I have been after a 1911 for some time now. My wife, who cares nothing about guns, told me that she would help fund my next gun purchase for Father's day. I have always wanted a Kimber Ultra Carry II and now see my opportunity to finally get it($1000+ price tag is a little steep for me). Anyone have any pros or cons to Kimber in general or the Ultra Carry II?
Any Thoughts on Kimber 1911s
- Thread starter nmduke
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joe_security
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- Apr 22, 2007
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Please post a full report if you do get one. I've wanted one for years. I would like the Tactical version of the Ultra, without the ambi safety. Many are surprised at the lack of recoil. Its also said that you will need to change recoil springs at around 2k rounds. I think its time for me to rent one and have some fun !
My experience, having seen many, is that Kimbers look better, feel better and shoot better than any other 1911 out of the box.
Downside is they have serious issues with durability and are bad to break parts. Kimber is getting obnoxious about repairing them.
I like the Smith 1911s for about 80% of the price.
Downside is they have serious issues with durability and are bad to break parts. Kimber is getting obnoxious about repairing them.
I like the Smith 1911s for about 80% of the price.
Jonah71
Member
I bought a used (2003) Kimber BP Pro and so far the only problem I've had with it is that it won't shoot .45 Gold Dot HP's. I simply went to Hornady for carry and Winchester range rounds for practice. It's a real pleasure to shoot. Not sorry I got it at all, and have no plans to ever sell it.
The Bushmaster
Member
I have been carrying a Kimber UCC II for over a year and spending quite a bit of time with it on the range. No problems and it is a pleasure to shoot.
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In own a CDP Ultra Carry II and carry it in a Milt Sparks Summer Special holster. I have well over a thousand rounds through it. Mostly reloads of various bullet weights and shapes. Not any malfunctions of any type. I also use a wide variety of magazines. I did make sure I used magazines with a polymer follower. The metal ones have been known to chip the feed ramp on the alloy frame of the Kimber. I did order a set of replacement recoil springs but I have not had any reason to put them in yet. Great gun, shoots right with my Ed Brown 4". My brother-in-law also owns one and I know he has also not had any issues with his. Happy Father's Day
pakmcc
Member
Kimkbers
I think they are over priced, every time I see one at the range the owners are having problems with them. Then a friend brought one and took it to a Front sight shoot. about half way through the shoot the kimber broke the frame and the recoil lug under the barrel. she got a new gun out of the deal, but the next time she brought a Smith and WEsson 40 cal. pistol and she's been to front sight three times now with the same pistol and she has had no problems (and yes, she carries a another S&W 40 as back up and she hasn't needed it yet. WE;'re talking about 800 rounds a week for each setion at front sight. Plus her practic.
Pat
I think they are over priced, every time I see one at the range the owners are having problems with them. Then a friend brought one and took it to a Front sight shoot. about half way through the shoot the kimber broke the frame and the recoil lug under the barrel. she got a new gun out of the deal, but the next time she brought a Smith and WEsson 40 cal. pistol and she's been to front sight three times now with the same pistol and she has had no problems (and yes, she carries a another S&W 40 as back up and she hasn't needed it yet. WE;'re talking about 800 rounds a week for each setion at front sight. Plus her practic.
Pat
jfrey
Member
The one and only Kimber I ever owned was a complete piece of junk. It totally fell apart. After 5 months of the factory having it more than me, I got my money back and bought a better brand of 1911. Kimbers are way over priced for what you get.
Hi Neighbor!
I have two and have had 4 others. Never one problem. Absolutely satisfied. Kimber sells probably 10 to 1 of next biggest 1911 maker! They are also totally made in USA unlike Springfield,Taurus and many others,if you are interested in fellow Americans job prospects!!
I have two and have had 4 others. Never one problem. Absolutely satisfied. Kimber sells probably 10 to 1 of next biggest 1911 maker! They are also totally made in USA unlike Springfield,Taurus and many others,if you are interested in fellow Americans job prospects!!
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
My main daily CCW is a .45 caliber Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II. I have
not had the first issue with this firearm; after shooting hundreds of rounds
of various .45 ACP loads~! FWIW, its toted in a leather Kirkpatrick Compact
Undercover Rig; complete with belt, and double magazine pouch.
not had the first issue with this firearm; after shooting hundreds of rounds
of various .45 ACP loads~! FWIW, its toted in a leather Kirkpatrick Compact
Undercover Rig; complete with belt, and double magazine pouch.
rswartsell
Member
I own Kimber Custom II Target,
A little over 400 rounds now, 3 FTF in the first 100 none since. Didn't do anything but keep shooting (and lube) letting the girl clear her throat for what I hope will be an aria of tens of thousands of rounds. I expect periodic spring changes and the continued fine accuracy I am seeing.
I'm very pleased so far.
A little over 400 rounds now, 3 FTF in the first 100 none since. Didn't do anything but keep shooting (and lube) letting the girl clear her throat for what I hope will be an aria of tens of thousands of rounds. I expect periodic spring changes and the continued fine accuracy I am seeing.
I'm very pleased so far.
ichiban
Member
I have four Kimbers (2 are 9mms) and have never had a problem with any of them. They have been dependable and accurate shooters. However I am not a fan of the 3" barrel (I have two pros and two customs) so I can't speak to the ultras. I think they are good mid-price range 1911s but none of them have quite done "it" for me.
1KPerDay
Member
I will post my experiences, FWIW.
My rich boss recently bought an Ed Brown special forces carry and 2 Kimber Ultra Carry IIs. The ed brown ran flawlessly right out of the box, and he didn't clean it or oil it for 2000 rounds (he's weird). I went to his place to check out his guns and was astonished at how difficult it was to pull back the slide on the Ed Brown. That's when I learned he hadn't cleaned it. He said it was still running fine and he had had NO malfunctions.
The Kimbers each had huge issues from the get-go. Neither would make it through a single mag without FTE issues. Failure to extract. The empty casing would remain in the chamber and the next round would jam up against it. Very frustrating and time-consuming to clear. Over and over.
He contacted Kimber and they said they didn't want to see the guns until he'd put 500 break-in rounds through them.
After a few more trips to the range, still unable to make it through a single mag without FTEs (one of them would do it every round or every other), I urged him to contact them again. He did, and they agreed that even by their standards they weren't running as well as could be expected. I believe he had around 250 rounds through them when the gun shop shipped them back to Kimber. 3 weeks later, he got them back, and he put a hundred or so rounds through them without issues. He remains pleased with Kimber's customer service.
I accompanied him to the range and shot all 3 pistols (after I cleaned and lubed them for him. I noted that the edges inside the Kimbers were very sharp, lots of machining marks and some burrs. They were tricky to get back together; it appeared the sharp eges of the barrel ramps were gouging the frame in spots. The slide stops were very difficult to get back in). All were accurate and remarkably pleasant to shoot. The Ed Brown was absolutely stellar and laser-accurate. The Kimbers, which I expected to have huge recoil due to their small size and alloy frames, were fun to shoot and accurate.
I did, however, experience a couple of FTEs with them, of the same type. My boss was surprised.
I don't think I'll buy a Kimber, unless maybe I can find an "old" one.
My $0.02, and worth about as much.
My rich boss recently bought an Ed Brown special forces carry and 2 Kimber Ultra Carry IIs. The ed brown ran flawlessly right out of the box, and he didn't clean it or oil it for 2000 rounds (he's weird). I went to his place to check out his guns and was astonished at how difficult it was to pull back the slide on the Ed Brown. That's when I learned he hadn't cleaned it. He said it was still running fine and he had had NO malfunctions.
The Kimbers each had huge issues from the get-go. Neither would make it through a single mag without FTE issues. Failure to extract. The empty casing would remain in the chamber and the next round would jam up against it. Very frustrating and time-consuming to clear. Over and over.
He contacted Kimber and they said they didn't want to see the guns until he'd put 500 break-in rounds through them.
After a few more trips to the range, still unable to make it through a single mag without FTEs (one of them would do it every round or every other), I urged him to contact them again. He did, and they agreed that even by their standards they weren't running as well as could be expected. I believe he had around 250 rounds through them when the gun shop shipped them back to Kimber. 3 weeks later, he got them back, and he put a hundred or so rounds through them without issues. He remains pleased with Kimber's customer service.
I accompanied him to the range and shot all 3 pistols (after I cleaned and lubed them for him. I noted that the edges inside the Kimbers were very sharp, lots of machining marks and some burrs. They were tricky to get back together; it appeared the sharp eges of the barrel ramps were gouging the frame in spots. The slide stops were very difficult to get back in). All were accurate and remarkably pleasant to shoot. The Ed Brown was absolutely stellar and laser-accurate. The Kimbers, which I expected to have huge recoil due to their small size and alloy frames, were fun to shoot and accurate.
I did, however, experience a couple of FTEs with them, of the same type. My boss was surprised.
I don't think I'll buy a Kimber, unless maybe I can find an "old" one.
My $0.02, and worth about as much.
mothermopar
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- Joined
- Mar 22, 2010
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- 193
IMO. Kimber makes a good 1911... Springfield Armory's Loaded (and above) models are a little better... then there's Colt... better still. Kimber HAD issues but I believe they've been resolved?! Never seriously thought about buying a Kimber. They may outsource some work to foreign countries (as does S.A.). Colt, 100% USA.
Colts cost a couple hundred more, but to me, its worth it. With either of these 3 producers, you won't go horribly wrong.
Colts cost a couple hundred more, but to me, its worth it. With either of these 3 producers, you won't go horribly wrong.
1) Very, very accurate.
2) Factory magazines do not work.
3) Finicky about the mag they will work with! (Two of mine insisted on Metalform, and one insisted on McCormick Power Mags.) FWIW, none of mine worked with Wilson Combat magazines.
4) All three of mine required parts replacement. Two needed new slide stops, in order to lock open on an empty magazine. The third's extractor bent like a banana in the wrong direction the first time it got warm from shooting.
To be clear, this was not operator error. My full-sized Springfield Armory Inc worked 100%. My Colt Stainless Government Model had a few minor FTFs in the first 200 rounds, then was 100% reliable. My blued Colt Government Model ran 100% reliably. My Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, which is the only 1911 I still own, has been 100% reliable from round one.
I m not saying all Kimbers are bad. Obviously, enough of them work well enough for the company to stay in business. But, Kimber has struck out with me; three up, three down. Just too finicky.
And, to be clear, mine were from the early, much-worshiped era, before the internal changes that made so many Kimber fans all worked up. I bought my Classic Customs in the Spring of 1997, and the Stainless Gold Match in the late 1990's.
For the money I sunk into parts, and finding magazines that worked, and on ammo to verify functioning, I could have almost bought Les Baers instead of Kimbers.
2) Factory magazines do not work.
3) Finicky about the mag they will work with! (Two of mine insisted on Metalform, and one insisted on McCormick Power Mags.) FWIW, none of mine worked with Wilson Combat magazines.
4) All three of mine required parts replacement. Two needed new slide stops, in order to lock open on an empty magazine. The third's extractor bent like a banana in the wrong direction the first time it got warm from shooting.
To be clear, this was not operator error. My full-sized Springfield Armory Inc worked 100%. My Colt Stainless Government Model had a few minor FTFs in the first 200 rounds, then was 100% reliable. My blued Colt Government Model ran 100% reliably. My Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, which is the only 1911 I still own, has been 100% reliable from round one.
I m not saying all Kimbers are bad. Obviously, enough of them work well enough for the company to stay in business. But, Kimber has struck out with me; three up, three down. Just too finicky.
And, to be clear, mine were from the early, much-worshiped era, before the internal changes that made so many Kimber fans all worked up. I bought my Classic Customs in the Spring of 1997, and the Stainless Gold Match in the late 1990's.
For the money I sunk into parts, and finding magazines that worked, and on ammo to verify functioning, I could have almost bought Les Baers instead of Kimbers.
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1. About 800 rounds through it. Had a few FTF's during break in period and its perfectly fine now.
2. Factory mag works just as well as my Tripp Cobras.
3. Damn accurate.
4. Gets carried whenever I leave the house.
Its really a great gun. Definitely my favorite pistol. I would recommend it.
My cousin has had no complaints at all about his Tactical Custom II. Not one problem.
Kimber used to have some issues , but from what I've experienced and heard, those issues have been fixed.
I have had two Kimbers, a Stainless Custom Target II and a Target Match. I still have the Target Match.
My experience:
Custom Target II: This had the external extractor. It was never a 100% gun, although I competed with it for 4+ seasons. I ran a minimum of 20,000 rds though it. Good accuracy, but every so often, perhaps 2-3 out of 100, it would FTE. I sold it several years ago and got almost what I paid for it because it looked so good.
Target Match: I've had this gun for 1 season. It has 3,600 rds through it, approximately 1,200 in competition and 2,400 in practice. It is 100% reliable with either hardball or semi-wadcutters, but will not feed JHP's reliably. It is very accurate and is finished superbly inside and out.
I bought these guns for competition. While I was disappointed with the Custom Target II's reliability, I am well satisfied with the Target Match.
That being said, I carry either a Springfield Loaded or a Springfield XD-M. Neither has Kimber accuracy, but they go bang every time.
My experience:
Custom Target II: This had the external extractor. It was never a 100% gun, although I competed with it for 4+ seasons. I ran a minimum of 20,000 rds though it. Good accuracy, but every so often, perhaps 2-3 out of 100, it would FTE. I sold it several years ago and got almost what I paid for it because it looked so good.
Target Match: I've had this gun for 1 season. It has 3,600 rds through it, approximately 1,200 in competition and 2,400 in practice. It is 100% reliable with either hardball or semi-wadcutters, but will not feed JHP's reliably. It is very accurate and is finished superbly inside and out.
I bought these guns for competition. While I was disappointed with the Custom Target II's reliability, I am well satisfied with the Target Match.
That being said, I carry either a Springfield Loaded or a Springfield XD-M. Neither has Kimber accuracy, but they go bang every time.
Kimbers ARE accurate, however, I think they do a lousy job of quality control when it comes to fitting some of their small parts, which results in headaches and angry owners.
I had to tweak the extractor and change out the mag release to resolve some issues when I bought mine, and after that, she ran like a clock and is a very accurate and reliable firearm.
I didn't have to do anything to my springers, or my STI, and for what I paid for the Kimber, I shouldn't have had to do anything to it either.
I had to tweak the extractor and change out the mag release to resolve some issues when I bought mine, and after that, she ran like a clock and is a very accurate and reliable firearm.
I didn't have to do anything to my springers, or my STI, and for what I paid for the Kimber, I shouldn't have had to do anything to it either.
This is terrible news to hear about Kimbers...sounds like you either get a dream or a nightmare. I'm not sure this is something I'm willing to risk in a $1k+ gun. I'm also in the market for a 1911, and love the Kimber models, but I HATE hearing these horror stories.
I'm a Glock guy honestly so I don't even want to go into reliability....
I'm a Glock guy honestly so I don't even want to go into reliability....
CoRoMo
Member
If nobody's going to use the term MIM in this thread, then I certainly won't either.
Ratdog68
Member
I've been very pleased with my Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II in .45ACP. I intentionally fed it some very nasty lookin' ammo I've had collecting dust in my basement for many years. It was about 60rds worth of this crud. I had a couple of those that needed a little help to seat it before firing... but, again, this was NASTY/cruddy cases. It ate 'em like a hungry teen into pizza. These cases were so nasty, I had to soak 'em in a boiled vinegar/water mix... and they'll need some serious tumbling before they're reloaded.
In any case... as for price... I bought mine at Rocky's in E. Wenatchee, WA for under $900 (WITH the Crimson Trace grips) brand new. He's such a high volume Kimber dealer, he's able to sell 'em for what most dealers PAY for them.
In any case... as for price... I bought mine at Rocky's in E. Wenatchee, WA for under $900 (WITH the Crimson Trace grips) brand new. He's such a high volume Kimber dealer, he's able to sell 'em for what most dealers PAY for them.
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