Are Kimbers really that bad?

I have a Kimber Target II and I love it. It has the internal extractor and I have never had a problem with it. The finish out of the box rivals the best from any other maker, and 2k plus rounds later it still shoots like new.

Raptor Pro Carry II, Love it. Had just a few hickups in the first 50 rounds but has been flawless sense.

I didn't take the time to read all five pages of this thread but wanted to share my experience. I have taken many defensive handgun training classes and out of all the 1911's I have seen used I can honestly say that the majority that break during the classes I've been in are Kimbers.

I use Les Baer and Nighthawk Custom 1911's and have not had one fail me during class. I've witnessed others using the same brands along with Brown's, Wilson's and Springfield's and other than one broken Springfield all the others I've seen break have been Kimbers.

I will say that the Kimbers have far outnumbered the other brands used so that should be kept in mind.

Just my experience.

LBTRS, did you notice any trends in the Kimbers as in they were all models with External Extractors?

But the Kimber TLE is in my opinion the best 1911 deal there is

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My thoughts exactly. It is the best .45 that I've ever owned in terms of accuracy, and I've had no problems with it.

LBTRS, did you notice any trends in the Kimbers as in they were all models with External Extractors?

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In almost every case the gun failed in the middle of a drill and the gun was swapped out quickly for a backup gun never to return. I have very little knowledge of what the failures were or if they were corrected easily.

I guess I didn't tell the whole story in my previous post...my Les Baer did give me a small problem but it was not the gun's fault. I had it hard chromed by a third party right before I took it to one class and they didn't put the front sight back on correctly and it fell off during a drill. I was able to easily fix it and finished the class with that gun.

But the Kimber TLE is in my opinion the best 1911 deal there is, as long as it has the internal extractor and you know how to tune it.

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Should a gun really need tuning .

i have a custom II with a external extracter and it has given me 0 problems.

I use Les Baer and Nighthawk Custom 1911's and have not had one fail me during class. I've witnessed others using the same brands along with Brown's, Wilson's and Springfield's and other than one broken Springfield all the others I've seen break have been Kimbers.

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With the exception of the Springfield, that's isn't comparing apples to apples my friend.

With the exception of the Springfield, that's isn't comparing apples to apples my friend.

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So you're saying that I should be comparing Kimber to 1911's made by Taurus, S&W, Sig, RRA, Dan Wesson, Colt, Para Ord, RIA, STI, Norinco? None of which have I seen used in a class I've been in. Should I compare Kimber with 1911's I've seen used or ones I haven't? What kind of apple to apple comparison are you looking for?

Should a gun really need tuning

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mastinson,

Checking the extractor tension is just something I do every time I disassemble/reassemble my 1911 for cleaning. The same way I check for worn or damaged parts when disassembled. For me it is just part of regular firearm maintenance. It's not difficult, just a good habit.

Love my Kimber

I have run over 30,000 rounds through my Kimber Custom Eclipse Target without any real problems. No jams, stove pipes etc. The only problem I had was with the adjustable sights, I went through three sets. Kimber told me they redesigned them so they will stand up to prolonged usage, and I haven't had any problems yet. Keep in mind that adjustable sights have never been break proof. I run about 2000 rounds between cleanings.

Former owner here.

had one with an EXTERNAL extractor, POS.

The guns with internal extractors work well. I love my two Warriors and old Custom Stainless Covert model. They all work fine.

KIMBER BP TEN II

Many rounds thru this 1911, no FTF/FTE. Shoots as well as I aim, 13+1 capacity and easy to conceal.

I have 3 Kimbers. Custom 1, Custom 2 Stainless, Eclipse Custom 2, all with internal extractors. All three have been great. Of all my shooting buddies that own 1911 style pistols, the ones that break the most among us is the Springfield.

What is more perty than this?

So you're saying that I should be comparing Kimber to 1911's made by Taurus, S&W, Sig, RRA, Dan Wesson, Colt, Para Ord, RIA, STI, Norinco? None of which have I seen used in a class I've been in. Should I compare Kimber with 1911's I've seen used or ones I haven't? What kind of apple to apple comparison are you looking for?

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Kimbers should be compared to equally priced guns. You should not expect Les Baer reliability from a Kimber, simple as that. If Kimbers ran as well as Les Baers, Wilsons, Ed Browns, etc then the people at those Les, Bill, and Ed are doing a poor job. For twice the cost of an entry level Kimber, you can get an entry level Les Baer.

If I bring a Lorcin to a defensive pistol class and everybody else brings there high dollar 1911's and the like, that doesn't necessarily mean I should expect performance of my Lorcin to equal that of a Thunder Ranch.

BTW, I love my Kimber.

I have had good and bad.

I have had good and bad, but unfortunately more bad than good. My Custom Shop Gold Combat at around $1,995.00 had to be returned to the factory 2 times. The other 3 Custom Shop Kimbers were no better.

For me, the standard Kimbers were superior to the Custom Shop Kimbers. Avoid the external extractor. Note that the current Kimbers are internal again. Check into the Warrior. It is a series 70 type (series 1). Mine is excellent, but the trigger is so light that I only use it for home defense.

Of the about 13 or 14 Kimbers that I have owned, I regret selling 1...my original series 1 purchased in about 1995. Of the others sold, I regret only loosing the money. My sole remaining Kimber is the Warrior.

For what it is worth, I believe that there are alternate 1911s that are as good and more consistently good.

Doc2005

Just ordered a Kimber Custom, the base gun. I have had two Colts for years and no problems. I have a S&W 1911, no problems as well as a Norinco that I wish I still had. My two glocks are great as were all the Glocks I sold.........so I thought I should have at least one Kimber. The Kimber will be in my hand for $675, so at least I'm not risking $1000 plus. After reading all these posts should I hold my breath?

No

The chief complaint I've heard about Kimbers is that they often aren't reliable out of the box. Shooters don't want to pay a lot for a quality gun, then have it worked on to be super reliable, especially when they could buy a Glock or another non-1911 that is ultra reliable from day one.

They are beautiful guns, but unless it was flawless in operation, I wouldn't buy one. I don't want to plunk down over a grand, then have to have the feed ramp polished or some other trick work. I want to load it up and shoot it without a hiccup from the first day on. Haven't heard much from that group, where it works. The two groups I tend to encounter a lot are the group who spend the money on the gun, then spend more gun getting it to be ultra reliable, and the group who buys the gun and then sells it because it doesn't always work flawlessly.

Anyway that's my gripe with 1911s overall. Even the vaunted Colt Gold Cup I owned briefly jammed every now and again. People would tell me it needed a new rebound spring, but the Colt people said they were (at that time) fitting it with the heavier springs for 230gr. Before that, apparently, they had put in springs better suited for the 185gr.

I own 5 Kimbers currently and carry a TLE-II most every day.

While some will experience problems with Kimbers, this is to be expected by any product from any company that produces the lions share of models in a given category.

There is a lot of talk about "MIM" in Kimber pistols, but the truth is that they have the exact same MIM parts that Colt, Springfield, Para, S&W and every non-custom 1911 comes with these days.

What to do? Nothing. Shoot it and know that parts will wear out and when they do they will need to be replaced. This isn't something new nor is it something that is only associated with Kimbers or 1911s.

I bought my target II about 2 months ago, the recoil spring had a burr that scored the guide rod and the finish was wearing off of the slide stop, and the plastic msh was loose. Not what I expected from a $900 gun. instead of sending the gun in I fixed the problems myself and replaced the parts with wilson stuff, so far no problems since. I had two FTF before i installed the wilson V-msh (within 50 rounds), I have had no problems since with about 750 handloaded 230gr ball rounds. some parts seem to fit perfectly like the frame to slide, but some of the small parts seem cheap, all in all i don't regret the purchase, but it's frusturating to have to replace parts on a new gun or send it back to have it work as it should. seems like the kimber quality inspector has been slacking. P.S. my brother's STI trojan costs $300 less is just as accurate and has gone bang over 1500 times without fail.