My reason is probably very dumb. I went to Troy University and ever since Kimber moved from Yonkers, NY to Troy, Alabama, I have been thinking of supporting them by buying a pistol.
Well, first, I know little of 1911s. I love Sig's DA/SA of the p229 and striker fired XDs but I always hear that 1911s still hold up for the reason that they are awesome. Does anyone have any advice for me? I have no model in mind and I am just beginning this journey.

Why not try one of their new 2K11 pro comp?

Or if you want something smaller, a CDS9?

Or something in between like the KDS9c?

All are three recent guns from kimber.

When you shop for a 10mm, the early 1911s are so bad they should be avoided at all price points.

They redesigned them fairly quick and the new versions run fine.

Over the last couple decades I had a half dozen full size Kimbers with 5" barrels. Only one had a minor, easily corrected, issue. Mine have been good reliable pistols. I still have one Kimber, and wish I'd have kept others. I still have a .38 Super Eclipse. It is such a good gun, that I went to the trouble of fitting a 9mm barrel. It is reliable in both calibers, and has become somewhat of a test mule at the range for me. I've had this Kimber for about 9 years, and have no intention of ever selling or trading it...

quote:

My reason is probably very dumb

I have a Maryland and a TN Beretta specifically because I’ve lived in both places. So throw me in the dumb pile.

You could do far worse. Kimber took a hit many years ago and for some their dislike for the brand still hasn't subsided. For those of us that were able to move on and forget, Kimber has been a solid choice in the 1911 market. I've owned several over the years and currently have a Stainless II and an Ultra Carry II. The Stainless II is a one-hole shooter while the Ultra Carry II is a reliable, accurate carry gun. If you pick one up, help it out with quality mags and good ammo. These things keep a 1911 reliable. Good luck, shoot safe.

Outstanding. Thanks for the advice.

The stories of their lack of reliability and poor craftsmanship always steered me away from Kimber, however it sounds like they’ve really improved recently. I’d really like a Warrior in 10mm..

I only have experience with the short single stack Ultra Carry or whatever. Nightmare trying to get it to feed and eject. Ejector work, extractor work, extractor replacement, still not close to 100%. Soured me on the brand personally.

My wife gifted me a Kimber Custom II many years ago and I had no problems with it. Very reliable. My brother took a shine to it so I sold it to him. Two years ago I bought a 10mm Kimber Custom II GFO. Had lots of feeding problems with Federal and Aquila ammo. YouTubers and other sources said it would take 500 rounds to break in. Change the recoil spring and it helped out a tad. Quit using the anemic Federal and Aquila rounds and ordered S&B and MagTech rounds that were a little stouter. Also started to shoot my own reloads and things improved. The gun is amazingly accurate. I shoot it better than the other striker fired 10mm pistols I have. Bought some Wilson and Kimber mags for it. Just wish I could get out to the range more often.

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Originally posted by xd45man:
My reason is probably very dumb. I went to Troy University and ever since Kimber moved from Yonkers, NY to Troy, Alabama, I have been thinking of supporting them by buying a pistol.
Well, first, I know little of 1911s. I love Sig's DA/SA of the p229 and striker fired XDs but I always hear that 1911s still hold up for the reason that they are awesome. Does anyone have any advice for me? I have no model in mind and I am just beginning this journey.

Any reason to buy another pistol is a valid reason. My standard reason is simply because I want one. Go buy it and enjoy it.

I have owned several Kimbers. I would recommend the GFO model if you want a 5 inch .45. The LW series are great if you want a 5 inch alloy framed 9mm.

The Custom II series are fine if you want a 5 inch .45 or 9mm but they do cost a tad more. The Pro Carry II is a fine alloy framed 4 inch option available in either 9mm or .45. I preferred the 9mm version as the alloy .45 4 incher was not a lot of fun with 230 grain ammo.

I currently have a LW Liberty in 9mm and I have added a few custom touches but it needed nothing out of the box to run properly except proper lubrication. The entry grade Kimbers made from 2017 and later generally run good out of the box in my experience. The lone exception was that I needed to put in a better quality extractor and tune it on the Pro Carry II 9mm that I had before it ran 100%.

I bought mine in 1997 and it was rebuilt a couple of times before retiring it from competition. Now I build 1911s and have my brother in law's Kimber on my bench. It is a Series II from around 2012. It failed to fire in a match for him. I checked it out and the Schwartz safety had failed. When I checked it out fully, the grip safety had also failed and the hammer hooks had essentially crumpled, both parts are MIM and were too soft. He and I both talked to Kimber in Troy before doing any work. They said they weren't sure they would have the parts or be able to fix it, but he could send it in and pay their fee (around $125, as I recall) to look at it. They also said any problems weren't covered because it's an old gun and they didn't have his warranty card on file. We elected to put that $125 in parts and for me to rebuild it. Steer clear of this company. 1911s are an enthusiast's gun and require more maintenance than most modern guns. If you aren't prepared to spend money on upkeep of it, pass. My gunsmithing instructor said Kimber's slogan should be, "We make 1911s for guys that don't like shooting 1911s." Most put them in their safe and talk about owning a Kimber.

One thing I have to say is the current Kimber is FAR better then the Cohen malaise years. They have several products that have tempted me. I quite like their revolver offerings. The trigger feels a little weird but is quite nice once you get used to it.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the 2k11 I picked up.

If they offer the 10mm DS warrior in commander length I’d be all over it.

I have a 2k11 pro comp that is absolutely one of my favorite pistols! It shoots so well!

I have a Kimber 2k11 pro comp that I absolutely love! One of my favorite pistols in my safe. This thing is a tack driver!

I'm a die hard sig guy. My wife on the other hand is stuck on kimber(I swear they have a female specific marketing plan with some of the designs and colors.). She has purchased 9 or 10 in the past 10 years or so. She has everything from custom type 1911 10mms to compact 9mm(her daily carry).

She may be lucky but she still has them all and all are flawless shooters.

Tommy

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Originally posted by horsedoc:
I'm a die hard sig guy. My wife on the other hand is stuck on kimber(I swear they have a female specific marketing plan with some of the designs and colors.). She has purchased 9 or 10 in the past 10 years or so. She has everything from custom type 1911 10mms to compact 9mm(her daily carry).

She may be lucky but she still has them all and all are flawless shooters.

Tommy

cool wife

The LGS has many Kimber 1911 used pistols for sale. I wonder if the brand and model are popular or if people don’t like them.