My cousin drove down to Northern Virginia from Philadelphia for the long Thanksgiving holiday, bringing his NIB Kimber Royal. We spent a few hours at the range on Saturday, taking only his new Kimber and one of my old Smith 627s. Brief reports follow:
a) The Kimber Royal (full-size 1911A1, in deep-blued ordnance steel, with rosewood grips) was FLAWLESS. We fired 180 rounds (150 S&B 230 grain FMJs and 30 Federal EFMJ 200 grain +Ps) with zero failures of any type. Accuracy was also superb, with groups at ten years routinely in the two-inch category. While this is Tom’s first full-size 1911A1, I own four (a Kimber, a Colt and two Springfields) -- and I was VERY IMPRESSED with the accuracy and ESPECIALLY with the reliability of this Kimber. Many of us have required “break in†periods of several hundred rounds until a top-quality 1911A1 operated faultlessly, but this Kimber did so from round one. Further, this outstanding performance was with Kimber’s seven-round factory magazine, not a Wilson or a McCormick after-market.
b) Less significantly, we also fired 150 rounds (Winchester USA and Federal American Eagle) of 130 grain .38 Special from one of my S&W “Special Edition†627 (five-inch, full underlug, stainless, with an non-fluted cylinder and a “gold dot†front sight) revolvers. As you would expect, there were no failures and accuracy was also excellent (two-inch groups at ten yards).
These are NOT impressive range reports, with the analyses, photographs, or perspectives of our experts (such as Stephen Camp). However, I want to emphasize that the best part of this range session had nothing to do with the accuracy or ideal performance of the weapons. Rather, it was the joy and fellowship of sharing firing time with a dear friend, particularly while he has such great success with a new handgun.
a) The Kimber Royal (full-size 1911A1, in deep-blued ordnance steel, with rosewood grips) was FLAWLESS. We fired 180 rounds (150 S&B 230 grain FMJs and 30 Federal EFMJ 200 grain +Ps) with zero failures of any type. Accuracy was also superb, with groups at ten years routinely in the two-inch category. While this is Tom’s first full-size 1911A1, I own four (a Kimber, a Colt and two Springfields) -- and I was VERY IMPRESSED with the accuracy and ESPECIALLY with the reliability of this Kimber. Many of us have required “break in†periods of several hundred rounds until a top-quality 1911A1 operated faultlessly, but this Kimber did so from round one. Further, this outstanding performance was with Kimber’s seven-round factory magazine, not a Wilson or a McCormick after-market.
b) Less significantly, we also fired 150 rounds (Winchester USA and Federal American Eagle) of 130 grain .38 Special from one of my S&W “Special Edition†627 (five-inch, full underlug, stainless, with an non-fluted cylinder and a “gold dot†front sight) revolvers. As you would expect, there were no failures and accuracy was also excellent (two-inch groups at ten yards).
These are NOT impressive range reports, with the analyses, photographs, or perspectives of our experts (such as Stephen Camp). However, I want to emphasize that the best part of this range session had nothing to do with the accuracy or ideal performance of the weapons. Rather, it was the joy and fellowship of sharing firing time with a dear friend, particularly while he has such great success with a new handgun.
Not only did you report on two fine firearms, but you had fun doing it! 