I’m hesitant to buy any brand new revolver these days.
I will admit to an anti-Kimber bias though. Too many 1911 problems observed over the years as a range officer.
I’m hesitant to buy any brand new revolver these days.
I will admit to an anti-Kimber bias though. Too many 1911 problems observed over the years as a range officer.
Not really to my taste.
Engraved K6s Revolver
"You can't win a war with choirboys. " Mad Mike Hoare
I confess to having a completely irrational 3" revolver fetish. I love them all pretty much. They raise my heart rate.
This week I picked up a 3" K6 with the specific intent of being a beta tester. Just because.
It was the first 3" version I have seen in person, and I had been looking for one in the flesh since they were announced. After the first 200 rounds of full power ammo I fired on the 4th, my observation is that it is awfully similar to my 3" SP101 in every regard, but with a slightly better out of the box trigger and better sights. It was very partial (accuracy and POI= POA) to the 125gr Barnes copper HP's as loaded by Buffallo Bore.
My intent is to crank my Dillon and make 2K rounds using 125gr and 158gr Zero brand JHP bullets pushed into .357 cases with "full power" charges of Trailboss or Titegroup and report back when I have consumed them all...probably late in the year or early next year. And of course that will be a sample size of one. Thread tagged. I will file that report here.
I bought the K6 DCR today after handling one two months ago and being impressed with it. After kicking it around, searching for any flaws or failures I finally went all in. I ran 168 rounds through it at the range and I’m still impressed. Mostly shot WIN & REM 38 Spec 130gr FMJs, a couple cylinders full of REM 125gr HTPs and 6 rounds of 357 Mag 158gr Blazers. All of my shooting was 7 yards. I used the PT FAST targets. No problem at all keeping rounds in the circle and most rounds hit the smaller rectangle. I was definitely improving as the round count increased and finished the session with two good Mozambique Drills. After a couple more sessions I’ll start drills and time them.
I’m giving Kimber an A+ so far on design and execution on my sample of one. I’m not finding anything to dislike and a lot to like a whole lot.
- Rounded and shaped everywhere for CCW comfiness.
- Best DA trigger my finger has yet to stroke from a factory gun.
- Fiber optic red front and black rear is my preference in sights but I can easily change them if I want.
- Recoil is mild with Specs and managable with Mags, (I plan on sticking with Spec +P).
- It is very “shootable” for me. I’m enthusiastically looking forward to working more with this revolver and starting to track speed & accuracy.
- It drops right into my S&W J Frame Nemesis holster and has one more cylinder.
- Efficiently sized, 6 rounds with just enough heft to be managable.
- Price? Well, it isn’t cheap but I have spent this much on a revolver before.
I’ve owned 2 Kimber 1911s with no problems. I’ve owned multiple S&W J Frames and 2 Ruger SP101s, (2” & 3). My opinion so far of the K6s is that it is truly innovative and a game changer in its field. Just an FYI, this is the only Kimber I currently own so I’m not a Kimber Kool-Aide chugger. The final blessing will be once I hit the 1k round count successfully.
Last edited by medmo; 07-07-2018 at 08:59 PM.
I had my 3” K6s out at the range today, and put a box of 125g magnums through it. It’s actually not bad to shoot at all - the bark is impressive, but recoil is quite manageable. Next up is to source some GDSB and test it.
The specs state 23 oz. Is that accurate? They feel heavier thatn a standard barrel model 10
I've been tracking the K6S since first whispers a few years ago, keenly interested in how things would play out. I'm primarily a revolver shooter, and a J-frame is my daily; the potential for a truly happy medium between a J and K-frame for concealed carry is compelling.
I don't think Kimber's reputation is necessarily blinding us from an excellent choice, I think both it and the very notion of adopting an entirely new product from said maker with no history in the platform are combining to properly urge many of us towards caution and wait-and-see. The K6S won't be a range toy for most (if any), but a defensive piece; that advises being a circumspect and weighing more factors before throwing in.
That said, it's been on the market a couple years now, and in regularly scanning for reported experience, the overall has been good, bordering on exceptional; problems, so far, appear fewer and farther between. It's still early, but indicators appear good, enough so that I'm approaching ready to experiment in a manner similar to medmo's excellent post.
I've never owned or used a Kimber product; Wilson is my 1911 go-to, and being that I spend a lot of time steeped in 1911 world, I'm well aware of Kimber's general reputation. Whether or not it's fair or currently applicable, I don't know; the company does have its faithful still and that might count for something.
What I do know is they have built the purposeful carry revolver many of us have been begging Smith & Wesson to build for years. Compact enough to be a J-frame, with the added firepower and shootability of a K; great sight options; no ridiculous lock; tool steel internals well-machined and mated; and an exceptional defensive trigger out of the box.
I have handled but not shot one, and overall they appear well built. I will take a moment to applaud the trigger. Kimber has, essentially, copied S&W's lockwork design (which perhaps should count in its favor as being a more vetted product than its newness to the market makes it seem). I have many years behind many S&W triggers -- J, K, L and N, box stock, defensive tune and competition style, modern build and decades old, well-worn and new. I think S&W revolver triggers are capable of being the best double action trigger on the planet, and in single action are better than the 1911. I also think they're terribly diminished in stock, out-of-the-box form under the current build and QC/QA specs.
The box stock K6S triggers I've encountered amaze me in their smoothness, precision, linearity, predictability and repeatability. They're my ideal in a defensive revolver set-up, and something usually requiring either years of consistent use, a skilled tuner, or both. I sincerely hope the ones I've had time on, and quality of the build in general, represent Kimber's ongoing standard.
In a nutshell, Kimber has built the revolver S&W should have, and I'd kind of like to send a message to both companies by buying one, and if all goes well, switching over to it as a daily. There have been enough positive indications for enough time now that I'm ready.
I totally failed with self control and maintaining discipline. I pulled the side plate off my K6 and the action is a copy of the S&W J Frame. The next thing I know I’ve completed a S&W action tune. I couldn’t help myself.
- Polished rebound slide contact area on frame.
- Polished rebound slide.
- Spun rebound slide spring on belt sander removing ~.030” then polished.
Factory DA measured 9.5lbs and now is 7.5lbs with a stong trigger rebound. Oh man, it’s amazingly sweet.