What's up with Kimber??

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S&WMP45

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how come every gun shop i go to (5 in my area), recommend against buying a kimber, citing various issues?

i have never owned a kimber, but i've heard more bad things about them than good from shooters at the range as well (one shooter even had a cracked frame on his $1,000 Kimber!)

from what i read on the forums some people get a good one, and some people get a jammomatic.

also, most of the used 1911's for sale that i see are in fact kimbers.

anyone have some thoughts on why this is?
 
No idea, I purchased a used Kimber Custom II and it's been great, 100% reliable, just as reliable as the Glock 21 I traded towards it, plus, it has a more controllable recoil, and I can shoot lead reloads without replacing the barrel, the main reason I traded was because the single-stack 1911 fit my hands better, it's been just as reliable as the Glock
 
My buddy's kimber custom 2 is dead on accurate I just bought a kimber tactical custom of gunbroker I will put pics up and review after a range session.
 
Mine must be broken - it works every time!!
I have a Custom Target II - 5 years now - lots of rounds thru it
 
Kimbers got a bad rap a while back for over-marketing their pistols and having issues with their early MIM parts. Their marketing is still obnoxious, but their breakage issues seem to be largely behind them.

I have owned close to a dozen Kimbers over the years, and (save one, a doublestack BUL-sourced 'ProCarry 10 II') they've all proven very satisfying.

My Kimber Aegis 5" 9mm is my favorite pistol in all the world right now. I'd buy another if I could find it.
 
This is a Clackamus OR Kimber. Serial number under 4000. Born on date Nov 1996. It has worn out the sear surfaces on two hammers and one sear.

Other than that, it has been a wonderful M1911

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Everybody loves to hate the top dog, which Kimber is of the 1911 world ... so it's hip to trash Kimber. It's getting so it's hip to trash Sig now too, since the ex-Kimber President went there. My experience with both has been stellar, although I wouldn't spend my $1200 on a Kimber, there simply are better values available. If you did however I wouldn't question your rationale.
 
i noticed kimbers quality doesn't match the price (which is way too high)

i'm not saying they're bad quality, just that they're not worth the price. (same goes for hk-good stuff, but overpriced)
 
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I love my Kimber CDP II 4"...however, occasionally the slide will not finish it's forward momentum after the shot. Meaning I have to give it a quick tap with my thumb before I can fire again. I've probably put 500 rounds through it so it should be good and broke in. Kinda leaves me feeling a bit less than 100% certain while carrying it though. I need to find someone that can help me remedy this problem...I have very little (read "no") gunsmithing experience.
 
Failing to return to battery is oft times caused by a weak recoil spring. The short barrel 1911s (4 inch and less) are notorious for wearing out springs quickly - and this is all brands not just Kimber. Get some Wolff springs from Brownell's in different weights until you find the sweet spot.

I had a 4 inch Kimber and IIRC the factory springs are rated for about 800 rounds.

My 1st generation (circa 1997) Kimber Gold Match is the finest shooting 1911 I've ever owned. (And I've owned or own Colt, Dan Wesson, S&W, etc.)

IMG_KCGM-X.gif
 
I have used my Custom II target extensively for 7 years with zero problems. It is the most accurate handgun I own, with the possible exception of my TC Contender.

gary
 
Kimber has fallen prey to the pitfalls of modern corporate America - growth, greed, and outright fraud. The company has grown too fast to keep up its standards, and its corporate in-fighting and decision making has sacrificed quality for profit.

Right now is pretty much the nadir of this - quality is not good, service has suffered, and they are coasting on reputation and hoping to re-tool before the public catches up. You can go google news reports (and court cases) about Kimber and do your own homework, but that's it in a nutshell. I would not be a buyer of a new Kimber, but a Clackamas I'd take any day.

Everybody loves to hate the top dog, which Kimber is of the 1911 world
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Um, Colt and Springfield would differ...
 
I have experience with 3 Kimbers, 2 Pro Carry's and a full size Classic Custom. Both Pro Carry's were total dogs. Reliability sucked. Sent one of them back after the "required" 500 round break in becasue it would jam every 3rd round. Kimber returned it reliable, as a reliable single shot that is. Dennis proved to be one of the most difficult people to deal with. The Classic Custom also had some issues but those were taken care of by Wilson Combat. During a recent trip to Cabelas I was part of a conversation with the assistant manager of the gun department. Despite of their prices this place does a high volume in sales. They return more Kimbers than anything else. I was present to watch a salesperson steer a customer from a Kimber to a Colt even thought the Colt was $200 cheaper.
 
I own a Stainless Target II. Have about 5000 rounds thorugh it. Only two FTE's - one when I lent it to a new shooter who kept his fingers on the slide (ouch) and one at about 3000 rounds -- replaced the springs as per factory recommendations, and no problem. Has fed every type of ammo I've pushed in the gun. Most accurate gun I own, next to my Ruger Mk II. I've torn it apart for a full detail strip and the finish on all the parts is pretty nice -- the pins have rounded ends, etc. The only grip I have is their insistence on using nylon mainspring housings -- which I hate.

Otherwise, I'm very happy with the Kimber. However, I probably won't buy another -- one's enough for me. My next 1911 will probably be a SA Champ.
 
uh oh, schmeky doesn't believe my post, that really just tears me up inside!


yeah one gun shop manager told me, they just stopped selling kimber because they got tired sending them back to kimber because of customer complaints. they'll still order you a kimber if you want, but they no longer stock them.

plus kimber requires that you keep a lot more of their guns in stock than other gun companies in order to qualify for the dealer discount, which is another reason they stopped stocking them.
 
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i noticed kimbers quality doesn't match the price (which is way too high)

i'm not saying they're bad quality, just that they're not worth the price. (same goes for hk-good stuff, but overpriced)
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I can get a Kimber Custom II for $700-$750 all day long. That has got to represent a 'Best Buy!' in 1911 pistols. It is arguably $150-$200 less than a similarly outfitted pistol from Colt or even Springfield.

Folk don't seem to like to complain so much about dropping $1400 in a Springer TRP but if Kimber puts out a similar pistol in a similar price range, then it's gotta represent a sign that it's the end of the free world.

<sigh>

I get it. Kimber has earned themselves a fair bit of enimity in the industry because they publicly state that they are the best. They try to build a cult following, and there is an inevitable backlash to that.

But put the marketing hoohah aside, and you'll start to see that many of their pistols really do represent solid values in the current 1911 market.

I still prefer Colt, for a myriad of reasons, but I have no quarrel with Kimbers at all.

plus kimber requires that you keep a lot more of their guns in stock than other gun companies in order to qualify for the dealer discount, which is another reason they stopped stocking them.
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As I hear it, Kimber sells direct to dealers and there is no wholesaler to 'buffer' the quantity and pricing. That has good and bad effects. It means that the Kimber prices are not inflated by a middleman inserting their profit margins into the final sales price, but it also likely means that small shops that may sell one or two a year can't get much of a break.

I can see this. But I'm not sure that I think that it's wrong.
 
I used to be a Kimber fan. The MIM stuff has got to stop, even if it deos work. And the guns need more reliability testing before going out the door.

I mean for ^*$&'s sake they still use dinky old style mags! Half the reliability problems they have would vanish if they'd provide Tripp research mags.

Fusion and Dan Wesson are the hot shoes right now. Hopefully their coolaid lasts longer than Kimbers did.
 
hmm i just read up on the kimber custom II. it doesn't have half the features the springer champion operator does, which is only a little more xpensive brand new. i just paid $725 for a used but unfired champiom operator, and it shot great.

i was weary of buying the kimber just because of what i hear from most people i meet, that's why decided on the springer, i know a lot of people like their kimbers too, but it seems that you might get a good one or you might end up with a jammomatic with kimber. i realize this can happen with any 1911 maker, but it seems more prevelant with kimber.

besides, i just like the look of the champion-it's pimp:cool:
 
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