Kimber Series 1 Opinions

[Race]

How many of you have had unreliable series 1 Kimbers? Do you guys trust the series 1s?

[seang]

Haven't heard of any problems with series 1. If you can find one in good condition, I would get it.

[Boris]

I trust mine after over 25k rounds (conservative estimate) of IDPA gaming. Even though it's the Classic Target model, it was carried concealed for many years.

I recently saw two Clackamas made models on trade-in and wish I had picked them up.

That said, I have no interest in the Series 2s.

-B

[JiMfraRED1911]

How many of you have had unreliable series 1 Kimbers? Do you guys trust the series 1s?


I know a few notable 1911 plumbers that have built pretty serious 1911s out of series 1 Kimbers...

Long story short, if you can grab a good one, get it.

[theJanitor]

i have a ten year old series 1 from the Kimber custom shop. it had a few teething problems at the start (mis-adjusted extractor and a burr on the breachface at the firing spring hole. after those two issues were sorted out, it's been a fantastic gun. it recently came back from DrakesGunworks for a refreshing. i hear of very little trouble with the old series 1's

[Race]

I know a few notable 1911 plumbers that have built pretty serious 1911s out of series 1 Kimbers...

Long story short, if you can grab a good one, get it.

I should have clarified - I meant with stock guns, not modified/fixed guns.

Thanks

[JiMfraRED1911]

Race, FWIW, I still haven't heard much bad news with stock series Is. Much better than the current crop of Swartz saftied IIs (e.i. one of the many known problems).

[Race]

Race, FWIW, I still haven't heard much bad news with stock series Is. Much better than the current crop of Swartz saftied IIs (e.i. one of the many known problems).

Thanks. I have two that I bought new in 1999 and haven't even fired a box of ammo through. I've read a lot of ill reports on Kimbers (without always specifying whether the problems are with I or II series). I'm downsizing some things and don't know if I want to put the ammo through them to see if they're reliable (at current ammo prices).

If there was enough negative feedback on them, that would make the decision easier. I'm prone to sell something and later kick myself for it.

My custom 1911s and stock Colts work very well, but one of the two Kimbers has failed to completely return to battery a couple of times the few rounds I did fire through it (required a tap on the back of the slide). It probably is just in dire need of break-in (or extractor tuning.).

Thanks again. Guess I'll have to decide either way.

[sapper36]

I have two that I bought in 98. One has around 10,000 rounds pshed through and the other mayby 200 (my wifes). Both are great and have no mods done at all.

[DrMark]

Mine has been great.

[8200rpm]

How many of you have had unreliable series 1 Kimbers? Do you guys trust the series 1s?

Awesome trigger. It was very well put together, and I loved how front strap was machined high near the trigger guard. You don't see that with other mass produced 1911 (Springfield and Colt).

The extractor tension went caca after 800 rounds... It ran fine after spending 5 minutes to "retune" it. But, I didn't want a gun that required babysitting the extractor tension every few hundred rounds.

Sold this...

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4046/classiccustomdt8.jpg

To buy this (SA 5.8M CMP Special)...

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/7838/dsc0005cp8.jpg

If I just sold the Kimber and spent the cash on something ordinary, I would be regretting it. I could have happily kept the Series I as a range toy, but I was itching for a nice Garand at the time. Or maybe I sold it to fund an ACOG. I can't remember anymore.

[ralph]

Awesome trigger. It was very well put together, and I loved how front strap was machined high near the trigger guard. You don't see that with other mass produced 1911 (Springfield and Colt).

The extractor tension went caca after 800 rounds... It ran fine after spending 5 minutes to "retune" it. But, I didn't want a gun that required babysitting the extractor tension every few hundred rounds.

Sold this...

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4046/classiccustomdt8.jpg

To buy this (SA 5.8M CMP Special)...

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/7838/dsc0005cp8.jpg

If I just sold the Kimber and spent the cash on something ordinary, I would be regretting it. I could have happily kept the Series I as a range toy, but I was itching for a nice Garand at the time. Or maybe I bought it to fund an ACOG. I can't remember anymore.

You did'nt get hurt at all, I've managed to get up to the CMP store at Perry a few times 2 Garands, a '03 and a '03A3 later and I don't regret spending the money for an instant..One day soon the CMP will sell out of these works of art, and prices will skyrocket, I don't plan on selling mine, To me they are part of history. A mass produced 1911 can be had anytime, M1 Garands, and '03's, 03A3's that could very well have "been there, done that" priceless...