"Why didn't you buy a Kimber, T-Bolt? Why a Springfield? Why were you thinking Colt?"
Well, lots of reasons. None of them nailed down indisputable one, either.
I heard on the the internet that they were bad at service after the sale at Kimber, and had quality control issues or they did when I was buying...
I heard Kimber I's were better but now that they offer II's, that aren't as good, according to the internet...
And I saw that Kimber was selected by California jurisdictions. Good for them, but they did that in an environment where CA was tightening it's gun control regime, and Barrett was refusing to sell his wares to State entities in protest...
So, some of those reasons are almost unsupported irrationalities. All I had to go on was the advice of internet forums (yikes!) and, more credit to me, on the word of a selected few bloggers I've come to trust.
Does that mean that Kimbers are bad 1911s? Oh, I'm sure not. I'm sure that most are just fine. I bet most Kimber owners are ecstatic with theirs. But it was the scuttlebutt that made me eschew the brand.
Not just that brand. I am wary of others, too, often for similar reasons learned from similar sources. I'm human. It's the nature of the beast.
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18 comments:
While I've posted om various comment fora that I HEARD Kimbers had problems; I heard about these problems directly from a long-time, absolutely trusted friend who's an experienced and knowledgeable shooter.
As for eschewing Kimber in minor support or emulation of Ronnie Barrett's boycott - GOOD ON YA!!!
BTW this fella has purchased several Springfield .45's over the years and has been VERY happy with them.
Oh and yes, the friend has owned several Kimbers over the years - PAST TENSE. He managed to get rid of all of them...
info from internet "experts" and forum posters is a dangerous source to rely on. You referred to Anarchangel but what real life credibility or expertise does he have? As far as I can tell from his blog, he just reads the internet a lot. gathering your info that way only reinforces rumor and trolls slanders.
I want to know from those who KNOW.
Vurvappen blog speaks from diret experince for example and has some street cred.
He can demonstrate it. Anarchangel cannot. He only parrots what he reads.
Btw I have a Kimber 1 custom from 03 and it's wonderful. No troubles and lots of smiles. No rumor. True. I have not needed any kind of factory anything.
On my blog, I tracked every 1911 pistol reviewed by Gun Tests magazine since 1996. They accept no advertising and cannot be influenced by the manufacturer.
Of the 139 1911s they tested, 36 were unreliable and 2 fell apart/broke. Some of those were Kimbers, and some were Springfields.
You can read the post at my blog:
www.yankeegunnuts.com (sorry, no direct link since the IT jerks at work won't let me get to my site).
The IT jerks at my work won't let me either.
Well, I'm not going to share hearsay from the internets or drag all my gun rags down from the attic and serve up an OCD .xls spreadsheet, but I'll tell you this: I've owned four or five Kimbers, spent years babysitting a rental case that usually included about a half-dozen of them, and between '96 when they came out and '07 when I quit the retail gun biz, I sold, fired, and serviced literally hundreds of them and, of the Big Three 1911 manufacturers (Colt/SA/Kimber) it is my personal, hands-on experience that Kimber is the one most likely to cause grief right out of the box, at least any of the ones made since Ron Cohen ran the company's quality into the ground. (Now he's busy ruining SIG; not many guys can say they screwed up two whole gun companies!)
@ Tam
now that's what I am talking about!
Actual experience. So, Kimber is more prone to issues but how often? A lot? A little? In the middle? I have heard the QC slipped in the past.
I have a simple reason... they're not on the Mass. Approved List (hack, spit, cough...). Even if I wanted one and could afford it.... oh never mind.
Now, you know Kansas Scout, Tam was a huge part of that "the internet" I was referring to, right?
Chris/Anarchangle has a couple of Ted Yost 10mm's but I don't think they're Kimbers.
I bought a Colt because I heard from collectors that a 1943 1911A1 Colt holds it's value over an Ithaca or Rem-Rand, and there's no '43 Kimbers around - or there might be cleverly done-up ones.
Street cred is nothing to sniff at. BTW, I have always enjoyed your blog. The one I referred to was just an example of one who mostly repeats the shibboleths of "accepted truth".
Sad to hear that the negative stuff on Kimber is true. I bought mine when they were very good.
Now that to person ID'd to be responsible for that has left Kimber, are they better now?
Oh, and I've been lucky with guns so far, Kansas Scout. If I got a Kimber, there is every chance I would remain so and love it and it would run great.
I don't look forward to my luck running out however.
I guess I'm lucky. I bought a used Kimber Custom Stainless Target several years ago, and it has never had a malfunction, failure to feed, etc. I don't compete, just shoot at paper, so have had no need for customization in any way.
I still like my CZ75B better, though, and I did have a problem with that out of the box. Extractor was spotty, but CZ USA fixed me right up, no problems.
I've had my Kimber for 2 years. Eats any ball ammo I feed it. A little finicky on jhp so far no problems with rounder nosed Win XPS but does not like the flatter nose on the Hornady TAP. Had a few problems at first with the one magazine advancing a round. Replaced the mag with a bunch of Wilson Combats and it never looked back. It's one of the small Ultras with the dual spring and guide rod that people really gripe about. Maybe I got really lucky. If so I'm glad I did. I'd take a colt or an SA in a heartbeat as well.
Kimber makes the best $600 pistols you can buy for $1000.
LOL.
People express an opinion that deifies the 1911, and are taken at face value.
I express a different view of the 1911 and am in essence "ordered" to produce facts to justify my opinion or risk being ostracized.
As someone who does not believe that a single person's anecdotes constitute a valid dataset, I produce the requested facts from an unimpeachable source, in an easy-to-read format. And then I am told that I must be OCD for having done what was requested of me.
Looks like some people don't like those pesky facts interfering with their isolated personal experiences.
OTOH, if my isolated personal experience is positive, I'm not going to give the heave-ho to a pistol because the brand has documented issues for many others. I'll take my luck and move right along. My experience with a Glock was negative, but I know several friends (and untold numbers I've read about) who love them. That case, bad luck.
Given what has been posted here and elsewhere, though, I probably wouldn't buy another Kimber, even if I could afford to. (I got mine used, for $600.)
One guy I know who is big into guns works for a police department that adopted Kimber 1911's and loves them. Another gun guy bought one and had issues, sent it back for repair, repeated that process twice then sold it.
They probably make the best affordable (3k for an Ed Brown, not for normal folks) custom standard 1911's out there. However I think it is fair to say their QA/QC is lacking.
I own a Springfield and if I ever get another 1911 it will probably be a Springfield albeit a 4" stainless one.
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