nwilliams
Member
I've met plenty of very happy Kimber owners although I've never owned one myself.
My friend has had one for about five years and he loves it.
My friend has had one for about five years and he loves it.
Kimber poll to set the record straight
- Thread starter mptrimshop
- Start date
- Status
The jokers in Yonkers can keep their MIMbers, with their Barbie font roll mark and inflated asking prices for 1911-ish shaped objects.
If I want a basic 1911A1, I'll go with Springfield Armory de Brasil. If I want a basic American made one I'll go Colt and look down upon the clones. If I want a higher end production 1911 that flat out embarrasses MIMber's line-up, Dan Wesson gets the call. If I want a 1911-ish shaped object, at least S&W has a better warranty.
Whatever market niche MIMber is trying to fill is one I don't want to be caught dead in. They are the all more show than go. Poor SIGARMS is currently being MIMbered by the former CEO from Yonkers and it shows in all of the pimpalicious models that came out as if serious shooters were bling collectors.
If I want a basic 1911A1, I'll go with Springfield Armory de Brasil. If I want a basic American made one I'll go Colt and look down upon the clones. If I want a higher end production 1911 that flat out embarrasses MIMber's line-up, Dan Wesson gets the call. If I want a 1911-ish shaped object, at least S&W has a better warranty.
Whatever market niche MIMber is trying to fill is one I don't want to be caught dead in. They are the all more show than go. Poor SIGARMS is currently being MIMbered by the former CEO from Yonkers and it shows in all of the pimpalicious models that came out as if serious shooters were bling collectors.
None of mine worked with Kimber magazines. One worked ONLY with McCormick Power Mags. Another worked ONLY with Metalform 7-shot mags. The other worked with Metalform 7-shot mags and Colt mags. None of the three worked with Wilson mags. All three required parts replacement, when new. Two required new slide stops, in order to lock open when empty, and one required a new extractor. Mine were from the much-worshipped first generation, or whatever Kimber fanboys call the pre-Schwartz safety era.
Moreover, of the friends of mine, known to me personally, who own or owned Kimbers, only one was happy with his. All the others were displeased to downright enraged that they bought Kimbers.
I have repeatedly heard that Kimber makes good slides, frames and barrels, but and that everything else is problematic. That may well be so.
Kimber won't get any more of my money.
Some will say it was user error. Well, if so, why did all of my Colt Government Models and Govt-sized Springfield Armory work just fine, and my Les Baer also work just fine?
Moreover, of the friends of mine, known to me personally, who own or owned Kimbers, only one was happy with his. All the others were displeased to downright enraged that they bought Kimbers.
I have repeatedly heard that Kimber makes good slides, frames and barrels, but and that everything else is problematic. That may well be so.
Kimber won't get any more of my money.
Some will say it was user error. Well, if so, why did all of my Colt Government Models and Govt-sized Springfield Armory work just fine, and my Les Baer also work just fine?
Last edited:
Jonah71
Member
Maybe I'll get lucky and all the kinks will have been worked out of the Kimber I have by now. I admit to paying for the Kimber name (plus the $500 price sounded good), but untill I get it on the range, the jury is still out for me. Now I have my eyes on a CZ Mod. 75 SS 9mm. Don't know a thing about them either, except I like the fit and as dependable as my 24/7 Taurus Pro C has been, I just don't like carrying it chambered. At least that sounds good...l just like the look of the CZ. I can lie to myself all I want about needing it.
txgolfer45
Member
Kimbers are good production guns. They are nice looking, fairly accurate and reliable. I have a Pro Raptor II. Definitely good looking, functions well and accurate for typical SD ranges. Are there better Commander size 1911's out there? Yes. I like my Kimber.
I have to say that I like my STI Trojan and SA TRP better. I think STI and SA produce a better product than Kimber.
I have to say that I like my STI Trojan and SA TRP better. I think STI and SA produce a better product than Kimber.
mptrimshop
Member
Lets get a few mire votes.... bring it back
I will second that opinion. Crummy sights, crummy safeties, crummy beavertail, crummy barrels, and virtually a MIM catastrophe.
Well I will tell one way their special, next time you see a used Kimber next to a used Colt, check back with us on the price difference, would you?
ApacheCoTodd
member
I'm happy but my opinion may be skewed by only having owned Det-1 pistols. The shooter has had over 1500 rds of Miwal cheapo bulk reloads and not one single mag or ammo compatibility/performance issue.
I remember a time when folk said they were too finicky to be an off the shelf pistol but if they're capable of making such an outstanding service pistol as the Det-1 I'll throw a positive vote in support.
I remember a time when folk said they were too finicky to be an off the shelf pistol but if they're capable of making such an outstanding service pistol as the Det-1 I'll throw a positive vote in support.
muncherndn
Member
Kimber quality
I have had my Custom CDPII for 7 years or so and have been quite pleased with it. Within the first 500 rounds or so, I had around 15 FTE's. I read the manual and it clearly stated that it needs 500 rounds of break-in. Spending that amount of money, albeit mid-level, I'd expect it to be reliable from the beginning. I say mid-level as in 1911 markets go - a nice chunk of change for me.
For me, the CDPII just "felt right" when I picked it up. Sometimes, you just know. I picked up a Kimber Crimson Carry two years ago, and haven't had any FTF's/FTE's yet. I'm only around 300 rounds into it - dang deployments hurt my range time.
I would recommend Kimber to friends and family, with the caveat that the weapon only comes with one sub-par magazine. Spending the amount of money involved, one would think that there would be more than one magazine - or at least one of higher quality.
I have had my Custom CDPII for 7 years or so and have been quite pleased with it. Within the first 500 rounds or so, I had around 15 FTE's. I read the manual and it clearly stated that it needs 500 rounds of break-in. Spending that amount of money, albeit mid-level, I'd expect it to be reliable from the beginning. I say mid-level as in 1911 markets go - a nice chunk of change for me.
For me, the CDPII just "felt right" when I picked it up. Sometimes, you just know. I picked up a Kimber Crimson Carry two years ago, and haven't had any FTF's/FTE's yet. I'm only around 300 rounds into it - dang deployments hurt my range time.
I would recommend Kimber to friends and family, with the caveat that the weapon only comes with one sub-par magazine. Spending the amount of money involved, one would think that there would be more than one magazine - or at least one of higher quality.
Mauser lover
Member
I probably wouldn't ever buy a Kimber, but not because of them being bad quality. They are just too expensive for me. I would love to have one, but the one I want is their second or third most expensive one.
mljdeckard
Member
Feanor, why would I possibly want to do that?
bkundingerii
Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2012
- Messages
- 46
I have a Pro Carry II TLE/RL, best pistol that I've owned yet. Great a accuracy for the shortened 4" barrel.
rbernie
Contributing Member
Or maybe that forty three percent have just bought into the common Internet meme that 'Kimber's are overpriced and overhyped junk' that became all the fad about 5-6 years ago when Kimber had issues with their transition into MIM..
I have owned a BUNCH of Kimbers. I still own a goodly number. Most of the ones that I have owned have seen fairly solid use (>10K rounds, and some significantly more than that) with no issues. The MIM issues of the last decade appear to be just that - past history - and Kimber seems to have successfully gotten through the teething pains of the MIM transition.
My current EDC is a Kimber. My range beater is a Kimber. And yes, they get used quite regularly.....
I have owned a BUNCH of Kimbers. I still own a goodly number. Most of the ones that I have owned have seen fairly solid use (>10K rounds, and some significantly more than that) with no issues. The MIM issues of the last decade appear to be just that - past history - and Kimber seems to have successfully gotten through the teething pains of the MIM transition.
My current EDC is a Kimber. My range beater is a Kimber. And yes, they get used quite regularly.....
orionengnr
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2005
- Messages
- 5,717
Yeah, that's it.
That's why I have bought eight so far...and carry one every day.
ApacheCoTodd
member
I think the average person who is saying.... Wait, this isn't the Taurus thread? Not even a Glock thread? Well, at least the Road is High on this thread.
sgtstryker
Member
When I go to the range, I shoot my Combat Commander and my Custom II. I like 'em both. I've had the Colt lots longer and it's one of many I've owned over the years. I got the Custom II because it was the lowest priced Kimber, wanted to see what they were about. It's a good one, once broken in it's great. I want a rail model, but, the price is a little high, IMO. So, with Wison mags and good ammo, I enjoy them both. I also like Glocks, oh and drive a Chevy, too...
mljdeckard
Member
Here's what I think.
For decades, there were only a few options for 1911s. A handful of imports, G.I. guns that have been in circulation for years Colts, a handful of low-volume boutique shops like AMT, and a few very expensive custom shops. You had one end of the scale or the other. If you wanted a tight-fitting, match-grade gun, you had to spend a lot of money. Then Kimber started mass-producing guns with hand-fitted slides and match-grade parts for less than half what anyone else could produce them for. They turned the entire market on its ear and set the competition scrambling to match production. They all had to re-think the entire gameplan about price point. Everyone knew the emperor was naked.
Some people have never gotten over this. They are still upset that they paid more than a thousand dollars for a custom pistol, and someone else came out with one that does the exact same thing for less than half the sticker. This means one of two things must be true. Either someone figured out a better way to do it (with a large investment in CNC machining,) or they must be flawed. It is easier to believe that they are flawed, because otherwise they feel like they wasted money. This means a bad Colt is a lemon, but a bad Kimber is typical.
What percentage of people who complain about something on the internet means little, because people who are upset about something complain more loudly and more often than someone who is content and has no reason to complain. People who are mad let their attention get grabbed when someone asks, people who are content have no passion to respond, and ignore it. It is only those of us who have come to recognize that good products and service deserve to be recognized that go out of our way to praise them. We are far outnumbered by whiners.
A larger number of units sold may reveal a higher number of units with problems. This does not equal a higher RATE of problems. I call this "Ford Taurus Syndrome" For many years, Ford sold a very high number of Tauri. I started to hear about a lot of them having problems, and I let this put an idea in my mind that they were bad cars. Over time, I realized that I ONLY heard about problems, I never heard about the vast majority that ran fine and no one complained about.
I have bought and carried guns from Auto-Ordnance, Para Ordnance, Colt, Kimber, Smith and Wesson, and a lot of other non-1911 pistols. I have shot pretty much every brand you can name. Some were fine. I had a Nighthawk jam on a rental range. My colt was rough and sticky out of the box. I never picked up a 1911 that shot as well and ran as smoothly out of the box as my Kimber. As I stated in my original post in this thread (over two years ago,) all of my friends and family shot mine, and either bought Kimbers, never had any significant problems, or something else, and wished they bought Kimbers. It is the best gun I have ever owned, and I would carry it to war tomorrow if I had to. If I had the time and cash to compete regularly (which might be happening soon,) I would take my Kimber. If I were allowed to take any sidearm I wanted to to war tomorrow, it would be the Kimber. I am about to take delivery on a commemorative Para SF-45A, and based on the experiences of friends who already have them, I don't expect it to be perfect out out of the box. I bought it for sentimental reasons. I will still default to the Kimber for pretty much everything.
My experience is only mine, and worth the same amount online as anyone else's. But when people ask about a Sigma, which was by far the worst pistol I ever bought, and I tell my horror story, I get mocked and derided, told I just got a lemon, when all I ever did was tell exactly what happened to me. On the internet, it's like it's fashionable and accepted to mock Kimber because a few people do it so loudly. If Kimber was as bad as some people in here wish they were, they would have upset so many people that they would have folded long ago. Or I suppose it's possible mine keeps running on happy thoughts and pixie dust.
For decades, there were only a few options for 1911s. A handful of imports, G.I. guns that have been in circulation for years Colts, a handful of low-volume boutique shops like AMT, and a few very expensive custom shops. You had one end of the scale or the other. If you wanted a tight-fitting, match-grade gun, you had to spend a lot of money. Then Kimber started mass-producing guns with hand-fitted slides and match-grade parts for less than half what anyone else could produce them for. They turned the entire market on its ear and set the competition scrambling to match production. They all had to re-think the entire gameplan about price point. Everyone knew the emperor was naked.
Some people have never gotten over this. They are still upset that they paid more than a thousand dollars for a custom pistol, and someone else came out with one that does the exact same thing for less than half the sticker. This means one of two things must be true. Either someone figured out a better way to do it (with a large investment in CNC machining,) or they must be flawed. It is easier to believe that they are flawed, because otherwise they feel like they wasted money. This means a bad Colt is a lemon, but a bad Kimber is typical.
What percentage of people who complain about something on the internet means little, because people who are upset about something complain more loudly and more often than someone who is content and has no reason to complain. People who are mad let their attention get grabbed when someone asks, people who are content have no passion to respond, and ignore it. It is only those of us who have come to recognize that good products and service deserve to be recognized that go out of our way to praise them. We are far outnumbered by whiners.
A larger number of units sold may reveal a higher number of units with problems. This does not equal a higher RATE of problems. I call this "Ford Taurus Syndrome" For many years, Ford sold a very high number of Tauri. I started to hear about a lot of them having problems, and I let this put an idea in my mind that they were bad cars. Over time, I realized that I ONLY heard about problems, I never heard about the vast majority that ran fine and no one complained about.
I have bought and carried guns from Auto-Ordnance, Para Ordnance, Colt, Kimber, Smith and Wesson, and a lot of other non-1911 pistols. I have shot pretty much every brand you can name. Some were fine. I had a Nighthawk jam on a rental range. My colt was rough and sticky out of the box. I never picked up a 1911 that shot as well and ran as smoothly out of the box as my Kimber. As I stated in my original post in this thread (over two years ago,) all of my friends and family shot mine, and either bought Kimbers, never had any significant problems, or something else, and wished they bought Kimbers. It is the best gun I have ever owned, and I would carry it to war tomorrow if I had to. If I had the time and cash to compete regularly (which might be happening soon,) I would take my Kimber. If I were allowed to take any sidearm I wanted to to war tomorrow, it would be the Kimber. I am about to take delivery on a commemorative Para SF-45A, and based on the experiences of friends who already have them, I don't expect it to be perfect out out of the box. I bought it for sentimental reasons. I will still default to the Kimber for pretty much everything.
My experience is only mine, and worth the same amount online as anyone else's. But when people ask about a Sigma, which was by far the worst pistol I ever bought, and I tell my horror story, I get mocked and derided, told I just got a lemon, when all I ever did was tell exactly what happened to me. On the internet, it's like it's fashionable and accepted to mock Kimber because a few people do it so loudly. If Kimber was as bad as some people in here wish they were, they would have upset so many people that they would have folded long ago. Or I suppose it's possible mine keeps running on happy thoughts and pixie dust.
Proving there are at least eight good ones out there.
I have one I do and have trusted to carry (we're up to nine). The other two...not so much.
After reading Dillons are over-priced pieces of junk, I increased my number of happy thoughts. Working so far.
So, the 43 percent are full of organic fertilizer, but the 57 percent are direct descendants of George Washington.
EXODUS 20:17 (a) Thou shalt post no hurtful opinions on the net.
klmmicro
Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 11
Having worked on a range, I have had the opportunity to shoot many Kimber's...some extensively. I have never had one fail to feed, fire or eject in my hand. There have been a few complaints from owners that said they had problems that required factory work to correct. Most people report that they work well out of the box.
I would buy a Kimber. That said, I have also fired Springfield, RI and Wilson. All of those were as reliable for me. There are options available that are as viable as Kimber. If there is something that you read or hear that turns you off of the Kimber brand, you can still choose and purchase a quality, reliable and affordable pistol from another manufacturer.
I would buy a Kimber. That said, I have also fired Springfield, RI and Wilson. All of those were as reliable for me. There are options available that are as viable as Kimber. If there is something that you read or hear that turns you off of the Kimber brand, you can still choose and purchase a quality, reliable and affordable pistol from another manufacturer.
EddieNFL said:
Even Springfield is recommending a 500 round break-in these days but that doesn't seem to result in incredulous responses typical of Kimber threads (see post #13).
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=635648
I posted my first response in this thread almost two years ago. Since that post I've bought three Ed Browns, two Dan Wessons and another Kimber. I've shot many thousands of rounds through my TEII, mostly in USPSA matches, and I'd STILL recommend Kimber, particularly models in the $800 price range. If someone is prepared to spend $1,200+ then I'd suggest a DW from Dave Severns of Severns Custom.
- Status
