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Taking delivery of my Kimber Ultra Carry II saturday what does everyone think of it?

21K views 44 replies 24 participants last post by  triaxle 
#1 ·
Whats up 1911talk? New to the forum so hello! I'm finally stepping into the 1911 game, Been carrying a Sig .40 for a while and had reliability issues as well as just wanted to step up to .45 for my every day carry. Decided to go with the Kimber Ultra Carry II. Love the feel, Love the way it shoots (shot my friends several times) and Just overall love the look of the firearm. Being into firearms, cars heavily and anything else that can pop my adenalin levels I AM HUGE into modifying everything I own to the fullest extent, and doing it myself so I can learn as I go. So and suggestions, upgrades, inherint problems, etc with these weapons and things i can do to get the most out of my newfound hobby of 1911's. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Shoot it, break it in, If its a carry pistol and relieable with you SD ammo I would leave alone 2 many 1911 are messed up and some ruined Because of kitchen table gunsmiths . If it ain't broke Then other than grips leave it alone.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the forum.


Never owned a Kimber....known too many personal shooting buds that bought them and had too many probs and then sold them. Hope yours is one of the few good ones.
 
#44 ·
Man, some folks just bash on Kimber! I own a Kimber pro carry Stainless, only had one hiccup with it due to a bad magazine. Some folks who have never owned or shot one want to bash them.

Every 1911 manufacturer will create a pistol with problems; here's where customer service is paramount, Ruger and Kimber both have good customer service if needed.
 
#5 ·
man. getting a little tired of hearing bad raps about kimbers i own 5 kimbers.... just got no.5 a desert warrior. all shoot just fine,never had a problem. break in as stated. i use gun butter only very very fine weapons in my book. sig also fine shooters.welcome aboard
Sounds like you have 5 guns that weren't made on Friday. Keep in mind that the car "Yugo" had satisfied owners as well.

I have owned 2 kimbers and there won't be a 3rd.
 
#9 ·
I need holsters for my Kimbers any suggestions?


I have several holsters, but unfortunately, none have "makers marks" on them and they were all purchased years ago.
 
#10 ·
Got it.... Shot it.... 120 rounds stadard target ammo, 2 failure to feed issues early on. kept it good and wet. nomore issues after 60 or so rounds. Absolutly LOVE IT! 380 rounds left for break in and its off to the races! SO FAR SO GOOD!
 
#12 ·
Good for you!I have a Kimber Super Carry Custom HD and have never had a problem with it(knock on wood).
Welcome to the forum.
Tracy
 
#13 ·
My EDC is a Kimber Ultra Carry II. Not fancy, but completely reliable with everything except wadcutters. I use a Garrett Industries Silent Thunder IWB and load with Hornady Critical Defense. I've tried several combinations of pistol/holster/ammo and found nothing better.
 
#14 ·
My partner was hired into my State Agency from a County SO SWAT job, his choice of carry was a Springfield Armory 1911A1 w/ 50K rounds thru it. Just before he came over the SWAT Team changed to Kimbers based on all the media hype. They bought 40, fired them like the SAs-250 rds a week every friday, plus tactical drills, then after a couple months-the front ends started coming out and Kimber FAILED to honor the warranty!! The SO send the whole bunch back to Kimber with a dog turd in the box! The SWAT re-upped with SA 1911s and I rebuilt my partners SA with a new barrel/bushing/link + cosmetic touches. FWIW-my first viewing of a Kimber 45 in a gunshop showed bubbles in the metal casting, it looked like a chinese copy of a 1911. And the gun store commandos who promoted them- are just that gun store commandos who'd likely soil those commando cammies if a confrontation came up.,
 
#15 · (Edited)
My partner was hired into my State Agency from a County SO SWAT job, his choice of carry was a Springfield Armory 1911A1 w/ 50K rounds thru it. Just before he came over the SWAT Team changed to Kimbers based on all the media hype. They bought 40, fired them like the SAs-250 rds a week every friday, plus tactical drills, then after a couple months-the front ends started coming out and Kimber FAILED to honor the warranty!! The SO send the whole bunch back to Kimber with a dog turd in the box! The SWAT re-upped with SA 1911s and I rebuilt my partners SA with a new barrel/bushing/link + cosmetic touches. FWIW-my first viewing of a Kimber 45 in a gunshop showed bubbles in the metal casting, it looked like a chinese copy of a 1911. And the gun store commandos who promoted them- are just that gun store commandos who'd likely soil those commando cammies if a confrontation came up.,


Welcome to the forum.


Many years ago, I was getting some upgrades done to a 1911 when I had a conversation with my gunsmith about the "new" Kimbers. I said they looked pretty good. His response stunned me. He said he would take any Auto Ordinance or Rock Island (no disrespect to either of these...just referrencing lower $$$$$ 1911's) over any Kimber on the shelf. When asked why, he said the QC and reliability weren't then (or apparently now either) very good. He said that since they (Kimber 1911's) had come out, he worked on more of them than almost all other 1911's combined. After that, I started paying attention at the range and at competitions to who and what was having malf's, and was surprised at how true his statements were. I know that Kimber sells considerably more 1911's than anybody else, but their problems are considerably higher than their % of the market. JMO and observations. Tracy
 
#16 ·
Old Sheepdog- Thanks for the backup on my post. I've made the same comment in a couple other forums and have been attacked by the Kimber Cult groupies like I was anti-gun or something. My partners Springfield Armory was pushing 70K rounds just last Christmas when he called me about updating it with new barrel,bushing,springs, etc. The 30+ units they sent back to Kimber didn't last 2 months of routine quals for the SWAT team and warranty service was denied!! They sent the whole bunch back and replaced them with upgraded SA 1911s at a savings. They are still in service. Last time I handled a Kimber at the local Police Supply Gun Shop the frame had casting blemishes in it, looked like pot metal, little bubble dimples. It ,on first ever examination of a Kimber, turned me off and looked like a low quality piece. I will never waste my money on one.
 
#17 ·
Old Sheepdog- Thanks for the backup on my post. I've made the same comment in a couple other forums and have been attacked by the Kimber Cult groupies like I was anti-gun or something. My partners Springfield Armory was pushing 70K rounds just last Christmas when he called me about updating it with new barrel,bushing,springs, etc. The 30+ units they sent back to Kimber didn't last 2 months of routine quals for the SWAT team and warranty service was denied!! They sent the whole bunch back and replaced them with upgraded SA 1911s at a savings. They are still in service. Last time I handled a Kimber at the local Police Supply Gun Shop the frame had casting blemishes in it, looked like pot metal, little bubble dimples. It ,on first ever examination of a Kimber, turned me off and looked like a low quality piece. I will never waste my money on one.


My dislike for Kimber starts before that. When my son turned 21, I gave him my first and only 1911 (at that time). My wife had hers so I wasn't completely 1911'less. Kimber had recently come out with the Eclipse and REALLY liked the black on stainless look. I hadn't had any Colt S-80 safety guns. Only 1911's in the house were all (both) S-70 style.Kimber had at that point switched over to their series II system. As hard as I tried, looking at a blow-up schematic of their safties, I couldn't figure out how to take the gun down to bare frame for cleaning (I was quite anal about that then). I probably sent 6-7 emails and physically called them 5-6 times and FINALLY got to talk to a tech. His response to my questions were and I quote " just look at a exploded view schematic, you should be able to figure it out". My response back to him was, "yup, I figured it out....I figured out that Kimber doesn't need my time or money, I will never buy a Kimber." I haven't and I wont. If someone GAVE me a Kimber, it would never see a rd in the chamber and would be sold immediately to fund a "good" gun. JMO.


That was when I got my SA Longslide Gun has over 8oK thru it, stock bull bbl has approx 30K+ and the 6 1/2" comped bbl has the rest. Tracy
 
#19 ·
I'm sorry to hear some of you have had such problems with your Kimbers.
I own (and shoot often) four Kimbers and have round counts through each one in the multiple thousands - having changed nothing more than the recoil springs after about 1200 rounds (ish). Never changed a single MIM part, never had any cracking or "coming apart" as one poster's second hand info relayed. I kind of wish there were photos to go along with that, because I'd like to see exactly what stress lines where running to & from.
Out of my personal Kimbers, two being Ultra Carry versions as the OP has mentioned (one blued, one stainless)... the only "problem" I've experienced is the flat edge of a hollow point getting hung up in that short frame. Easily enough solved with Wilson Combat mags. (The follower is set higher, it's concave deeper at the rear, and the whole thing is angled more 'nose up', creating a round that sits higher, strips right off the mag into the throat, and has a great percentage less of surface contact between the round and the feed ramp).

OP, all I can tell you is to form your own opinions from your own experience with your own Kimber.
I'd be real interested in any of your updates and range reports, too!
 
#22 · (Edited)
I love my stainless Kimber Raptor II...I just sold my stainless Kimber TLEII/R when I stepped up to a $7500 Mark Morris Custom Colt 1991A1. I have had several different 1911's from many different manufacturers....My Kimbers have always shot just as well if not better than any 1911 that I have owned. A short list of pistols I own and have owned includes Wilson Combat, Colt, Sig, S&W, STI, Les Baer, etc...The several different Kimbers I have owned will hold their own with any custom 1911 (including the $7500 Morris). However, I think that it is crap that Kimber states that you have to shoot some stupid number (several hundered) of rounds through their pistols to "break them in" Mine have always ran perfect right from the box...I think that if ANY pistol wont run right from the box that it should be sent back to the factory. (I have been lucky, my Kimbers have never needed any break in to run) I really like Blackhawk holsters, both in kydex and leather.:flag:
 
#23 ·
I love my stainless Kimber Raptor II...I just sold my stainless Kimber TLEII/R when I stepped up to a $7500 Mark Morris Custom Colt 1991A1. I have had several different 1911's from many different manufacturers....My Kimbers have always shot just as well if not better than any 1911 that I have owned. A short list of pistols I own and have owned includes Wilson Combat, Colt, Sig, S&W, STI, Les Baer, etc...The several different Kimbers I have owned will hold their own with any custom 1911 (including the $7500 Morris). However, I think that it is crap that Kimber states that you have to shoot some stupid number (several hundered) of rounds through their pistols to "break them in" Mine have always ran perfect right from the box...I think that if ANY pistol wont run right from the box that it should be sent back to the factory. (I have been lucky, my Kimbers have never needed any break in to run) I really like Blackhawk holsters, both in kydex and leather.:flag:
I'm curious. When you spend a few thousand for a 1911, aside from pride of ownership, are you just getting better cosmetics, flatter flats, better polishing, or are the guns any better than any quality 1911, such as a Les Baer, or other reliable, accurate handguns?
 
#24 ·
I'm curious. When you spend a few thousand for a 1911, aside from pride of ownership, are you just getting better cosmetics, flatter flats, better polishing, or are the guns any better than any quality 1911, such as a Les Baer, or other reliable, accurate handguns?


Welcome to the forum. Tracy
 
#25 ·
I have a Kimber Super Carry Custom HD and since the day I brought it home over a year ago,it has run flawlessly.I just don't understand why some people have so many problems with certain guns.The same can be said for any manufacturer I guess.I've had/have several Sigs.Never a problem.But go to the Sig site and see all the problems some people are having.Go figure!
 
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