Are Kimbers worht the Price?

[Deep Creek Rock]

The Pro-Tac mags are the ones I use in every 1911 I get my hands on. AFAIK through personal experience, they are the best 1911 mags out there.

A buddy was having FTF issues with his 1911 (S&W IIRC), and I put the Pro-Tac mag in and it started working like a charm. He put the old mag back in and it started acting up again.

The Pro Tac Mags are great! I bought a SS 8 rounder since my STII was shipped with a 7 rounder, and I wanted the extra round for the range.

That being said - I have not had one single issue with the factory mag that was shipped with mine too. Both mags have been good to me.

 

[Warrito]

I've had my Pro Carry HD II for almost 10 years now, and it's performed flawlessly with any ammo I've fed it.

 

[Silverlode]

if i could add a few things,

first off im a kimber owner. i love my ss raptor and im happy i bought it. it was my first gun and it got me into shooting. it came from the factory with the extractor tuned to tight. this would cause a lot of ftrbs but after a few hundred rounds it stopped happening (i guess i just shot it in). it is one of the nicest looking guns out there. kimber makes over a hundred different models, so aesthetically its almost like a custom shop; they have a gun for everyone.

now that i am more involved in the shooting world if i were to do it again i would probably get a dan wesson for the same money. they are some solid pistols. i personally dont care about the mim parts (you here a lot of whining but you never actually here any problems with them). the one thing that im unhappy about is that the msh is made of plastic. i know its a way of keeping the price down yada yada, but if i wanted plastic pieces then i would have gone m&p. s&w, sig, Remington, and ruger are all good alternatives as well but this doesnt mean there is anything wrong with kimber.

now as far as qc issues, i call the BS flag for those saying its considerably worse then other companies. heres why. lets say for for every one colt, one springfield, one sti, and one remington that gets sent back to the factory, 4 kimbers are sent back as well. heck if i saw that i would begin to question kimber. but the fact is kimber probably makes more 1911s per year then all these companies combined. need proof?
http://www.atf.gov/statistics/download/afmer/2011-final-firearms-manufacturing-export-report.pdf
(hint: if you are using google chrome, press ctrl f and a box will show up in the corner. type in whatever and it will bring you to that place in the page)

atf stats 2011

colt pistols.............46363
springfield pistols.....32444
sti..........................7017
remington...............35137


KIMBER.................104303

first off kimbers must have more then just there good looks if they are producing over 100000 a year and theyre still back ordered like pjw said.
second assuming they had the same percentage of lemons as every other manufacturer then yes you will see A LOT more kimbers coming in for repairs.

lastly, kimber makes a tremendous amount of 3 and 4 inch 1911s. these are not known for there reliability. it has nothing to do with kimber it is the design. if you go for a shorter 1911 then commander size then you are taking a risk wherever you go. you cant blame kimber. my friends springfield micro acts up like crazy but i dont blame the company rather the design.

so the answer is in my opinion, you cant go wrong with a kimber, dw, s&w, remington, springfield, sti, ruger, sig ect.

I think 99% of your assessment is dead on. However, the question was not "does Kimber make a good 1911", or "can Kimber make a good 1911". The question was whether or not they are worth the cost. I think most people would agree that they can find a build of equal quality for $200 - $300 less from other manufacturers. And of course, their poor track record on customer service. In my mind, that means no, they are not worth the price.

 

[Just a Guy at the Range]

All I can say is, STI Trojan, $1200, and never look back.

 

[codefive]

I personally own two Kimbers. I am very pleased with them however, a good friend and fellow member on here recenetly bought a pro carry and although he likes it, I found his to be very rough operating and not nearly as smooth as either of mine. The fit & finish of mine are excellent while his seems to be 7 out of 10 at best. I have also seen finish issues with others out there. Recenetly in another forum, a guy posted pics of his 6 month old Kimber and the finish was literally flaking off. Kimber told him they offered a stronger finish for more $. IMO, for the money they get, it should have the good finish to start with. I guess I was lucky twice. Two tack drivers with zero issues.

 

[alucard0822]

My 3rd gen(internal extractor)Kimber custom target II was the most dissapointing Hangun I have ever owned.

NIB Barrel had rust pitting in the lugs and infront of the hood, also could see depressions in the bore under the lugs, grips fit poorly, one screw was stripped, included mag had tumbling media(triangular stones) inside, the slide stop cracked with 100rds, finish came off of most blued MIM parts within a couple months, bent spring chewed the inside of the plastic MSH, a rough recoil spring gouged the barrel, it had hammer follow(would drop to 1/2 cock intermittantly after firing) and it had 2 jamming conditions out of the box, a 3pt jam while feeding, and a failure to eject on occasion.

It went back to the factory, Kimber had it for about 2 months, sent it back with the same defective barrel, and jamming issue, went back again almost 3 months later new barrel, still jamming, and now a WAYYYY too tight extractor. Called Kimber a few times, they were no help, but are at least polite about it.

I had too much time, money and pride wrapped up in it to just basically sell it off, so I made it a project, now it runs great, as it should have from the factory, and the only factory parts are the frame and slide/sights, and even those took a little work. I know many people that have Kimbers that run well, I have shot and worked on a few, and I have no doubt mine was a lemmon, if it was representative of their product they wouldn't still be in buisness. That being said, It took a lot of money to run well, and I could have easily bought a better pistol for the same, or could have had a nice fitted frame/slide for a ton less, I will never own another.

 

[Watdahec]

Most 1911's are pretty darn accurate. You are basically paying for the name and thats about the extent of it. I always love the original COLT.

 

[Erno86]

All I can say is, STI Trojan, $1200, and never look back.

Agreed!!!

The STI 1911's are more accurate than Kimber 1911's. If I wanted to buy another full length 1911...it would probably be an STI.

My ten year old Kimber Eclipse Target 2, has about 20,000 rounds of 45acp fired thru it. Around the 17,000 round mark, the MIM {metal injection molded} ejector broke. The MIM parts...are not as strong as regular steel forged parts.

Otherwise...my Kimber is an accurate pistol, especially with Winchester 187 grain semi-wadcutters.

I customized it...with G10 grips, silicon wire recoil spring, Chip McCormick mags, double thumb safetys and a titanium full length guide rod.

I've had partial failure to feed problems, but was solved with regular chamber bore brush cleanings; with the chamber brush bought from Wilson Combat.

 

[F-Stop]

Bought this in 99. I like it a lot. I researched getting another in 2007 or 8 and the reviews had slipped. I like Kimber but for the money I would get something else. As many opinions as members on here as you can see.

 

[inkd]

My Kimber I bought from a friend in his divorce fire sale for 500 dollars. It looked like he used it as a crab pot anchor and a chew toy for his bull mastiff. But DAMN, that thing shoots!!!!!!

I had a friend re-finish it with cera-kote, I sent the Heinie sights out to be re-lamped and I put an arched mainspring housing on it and wouldn't trade it for anything. It's an older gun, from when they really were offering alot of options from the factory that used to be considered custom work and I think the quality and workmanship pride was evident in those early guns.

Based on the stories I hear lately, I wouldn't buy another, mainly for their customer service.

I have a Springfield Armory full size 1911 in 9mm that was a flat out frustrating gun from the time I bought it from a friend. I took it to Chad and he figured out the problem and the fix was basically going to be a new barrel and slide. He called S/A and they said they would not sell a slide but to send the gun back to them.

I sent it back, on their dime. A couple of weeks later and one phone call from them to explain what they were doing resulted in me getting my gun back from them with a brand new slide and barrel with zero cost to me. Springfield Armory made a customer for life that day.

As far as the custom 1911's from Les Baer, Wilson or Nighthawk, all I can say is to me it's a matter of preference and money.

If you have the money and want it, why not?

I'm currently putting together an order for a NightHawk custom 1911. I'm looking at the Heinie Signature Series in 9mm.

Im going to have them egrave on one side "Fair Winds and Following Seas" and on the other side will have my dates of service and name. Also, anchors on the rear of the slide where the Heinie H would be.

 

[rcorrelli]

I know three people with kimbers. All struggle to keep them feeding correctly.

 

[clandestine]

I know three people with kimbers. All struggle to keep them feeding correctly.

Yup, I see them alot for this issue.

 

[Merlin]

Just curious if the Kimber 1911 45's are worth thr price? I don't know anyone that owns one.

Thanks

Good guns, but the hype is way bigger then the gun.

 

[codefive]

My neighbor loves mine and has been saving to buy one. Even though mine function flawlessly, I advised him to look at others due to recent issues.

I showed him this thread and the thread on the Remy R1 & Springfield Range Officer. He mentioned something about the Gov't contract for the Springfield.

I short ... he has dropped Kimber from his wish list.

 

[firestorm89]

I ended up buying a Range Officer. Fit my hand nicely. Now, 30ish days of anxiety.

 

[Lou45]

In my experience as a professional gunsmith over a decade servicing several hundred Kimbers, no they are not worth the price even half of the price.

I'm not going to go into further details for my explanation. If someone wants more details they can search my past posts about the topic. I'm not interested in arguing with fanboys you can't put the Kool Aid down.

Another bit of info:

The gen 1 Kimbers were of decent quality. The gen2's (see quoted post above as I'm almost certain Chad is making reference) replaced the gen 1's starting about 1999. If I'm wrong, Chad please correct me.

 

[Second Amendment]

Yup, I see them alot for this issue.

Worked at a place that sold them. At least two thirds of them came back with some issue. Customers were pissed that their $1,000+ gun didn't function properly out of the box.

 

[clandestine]

Another bit of info:

The gen 1 Kimbers were of decent quality. The gen2's (see quoted post above as I'm almost certain Chad is making reference) replaced the gen 1's starting about 1999. If I'm wrong, Chad please correct me.

Spot on! But, I dont see Gen 1's much, and the ones I DO see that dont work have problems because Jackasses who think they are Gunsmiths screwed them all up.

Worked at a place that sold them. At least two thirds of them came back with some issue. Customers were pissed that their $1,000+ gun didn't function properly out of the box.

See, now the Kimber Crusaders are gonna call you a hater.

 

[Second Amendment]

Spot on! But, I dont see Gen 1's much, and the ones I DO see that dont work have problems because Jackasses who think they are Gunsmiths screwed them all up.



See, now the Kimber Crusaders are gonna call you a hater.

I'm ready. Want to throw Sigs in the mix?

 

[TigerWoody]

Kimbers are well worth the price