SA MC Operator vs Kimber Warrior

[deuce9166]

I have owned 2 Warriors and both had to go back to Kimber once, and they were still not reliable, so I sent one to Springfield, and traded the other.

I do not own an MC but would not hesitate to buy one, mainly because of there customer service. I had to send the Warriors to Kimber on my dime, and if there is a problem with SA, they will pay shipping.

[LONGSWORD]

SA all the way. Kimbers are accurate, but as has been said, most need some form of work before they will run properly, if at all. They also have a startling affinity to rust. Most Kimbers in the store I work at seem to rust from nothing more than just being up on the handgun wall. Even the Warrior my co-worker just bought has rust on the barrel, and he hasnt even taken it out of it's 10-day jail yet.

Btw, that Operator in the picture has been carried IWB for two years, and the only spots of rust are on the grip screws, and a tiny bit on the safety where my holster has worn away the Armory Kote.

SA also has a FAR superior backing. To get anything done thru Kimber CS you have to pull teeth or threaten death. They will pretty much tell you to pound sand if you're out of your warranty period. +1 for SA.

[JPB]

I own both a Warrior II and a TRP Operator. Not really an apples to apples comparison, but I wish that I'd gone with the MC Operator over the Warrior. The Warrior hasn't been super bad at anything, but it did require a new slide stop (Wilson bulletproof) to keep it from prematurely locking back. Call me old fashioned, but you spend more than a G on a hand gun, it should at the very minimum function reliably. I've had a few other feeding related malfunctions with it as well. The SA, though some will say it's full of gimmicky parts (FLGR, Adj. sights), has been dead nuts reliable and accurate. Thing has been banged against granite rocks, gone swimming, and shot 'til it's dry, but it keeps on ticking.

On a quality note, in the Warrior, I'm not super stoked with the waves that form inside the bore corresponding to the locking luges on the top of the barrel. When I first saw that, I almost messed myself. I searched it on 1911forum only to find out that it is a standard Kimber thing and not to worry....

[HK45]

The Springfield is an easy recommendation. Better quality components, fit and finish and way ahead in customer service. Kimber wants you to prove to them that it's not your fault before they will do anything. Why that company is still in business is beyond me. Little anecdote from last friday, I was coming back from the range and stopped in my favorite gun shop. One of the clerks was telling someone that they had just gotten 26 Kimbers of various kinds in. The guy he was talking to said the last 3 Kimbers he had bought all had to go back for issues and that he was finally done with them. if I had a nickel for every Kimber story like that I have heard over the years I would be a rich man. The MC Ops can be hard to find these days but worth the effort. My only close experience to the Warrior is from shooting with a friend who had just bought one. Less than 50 rounds in the rear sight came flying off. About 100 rounds after that the plunger tube came unstaked on one side. He had it fixed and sold it. The only positive ting i can say about the pistol is that it does not have the usual Kimber Series II safety.

[VooDoo6Actual]

easy day, Springfield Armory.

[Serpico1985]

SA all the way, screw the swartz system. unnecessary lawyer engineering.

[RobFMJ]

SA all the way, screw the swartz system. unnecessary lawyer engineering.

Warriors don't have the schwartz safety

[variablebinary]

MC Operators have been so hard to find lately at my local shops.

Warriors were rare to begin with.

I would get the MC Operator over the Kimber

[Stretz Tactical Inc]

I had a warrior and had to bring the gun back to the factory 6 times in the first twelve months I owned the gun. Loose plunger tube - which bent the thumb safety, failure to feed due to a really tight chamber and after 100 rounds and no holster (at the time) the kimpro finish started to wear off. They kept miss matching the finish (slide versus frame) when they sent it out to be re kimpro'd until one guy with brains sent the entire gun out and then the finish matched. They reamed and polished the chamber but the gun continued to fail to feed and even after upgrading the barrel to a stainless steel barrel which was reemed and polished, the gun still wouldn't feed - with wilson, mccormack or kimber mags, ball or hollow point ammo. I know another guy who had a different model kimber and he had problems. A lot of well known instructors will also steer you away from them because they see problems with them in their classes. That being said, I know guys who swear by them and love them. I sold mine and wont buy another kimber any time soon.

[murphy j]

I've owned a MC Operator, but not the warrior. I can say that the fit, finish and accuracy on the SA were excellent. One of my best friends is a 1911 smith and in all the years I've known him and been hanging out at his shop, Kimber is the one high end 1911 brand I've seen come in with problems on a consistent basis. One even had to be sent back to Kimber due to the fact that the slide was out of spec and causing serious reliability issues. I can say that i've not seen a Kimber from their custom shop come in, just regular production guns.

Get the SA.