Sick Of Kimber

[rimfired]

It was never a price point for me. I happened on what I was looking for at the time. First an Ultra carry, then a Stainless Ultra Carry II. Bought both used and I've had no problems nor returns for work.
Both were from the original purchaser new and they had
no problems. Guess I'm just lucky. I trust my life with the current one. Don't shoot competition anymore, just...shoot.

 

[A10]

I don't own a Kimber and never have. I have owned, shot, and built a ton of 1911's. I'm happy Kimber is making money, and happy they are built in the US of A, regardless of which state they are in. Having played with a bunch of 1911's, including Kimbers, I have noticed their quality (and trigger pull) go down over the past decade or so. I believe it is a byproduct of increased production and reduced QA/QC. IMHO, you can't beat the E series S&W 1911's, particularly for the money. I think they are close to the quality of the Dan Wesson, which is head and shoulders above the Kimber and probably the best production 1911 going. There is no comparison of any of these (DW comes close) to the Wilson's or the Les Baers. Nighthawk Customs are cool, but I don't think (again IMHO) they are as good as the DW's.

All of this is an aside the the OP's statement. I don't read it as a critique of Kimber quality, just a recognition of their extreme advertising effort. Truth is, if it wasn't Kimber buying the space, someone else would. Honestly, I wish they would toss a bunch of that budget toward the forum here! Not being the Kimber forum, I doubt that will happen....

 

[mr.jbk79]

I don't get it either.Out of the 9-10 1911s I've bought over the years,they all ran fine.

Only shot 3 mags through a friend's Kimber once. Was very nice, but never got the itch to get one. Most 1911's I've used did their job if I did mine.

 

[jspick]

Really Kimber bashing??!!!!!!!
Aren't some of you the same guys who complain about the new S&W 's and QC???

I think you just like to complain. Just don't expect everyone to agree with you. Personally I get tired of the threads that state "my gun is junk, Smith won't get any of my money anymore, I called them 3 times this week and they still haven't fixed my gun, etc, etc, etc.

Moonman said some good stuff and take his advice and grow up!

I own and older Kimber CST that is absolutely the best production 1911 I have ever shot. My son has a Kimber Hunter 22LR and on a good day I have a hard time hard time doing much better with my 40X sporter at 50 yds.

Yes Kimber has had some issues, so has S&W and Marlin and Remington and Ruger. Get a life!

John

 

[Fishslayer]

LOL!

I can't believe you posted a magazine pic of a Kimber in a thread created by a guy suffering heartburn over Kimber magazine ads. Have you no mercy?

It's not an ad. It's the cover.

I'm sure the article was totally unbiased by the multi pages of Kimber advertising.

I woulda snapped a pick of the mini whatever it is that was also on a recent cover but I donated it to my local barber shop.

 

[CA357]

I carry a Kimber Pro Carry II daily. Is it overrated, maybe. But I don't care what some gun writer hack says. I also don't care what "they", whoever "they" are say. It's holster worn and it isn't pretty, I don't care about that either. I trust my life to it because it works and that, I do care about.

I've owned Springfield, Rock Island, a Dan Wesson CBOB, a Les Baer TRS and an Argentine Sistema.

The only one I would swap back for my PC II is the CBOB. That was hands down the best of all of them and I'm sorry that I ever let it go.

As far as Kimber advertising, it's good for the economy. There's a recession going on and advertising of any kind means paychecks. Don't waste your time being aggravated about something so trivial. Life is way too short, trust me, I know.

 

[Jlduke]

I think it's very telling that the kimber owners on here attacked me when I attacked their precious Kimbers when in truth, I never said anything bad about the guns themselves...........

 

[Tam 3]

Carry a Custom CPD; the lightest full sized 1911 that was "melted" that I knew of in 2000. It has a target grade trigger and is totally reliable.

Regards,

Tam 3

 

[Stonecove]

Hey Duke,
Interesting how you are the one to throw the proverbial excrement in the punch bowl and now claim Kimber owners are attacking you. If you didn't want to have feedback on why Kimber advertises a lot and sells the most 1911, then you were being disingenuous with your question. I think I was right when I said you were just looking for a fight. There are no Kimber owners in this thread that attacked you , we only provided facts and opinions in an attempt to possibly explain the reason for spending so much on advertising. Apparently you didn't like the answer. Playing the victim card however says more about you than this thread does.
My Dad always said "if you find yourself in a hole quit digging", a lesson that would be valuable for some to learn!
Have a good day!
Stonecove

 

[Dr.-d]

Advertising works. It's no different than people who go out and buy a car, sneakers or electronic devices because it was on T.V. in a magazine and or word of mouth because a friend or someone else has it and you want to keep up.
I have no problem with Kimber, but I also know it's not that last word in handguns and rifles also.

 

[Jlduke]

I only have two 1911s. The Kimber Pro Tactical II SE shoots a little better than the Colt. Kimber has had no reliability problems. The only thing I don't like about the Kimber is that a takedown tool is required.

As far as advertising... There are so many gun manufacturers and 1911 makers that I certainly couldn't criticize Kimber or anyone else for keeping their brand in front of potential buyers.

I have the May 2012 issue of Guns & Ammo right here on my desk. S&W, Beretta and Kimber each have two full pages of advertising. Springfield has two full pages plus a partial page.

Kimber has a lot of back page advertising. Try placing your gun magazines on the coffee table cover page up.



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Let us Recap:
One person told me to grow up and proceeded to give me some disjointed life lesson all because I said there were too many Kimber ads in mags.- PERSONAL
Another person questioned my ability to understand the concept of advertising just because I think 5-10 pages of Kimber ads in a mag I paid $10 for is too much.- PERSONAL
Another person said I have "Kimber Envy" just because I said that Kimber is over prices and no better than other quality 1911's even though they are unaware that I actually CAN afford to buy a Kimber if I so wished.- PERSONAL AND MORONIC
And finally it was said, now twice, that I was looking for a fight.- ALSO PERSONAL

The fact is that I never said that Kimbers were bad guns. I also never said that people that buy them are stupid for doing so. I never actually never said anything negative about Kimber guns, other than the girly name which was more of a joke (though it really is a feminine name).
If you are so sensitive or insecure that you think my opinions about the ads or prices of Kimber are looking for a fight, you must be one miserable dude.
If you're so Kimber happy, why don't you check out their forum?

 

[Stonecove]

lesson not learned. Sad.

 

[sipowicz]

Grow up son, Kimber's are A-OK, and along with that Advertising is putting food on the table for many people. People still living at home and not having responsible jobs and lives in the community are a drag and detriment to society. If no jobs are local, relocate. Spread your wings and fly, the world awaits your contributions.

Game playing youth and Mall Ninga's are letting the world pass them by. The Chinese, Korean, and Indian kids are studying math and engineering along with medicine to better themselves. These are the people you should emulate as the world is theirs to conquer. Education and Hard Work still do work. Set aside your Smartphone, Computer, Music, for a longer period every day, communicate face to face with real people and learn some social interaction skills.

Many people could and should also take time to use a BARBER and a TAILOR for a change. Image does rule the world.

JMHO & 2 Cents worth

And eat your veggies and wash behind your ears Kimber boy!!!

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

Gun Magazines and firearms industry publications earn the majority of their revenues from advertising, not news stand or subscription sales. The cost of full page color ads and front cover features or back cover ads, combined with professional marketing costs and professional photography costs to produce them are staggering. Generally, the larger the circulation, the more expensive it is to advertise in them.

Anyone in business learns quickly that the cost of a product is impacted significantly by many other cost factors, which simply, is why a $5.00 pizza ends up costing $20.00

My point is that Kimber is paying for the exposure and the magazines generally don't refuse a paying client because the frequency of an advertised product disturbs some readers. Gun magazines are not scholarly publications whose principle purpose is to inform their readers, they are 1 BIG ADVERTISEMENT.

If the cost of a Kimber is contributed to by their cost of advertising, it comes as no surprise to me. I can tell you though, we make more gunleather for Kimber 1911 autos, than any other manufacturer, hands down.

Cheers;
Lefty

 

[sipowicz]

Kimber magazine ads don't bother me all that much...but the giant flashing neon Bell Charter Oak billboard outside my window keeps me awake at night!

 

[kudzu3]

The pre-lock S&W revolvers are by far my all time favorite. That said, my Kimber and two Glocks are fantastic guns, never had a problem with either. There is a lot to dis-like about todays gun rags, Seems to me, most of the writers spend more time behind the computer than in the field (sure miss Skeeter). There are very few articles worth reading and much more advertising than articles. Kimber pays big money for those ads.

 

[Jlduke]

To be fair, I get tired of seeing AR15's on every other page too, but at least it's more than one manufacturer. And that's from an avid AR15 fan!

 

[sipowicz]

I'm also tired of seeing Viagra ads in every issue of my "Impedance weekly."

 

[forresth]

So the general consensus is that Kimbers were great guns, but QC and service have slipped as advertising and prices have gone up?

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

Kimber magazine ads don't bother me all that much...but the giant flashing neon Bell Charter Oak billboard outside my window keeps me awake at night!

And just like that Bell Charter Oak flashing neon billboard that invades your dream world each night, consider the number of replies to this post and just how many times Kimber has been mentioned, whether positively, negatively or with a neutral comment or observation. I imagine an advertising executive would say "see, I told you the ads were going to be provocative". They want reaction and here it is.

I'll ask the night janitor to dim the lights a little for ya' Sip!

Cheers;
Lefty