Poll: Kimber 1911 Custom II

[absoluterik07]

Ok guys I have found that I have caught the 1911 bug and it wasn't till I saw this beauty at the local gun shop. So my question is this: Anybody own one of these or have any experience with them or Kimber in general? I also have a poll so people can throw out quick opinions. Thanks everybody!

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[mattt]

I have the same gun. It's been accurate, 100% reliable, nice trigger, tight fit. My Kimber Ultra Carry is great too.

 

[Medic!]

111111111111111

 

[techieguy]

I'm on my third Kimber... two Pro Carry guns and now a 5" Custom just like the one your interested in. It's a nice gun, but lack the front strap checking which I really like, so you may want to look at the TLE.

 

[magnum]

I own 2 kimbers: stainless ultra carry, 8400. Both are very well made and are very reliable/accurate. I've shot 2 other kimber 1911's and both of them were awsome shooters and totally reliable. I look forward to buying/collecting more. Whatever you buy that has kimber stamped on the side of it, you won't be dissapointed.

 

[ricsha]

I, too, like the TLE Custom II for it's checkered front strap and night sights, over the Custom II. Kimber builds fine 1911's for the price, I have 3, all different, and like them all. Welcome to the world of 1911's.

 

[TapRackNGo]

I have a Custom II, have taken classes with it, shoots nice 1 ragged hole groups. I have about 8000rds through it without one malfunction or hiccup. Only thing I didnt like was the break in time. Two of my friends also have them after shooting mine and theirs are stiff. About the front checkering, I actually don't like a gun with it. Take a class and shoot 1200rds in a day and you will hate checkering also.

I actually might be letting it go with a Milt Sparks Versa Max II IWB holder and double mag carrier. Bought a 45 can and thinking of switching to a g21sf platform.

 

[MEP1000]

The Kimbers I have owned were great guns. They were very accurate, and had few if any malfunctions once broken in. My problem is that the trigger got very hot for me when I shot them. After about 120 rounds the trigger was hot enough to give me a blister. I do tend to shoot fast, but have never had that problem with any of my other guns.

 

[Humpyslayer]

I've owned 3 Kimbers and just bought one from swampertwo (who is a great guy to deal with by the way) and loved everyone of them. I regret selling the 2 I sold. Sold my pro carry series I (first handgun I bought when I turned 21) to my now brother in law and that bozo sold it to some dude so he could buy a xbox or some lame crap. My Warrior (which has a series I safety even though they're a newer gun) was the second most accurate handgun I've shot. Only complaint was it was a heavy gun with that extra steel on the frame for the rail. The Gold Combat II I just picked up I shot at work yesterday and is amazing. I hadn't shot a 1911 in a few years (carry a glock) and by the second mag was pulling at the shots at the 21 foot mark in a ragged hole about the size of a tennis ball (which is way better than I usually shoot).

Buy the Kimber! I've worked at a gun shop on and off for years and at a range a couple years ago and I saw little to no problems with them. You'll get some guys who says his cousins brothers nephews dads friend had issues with his or whatever but it's so rare for me to meet someone who has had an issue with their Kimber, and if you do, send it back to them and they'll make it right. I tell my customers that Kimber is the finest 1911 you can buy straight from the factory with all the bells and whistles and if you want better, better for out some serious coin for a custom gun like a Night Hawk, Les Baer (too damn tight of a gun for combat in my opinion), Wilson, Ed Brown, Dave Helton custom, etc. I think overall you'll be very happy with the gun and the performance and the customer service Kimber provides.

Sorry for the long message.


Oh...one last thing. In my opinion, avoid the Kimber's with external extractors that came out several years ago. I think they went back to internal extractors for a reason. Only bad kimber I can now remember dealing with was a range gun at Wade's that was beat to **** of course. I took a gal who wanted a gun but didn't know what to get and we tried out a few things. We got the external extract ultra carry II they had at the time and took it on the range. 3rd round in, wouldn't eject. Tried tap rack bang, nothing. Dropped the mag and locked the slide back to investigate....the extractor was gone. Thing shot out 10 feet onto the range. Took the gun back up front and the guys behind the counter looked shocked. Like I said, I would avoid the external extractor one's and stick with the internal extractor design just like Mr. Browning wanted it to be.

 

[absoluterik07]

Thanks for all the great input guys keep it coming! I'm really excited to pick this up and don't worry about the long post humpslayer it was very informative!

 

[nwhpfan]

I think they make a decent gun. Like many 1911's that are mass produced, they don't see a lot of hands on time to verify the fitting and tolerances of specific components and since many pieces work off the other, one chink in the chain can result in an unreliable pistol. As long as your prepared up-front of the possibility of it spending some time at a competent gunsmith you'll be O.K. At the same time you may get lucky and getting a runner out of the box.

 

[Bill Siegle]

I like my Kimber so yeah, get it

 

[BigBull 301]

I bought the same gun off of a member here. Buy one already!!!

 

[Old506]

I own a stock Custom II (minus aftermarket grips). Very accurate, very reliable. I reload 200gr moly-LSWC behind WST for it and have shot 300+ rounds a week for a long time. I have never had a problem (failure) with factory ammo but I have only shot 50 or so rounds of factory ammo through it. I did have some trouble working up a load but once I found the sweet spot I don't have any issues. Make sure you clean the extractor regularly if reloading. I run mine wet with Slide Glide Lite but as it get warmer (90+) I am going to go with the heavier Slide Glide. I would recommend the lite if you are a casual shooter or if it is a defense type pistol. I like Wilson 47d's, they are hard to beat. Get rid of the ugly grips.

 

[Sigcom]

The kimbers are great guns and they look super sweet. I have to say the taurus pt1911 is hard to beat for the money .

 

[MarkAd]

My custom carry II was 720.00. good deal

 

[huntpotter]

My 2 favorites, that I'll never sell.

Series 1, Yonkers, stainless pro carry. (Thanks to swampertwo). I've carried it for 3 years, and it polishes up like new. Shoots the center out of the bullseye. Never jammed yet.

Series 1, Clackamas, OR. Classic Custom. (picked up at gunshow for $600). It's up visiting Dave, with Southridge Arms, to get a new OD Green/Black gunkote finish. This 1911 is built like a Les Baer, or Wilson. You can tell hand fit, vs assembly line. 100% reliable, 100% accurate. Best 1911 I've owned.

As for the series 2, Just can't get used to having the extra firing pin safety. Hard to disassemble the slide, to change the extractor. Overall, as we know with Colt's 80 series, and Kimbers 2 series, it works fine, but extra parts aren't necessary.

 

[Seafarinman]

I had a Kimber Stainless II that I carried for 7 years. I sold it and bought an XD .45ACP, then sold that. I have gone back to my roots as my first pistols were a GP and a TZ-75. I now carry an EAA Witness standard in .40S&W and also have an EAA Witness Elite Match SA in .40S&W as well.

 

[wwman]

Kimber for accuracy and a good shooter. Colt if you want a collector.

 

[rctimmy]

I just bought an almost NEW Custom II tonight. Nice to know there are so many good things to say about them. Mine has only had 1 box of ammo through it so I guess I have a ways to go to get it broken in. This is my second Kimber and the first was one of my favorite guns.