I've been looking at 1911s for awhile now I'm pretty much set on a kimber, I just can't decide which model and figured I look here for help

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Custom 2, cdp2, eclipse with fixed sights, tactical custom 2, eclipse with target sights

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Great trigger! accurate right out of the box. One of the best in it's price range. ($700.00). and for 35 bux Ruger will send you the hansome Eagle Wing Ruger grips.

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Real men love cats!

Take a look at the Ruger SR1911 9mm.

photouploadcertificity.com

Did not see this was a poll. My bad.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I bought a Rock Island 1911 about five years ago and it has never given Me any reason not to like it.
Someday I will get a higher priced 1911 but untill them My R.I.fits the bill nicely.

If you want a higher end production 1911, take a close look at Dan Wesson and Sig. My personal choice was a Sig 2 tone reverse traditional.

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Even older, even crankier....

JMHO: Kimbers are over rated and over priced. I've seen a bunch of 'em choke.

Springfield Armory makes an excellent pistol at a reasonable price.

SO tell us what you have decided on with the poll??? Inquiring minds want to know...

I have had no issues with my Kimber and know a ton of folks who are sold on their products. Their customer service is markedly better than in days of old so I think that criticism has disappeared. They do run some pretty good sales on certain models from time to time. Paying retail is not necessary.
You didn't tell us what you intend to use the gun for. That might make a difference in my recommendation. Of the models you have in your pole and staying in the Kimber line, I like the "Tactical".

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paws for friendship

Had a Kimber Custom II that was very accurate and reliable.Im surprised nobody's mentioned Colt!

Colt is the real thing.

Lots of knockoff 1911's on the market, but none hold value like a Colt.

If you have only one 1911, it should be a Colt.

I've owned 3 Kimbers and sold them, nothing wrong with them. Currently own two Colts and a SA. For lifetime warranty (I've shot the P-ss out of it and Springfield has rebuilt it twice, including a new barrel) the SA wins hands down. For cheap, reliable, accurate, and goes bang every time the RIA wins the day. It's the last one I bought and if it was the first one I bought I would not have owned 3 Kimbers, 2 Colts and a SA>

I like the Springfields but they aren't very pretty. I think the Kimbers are good, but I would probably buy a Colt and have the extras I want added to it. You can find some good prices on them at Bud's.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Carried Colt 1911-series pistols for decades. About 15 years ago I became acquainted with Kimber's products. Still carrying a Kimber Custom CDP daily, no problems to report after more than 10 years and more than 10,000 rounds.

Enough said?

My only use for the gun will be to look at it alot lol ive just been wanting a 1911 for awhile and think it's finally time to get one. It'll occasionally get shot whenever I feel like just plinking

Rather presumptive to run a a 1911 poll on the SW forum with zero SW choices, yes? At least have a "none of the above"

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Science plus Art

I have quite a few 1911s , Out of your current choices that you gave us, I would say the CDP II, I have one in the 4" version and it functioned perfectly right from the start, The trigger was very good, and while I'm not a big fan of two tone ,it grew on me. There are other choices in the price range you gave, but with any mechanical thing, if you had problems with my suggested option, I would be the bag holder.So out of your choices I would say the CDP 11, I do have 2 Kimbers myself and they do make a pretty 1911.

I've considered a s&w 1911 but I just can't seem to like them, not saying that I don't like s&w I have 10 firearms with 7 of them being s&w and I thought about having none of the above as a choice but didn't think as I was posting the poll and can't figure out how to edit the poll now that I've posted it

Ed Brown Special Forces Carry. Love it.

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I don't think the new Kimbers are of the same quality as the old ones.
I bought a base model Remington R1 and it has run flawlessly.
It felt the most like a Colt without the price tag.

David.

That new S&W engraved stainless steel 1911, they put out a few months ago, just caught my eye. Decided I wanted one, so I bought it. The finish work is well done, and it has been flawless operational wise.

Colt or nothing.

Lot's of features for the money. Currently $920 at Bud's. They make them in 9mm and .45ACP

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Of the ones you have listed, I like the CDP2 the most. I also like the Tactical Custom 2. Both look like nice guns...

I've got a bunch of Colt 1911s, and one Kimber. The Kimber is a stainless Gold Combat II from the custom shop. I bought it new around 2006. It's a real nice gun, and shoots great.

However, I had a feeding issue with it when I first bought it. Their customer service was somewhat rude/not very helpful. They ended up telling me that I had to send the gun in for them to look at, with the shipping on MY DIME! Again, I had just bought it new, spending a lot of money for one of their premier custom shop guns... They ended up needing to replace the slide. So much for the Kimber "custom shop..."

This said, the Gold Combat II is finished nicely and is now also fitted nicely, too. The gun has run 100% since the fix, and again it shoots great.

The whole experience just soured my interest in buying any more Kimbers. I've bought around a dozen Colt 1911s since then (there has to be a business/customer service lesson somewhere in there for Kimber...), and couldn't be happier with them, they are beautiful, reliable guns. If I were you, I'd check out Colt's offerings. I'd also check to see how Kimber's quality control and customer service is doing these days.

Also, I've looked at the Smith E Series 1911s lately and have been very impressed; very, very nice gun for the money! For lower cost 1911s those RIA guns seem like a great gun for the money, and people seem to be happy with the Rugers and Remington's. I'm interested in getting a 9mm and/or 10mm RIA 1911.

Good luck, and please post pics!

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NRA Life Member

Get a Rock Island or lightweight Ruger, and put the rest of what you would have spent into ammo. YMMV

I vote for the "Not Kimber" Option. Although my friend has a full sized SIS that is extremely nice. I do not believe they are available anymore. He was one of the cops in the Fobus Holster Advertisements, Fobus is owned by Kimber, and Kimber gave him an engraved SIS. He is a tactical gun swat cop. He loves his HK USP 45 Fullsize. Many thousands of rounds down the pipe. He is not a 1911 guy.

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Just hanging with my dogs

Gotta say, if I was in the market for a 1911(somewhat basic-all the things you need and nothing you don`t) I would almost certainly be getting a Springfield, likely the 9109 ? model, park finish, ambi-safety, and night sights. Full disclosure: I own 2 Kimbers but in several dealings with Kimber it`s fairly obvious to me that they are lawyer driven to the point of being anal. A Colt could be a consideration if I had the extra 2-3 hundred to spend and still wouldn`t have night sights...never lost any money on a Colt but it was more "back in the day" when they were "almost" the only game in town.
Good Luck, John

None of the above listed, they're all Kimbers, they have a horrible attitude in the customer service dept., I will never buy one of their items. Colt, S&W or Sig for good value and return on money if needed.

A friend of mine recently bought a S&W 1911 - I can't remember the model specifically but it is SS with all the goodies on it. Regardless one of the BEST finished and fitted 1911s I have ever seen - and it shoots 3" +/- at 50 yards - any less range and the accuracy is absolutely scary! Never skipped a beat first time out but my friend DID did give it a good cleaning before taking it out for the first time.

I am sorry I sold my Dan Wesson Pointman 7. I am not sorry I sold my Kimber Gold Match.

To each his own! I have 2 RIA Tacticals in 9mm & .40. Have a Sig, and a S&W. All function great for me! My shooting buddy likes my Sig better than his Kimber, so he has said. I REALLY like the S&W. Bob

Springfield Armory Range Officer. If you want to spend more and get a prettier gun, the SW1911s are quite good. I've never been particularly impressed with Kimbers. They look alright, but they're overpriced for what you actually end up getting.

i dont buy guns as investments. .. but if you do, there will always be a market for colts.

nobody is ever going to collect kimbers, springfields, S&W's, RIA, dan wessons, etc etc etc.

the colt series 70 reissue government model would be an excellent choice.

You may well get a good Kimber and never need their customer service. On the other hand, you might have to deal with CS quite a bit in order to get where you want to be. If you are mostly going to look at it and plink with it on occasion, it may be a good choice.

If you think you may one day need to rely on it, get a Colt.

Which 1911 to pick depends on your price range.

$350 - $500 Rock Island

$500 - $600 Remington

$600 - $750 Springfield Armory

$750 - $1,000 Colt

$1,100 - $1,300 Dan Wesson

That's the most money I would ever spend on a 1911. I did have Kimber Custom II years ago and it was an awesome pistol but I have heard many complaints about Kimbers recently.

The Kimber or the Kimber, eh?

I bought my one and only Kimber 1911 about 15 years ago, before they had rainbow color selections. Has been flawless since out of the box even with my 200gr SWC reloads. This one is a Pro Tactical II Special Edition- precursor to the Tactical Pro. Shoots better than my Colt. Not so sure about the new ones...

The only thing I have done to this one is a Wilson Combat flatwire kit.

Happy 1911 hunting.

Super Carry Ultra +



Ultra RCP II



Ultra Raptor II



You might notice a pattern here!!

Love them 3" Kimbers, they just work for me.

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I like mine,a Kimber Custom II .1911 .45 ACP.

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Life is short,live it fully.

Personally, I have no interest in owning a Kimber. However, if this is truly your plan for the gun, whichever 1911 looks best to you should do.

For my tastes the Colt Series 70 repro that HARDWARE mentioned is a very nice gun. I gave my father one last October and he has yet to shoot it, it's displayed on the mantle and looked at a lot.


I have some custom and higher end 1911s but one of my favorite "look at it a lot" guns is a Remington UMC WWI commemorative. Turnbull's built 1000 of them for Remington and it's a really well put together and beautifully finished gun. I haven't shot it but it does get looked at a lot just because it's so well done. I understand from others that they shoot as good as they look.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

I would also take a serious look at Colt's line up. Their quality, fit and finish over the last 4 or 5 years has been exemplary and for the money they are (in my opinion) the best buy for the money!

Personally, I'd take a Colt series 70 Gold Cup (about $1175) over any Kimber. OK, you might think I'm crazy, but I'd stack my Colt GC up against ANY 1911 when it comes to shooting!

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I've had a Colt and 2 SAs, and now have a SIG nightmare and a S&W E series. The S&W is my favorite, followed very closely by the SIG. I have no regrets w/ not having the colt or SAs.

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Guns + Dogs= Bliss

Colt. Is this a trick question?

Boo Ruger.

@Tahoe,

I don't own a Kimber, so I can neither recommend or condemn one.

I have three 1911s:
A MkIV Series 70 that was my first handgun,
A Springfield Armory Trophy Match,
and a Ruger CMD.

When I bought my Colt, the Kimber line didn't exist (to the best of my recollection). When I bought my Springfield Trophy Match, the QC on the Gold Cups left a lot to be desired, and I hadn't had the opportunity to handle a Kimber, but the Trophy Match felt right. When I bought the Ruger, I was on fixed income and the price was right.

While I may admire my guns, they are ALL purchased to fulfill missions. The Colt's mission was to teach me how to shoot, and for $125 kind 1976), I will never complain! The Springfield was purchased for bullseye. The Ruger was purchased for both IDPA and for carrying.

I suggest that you purchase what you like and can afford without breaking the bank!

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Judge control not gun control!

Why just a kimber?
For new 1911's,,,,
1. COLT GOVERMENT MODEL SERIES 70 5" barrel forged steel
2. Auto Ordnance ww2 us army 5" barrel. Casted frame forged slide.
3. Springfield armory mil spec 5" barrel forged steel

But my used, reworked Chinese norinco 1911 all forged from out old rail road track reworked with a nm barrel bushing and a surplus usgi $59 barrel will shoot clusters and cloverleafs at 25yds using wolf ammo. We're talking 1 1/2" groups. At the total cost of $400.

That's interesting, as my experience has been exactly opposite.

I have an early Kimber Eclipse Pro II that I purchased used. Years ago, Kimber experimented with external extractors and mine was one of those guns. The gun was a jam-o-matic, so I called Kimber and they sent me a new extractor (free of charge), which unfortunately didn't solve the problem. After another call to Kimber, I sent the gun to them. In less than two weeks, I got a call from a Kimber employee who explained that he had just replaced my slide with an internal extractor version, had just got done test firing about 80 rounds through the gun with various types of ammo, with no problems, and the gun would be delivered to my house in the next couple of days - all at no cost to me (even though I wasn't the original owner). I still have the gun and it still performs flawlessly. It is my favorite 1911 (and I own many).

In contrast, I purchased a Colt Gold Cup Trophy, new, that had some serious cosmetic flaws. I didn't check it out as well as I should have in the store (because it was new) and didn't notice the flaws until I got the gun home. Basically, the slide had several dings in it. I sent the gun back to Colt and didn't see it again for 2 months. They had replaced the slide. Unfortunately, they drifted the sights out of the old slide and into the new slide with the care and precision of a monkey with a sledge hammer. Both the front and rear sight were literally peened/dented. There was also a large burr rolled up in the front dovetail, where the sight had sheered the metal from the slide. After another trip back to colt, the sights were replaced, in a professional manner, but the slide now had some superficial scratches, when the gun was returned to me. There was also a slight idiot scratch on the frame (from the slide release). Disheartened by my Colt experience, I decided not to send it back a third time.

I have bought more 1911's since then - a few of them Kimber's, none of them Colt's.