Sig 220 Carry or Kimber Ultra carry II?

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bmnloader

Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2011
Messages
63
Location
DFW
I have a buddy that is trying to choose between these 2. He has a P220 now but wants something more compact for EDC. I don't know much about either one other than what I've read here. It seems the Kimber is more expensive for about the same gun. I'm a Springfield guy myself but he's hooked on one of these. Give me some opinions please and I'll pass them on..
 
If I wanted a 220 as a carry gun, I'd go with the Compact. Same controls, just a smaller package, and just as accurate too. The Carry has a full size frame with a shorter slide, Compact is a shorter slide and a smaller frame. It is noticeably smaller in your hand, where the Carry felt very similar to a full size 220.
 
I'm very happy with my Kimber UCII for deep concealment. I normally carry a full frame 1911, but sometimes the Kimber is needed for certain places.

One thing I will note from my experience, the Kimber is full of parts that need replaced before you carry it. The slide stop and mainspring housing are the top two priorities. The slide stop is MIM and caused failures in my gun from the get go. The mainspring housing is plastic, and well I just don't trust them.
 
Sig all the way. May also want to tell him about the P245, which was Sig's original 'carry-sized' .45 (I'm assuming his P220 is a .45)
 
I say go with the sig 220 carry, but I've always liked that pistol and want one myself so I'm bias
 
If EDC means concealed carry, the kimber will be thinner and weigh less. The 220 carry is a 220 with a 3.9 inch barrel; the rest of the pistol is just as big as his regular p220.
 
...the Kimber is full of parts that need replaced before you carry it.
Click to expand...

:confused:

The cost alone of the Kimber is enough to put most people off; add to that the need to REPLACE parts that should've come from the factory working???? On a gun marketed for "carry"????

*** Kimber, why you no make guns that work?

SIG P220 compact without question.
 
Ive owned 220's, a 220 Carry, and a 245. All were great guns. The Carry is basically a 220 with a 245 slide on it. Its really not a whole lot smaller than a 220. This is kind of like the Glock 17,19, 26 thing. I never saw the point of the 19's either. Like the 26, if he wants a smaller gun, the 245 would be the way to go. Compact too I suppose, but I always hated those silly beavertails.

This will give you an idea as to the size of each. 220 on top, Carry in the middle, 245 on the bottom.....

ry%3D480.jpg

As far as the Kimbers go, I had a Kimber Ultra Carry too.

*** Kimber, why you no make guns that work?
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. I cant ever remember making it through a mag without a stoppage. Pretty gun, but thats about it.
 
I carry the Carry comfortably in a Galco "King Tuk" iwb holster comfortably and well-concealed. It's a very reliable, accurate pistol that I would recommend to anyone wanting a dependable semi-auto pistol for self-defense that can be toted unseen with ease.
 
How can one gun get such polar opposite reviews, for so long, and still sell for such high dollar amounts? Every time I have almost bought one I read a bad review and I stop. "Kimber, that is"
 
I agree with the insanity of having to replace parts on a brand new gun. I didn't know these things when I purchased it, so I spent a couple bucks and upgraded the parts. Even with the additional parts, I'm only in the gun $600. I got a smoking good deal though.

I will say after fine tuning my kimber has run like a clock with no stoppages of failures to speak of. That's why my life is trusted to it.
 
Pretty much anything SIG is good.

My Kimber UltraCarry CDP II has had NO alterations of any kind and it carry's and shoots just fine. It, or an Ed Brown Kobra Carry, is on my hip most days at work.

An interesting pic of the Kimber laying under my Kahr PM9

20131011_173514_zps45d65d6f.gif

20131011_174848_zpsbac969cc.gif
 
I have a SIG P220 Carry but don't use it for CC. It's a great pistol but simply too big and heavy for me to use. Given the choices in this case I would choose the Kimber over the SIG since it's smaller and lighter. I have a couple of Kimbers that run very well.
 
bluekouki86; I am curious what "fine-tuning" your Kimber needed? Also, were you having issues with it or did you just do some work and replace parts that are generally recommended?
 
Jim PHL said:
bluekouki86; I am curious what "fine-tuning" your Kimber needed? Also, were you having issues with it or did you just do some work and replace parts that are generally recommended?
Click to expand...

Straight out of the box I ran 500 "break in" rounds in one range trip. Gave me time to learn how my new weapon handled. I had a rash of FTF and the slide hanging back with rounds still in the magazine. Even after those 500 rounds i continued having these problems, not something i want to depend on when the time comes.

I tried multiple magazines (the Kimber ones have long since been in the landfill) and it liked Wilson Combat and Chip McCormick the best, but I was still having the same problems. The slide not coming into battery was cured with a Wilson Combat bulletproof slide stop. I solved the FTF with a feed ramp polish. I replaced the mainspring housing solely because I didnt like or trust the plastic one, it was causing no functional problems.

After this work, the Kimber has run flawlessly. I really do like it for deep carry. A quick word to the wise, don't get the black one. The paint is terrible and will be gone in less than 6 months of carry. Spend the extra cash and get the stainless model. My brother has one and it has held up much better.
 
They want 1150 for that gun around these parts, then spend more money to get it to shoot right, no way Jose'. There are a hundred better more reliable guns that are about the same size for 1,500 bucks.
 
gym said:
They want 1150 for that gun around these parts, then spend more money to get it to shoot right, no way Jose'. There are a hundred better more reliable guns that are about the same size for 1,500 bucks.
Click to expand...

I agree that is insanely expensive. I like my Kimber but would never spend that much on one. If you keep your eyes open you can buy one much cheaper. Like I said before, I only have a little over $600 in mine which I feel is more than acceptable.
 
SIG all the way. Don't bother with the trash from Yonkers. I had nothing but trouble with both of mine, but they were the external extractor models. However, they had so many other faults that the extractor was the least of their troubles. If you must have a 1911, then go in with open eyes. Buy a gun and have a gunsmith go over it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
  • Locked
SIG P226r .40 S&W or KIMBER Ultra Carry II .45 acp
Replies
12
Views
1K
okierifleman
O
Cornhusker77
  • Locked
Kimber Ultra Carry II
Replies
24
Views
808
FL-NC
FL-NC
D
  • Locked
Kimber Ultra Carry II
Replies
4
Views
666
The Bushmaster
The Bushmaster
B
  • Locked
Kimber Ultra ten II
Replies
7
Views
3K
Buck Turgeson
B
J
  • Locked
Feedback on Sig vs Kimber
Replies
4
Views
594
JCMM
J
Back
Top