Kimber Ultra RCP II - Dead or Alive?

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I recently acquired a Kimber Ultra RCP II from my brother-in-law. I've done some research and found the pistol was relatively short lived in the Kimber product line. Anyone know why?

I've gone to Gunbroker to look for any current auctions and found none. I checked this forum and found the last offer to sell was in 2006.

Is this pistol a really bad idea from Kimber? Are they so limited in numbers produced they rarely come up for auction? Have they been relegated to doorstop or mantle piece since they have no other useful purpose?

I haven't shot it yet but wonder if I should!
 
Shorter barreled 1911 platforms tend to have smaller operating windows than longer barreled version. Many folks become disenchanted with the shorter interval between recoil spring changes to maintain proper functioning
 
I’m sure there are others here that are not for sure exactly what pistol you have.

It’s hard to answer all of those questions without a photo
 
Kimber knows how to build an officer sized 1911! Their Ultra lines are pretty awesome in my book.
You do have to change our the recoil springs more often, but then shoot great and very reliable.
Lefty
 
Reinz said:
I’m sure there are others here that are not for sure exactly what pistol you have.

It’s hard to answer all of those questions without a photo
Click to expand...
While a picture is always nice, the Kimber lineup is pretty straightforward.

They have the full sized, their Pro (Commander size), and their Ultra (OACP size)
 
That’s a model I’ve never seen before. It looks like an all-business little chunky monkey for sure.

My only experience with the Officers-sized 1911 is with my Kimber Ultra Carry II 9mm. The little 9mm is pretty easy on the hands and has been 100 pct reliable so far.

Neat pickup, when you get a chance to shoot it let us know how it does for you. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
I have the Kimber Ultra CDP II, bought it new a few years ago. Very happy with it. I don't carry it or shoot it every day but when I do it has never failed me nor has had any issues.
 
9mmepiphany said:
While a picture is always nice, the Kimber lineup is pretty straightforward.

They have the full sized, their Pro (Commander size), and their Ultra (OACP size)
Click to expand...

I’m aware of that. I had 30 Kimbers in the 90’s. But did you know what the RCP was before JTQ posted the information? It’s not Just another officers model.

I suspected that it was the extreme melt down, but not sure. A pic from the OP would have helped.

Thanks to JTQ I remember that pistol know, it is the Royal Carry Pistol.
 
Since several of you have mentioned that a pic would be helpful, I've uploaded the Ultra RCP II. The obvious differences with what JTQ posted are the lack of Crimson Trace sights and the hammer is different. JTQ's pic shows a skeletonized hammer where mine (shown at half cock) is bobbed. Both have the "trench" or "gutter" sights.

So I go back to my original question, since others in the Kimber product line have the compact 3 inch barrels and seem to be popular, why did the Ultra RCP have a short shelf l Kimber Ultra RCP II.jpg ife?
 
Probably due to that gutter sight! I remember a “concept” pistol one gun rag writer did an article on, think it was based on the 3913 or a similar pistol. It has that gutter sight. Called the pistol an ASP. It flopped.

I’ve shot a gutter sight on a couple of pistols, and I personally shoot better just point shooting than trying to use that system.
 
LeftyRed said:
It has that gutter sight. Called the pistol an ASP. It flopped.
Click to expand...
I don’t know if flopped is an accurate description.

The ASP was a customized S&W M39 which was the foreruner of a whole breed of cut down pistols and features many now take for granted. The largest government contract for the ASP was for the Army CID. The most well known production versions to copy the ASP has been the S&W M-3913/3914.

The ASP had several first in the handgun field
1. Teflon coating
2. Chopped and Channeled slide and frame
3. Bobbed hammer on a semi-auto
4. Translucent grip panels
5. Cut away windows in the magazines
6. Melted, snag proof, exterior
7. Magazine base plates that slanted the correct direction to allow pinky purchase on it
8.Used magnets to retain magazines in their carrier
 
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CNobbe said:
Agreed as not many ASPs were made. I got to see one in the flesh and probably never will again.
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I’ve only seen two and only got to handle one.

I thought the first was over priced at $2500 (1978) but the second one was actually decently priced at $4800 (1998) as it came with extra mags and two holsters
 
I don't like the sights. Or the lack of sights. Or whatever it has going on. I have a Kimber ultra carry 2 (officer size) and it is a great pistol. With sights.
 
9mmepiphany said:
I don’t know if flopped is an accurate description.

The ASP was a customized S&W M39 which was the foreruner of a whole breed of cut down pistols and features many now take for granted. The largest government contract for the ASP was for the Army CID. The most well known production versions to copy the ASP has been the S&W M-3913/3914.

The ASP had several first in the handgun field
1. Teflon coating
2. Chopped and Channeled slide and frame
3. Bobbed hammer on a semi-auto
4. Translucent grip panels
5. Cut away windows in the magazines
6. Melted, snag proof, exterior
7. Magazine base plates that slanted the correct direction to allow pinky purchase on it
8.Used magnets to retain magazines in their carrier
Click to expand...

Wouldn’t call a SW3913 a production version of the ASP, as it had very few of the features you mentioned. It was basically a single stacked 6900(or 5900)series and not some James Bond prototype want to be.
 
LeftyRed said:
Wouldn’t call a SW3913 a production version of the ASP, as it had very few of the features you mentioned. It was basically a single stacked 6900(or 5900)series and not some James Bond prototype want to be.
Click to expand...
Charles Kelsey of Devel Pistol fame, made custom versions of the S&W M39 and M59 based on the ASP (made by Paris Theodore). Kelsey sent samples of his pistols to S&W in the hope of having them enter mass production…that never happened, but many features were incorperated into first the M- 469 and later into the M-3913/4.

That S&W decided not to offer all the advanced feature of the ASP does not compromise the lineage. The ASP started the whole cut-down 9mm segment. It was more than a “wanna’be” , it actually “was” being the American counter part to Bond’s PPK. The ASP actually appeared in a later Bond novel by Gardner…replacing the PPK
 
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9mmepiphany said:
Charles Kelsey of Devel Pistol fame, made custom versions of the S&W M39 and M59 based on the ASP (made by Paris Theodore). Kelsey sent samples of his pistols to S&W in the hope of having them enter mass production…that never happened, but many features were incorperated into first the M- 469 and later into the M-3913/4.

That S&W decided not to offer all the advanced feature of the ASP does not compromise the lineage. The ASP started the whole cut-down 9mm segment. It was more than a “wanna’be” , it actually “was” being the American counter part to Bond’s PPK. The ASP actually appeared in a later Bond novel by Gardner…replacing the PPK
Click to expand...

Well, glad JB and you both got to touch one! LOL
Still, gutter sights sucks. And I can’t see ANY of the ASP’s “influence” in either the 3913 or the 469. But cool story. Unique guns that never happened are always a fun read.
 
They were not very popular and / or good sellers.
Looks like you have one with an original bobbed spurred hammer. Later models used a true bobbed hammer that had no spur and was flush with the rear of the slide when hammer down.
The last RCP model Kimber did had the skeletonized spurred hammer and crimson trace grips.
They were ok to shoot at 4 to 7 yards, but 25 yards was a stretch.
 
I assume the RCP is a single-action like 99 44/100 percent of 1911s, and in that case why would you want a fully bobbed hammer? Carried cocked and locked it would still stick out, and lowering the hammer would be … challenging. I must be missing some vital idea here (not unlikely).
 
Thunderchicken said:
I assume the RCP is a single-action like 99 44/100 percent of 1911s, and in that case why would you want a fully bobbed hammer? Carried cocked and locked it would still stick out, and lowering the hammer would be … challenging. I must be missing some vital idea here (not unlikely).
Click to expand...
Because with a single action auto, with a manual safety, there is no reason to manually lower the hammer, well, other than by pulling the trigger to fire a round.

Edit to add: Condition 1 or Condition 3. Stay away from that Condition 2 stuff.
 
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