spring and the hammer spring must play nice together. If you swap out one, you really need to consider the other as well.

 

[ChiefHA]

I have a Micro9 as well and have had no issues with it running properly. Nice shooter as well.