Springfield MC Operator or Kimber TLE/RL? opinions

[Dean51]

Hey guys im thinking of getting a new 1911 and am looking at a SA Operator or a Kimber TLE/RL. Iv'e owned a couple Kimbers and they both ran great, but that was 15+ years ago, I know Kimber when through a rough spot a few years ago and I am wondering about the quality of CURRENT production models.

SA makes a good weapon, Iv'e owner a couple of there guns in the past as well, but to be honest they have never really done it for me aesthetically speaking. Im looking for opinions from people who have owned one or both brands recently. This gun will be used as a service weapon so reliability and durability are paramount. Oh and to be clear I am not looking for a weapon to FIX, so there will be no parts changing, either gun will be used AS IS. I am capable of fitting pretty much any part onto a 1911 but I don't want a 1911 that I have to swap out a bunch of parts to make run.

So guys what do you think, which would you pick to use?

[Pathfinder Ops]

I cannot speak to the Springfield other than to say it's clearly a well liked quality made pistol.

That said, I own a TLE/RL II. I have had it for probably 10 years or there abouts (I can't remember exactly). Anyway, I have trained with it for years in both personal and professional settings. It is and has been my duty weapon since I got it.

I have many thousands of rounds through it. It has run flawlessly, I mentioned it's my duty weapon which means I have banked my life on it and have never doubted it would get the work done that I have required from it.

Is the Springfield equal to it? Probably.

I don't think you will be disappointed by either.

EDIT- So I got to thinking.... I deployed to N.O. as TacMedic with FBI for the Katrina freak show and my TLE is the sidearm I took and it wasn't newly purchased, but I think it is the first time I put it into "duty"/ service. And as previously stated I have had no issues, need to modify or have work done nor has it "failed me" in any way that others have as well. So... Yeah I guess I've had it more than 10 years. AND no I'm not a Kimber vs Anything fan boy just sharing my experience. I researched it. I bought it. I run it. I like it.

[Kain]

Personal experience I prefer Springfield. Just seen too many issues personally with Kimber. If looking at a railed 1911 though i suppose the Colt Rail Gun is worth mentioning too. have seen them pop up used sub 1K. It a thought.

[L-2]

I see you've made the decision to carry a 1911 for work. I generally don't recommend a 1911 to anybody, but if the decision has already been made, then you've already researched the platform. In your case, you're not new to the 1911, which helps a lot.

I'd consider this Springfield-Armory model:
http://www.springfield-armory.com/pr...acp/#PX9105LLP

Aesthetically, I like the all-black more than the olive green & black color scheme.
What I don't know: Does it still have the ILS (the locking system in the mainspring housing)? That item might bother me a bit. If I were to change it out, I suspect I'd lose the supplied magwell. A potential weak point to me is the ambi-thumb-safety. I'd just be concerned it'll break eventually, and I'd want another safety pre-fitted as a spare. For me, I'd fit a single-sided safety and use the original as a potential spare.

While I didn't have a railed Kimber TLE II, my 2007 vintage model had a slide-stop fitting issue resulting in premature slide lock-backs. I haven't heard of this problem in the last few years out of the many forums I read. I suspect Kimber has finally remedied this issue. Kimber recently redesigned the TLE RL/II. The most notable change is a flat-top slide. Others being, I believe, a metal mainspring housing; and G10 grips. I also believe the older TLE RL/II is still available to order should you like the original look & design. On this model, Kimber is still using its Swartz, aka Series II, firing pin safety. Some folks won't buy a Kimber for this reason alone. For the most part, there are thousands of folks using Kimbers with a Swartz safety without any issues at all.

Choose one, if not both. Put several hundred, if not several thousand rounds through it to ensure eveything is working correctly and carry it. These are production, assembly-line 1911 guns and it could be perfect, out-of-the-box; or it may need to immediately go back for some minor problem discovered during your initial test-firing. With any duty gun, have a spare gun (& holster if a different platform) available so you have something to carry should your 1st choice be down or broken.

[amd5007]

About 2 years ago I decided to venture into the railed 1911 realm. I wanted the MC operator but couldn't find one. I opted for the Kimber warrior. I had a TLE II about 7 years ago and it was a horrible disappointment, so I was prepared to be disappointed again however I knew the risk and took it. But the opposite happened, my warrior has been flawless from day 1. If you decide to go with Kimber, I won't say Kimber is good to go, but I will say be prepared for some problems even though you might not have any.

Fast forward to last year, I picked up an MC operator. It too has been flawless. But holding them side by side, I like the warrior more.

[Wake27]

Consider the Colt Combat Unit as well.


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[jedi391]

My experience is that either can be great but the odds of getting a bad gun go up exponentially with the Kimber. The other factor is customer service. From both what I have heard from others and from what I have personally experienced, Springfields customer service is second maybe only to Wilson while Kimber is hit and miss. If you get a bad Kimber it will be very frustrating and getting it fixed will be even more frustrating. With Springfield it will start frustrating but more then likely end positively.

[amd5007]

Consider the Colt Combat Unit as well.


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Yeah this. If you can afford to wait a little and pay slightly more, the CCU should be well worth it.

[amd5007]

My experience is that either can be great but the odds of getting a bad gun go up exponentially with the Kimber. The other factor is customer service. From both what I have heard from others and from what I have personally experienced, Springfields customer service is second maybe only to Wilson while Kimber is hit and miss. If you get a bad Kimber it will be very frustrating and getting it fixed will be even more frustrating. With Springfield it will start frustrating but more then likely end positively.

I don't know others experiences with Kimber, but my TLE II customer experience was pretty good I just lost faith in the pistol. As for my Warrior, I called to order a single side safety and the cs person shipped me the parts free of charge. No complaints about customer service from me.

[Dean51]

I considered the Colt rail gun and looked at the CCU but the problem I have with the rail gun is the lack of night sights and front strap checkering. The CCU has both of those things but Colt put that big beefy rail on it that will not fit holsters for standard railed 1911's such as Springfields. I already have 1911 holsters for railed and non-railed guns and don't want to spend all the money on all new holsters. Plus the CCU is about $1350 - 1400

Colt does make some nice guns though