For any Kimber Fans......Link

Smokester653 · #1 02-06-2011, 10:09 AM

Found this in a newspaper article.

ALE trades troublesome guns - Politics - TheSunNews.com

Bullseye 2620 · #2 02-06-2011, 10:58 AM

I don't own one. After reading this, I know why. Very bad press. 289 documented malfunctions among 112 agents in 18 months?

Bullseye

ElToro · #3 02-06-2011, 11:34 AM

i can understand dumping the kimbers for being unreliable i had one that never shot right but i cant understand the sigs they replaced being worn out in 3 years they shoot that much in training ? and thats interesting about the sig rifles being dumped. me thinks its maybe more a case of state employees liking to spend the tax dollars on toys than real need

cjw3 · #4 02-06-2011, 12:13 PM

A pistol with a 100 year old design that costs $1K should work....or is it just me?

18DAI · #5 02-06-2011, 04:20 PM

I had three Kimbers, still own one. My experience mirrored ALE. I never have had a Kimber function properly.

The term "Break in period" was coined by Kimber to excuse their shoddy QA/QC. I would never stake my life on a Kimber. YMMV. Regards 18DAI

steveno · #6 02-06-2011, 04:31 PM

I have a Kimber sst compact 45 acp that I bought back in 2000 and it has close to 6,000 rounds through it with not one problem. I just change the recoil spring about every 1,000 rounds or so.

Rule3 · #7 02-06-2011, 04:40 PM

Geez, around here they can't keep Kimbers in stock they sell like they are the greatest gun ever created.

After reading the entire article I can not find the exact model they had? Don't know if the picture is the actual model either.

Ultra Carry??

I always thought Kimbers were overpriced for what you got but know little to nothing about how well or bad they functioned.

As a big Sig fan, glad they are going back to the Sig, but even they are not what they used to be.

XAVMECH · #8 02-06-2011, 05:24 PM

Got a couple of Kimber Ultra Carry pistols (one a CDP). They're over ten years old now. The CDP doesn't get used too much, but the the Ultra Carry has been my main carry piece since I purchased it. The operation of both of these guns has been flawless. I've used the Ultra Carry to the extent that I just sent the slide out to be refinished (Cerakote) due to holster wear. I know these pistols were expensive, but after owning serveral other 45ACPs, I'm very happy with the Kimbers we own. I've heard many reports of issues with the newer pistols from other sources, and I guess I'm glad I bought these two pistols way back when.

ChattanoogaPhil · #9 02-06-2011, 05:26 PM

Flawless from shot #1. Wonder what those guys were shooting in their Kimbers? Federal Hydra-Shok work.

It's interesting to read about these government organizations not being able to shoot their pistols. According to this report (link below), the AFT just rejected the Sig 250 for reliability issues. During the same test the Glock .40 had zero gun-induced stoppages. Yet, Forum Member Jimmy recently posted on this Forum that a bunch of lawmen in Florida couldn't get their Glock .40 to work during a single encouter.

I found it funny in the link... Sig protests that too much emphasis was put on the gun actually working.

U.S. GAO - B-402339.3, Sig Sauer, Inc., July 23, 2010

Rule3 · #10 02-06-2011, 05:54 PM

The article (original) kinda smells a little funny with some strange things going on and all that. Maybe the guns are just fine?????

dmar · #11 02-06-2011, 06:45 PM

Kimbers are pretty nice guns. I've got a Custom Shop "Gold Combat II," and it's very nice. Had some FTF issues with it when it was new, and it was an issue that required sending it back to the factory. They fixed it, and it has been 100% since then. That being said, I would not buy another Kimber. Not sure about the quality of the newer ones. I stick with Colts, great quality 1911s, IMO.

The link was very interesting, and consistent with the attitude/behavior of so many government agencies; they spend like it's OPM ('other people's money'). That former 'director' even gets to enjoy his pension (on my tax $$). No wonder we have such deficits! Just the way it is.

imashooter2 · #12 02-06-2011, 06:53 PM

Huh! I've got a Stainless Target 2 and my regular shooting partner has one as well. Both worked right out of the box and continue to work today.

I think short barrel 1911s in general are far less reliable than full size guns.

Tom Beavert · #13 02-06-2011, 07:03 PM

Hello all
Mine work/shoot just wonderful, my no frills S&W 1911 outshoots all of my other handguns, but my 1997? Kimber 5" has yet to malfunction.
Maby I'm just lucky, as my RIA's also do well.
tb

Class III · #14 02-06-2011, 07:22 PM

I've got two Generation 1 Kimber Compacts (4" Barrel). Both have been utterly reliable since day one. The first one is a Compact Aluminum with LOTS of range time. Second is a Compact Custom two tone (Birdsong Tan/Black-T) with close to 5K rounds fired. Never a problem with either.

Class III

madmikeb · #15 02-06-2011, 08:06 PM

I've got an Ultra CDP II that had some serious issues from the box. I shipped it back to Kimber, they swapped it from an external extractor to an internal one and now it works flawlessly. I shoot 230 grain hydra shoks and it doesn't skip a beat. I stake my life on it as it's my primary carry gun.

kraigwy · #16 02-06-2011, 08:30 PM

I carried the same pistol for most of my 20 years in LE. It never failed me. Still got it, (Dept let me keep it when I retired). Still shoot it, and a lot, with heavy loads (actually it doesn't care what kind of load).

But then again, its a Smith..........................................

Model 28

sceva · #17 02-06-2011, 09:52 PM

I have one Kimber and it's a great one. Of course It's a .22 Bolt Action from the original Kimber of Oregon company.

Ogandydancer · #18 02-06-2011, 10:23 PM

As a resident of NC I had not heard about this until I saw it here. I actually found it on Sig Forum first and there was a like to the newspaper article.

I blame the person who was responsible for this travesty for not doing a thorough investigation prior to the purchase, if indeed these guns are as un-reliable as they are saying. I also can't see as another poster here has said how the sigs they replaced could have been worn out in only two or three years. "And we wonder why our taxes are so high".

armenius · #19 02-06-2011, 10:26 PM

Sounds as if they have worked out a good way to get what I'd consider a little use handgun for pennies on the dollar when they are only 2-3 yrs old.I've got a few with many thousands of rounds through them and over 25 years old which never miss and would not sell for twice what I paid for them.

sipowicz · #20 02-07-2011, 12:03 AM

I'm happy with my TLE II.

roundgunner · #21 02-07-2011, 12:15 AM

Both of mine run great.

The blue Custom Target gets LOTS of ammo run thru it and eats everything.

Andy Griffith · #22 02-07-2011, 01:08 AM

Nothing to do with their 1911's...but I had a .22 HS rifle that wouldn't shoot, the finish started cracking and went back to the factory a couple of times. I traded it off, and never looked back.

One of a handfull of pieces I've traded off over the years- because I didn't like them and they didn't like me.

Rule 303 · #23 02-07-2011, 01:53 AM

I ordered two Kimber Classics the first day they were on the market. $600.00 apiece. Great gun that have had thousands of rounds shot through them with never a hiccup.

I bought a New Pro Carry II a couple of years ago. Had to send it back in on my dime as they forgot to polish the chamber when they built the gun and it would hang up and fail to go into battery ever two or three rounds. Said they were sorry and sent me two Kimber Mags.

I wouldn't trust a new Kimber any futher than I could throw one until I had shot five or six hundred rounds though it without a stoppage. Its ashame that a company builds a gun that cost almost a thousand dollars and won't run right out of the box.

My Colts, Norincos and Rock Island do.

Rule 303