I am a closet revolver fan. I have even been known to carry them from time to time. On long drives, nothing is more comfortable than a revolver in an OWB holster imo.

I recently picked up a Kimber K6S on an impulse buy and wanted to share what I’ve found. I asked to see it out of pure curiousity. The thought of Kimber making a wheel gun just seems so odd, I had to check it out when I realized it was in the case.



It looks and feels like a very well built revolver. I was shocked at how tight everything was on it. All of my revolvers are either PC guns or have had trigger work done to them. The Kimber trigger is very nice. It’s not as nice as a Performance Center trigger, but it’s still a great trigger. I’m not really sure I’ll send it out to have any work done to it. It’s nice and smooth and has no stacking that I can detect.



I really like the sights on this gun. The idea of 3 dot night sights on a revolver seemed very odd, but they work fantastic. I shoot it better than any j-frame I’ve shot before and I attribute it all to the sights. They stand off the top of the gun a little higher than a traditional channel rear sight, but it’s well worth it imo.

I can shoot this gun for accuracy or for speed much better than I expected.

I have a scandium framed j-frame in .357. It’s straight up painful to shoot. I have a S&W 500 mag, and it’s a great deal of fun to shoot. Yes, a light j-frame hurts me, but a 500 mag doesn’t. That lets you know how not fun a light .357 j-frame is.

The Kimber is all steel and it does a much better job of taming the recoil of full house .357 than the scandium does. I have won a number of bets with people that they couldn’t shoot entire 5 rounds through the S&W. Getting through the 6 round cylinder of the Kimber is not something that I’ll win bets on.

It’s not like you’ll want to shoot .357 through this gun all day long, but it’s certainly doing for a couple of cylinders.

This brings me to the cylinder, the Kimber is a 6 round gun. Jamming 6 rounds into what is basically a j-frame is awesome. That’s 20% more rounds and a big deal imo. The 6 round cylinder is ultimately what got me to buy it.



Here is a shot of the gap between the cylinder and the frame. Look at how tight the tolerances on this gun are. I could argue you actually want a little more room here so you don’t hang up during a reload, but it was not an issue in my shooting.

One nice advantage is you don’t hear or see your rounds sliding back and forth if you tilt the gun like you do on a normal revolver.

Here is a shot of the side plate. Again, you can see how tight the tolerances are and the attention to detail. Sorry it’s dirty, but I pulled it out of my holster for these pics.



I also like the push button cylinder release. It works well and is easy to actuate, but not something you’ll release accidentally.

My only complain is the grips. These things are smoooooooooth. It’s not like it makes the gun hard to shoot, but I would just prefer some chekcering. I mean, why not Kimber? I’ll maybe add some aftermarket grips with checkering at some point.

I’m a S&W fan, but I would most certainly consider more Kimber revolvers. I’m already looking at the 3” K6. I’m not a wheel gun expert, but I’d consider these Kimbers GTG...and I can’t believe I just said that.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: esdunbar,

I find myself really liking that gun. What type of mainspring do they use? Coil like a Ruger or flat like a Smith? For some reason I hate the triggers on Rugers, even ones that have been worked on. They just seem to stack to me whereas a Smith seems like a nice even pull.

It’s coil mainspring. It’s been a while since I opened up one of my j-frames, but I’m pretty sure they have coil mainsprings too.

I know my larger S&W’s have the larger flat mainspring/bent piece of metal, but I don’t think the j-frames do.

I've got the 2" DC as well. I had not owned a revolver for years but couldn't resist it. It shoots like a full size revolver.

The only thing I didn't like is the oem G10 grips. A little to small and to smooth. I put the longer wood grips from the 3" version on mine for now. HOGUE produces 'three finger' G10 grips for the K6S.

As much as I like mine, I think the soon to be released da-sa 2" and 3" are going to be very popular (click "load more" at the bottom).

https://www.kimberamerica.com/new-for-2019

This message has been edited. Last edited by: az4783054,

Thanks for the great writeup!
I've been looking at the 3" online for a while.
Unfortunately, pics are the best I've been able to find, none of the shops around here have had one for me to fondle.

Nice review and a fine gun. Do you have a speedloader for it? I'm interested in how well they behave with this revolver.

I’m using an HKS speedloader right now. It works fine. There’s not a ton of room on the side where the grip is, but it works just fine. I often have my cylinders milled out for moon clips. I’ll look to have this done probably.

Great photos and report, sir! I've been holding off on one of these since they're so new. I passed on a used example for 650 in the last couple of weeks - just didn't have the shekels. You mentioned using an HKS loader - maybe the version for Detective Special, or K-frame? ... Just curious about the size of the cylinder.

This one says M3 on it. I think it was originally for a security 6.

I have the K6S snubbie, silver stainless rather than blackened, brushed finish. It is a bit heavier than a scandium smith, but the Kimber just hurts to shoot. For a snubby, .38+P is more practical to me, and I can shoot it all day long out of a small smith, but for whatever reason, that kimber stings. Maybe the exposed backstrap. I don't know.

It's a well made pistol, and I liked the idea of six rounds in a five-round j-frame size pistol, too. The trigger feels like a striker fired pistol; short, really surprising for a revolver.

I like revolvers a lot. They're what I grew up with and I still frequently carry a j-frame in the pocket.

For the comfort of shooting, my Ruger SP101 feels a lot better than the kimber, but the trigger is trash compared to the kimber, too.

I got the kimber used, but so lightly used I thought it was a mistake. No drag marks on the cylinder, nothing. No scratches, no hint of powder residue, nothing anywhere. An older gentleman bought it and turned it for a consignment sale shortly thereafter. I got it at a substantial discount. Why, I wondered, would someone do that.

Then I shot it. Oh.

For me, it's speed strips, as always.

.38 +p’s are stinging you too? That’s odd, very different for me. I can shoot .38 +p’s out of this all day...if the ammo is free.

A couple cylinders of .357 full loads is all I want. With my scandium frames, I don’t even want to finish one cylinder. Scandium with .38 +ps is ok though.

I really want one of these and a 3” version. No one has the 3” in stock for me to handle nearby.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the kimber.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
.38 +p’s are stinging you too? That’s odd, very different for me. I can shoot .38 +p’s out of this all day...if the ammo is free.

A couple cylinders of .357 full loads is all I want. With my scandium frames, I don’t even want to finish one cylinder. Scandium with .38 +ps is ok though.

No, .38+P is a non-starter, no problem at all. It's the full house .357 mag rounds, and mainly just that pistol. My knuckles hurt when I'm done, like holding a golf climb or a lawnmower; everything hurts. I don't get that from most other stuff. It affects me enough that I flinch and as a result, I'm not particularly accurate with the kimber.

I'm with you; a few cylinders in the kimber is enough. I can dump a box or two through the SP101 and not worry about it, but that kimber, for whatever reason, hurts.

The easiest 6 rd wheel gun I’ve ever owned. I wish Hogue would produce a low profile rubber grip similar to the one for my SP101.

Yeah these are indeed nice. The only problems that we've had with inbound K6Ss has been with occasional finish hiccups (DISCOUNT!)*sigh*. None of our customers have reported any functional problems to date.

Nice review of what looks like a nice concealed carry. Photos were nice to show the exterior craftsmanship.

I have the 2 inch DCR model and the 3 inch version. I bought a set of large grip for the 2 inch from Kimber and it helps with full house 357 loads.I'm going to send the 3 inch off for night sights soon.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one too. It looks like a great carry piece, the problem is that they are kinda rare around here.

esdunbar, how is the finish holding up? That is a nice looking shooter.

quote:

Originally posted by cworetired:
esdunbar, how is the finish holding up? That is a nice looking shooter.

FWIW, the black DC finish is the same DLC as used on KAHR pistols for several years. It's supposed to be bullet proof. All K6S pistols are stainless including the DC version. Mine shows some very minute surface marks. Some people on the KIMBER forum have experienced what they describe as the DLC flaking around the forcing cone. KIMBER customer service says it's not a defect.

In hind sight, I think if I were to buy a 2019 da-sa as I mentioned above, I'd select an all stainless version w/o the DLC finish.