Oregon, New York, Alabama... Kimber 1911

[kings6]

I have one of the Ultra CDP I guns that I hope to get back this next week. I took it to a shop will a whole box of Eildin steel bullet proof parts to fit and swap for the MIM parts. Al he has left to doing a final function test. I had an early one of these years ago but it comes with a bad story so it went away. 20 years later and I decided to move beyond the history and buy another one.

[marcruger]

I will go to my grave never owning another Kimber. The Yonkers plant had the NASTIEST people ever in customer service. They were downright abusive when I would call, and I was always polite. The worst customer service ever experienced, not just in firearms. The opposite of my experience with Ruger, Colt, Springfield and S&W. Taurus? They may have been good or bad, but I could never get a response to emails or calls or online contact. Ghosts.

[marcruger]

“I've had a few pre-Series II guns and the early ones were definitely assembled with more care.”

That is scary then. I had a Stainless Gold Match first version that I discovered was machined wrong in the breechface after much grief and abuse from the factory. They never made it right. I would send it to them on my dime and they would progressively wallow out the chamber larger, send it back and tell me it was fixed. Would FTF within one magazine. Maddening. My dad had equally abusive contact with Kimber on his Ultra Carry. I was told by an industry insider that Kimber saved money by not test firing their guns. I can believe it. Never again.

[wendigo]

When I say "early" I'm referring to the guns with 4 digit SN's. Many after that seem more of a 1911 kit than functional pistol. Then again, the same can be said of Springfield Armory's current offerings.

[aciera]

Mar 17, 2024 10:35:24 GMT -5 wendigo said:

That's nicely put together. I think the Clackamas guns are in the not rare but not commonly seen category. I don't recall the exact number but only 5000-10000 were Oregon marked before the marking switched to NY.

I've had a few pre-Series II guns and the early ones were definitely assembled with more care.

I have 2 non series ll. Both well shot.
One was a very melted CDP
One a worked on Target
And one series ll a gun buddy trusted as his bed side gun.

[x101airborne]

I own 6 or 8 Kimbers and I guess I got lucky because all of mine work great. My most recent have been two 10mm's. One a Night Guard and the other a Camp Guard. Swiss Watches as far as I know right now but with the cost of 10mm ammo I dont have a high round count in either.

[wendigo]

I'm not Kimber bashing at all, matter of fact their slide to frame fit out of the box is as good or better than any other production 1911 I've come across. Maybe they have different assemblers for the higher end guns.

I've posted before about the Target Model I bought back around Y2k that was a non-starter right out of the box. Other than reworking the throat, replacing the cross threaded grip screw bushings, throwing away the malformed sear and mainspring and warrantying the rear sight that had the blade depart early on (dittos on a less than stellar customer service experience) the basic gun is decent. I still shoot it regularly and had it out Friday for a short range session.

My Clackamas gun has never missed a beat since coming out of the box in '97 and the other guns have had some minor issues but ran okay (not great, not terrible).

I think that it's primarily a 21st Century employee issue and Kimber isn't alone. At the moment I'm playing around with a SA Garrison purchased used but LNIB last month. Slide hangs up on the disconnector, sear too wide for the frame recess and puny extractor. It's got 1 range trip and 2 trips to the workbench on it now and I think it's sorted out. Will find out this week if I can manage to sneak off to the range.

[bradshaw]

My Kimber 1911 Gold Match earned a spot in one of the Sierra manuals. It’s a Yonkers, NY pistol, very good polish & blue, with a stainless barrel. Side catch failed to fully engage. I called and sent it back. It’s been a beautiful pistol since, utterly reliable with all sorts of ammo and magazines. Pistol made in 1990’s. Early copies of the Bo-Mar sight didn’t share adjustment consistency of a Bo-Mar, so I installed a Bo-Mar. My tightest 5-shot groups @ 100 yards shaded 4-inches,, with averages more like 6-inches.

That puts accuracy on par with a couple of beautifully reliable Colt 1911 National Match (pre-Gold Cup) pistols at the length of a football field.

This accuracy doesn’t equal performance of Les Baer 1911’s, a couple of Les Baer Super Tacos lacing 5x5 shots inside 3-inches, center-to-center, @ 100 yards. My tightest sandbag group with a Les Baer Super Tac .45 ACP put 5x5 Remington Golden Saber 230 JHP over 8.5/Accurate #5 onto 2.2” @ 100 yds. Les Baer has a target from that series, five shots into 2.5 or 2.7” @ 100y. Come to think of it, I haven’t tried that load in the Kimber Gold Match.

When needed, factory service should be exemplary. No good comes from alienating a customer----kiss goodbye to repeat sales. Expect a soured customer to spread the news.

Meanwhile back in the marksmanship jungle, my Kimber Gold Match has proven more than a match for some highly touted 1911’s costing much more.
David Bradshaw

[nicholst55]

Nice looking 1911! How's it shoot?

[AxeHandle]

I make a general run to NOT buy FP safety guns, series 80 or Swartz style. The Swartz safety guns, like the Kimbers and some earlier Colts, run off the grip safety and don't have the mucked up triggers of the Series 80 style FP safeties that run off the trigger. Personally own two pre series II Kimber Super Match 1911s... Never saw a lot of them around here. They aren't the equal of my pure custom paper punchers but they aren't bad and make good carry level 1911s.

[marcruger]

I would describe "Kimber bashing" as someone who writes negative things but has never touched one. Like Colt SAA owners beating on Standard Manufacturing without ever having one in their hand.

In my case, I bought around 2000 a Kimber Stainless Gold match when it was billed as their premier gun. It was accurate, but maddening in that it would not feed reliably. The breechface was machined wrong. In this case, I was the one who was bashed by Kimber when I asked for my gun to work right. Again, the nastiest customer service personnel I have ever experienced in any industry. So to me Kimber bashing means being bashed by Kimber.

Our wise sage Mr Bradshaw wrote, "When needed, factory service should be exemplary. No good comes from alienating a customer. Kiss goodbye to repeat sales. Expect the soured customer to spread the poison." Exactly. They also treated my dad like dirt when we called to ask why his Ultra Carry came with the wrong magazine?

I am totally the person who spreads the word on good work or service. I often track down managers to praise employees. I can tell you the name of S&W customer service guys like Frank, Lenny and Tony. WONDERFUL folks. There is a delightful lady who fields calls at Ruger (keep her!). Colt has always treated me very nice (see Brent Turchy). So I am not a basher. Kimber just carelessly made an enemy out of my dad and me by being nasty.

[AxeHandle]

Somewhere in my stuff I have the EGW paperwork that came with this one. With the sights and mag well it obviously is not original. Kimber was the driver to make ALL 1911 builders step up and make many attributes, previously custom touches, standard. We should all thank them for that. Never had a reason to contact them but... poor customer service can definitely be a sour note in an otherwise sweet tune.

[tj3006]

I have been tempted to buy a Kimber 1911 a few times.
Cabela's sells an alloy frame Kimber full sized 1911 at a decent price. I never have jumped for the silly reason that I hate the Big elegant looking logo.
I have seen some that look awfully good.
Does anyone else make a full sized 1911 with an alloy frame? In .45 or .38 supper?

[wendigo]

Apr 7, 2024 8:21:53 GMT -5 tj3006 said:

I have been tempted to buy a Kimber 1911 a few times.
Cabela's sells an alloy frame Kimber full sized 1911 at a decent price. I never have jumped for the silly reason that I hate the Big elegant looking logo.
I have seen some that look awfully good.
Does anyone else make a full sized 1911 with an alloy frame? In .45 or .38 supper?

Ruger has done a Lightweight full size in recent years, not sure who else.