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Kimber 1911 comments wanted


Eyesa Horg

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We recently rescued our new little girl, a 2 year old Rottweiler. Anyway we always name our furry kids after firearms. Thus we chose Kimber for this one! I'm thinking since I don't own any Kimber's that an 1911 would be the way to go. But most I see are somewhat fancy or skeletonized.

What models would you folks recommend and what's your opinion of Kimber pistols. If they aren't great, maybe I'll look for one of their rifles.

 

Thanks in advance, Eyesa

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cant beat their rifles or their 1911s , i have rifles and 1911s ,  two now a compact and a full size , id have more but there were others to buy and others in my accumulation that i like equally well , 

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Their 1911’s are great.  Although the only one I own is a 3” lightweight carry gun, I have seen quite a few in use in Wild Bunch and they all ran well.  Be careful to get a configuration that is WB legal though, as many of their models have grips, sights, or other features that would disqualify it for WB use.

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Fantastic guns, but only rely on their better grade magazines for carry use. Their standard ones have been iffy in the past. Grab Wolson or MecGar magazines.

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Kimber Target II 45

Kimber Target II 40

Kimber Pro Carry 45

love them all. 

Reliable, smooth functioning, eat any ammo I have fed them. 

Regards

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

Gateway Kid

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If this isn't your first 1911, you already know this, but if it is your first, 1911s DEMAND really good magazines. That is true for any of the breed. They also like a little grease on the rails and Wolff springs.

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Good info Pards, much obliged. Now to start looking. They don't give them away. I did find one local for $700, a Custom LW, also a custom TLEII, & a LW Arctic all for the same price but they didn't look Wild Bunchable. Guess now that I know a Kimber is a decent 1911 I better start learning what's legal for Wild Bunch. Thanks again for the info.

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20 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Good info Pards, much obliged. Now to start looking. They don't give them away. I did find one local for $700, a Custom LW, also a custom TLEII, & a LW Arctic all for the same price but they didn't look Wild Bunchable. Guess now that I know a Kimber is a decent 1911 I better start learning what's legal for Wild Bunch. Thanks again for the info.

The Kimber II models have the "series 80" trigger block/safety system, and some folks do not like it.  Whether or not it is less reliable than a series 70 system is dependent on who you ask.  I don't know if Kimber has any "series 70" available.  If not and you're looking for one, the used market is the way to go.

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i shot three gun with a TLE II , my compact for carry looks just like it but smaller - the big think i see for WB is making sure it has the right sights , mine both sport the night sights that i do not think are legal in WB , 

 

ive had great luck with original kimber mags and chip mccormics , never had to tune or tweak one right out of the box , knocking on wood - ive never had a failure with any of the dozen or so i bought , i do have a couple kimber mags i recently bought ive not yet tried - i expect them to work just fine , i have run original colt mags dating to WWI in mine without an issue as well but i like to keep those with my WWI colt 

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25 minutes ago, watab kid said:

mine both sport the night sights that i do not think are legal in WB , 

Night sights are legal,  fiber optics are not. I've run a TLEII for years to include WR and EOT. Never had an issue with it. 

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19 minutes ago, Big Iron Patnode SASS 60632 said:

Night sights are legal

 

Let's refine that so it's fully accurate.  Night sights (with dots on the blades) are legal for a Modern category shooter.   No dots allowed on Traditional category guns - they can be colored over with the same color as the sight body.

 

good luck, GJ

 

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51 minutes ago, Big Iron Patnode SASS 60632 said:

Night sights are legal,  fiber optics are not. I've run a TLEII for years to include WR and EOT. Never had an issue with it. 

good to know - my crimson trace scales might have to go tho ...

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27 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

 

Let's refine that so it's fully accurate.  Night sights (with dots on the blades) are legal for a Modern category shooter.   No dots allowed on Traditional category guns - they can be colored over with the same color as the sight body.

 

good luck, GJ

 

also good to know 

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The 3 I saw at a LGS were all sold Sunday:(. So I came home with 2 Wrangler's for now!

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For those in the know---- Which model do you think would be the best to look for. I'm not too knowledgeable on Kimbers or 1911's for that matter. Once owned a Colt Govt model and currently have an Officers model.

I suspect this might take a while!! The LGS's I've been to, tell me not to hold my breath.:(

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Longtime carrier and user of 1911s. Officers and Commander models are both easier to carry IWB than the 5" models. The Bianchi Pistol Pocket is exceptionally comfortable, I carried a Commander for years that way. OWB, any length is good. The longer barrels give a better sight radius obviously. I HATE full length guide rods, they make takedown a headache compared to regular recoil plugs. Pay attention when disassembling or you will launch the recoil plug. Don't feel bad, we have all done it [or will...]. Sig, Ruger, S&W all also make 1911s the equal of Kimber, so unless you are dead set on Kimber, look at those too.

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I got a "Buy" on a new Kimber Target Master II a few years ago and I really like it.

I shoot "Modern" with it when I get to shoot Wild Bunch up here.

Going from a 1911 Norinco to the Kimber was sublime.

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On 1/10/2021 at 8:07 PM, SGT. ELI 35882 GUNFIGHTER said:

I have had to several come thru the shop for repair. Despise their safety system.

 

On 1/11/2021 at 9:46 AM, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

The Kimber II models have the "series 80" trigger block/safety system, and some folks do not like it.  Whether or not it is less reliable than a series 70 system is dependent on who you ask.  I don't know if Kimber has any "series 70" available.  If not and you're looking for one, the used market is the way to go.

 

While I could be wrong, I believe the Kimber type II all use a "swartz" or "schwartz" style (not sure on spelling) safety to block the firing pin which is disengaged by activating the grip safety vs the Colt series 80 which is disengaged when the trigger is pulled.  Some shooters and or some Kimbers do have issues with this system.  The end result is the hammer will fall but no primer strike.  I personally have run into this issue with a few Kimbers.  For this reason I prefer to stick with 1911s that all have internals the way John Browning intended them to be.  I personally would recommend a Colt with a series 70 style system or Dan Wesson. 

 

A 4min video for any true 1911 lover.

https://youtu.be/H0qe45Z8wfk

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34 minutes ago, July Smith said:

 

 

While I could be wrong, I believe the Kimber type II all use a "swartz" or "schwartz" style (not sure on spelling) safety to block the firing pin which is disengaged by activating the grip safety vs the Colt series 80 which is disengaged when the trigger is pulled.  Some shooters and or some Kimbers do have issues with this system.  The end result is the hammer will fall but no primer strike.  I personally have run into this issue with a few Kimbers.  For this reason I prefer to stick with 1911s that all have internals the way John Browning intended them to be.  I personally would recommend a Colt with a series 70 style system or Dan Wesson. 

 

A 4min video for any true 1911 lover.

https://youtu.be/H0qe45Z8wfk

You are correct July, it is the Schwartz system.

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I used to shoot with a fellow who had a compact .45 acp Kimber, dont know the exact model. After about 1100 - 1200 round it suddenly would not reliably feed any type ammo. He talked to the factory, they told him to replace the recoil spring every 800 -1000 rounds. Neither of us thought that was acceptable. I would not buy a Kimber based on that info.

 

Imis

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1 hour ago, Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 said:

I used to shoot with a fellow who had a compact .45 acp Kimber, dont know the exact model. After about 1100 - 1200 round it suddenly would not reliably feed any type ammo. He talked to the factory, they told him to replace the recoil spring every 800 -1000 rounds. Neither of us thought that was acceptable. I would not buy a Kimber based on that info.

 

Imis

Imis, most of the really compact .45s will gobble recoil springs like that.

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I did have a Pro Carry in .45 that was a good running 1911.  It was accurate but very finicky with ammo.  It only likes 230 gr premium ammo such as Federal

Hydra- shoks.  For WB I have a old Colt 1911 that is not tight fitting and digest every type of ammo I feed it.   Good luck I am hoping mine was an a unique situation.

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Only reason I'm looking for a Kimber is because our new dog is named Kimber. All of our pets have been named after a firearm.:) I figure if I'm gonna pay that kind of money to own a Kimber, I mights as well get one I can use in Wildbunch. For carry if I need a large caliber I carry my Colt Officers model OWB. Mostly I carry a Ruger LCP in .380, virtually of course.;):FlagAm:

 

Thanks again everybody for your input, it has been most helpful.

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Welcome to Wild Bunch!   There is more shootin in a WB match than CAS matches, and I'm assuming that you enjoy more shooting.:D

 

Review the WB Shooters Handbook for the complete requirements of 1911s for Traditional and Modern categories.   The frame must be steel, the barrel length must be 5". 

 

https://www.sassnet.com/Shooters-Handbook-001A.php

 

Everybody has their favorite(s) 1911.  If you are wanting a Kimber, you should buy one and scratch that itch.  Be warned that 1911s are addictive.

 

Are you planning to reload our own cartridges? 

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7 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Only reason I'm looking for a Kimber is because our new dog is named Kimber. All of our pets have been named after a firearm.:) I figure if I'm gonna pay that kind of money to own a Kimber, I mights as well get one I can use in Wildbunch. For carry if I need a large caliber I carry my Colt Officers model OWB. Mostly I carry a Ruger LCP in .380, virtually of course.;):FlagAm:

 

Thanks again everybody for your input, it has been most helpful.

So get another dog and name it Ruger, Smith, etc!

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Two dogs ago was "Ruger" and one of the current cats is "Smith". The other cat is "Wesson". If the new dog had been a male he would have been "Stoeger", but "Kimber" seemed more fitting for a female and now I can buy another gun!;) Any excuse is a good excuse!

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