Simple like them or not. Do you like Kimber 1911's based on PERSONAL EXPERIENCE not on what you have read.

Yes if you think they are good/decent pistols.

No if you hate them/

Question:
Are Kimbers decent guns?

Choices:
YES
NO

 

I have two: a Classic Target in 45 ACP and a Pro Carry II in 38 Super. Really like them both. Reliable and accurate.
Peter.

my two main carry guns are both kimbers. One is a aluminum framed commander with the dreaded external ejector. When i first got it it wasnt reliable. I sent it back to kimber and they ajusted it and it hasnt jammed in many many thousands of rounds now. Its one of the most reliable 1911s ive ever owned. Shortly after kimber started routinely replacing the slides on these with internal ejector slides. I never saw the need to send it back. The other is a cdp with an officers grip frame and a commander lenght barrel. This gun is not only reliable but is just as accurate as my gold match and my colt gold cup.

My Kimber has the external extractor and it has never failed. It has been completely reliable.

I shot my Kimber custom II for the first time yesterday 385 out of 400 rounds ( I saved the last 15 for my 8 and 7 round mags. )Not a single failure in my hands, but my 11 year old son had a couple of failures to return to battery, I think because of his lack of strength compared to an adult shooter

My dealer said one of the most problems he'd seen was with the Kimber. I don't know when that was but I'd bet it was in the early days of them offering the 1911 or they wouldn't have survived. I'm up to my ears in 1911's or I'd probably consider a Kimber for me next 1911.

quote:

Originally posted by Leo L.:
My Kimber has the external extractor and it has never failed. It has been completely reliable.

My SW1911PD also has an external extractor and it, too, has worked 100%. It's not something I'd be concerned with.

I just picked up my ultra carry II and thought I would share what I found. I was obvoiusly excited and brought it to the range to shoot 100 rounds through it. I knew it was going to be a bad day when the first round stove piped. Out of the 100 rounds I fired I got 8 jams and actually had the empty feed back into the chamber twice. I proceeded to completely strip it down to see if I could find the problem. First, the extractor was completely untouched and still had the marks from the mold. I tried to manually put a shell in it, but the belt wouldn't even fit in the groove. I basically had to jam the belt in so it would stay. The next problem I found was the ejector was completely wrong. I will try and attach a picture of a proper ejector. Basically mine had the top longer than the bottom with the slant on the left side facing the frame. Should have the bottom longer than the top and have the slant facing the side the casing is ejected from. Needless to say my gun is in a box right now and will be on a UPS truck back to kimber. Just thought I would add my experience. By the way, I confirmed the ejector on my other 4 pistols and they are the way they are supposed to be. hope kimber makes good on this gun so I don't have to do the work myself.

The internet chatter seems to indicate their quality is going down over the past few years.

I would buy a similarly finished pistol from Colt or Springfield Armory before dropping the cash on a Kimber.

YMMV.

Bad experiences with my brand new CDP Pro.
Multiple failures to feed as well as failures to eject. Incredibly finicky with factory ammo and will NOT reliably feed even factory hardball. It cost over 1K and it is a piece of crap!

It is for sale and I will not buy another one!

P.S. It had one trip back to factory but still malfunctions one out every 40-50 rounds.

Well JCS271....sounds like you have the same problems I had. I purchased a sig p239 for myself and a kimber stainless II for my wife. The Kimber was sent in for the same problem you are describing and the sig had a manufacturing flaw on the back of the slide....Short story they were both sent in on the same day, 1.5 weeks later the sig was back and shooting spectacular. 5 weeks later I have not heard a word back from Kimber. The only way I could get them to take it and fix it was to threaten them with a video of this POS jamming constantly. I have a sick feeling that I will get it back and nothing will be fixed. The good news, my boss just happens to be a great gunsmith on his spare time. The bad news is I will have to fix it myself. MY suggestion...STAY AWAY FROM KIMBER. The craftsmanship is completely gone and I would suspect their their profits have a negative slope from this.

Best of luck to unloading that POS...the word is out.

Way overpriced.
Phil

I have had Kimbers for the last 10 years and they have fuctioned flawlessly! My Kimber target stainless is one heck of a pistol and very accurate at the range. I also have a Kimber Carry gun and it too is very dependable with never a JAM in over 4000 rounds. My third Kimber is also a great shooter with standard length barrel.

Now I have seen those short bobbed Kimbers at the range for the last 3 years and people having problems with them "not feeding" 100 persent of the time. My feeling is that the 1911 was never meant to be a short bobbed version to begin with folks.

I don't think there is an importer for France. Never seen one here, never shot one. I wonder why that is?

Have a CDP II for 3-4 years. Accurate and reliable.
I have heard grumbling about recent quality as well.
Handled a Dan Wesson Heritage and Valor (1911) the other day. I would like to shoot one of their Valor models.

EZ

I've been shooting this Kimber Stainless II for over a year now with no regrets. It's an excellent pistol. Bill T.

My experience with the full size guns has been very good. Most of the problems I see are with the smaller guns. Someone there must be playing with the numbers, because dimensions seem to be all over the map on the smaller guns.

I have three Kimbers, a custom .45, a 9mm. and a .22lr. I haven't shot the 9mm much yet, but the other two are great guns. The .22, on a 1911 frame, is as accurate as any of my target pistols. I haven't been totally happy with the 9mm. so far, but in all fairness I've been trying to shoot cheap ammo in it.

I ain't got no kimber, but I been shootin my Colt since 1988. ain't got no complaints and didn't spend what u probably did on ur kimber. Course I added some chip Mc., Wilson and brown and other parts to suit me. But still don't add up to kims. Just my 1 1/2 cents worth( I'm old and lost the other 1/2 cent is somewhere else. lol, to each his own. Keep shootin!