WANTED: DEFINITIVE answers as to whats wrong with Kimber 1911's.

Owned a 5” CDP Kimber made in 2009. Shot 3500 rounds through it (IDPA; Magpul class, steel matches) Issues:

1. Plunger tube popped out of frame after 2500 rounds. Was not properly staked per Kimber. Kimber did fix it.

2. Slide stop wore out after 3000 rounds. Would not lock back. Fixed by a 10-8 slide stop.

3. After 3500 rounds, the aluminum frame was gouged where other companies place a steel feed ramp on theirs (see Ed Brown for reference). I’m sure I would have had issues how the barrel mates to the frame with time. I shot FMJ 230 gr ball 99% of the time.

Sold the gun for a Nighthawk Talon 2, which after 6000 rounds has gone through a slide stop and two ejectors. Go figure.

I agree that early Kimbers seem to be their best guns. I would look hard at a Dan Wesson for a sub $2k 1911.

Thanks

I grabbed a Kimber TLE after reading about the LAPD SWAT going to the Kimber in American Handgunner magazine. The TLE was the "civilian" version of the LAPD gun.

I swapped the sights for Novaks and removed the full length guide rod for the GI plug and Wolff spring. Bought (10) 8rd Wilson Combat 47D mags and (6) 10rd Wilson Combat mags.

Showed up at my first IPSC match and took the "Novice" class.

I eventually ran approximately 49k to 50k rounds through it. Changed springs every 4k and 5k. Same mags and mag springs (had to replace the polymer followers due to excessive wear but still using the same mag bodies, springs, and basepads to this day in other 1911s).

I never had a single malfunction that wasn't operator (poor magazine seating when competing) or ammunition (shoddy reloads) induced. It looked like absolute hell, no finish, dings, and mushroomed edges due to 3 Gun and various prone action shooting.

I ran the snot out of that gun. At the time, it was my only handgun. I competed with it, carried it once CCW became mainstream in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

I traded it for a Springfield TRP full length rail. And have missed it every single day since then.

I've since had Les Baers, Colts, Springfields, Dan Wessons, etc. But that Kimber was my favorite of them all. That's the handgun I cut my teeth on.

I started my journey as a student of the gun with 1911’s. Kimbers specifically, around 2010. Weekly range sessions and idpa twice a month, mine ran well. While I was apprehensive about the safety system, it never gave me a problem. I always ran Wilson 47D mags. I eventually discovered Wilson Combat and dove hard into that until I started doing 2Gun about 5 years ago. I hear horror stories, and I wouldn’t buy another, but as a data point, mine were fine.

I also have a TLE II in 45 ACP and, a Aegis 9mm. Both are from the Kimber Custom Shop and both have been flawless.

I have not run thousands of rounds through them but I have run hundreds of rounds with no issue. I did shoot one IDPA match with the 45 a while back because I was out of 9mm ammo for my STI. It was one of my better scores.

The TLE, with laser grips, lives on the night stand in a finger safe. I carry the Aegis often.

I would bet my life on either.

Kimber owner here. I’ve experienced the bad along with the good of Kimber. Of the 4 Kimbers I’ve owned, only the Solo was a disappointment. I foolishly bought one when they first came out. It lasted about 350 rounds before the lugs machined themselves away. At the end of the range session, I literally had a stream of oily metal shavings running down my hand. Kimber replaced the slide and barrel, but I burned out the lugs on that one in about 150 rounds. Kimber then just gave me a brand new Solo, which I function-tested but ended up giving away. Lesson learned here was don’t be a Beta-tester for a new gun design.

No issues with my other Kimbers, a 5” Custom at over 18,000 rounds now, an Ultra with 3-4,000 rounds thru it and a new little Micro 9 with about 400 rounds so far. These 3 guns have exhibited extraordinary reliability with no breakages or unusual wear. 99% of the ammo that goes through these guns is reloads.

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[QUOTE=Straight Shooter;2960171
DISCLOSURE: EARLY 1990's..I want to say 1992-93...I ordered one of the first Kimber 1911's in my geographical area. The gunshop hadnt even HEARD of them. Took awhile to get it, was a very low serial number...just over 1000.
[/QUOTE]

I have a Classic Stainless Gold Math -- 11/1998 Serial starts with K0 and is in the low 30,000 range. I still have the gun as it is still my favorite and I have the sales receipt. Frame stamped Yonkers.

I have never had anything break. The only problem I have ever had was because I almost always shot 185G LSWC with Billseye powder. So things were smokey and waxy. After things got black and waxy I would get a FTF. So a quick slide removal, a little cleaner, a wipe down, and back in action. Then after the range I would give it a real cleaning.

I can't give you facts about problems but those are facts about date, model, and serial number. I've been doing some inventory / accounting and just had that paperwork in my hand a week or so ago. Oh, and I use chip McCormick 10Rd mags that also work flawlessly.

So based on my extensive sample size of 1. I'm not really buying the "Yonkers is no good" aspect, but I would easily believe the "once bitten, twice shy" from anyone that ever got a bad one. I think you would probably need to break things down to model. I mean I once had a Colt Pony. It actually came apart in my hand one day while shooting. But I would certainly like a Colt 1911. Two different worlds from same company.

It's the same with a lot of things. Cars, guitars, guns. They can all go through times where quality suffers. People complain, things change, some people get back on board and enjoy the new issues while some are simply going to move on to a different brand.

Really what would be interesting to know is, and this goes for anything, what were the models with issues, what were the issues, when did the issues exist. Then of course if you are not talking about collecting but actual use, how does the new stock compare to the best they ever had and the current competition.

I currently own a 1999 production Custom Classic and a 2000 production CDP and have owned a few others over the years.

I had some reliability problems with the Custom Classic and sent it to a fairly well known pistolsmith back in 2008 who couldn't seem to figure it out. The great Dave Berryhill (RIP) agreed to take the gun and completely went through it replacing most parts with his own or with EGW parts. The gun has been 100% reliable ever since and is a prized possession although the only Kimber parts that are left are the slide, frame and barrel. My CDP is stock and is somewhat nicer than most of the later production guns.

As a police armorer in an agency that allowed the 1911, we had a lot (20+) guys purchase TLE RL/II's and Warriors back when those were introduced. There are only two still being carried. The most frequent issue we had were plunger tube's coming loose and downing the gun. That became a regular replacement item. We had a couple of cracked firing pin stops and I also saw a broken thumb safety on a Warrior and other niggling issues, but nothing too catastrophic. Most guys that stuck with the 1911 moved on to an Wilson or Ed Brown or a true custom gun. On a side note, all of the external extractor guns had their slides replaced by the factory. Those were absolute garbage and the factory replaced it for free.

Anecdotally, there was one officer that carried a blued Clackamas-marked "Classic Custom" from the date he purchased it up until his retirement this last year. It was almost completely stock and had seen in excess of 25,000 rounds through it with only regular thing being replaced were recoil springs/firing pin springs in the form of a Wolff kit every 2500 rounds. It was a truly impressive gun and if I ever come across one in good shape for a reasonable price I plan to grab it.