Kimber Ultra Carry

[sig228]

Hi all. Search doesn't seem to be working, so sorry if this was already discussed. Anyway, I'm thinking of a Kimber Ultra Carry, but some of the other forums, including the AR forum, seem to indicate that this is a "jam -o- matic". If I'm gonna pay nearly a grand for a new gun, I certainly dont want something with a proven history of UNreliability. Any comments from Kimber owners would be appreciated. Thanks.

PS - Maybe someone has other suggestions for a short barrel .45 1911 style pistol?

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I had an ultra carry and an ultra cdp and they were both guns. Just try to find one with an internal extractor.

 

[Car Knocker]

I have an UC, pre-Series II. It didn't like the factory mag that came with it- I use Wilson's. In over two thousand rounds (reloads, LSWC, factory ball & HP) it has never had a jam, failed to fire, or had any mechanical problem. Before I started carrying it, I ran 500 mixed rounds through it without cleaning it - no failures. It is utterly reliable. I carry in either a VM-2 or a pocket holster by hbeleatherworks.com.

 

[S&Wfan]

Like most, if not all of the production companies, Kimber had a period of less-reliable guns but heck, I remember years ago when most Colts wouldn't always work right out of the box and everyone expected it.

Kimber turned the 1911 world on its ear a little over a decade ago when they came out, and their Custom Shop guns were even more fantastic.

A few years ago the Type II Kimbers replaced all their models, and they had the dang external extractor on the right side of the slide, along with a firing pin safety block being added (ala the Series 80 Colts). It was about this time that the problems really began and that quality and customer service nose dived too.

HOWEVER . . . Kimber seems to have responded to the critics by eliminating the external extractor AND fixing the sorry customer service!

Today's Series II autos again have RETURNED to the internal extractor that John Browning designed and all is well. I've heard some very good things about the latest guns. So, just avoid the external extractor guns and you should be ok.

BOTTOM LINE? I surely wouldn't fear buying a new Kimber, as a matter of fact, it would be on my short list to check out.

I LOVE MY "PRE-SERIES II" KIMBER CDP ULTRA. Here's a six round, 10-yard freestanding target, just before I drifted the rear sight to zero in this new (for me) load:

It eats every round I "feed" it . . . and craps brass like a goose. Plus, it is very accurate for an Officer's sized 1911. Mine works flawlessly with it's original magazines plus my extra full-size ones by Wilsons, McCormack and Mec-Gar.

T.

 

[Walkalong]

Mine just won't fail either. I love it. Series II Internal extractor.

 

[Harold Mayo]

Never had an issue with mine, a Series 1 Ultra. It actually SEEMS more reliable than my larger Kimbers, though I have no good empirical evidence to support that feeling.

 

[carnaby]

I had a series II ultra compact that I sold to another member on this boarg. Great gun. Very accurate, excellent trigger etc.

The only failures I ever had were with some speer gold dot reloads. The first round out of a full mag would always get stuck on the feed ramp. Ball and Remington Golden Sabers fed and functioned flawlessly. Wish I hadn't sold it.

 

[orionengnr]

along with a firing pin safety block being added (ala the Series 80 Colts).

Actually, the Series 80 Colt uses a trigger actuated FPS. Series II Kimbers use an entirely different device....the Swartz device, which is actuated by the grip safety and acts directly upon the FPS.

The benefit of the Swartz device is that it does not affect trigger pull in any way. The downside is it complicates disassembly somewhat...if you keep a normal grip on the weapon (thereby depressing the grip safety), you raise the firing-pin-safety-depressing "teat", thereby making slide removal difficult...or damaging said "teat".

Just a matter of technique, but some Kimbers have been damaged by "forcing the issue".

Buy a pre-Series II Kimber, and avoid all of this...if you can find one

 

[orionengnr]

BTW, I have owned two Ultra Carry Stainless and one Ultra CDP.
All were perfect in function, very well made, incredibly accurate and very visually appealing (especially the CDP).

However, my Kahr P45 is about 6 oz (25%) lighter (18 oz vice 24) with the same external dimensions (L x W x H). That makes quite a bit of difference in a CHL weapon.

Yes, the Kimber is prettier, and slightly more accurate at 25 yards. At 7-10 yards (real-world), I could not see the difference.

My Kahr has a nice trigger, no external safeties and is dead reliable.

Yes, I am a heretic or a convert, depending on how you look at it.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've got four Kimbers. Thee are Ultras. The last being the Tactical Ultra II.
All are totally reliable and very accurate.
The only reason I don't have four Ultras is Kimber hasn't made anything I like better than the Tactical Ultra.

And if the little Ultra will do this at 100 yards you can imagine what it does at the spitting distance of 10-15 yards.

 

[jac714]

My Ultra Carry runs flawlessly, accurate and reliable what else can you ask for?

I have the basic Ultra Carry with factory mepros. It is great when the Pro size is to large.

I have 3 series II Kimbers and they are all dead bang reliable adn more accurate than I.

 

[Smoke]

I have the Ulta Carry CDP. Original series.

Scary accurate and completly reliable. Your mileage may vary.

Smoke

 

[Ala Dan]

I have a series II Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry in .45 ACP, that has proven
to be utterly reliable with NO mechanical failures of any kind; even when
shooting all major brands of JHP ammunition. Try one, you will LUV it~!

 

[Chuck R.]

You < 4" guys obviously haven't heard that anything less than 4.25" (and sometimes that is iffy) isn't reliable.

Add that to the fact that you're MIM parts are just waiting to break combined with your reduced single stack mag capacity, means you're seriously outgunned on today's urban battlefield.

You guys suicidal or something?

Chuck

 

[Ala Dan]

Sucidial?

Nope~! As I carry two extra Wilson Combat magazines for a
very RELIABLE 3" barrel Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II.

 

[Avizpls]

I vouch for the UC. I have one, I feed it GoldDot SB's via Wilson 47OX mags.

Excellent reliability.

 

[birddog1]

I've owned 3 Ultra Carry's. One was the CDP, one was a used UC, the other a new UC. All three were series II. Without fail, I had failures to extract. So I called Kimber and they sent me new extractors. I also bought Wilson mags. Once I installed the new extractors all of the failures disappeared. Looking at the extractors, the new ones had a much bigger hook than the old ones. It always bothered me that I had to do work just to get them to function properly after spending between $700 and $900 for these guns.

 

[Guncrazy45]

I've got a Kimber Ultra Eclipse, which I like very much. However, I have had problems with it.

The first was that I would get occasional misfeeds. These occurred after a few thousand rounds through the original factory mags. Replacing the factory mags with Wilson mags seems to have cured that problem.

The second problem, also resulting in misfeeds, was that the recoil springs wear out. The manual says they ought to be changed after 1500 rounds. I have purchased several of the heavy duty springs (22#, I think) from Wolff, and try to replace them on schedule.

The recoil spring assembly is very difficult to take apart, and I did ruin the front of mine when disassembling it for the first time. It still functions flawlessly, but there are gouges in the metal where the vise gripped it. I'd like to get a new assembly, but they seem to be perpetually out of stock on the Kimber website.

 

[Hawk]

Ultra CDP here - never did run right until the series II parts were removed.

Runs like a champ without the parts, runs like a ruptured duck with 'em.

 

[tegemu]

I had problems with mine until I got it broken in but since then it has been great.