Kimber Ultra Carry 9mm... bad idea?

[7empest]

I have small hands, only 6.25" from the bottom of my palm to the tip of my middle finger, and despite years of working out & manual labor I don't have much grip strength (due to being - REEEEEEEEEEEE! - ᶠᵉᵐᵃˡᵉ ..and also having arthritis & a connective tissue disorder). Yeah, I'm the wimpiest of all wimpy grippers. It's pitiful really.

Because of these factors I've found it challenging picking out my first handgun (my area of focus has been long rifle up until now). I understand how to rack the slide properly technique wise, but on most handguns I'm simply not able to get a strong enough grip on it to reliably do so. Also, I feel like most grips are too wide for me - I can't even reach the safety or mag release button while maintaining my grip on almost all of the pistols I've tried. Almost.

After years of dry firing in gun shops, I've found that the only handgun that works with my hands so far is the Kimber Ultra Carry. It's like it was made for my stupid little paws. Seriously, it is SO ergonomic, comfortable and easy to cycle. I can reach everything I need to while maintaining my grip, and the slide is narrow enough for me to cycle it manually every single time I've tried. However...

I don't have any experience with Kimber let alone their smaller 1911s, but testimony over this gun seems incredibly polarized. Some say the Ultra Carry 9mm is reliable enough to depend on, others say it's inaccurate and will only fire 3 times out of 10.

So what's the deal here? Is the Ultra Carry really a dumpster fire death trap disguised as a diamond, or does it work when properly fed and cared for? I intend to buy my next firearm/first pistol both as a CCW and for home defense, so reliability is 100% my goal here. Then again, operator reliability is important too.. if someone's busting down my door and I'm fumbling with an oversized brick, that's probably not a good situation either.

Thanks for the responses.

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[Ura-Ki]

My experiences with Kimber has been mostly positive over the years! They do make a good pistol, but there have been issues in the past! ( Note, I own and carry one daily, and have 2 others that are rock solid) I would say if it is a brand new one made in the last 4 years, your good to go, if it's an older one, or used and traded in, it's going to be kind of a crap shoot! Sadly, they ( like many others) had a run of less then perfect, and while their warranty is very good, it's exasperating to have to use it! Your likely fine, and if it has any issues, then Kimber WILL make it right!

 

[GOG]

Any company produces a lemon now and then. Kimber makes a good product so if you can operate the controls and it fits you, go for it.

Part of carrying is confidence in your weapon, so practice a bunch and put a variety of ammunition through it. Hopefully you'll find your sweet spot between your handling, how it feels to shoot and a round you can hit accurately with consistently.

Also realize that you're limited to seven or eight rounds of 9mm, so you will want quality defensive ammo.

 

[Legion489]

Well my experience with Kimber is they are quality control lacking pieces of.... trying to think of a work that means "droppings" but won't offend anyone. The local custom pistolsmith here at my club hates them. When he gets one he guts them and puts in parts of known quality if he is spending his time and labor to rebuild it and put his name on it. Most big name pistolsmiths who will actually tell you what is good and what is garbage (offend some dolt or she-it like Raptor and never hear the end of his stupidity, which is why they "recommend" most anything else) hate Kimber too. Of course it is possible that they have been sold or have actually hire some QC people as i have not heard (as much) frothing at the mouth about the newer guns.

I would recommend you got to Gun Tests magazine and see what they recommend. They seem to love Kimber, even when the chances of getting a working gun was, well I was going to say "slim and none", but I never saw any "slim". Ura-Ki may be right, in the last four years they might have got there head of of their....er... rear end, but I'd have to see it with my own eyes first and with more than one gun. Just like a working Lee Loadmaster, I hear of them, but when I show up to see this wonder of the world, it doesn't work, is "gone", etc. I am not saying a "working" Kimber, that works at least 39% of the time, with out needing a good going over, does not exist, but I'm on pretty safe ground saying that about a Lee Loadmaster.

 

[USMC1911]

Got a new Kimber last year and so far after 800-900ish rounds its been flawless. Its quite the shooter and now and one of my favorite handguns.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Been carrying my Eclipse Custom every day now for 3 years and counting, about 3500 trouble free rounds through it and it has been flawless!

 

[Stomper]

You can also try a Glock-43...

 

[Kruel J]

You can also try a Glock-43...

It's jacket weather now. The 43 goes in the safe and the 19 comes out.

 

[Kruel J]

Been carrying my Eclipse Custom every day now for 3 years and counting, about 3500 trouble free rounds through it and it has been flawless!

View attachment 619249

Best 1911 I ever had was a Kimber Custom Elite II.

I should have never sold it.

 

[Kruel J]

It's jacket weather now. The 43 goes in the safe and the 19 comes out.

OK I'm lying. The 43 went into the safe once I found the right holster and now its 19 year round!

 

[Ura-Ki]

Full size year round here! G-20 might make the team this season, Maybe if the new P-80 frame turns out as well as I hope!

 

[308]

I have small hands, only 6.25" from the bottom of my palm to the tip of my middle finger, and despite years of working out & manual labor I don't have much grip strength (due to being - REEEEEEEEEEEE! - ᶠᵉᵐᵃˡᵉ ..and also having arthritis & a connective tissue disorder). Yeah, I'm the wimpiest of all wimpy grippers. It's pitiful really.

Because of these factors I've found it challenging picking out my first handgun (my area of focus has been long rifle up until now). I understand how to rack the slide properly technique wise, but on most handguns I'm simply not able to get a strong enough grip on it to reliably do so. Also, I feel like most grips are too wide for me - I can't even reach the safety or mag release button while maintaining my grip on almost all of the pistols I've tried. Almost.

After years of dry firing in gun shops, I've found that the only handgun that works with my hands so far is the Kimber Ultra Carry. It's like it was made for my stupid little paws. Seriously, it is SO ergonomic, comfortable and easy to cycle. I can reach everything I need to while maintaining my grip, and the slide is narrow enough for me to cycle it manually every single time I've tried. However...

I don't have any experience with Kimber let alone their smaller 1911s, but testimony over this gun seems incredibly polarized. Some say the Ultra Carry 9mm is reliable enough to depend on, others say it's inaccurate and will only fire 3 times out of 10.

So what's the deal here? Is the Ultra Carry really a dumpster fire death trap disguised as a diamond, or does it work when properly fed and cared for? I intend to buy my next firearm/first pistol both as a CCW and for home defense, so reliability is 100% my goal here. Then again, operator reliability is important too.. if someone's busting down my door and I'm fumbling with an oversized brick, that's probably not a good situation either.

Thanks for the responses.

I had an Ultra Carry 2 .45ACP with the CT LASER grips. It never had a hiccup and the trigger was amazing. I would buy again, but don't really like the .45

 

[dddrees]

Have you actually fired one yet? Do you plan on using this for self defense or just a range toy? Is this a 9mm or 45? The reason I ask is because I have arthritis fairly bad in my hands as well. Possible you are different but I find large guns which mitigate recoil are as if not important as being able to reach everything. My hands are actually so bad I can have great difficulty racking a 45 slide, hence all ofmine are 9mm. My Dan Wesson Valor V-Bob in 9mm is certainly not as enjoyable to fire as any of my Government size 1911's.

Overall for me the heavier the gun and I also fire 22LR more often because of this very thing. Gloves only help while firing but the effects still can be felt for days afterwards.

 

[BSG 75]

I have the Bel Air version of the Kimber Ultra Carry II in 9mm, as well as the Bel Air versions of the Kimber Micro 9 (9mm) and Kimber Micro (.380ACP).



No problems so far although I haven't shot any of them very much. The Kimber Ultra Carry II is comfortable to shoot. I found the Kimber Micro 9 to be uncomfortable to shoot compared to my SIG P938s that the Micro 9 is a copy of. I haven't shot the Kimber Micro yet, but it is a copy of the SIG P238 that was very popular with women when the NRA ran a test.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | The American Rifleman Ladies Pistol Project

An unbiased evaluation of 18 handguns by 35 women corroborates some theories about which guns women prefer, while debunking one of the most common schools of thought about what constitutes the ideal firearm for a woman.

www.americanrifleman.org

The SIG Sauer P238 earned the highest overall rank in the survey. Ironically, the little SIG, a .380 ACP pocket pistol, found the most favor with those ladies who have larger hands. It was praised for its effortless slide manipulation, bright sights, single-action, M1911-style trigger and superb recoil management. All of the women shot it well. "We often hear this feedback directly from women who shoot the P238 and from trainers, as well as retailers who sell the gun to ladies," said Tom Taylor, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of commercial sales at SIG Sauer. "It is a visually appealing gun, but more importantly, we believe it is a more functional, accurate and comfortable gun for women to shoot because of its quality, weight and trigger."

Nothing wrong with the Kimber Ultra Carry II except maybe the price, but if you haven't tried them yet check out the Micro 9 and SIG P938, and Kimber Micro and SIG P238. Springfield Armory also now makes copies of the SIG P238/Kimber Micro and P938/Kimber Micro 9, the Springfield Armory 911 series.

911 Handguns - Springfield Armory

www.springfield-armory.com

They even copied the Kimber Bel Air color scheme for one version.

 

[L84Cabo]

So what's the deal here? Is the Ultra Carry really a dumpster fire death trap disguised as a diamond, or does it work when properly fed and cared for?

Thanks for the responses.

Yes!

Understand that once a 1911 drops below a 4 inch barrel, it becomes a lot harder to get it to run reliably. I'm not saying they can't be reliable, only that it becomes harder. But reliability can be particularly challenging in a production gun (ie no massaging from the hands of a competent Smith). What you are likely seeing with the Kimber Ultra Carry is the natural variations in tolerances that happen on a production line. Sometimes these tolerances come out fine and the gun works ok. But sometimes the variations get stacked negatively and you end up with a dumpster fire. So both of your statements are true. It just depends on the luck of the draw with respect to the particular unit you get.

Because of the challenges with short barreled 1911's, there are many folks who won't drop below a 4 inch barrel for 1911's. You can put me in this camp. Again, I'm not saying that short barreled 1911's can't be reliable. But I'm just not interested in rolling the proverbial dice and dealing with the possible headaches...at least on a production gun...and especially because the 1 Inch difference in the barrel just isn't enough of benefit for me to be willing to take the added risks. I have no problems carrying/concealing a 4 inch gun. YMMV.

Also...and somebody please correct me on this if I'm wrong...but I don't believe there is any dimensional difference between the Ultra Carry and a comparable 4 inch 9mm 1911. That is, the controls on a 4" 1911 should be the same distance/position as they are on the Ultra Carry. Or has the Ultra Carry been "miniaturized" all around?

There are also additional challenges with a shorter barreled gun in general...a shorter sight radius can make accuracy harder, and less metal/weight can mean greater recoil. Short barreled guns can be downright unpleasant to shoot...even in 9mm.

My overall advice is to think carefully if the benefits of this shorter gun are worth the risks of dropping below the 4" mark. The other thing I always tell people when they're thinking about gettin one of these sub-compacts is a) Absolutely rent it or borrow it and shoot the exact model you're thinking of getting BEFORE you buy it. And b) if you are going with a shorter than 4" 1911, make absolutely sure you're getting one from a QUALITY MFG, with a solid reputation for service after the sale. Because the odds of you needing that service is greater with a shorter 1911. And c) make sure you're committed with respect to the time, energy, and money that may be required to get this gun running right...up to and including having a competent Smith work some magic on it if the factory can't/won't get it running right.

 

[Koda]

Also...and somebody please correct me on this if I'm wrong...but I don't believe there is any dimensional difference between the Ultra Carry and a comparable 4 inch 9mm 1911. That is, the controls on a 4" 1911 should be the same distance/position as they are on the Ultra Carry. Or has the Ultra Carry been "miniaturized" all around?

This is correct. They are all essentially an officers frame 1911s with different barrel lengths. I was just going to suggest, that if she loved the grip and controls of the Kimber but was concerned with Kimbers quality, she could choose many other brands of officers sized 1911s.

And personally, in an officers size... I wouldn't go less than 4 inch barrel lengths for function plus I think that extra inch length does add to "point-ability" for quick aiming (I'm actually a fan of CCO size myself... )

A Springfield Range Officer - Compact 9mm would be a great alternative to a Kimber.

1911 Range Officer® Compact 9mm | Springfield Armory

Back in 1985, we started manufacturing new 1911 pistols for the consumer market. We’ve been working hard to make the best 1911s ever since. Making them perform on a consistent basis is part of the mission, but identifying the needs and wants of shooters makes up the rest. For that reason, we...

www.springfield-armory.com

 

[thorborg]

In weak hands, limp wrist syndrome can be cycle grief for even the most reliable of machines.
Sigs 365 which is easy to rack, diminutive size, stacks up with 11 rounds of 9mm, albeit it too has its detractors, mine as not failed me after 20, 50 count boxes fired.

 

[Ura-Ki]

There is a really nice used Colt Officers Stainless at Coat of Arms in Kaiser, I recall it was less then $600, which would make it a superb deal!

 

[L84Cabo]

One other point to maybe consider...as the barrel and guide rod get shorter, the strength of the recoil spring usually has to be increased to compensate. Because of this, short barreled guns can be very challenging to cycle/operate for people with reduced grip strength.

 

[ma96782]

Beware Heathens. A lot of you speak of False Firearms. OK, Ok, ok.....maybe you see them as the son(s) of the ONE. In that case.......you might be forgiven. Together, let us pray on it.

Aloha, Mark