It's like a classic MG or Chevy for sale that needs "some light restoration"- tempting, and you could be on the hook for a ton of expensive work, or you might get a real runner out of it.
It's like a classic MG or Chevy for sale that needs "some light restoration"- tempting, and you could be on the hook for a ton of expensive work, or you might get a real runner out of it.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
I have the 5" lightweight 9mm Kimber that came with a vortex venom and a two tone 5" 9mm. The two tone has the firing pin block but the lightweight gun is series 70 without a firing pin block. Both run fine and are accurate. I use metalform, brownells, mecgar and kimber mags in them. All work fine. One other thing they have ramped barrels.
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I only own one 1911, a Kimber Classic .45 that I seem to have purchased when Kimber was still relatively young. “A 1911 manufacturer which built all the custom touches in from the start!”Originally Posted by Suvorov
It’s been a really good shooter, and I just realized that there must’ve been a lot of water under the Kimber bridge since then, and apparently I’m not 25 anymore. That is all.
There might be hope that Kimber will get better in the future: https://www.kimberamerica.com/press/...adquarter-2020
The last two years, I've been slaughtering a club level centerfire steel match with a Kimber Stainless Target II. I've also been running it as my primary single stack minor gat in uspsa.
When I first bought it, it wouldn't get through a mag without a malfunction. Probably the reason it was sold. I put in a new extractor and it's been gold ever since. The main problem it has is the fact that the lower lugs of the barrel weren't cut appropriately so there is definitely some "barrel bump". It's why it's probably not the most accurate gun out there, but 3-4" groups at 25 yards are just fine when you're knocking down 8" steel plates. I suspect the next project will be to fit a new barrel to it.
My dad has a TLE that he loves. But he’s also had to mess with the extractor and magazines to get it to run.
YMMV. I don’t own a 1911 at all, if that makes a difference.
I think I've chickened out.
Last night I did a deep dive into The Beretta and watched several Langdon interviews. I also handled a LTT at the LGS and was impressed.
Hell and tarnation.
The big question is what would the gun be used for? A fun gun to take to the range occasionally or a gun to be run somewhat hard?
The form factor of the Kimber is pretty cool. I really wish Colt would make a Lightweight Government 9mm.
I have a 1999 Kimber pre-Series II gun that I bought back in the day. I bought it with the "I'll change what I need to when it breaks" mentality.
I started running it really hard in 2007 or so. It came from the factory with some issues. It went to one "reputable gunsmith" and still had issues. It had a weird issue where it would run fine when it was clean and cool, but once it had a couple hundred rounds through it in a morning of shooting it would start to not fully go into battery.
Dave Berryhill (a wonderful gentleman...may he rest in peace) agreed to take a look at it. I sent the gun back to him and he diagnosed the barrel lugs were out of spec (which he fixed). Since I was using the gun for work he asked me if I wanted him to make it reliable. He said he would only change what needed changing. I had already changed the sights and the beavertail to an Ed Brown. The gun I got back from Dave had a Kimber frame, slide, barrel, and grip bushings. He patiently explained every change he had made and why he had done it. It was eye-opening to say the least.
I had the gun re-finished by Virgil Tripp in his CobraCoat before he stopped offering it. The gun is equivalent to or better than Wilson Combat guns built around the same time (they used the same slides and frames as Kimber did during those years of the late 20th century). I should probably do a thread about it on here some day.
Point is, the gun itself may be a good base for a really good gun, but it will certainly not be ready to be more than a range toy unless it receives some aftermarket parts and work.
This begs a question: Almost every 1911 thread I see involves a good bit of tweaking, replacing, returning, returning again, mag diddling etc.
This seems to hold across all makers, even high end customs-the 3000.00 wait a year guns.
I'd have to add a new ambi-safety to even run the gun, and I fully expect the extractor needs tuning and quite likely several other bits and bobs.
Having said that,and acknowledging the necessity , would this gun at 630.00 in the form factor I like be a completely wrong approach?
A Range Officer I'm looking at is 900.00, a Dan Wesson Valkyrie was offered at 1175.00 lightly used. I've got access to a couple of legit 1911 mechanics
to lay a couple of hundred on.
I dunno.
Lots of negative waves ITT.
As someone who was defending his experience with Kimber I will say flat down undeniably the Beretta 92 is in my experience, a much better platform. More so if you want to shoot 9mm, Much More So when you are talking a Langdon!
I think you are on the right track!
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