Kimber Series II

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE.
Kimber 1911 pistols are a major player at this point in time. I have always liked the series I better than the series II. I have worked on quite a few of these Kimbers of all kinds, they are made in Yonkers, New York. Kimber now owns Meprolight Night Sight Company, formerly located in La Grange, Georgia.
I can honestly say that the Kimbers look far better externally than they do internally. The internal parts they selected are just cost effective like all the other companies they compete with.

The hammer they use is a MIM (metal injection molded) part and its made well and works well. I do not mind using MIM parts in certain applications, Kimbers MIM hammer is good although the hammer hooks are not refined to my standards. The things that I like about the 5 inch Government model Kimber is they all seem to have a very good frame to slide fit and the external finish is very nice. Would I buy one based on these few positive things I just said ?? NO

The negative things I will mention will explain why; In my opinion most of the internals are poor or not fit with precision. I have found that many of the trigger bows are loose in the staking of the actual trigger and I often have to secure them with a structural adhesive. If the Kimber has an internal extractor it appears to be a casting and I have seen the claw of the extractor just shear right off. I have one on my work bench to show people. I have also seen the magazine catch assembly break in half because the walls are paper thin, again I keep a broken one on my work bench to show people that visit me with a Kimber.

I do not like the Scwartz Safety System they use because the lever which is on the right side of the sear, which is on the sear pin is activated by squeezing the grip safety, this long lever sometimes breaks, not often, but it does happen. If I had to rely on a Kimber Series II , I would have that exact part duplicated in a machine shop of good hard steel that has been machined. I would never rely on a casting or MIM part for that critical piece of linkage. I do not like the thumb safety that Kimber uses, in my opinion there are better choices, but no one bothered to ask me.

It all comes down to what "WILLIE SUTTON" once said, I go where the money is located. I have no objection to working on a Kimber, I have done an awful lot of them with excellent results. I believe Kimber makes the best Plunger tube on the market. I will never attempt to replace the sights on any Kimber pistol as I am of the opinion they are pneumatically pressed in at the factory. Trying to replace the sights is a losing proposition as they are almost impossible to drift out with a brass or bronze punch even using a small 3 lb. sledge hammer. I have already done this but no more. I have hit the front sight to remove it and the sight blade broke off instantly. The Kimber sights I have changed took me hours and I will never take in this type of job anymore.

I always tell the customer to return their slide to the Kimber factory in Yonkers, New York and let the factory change their sights. In my opinion all the internal parts of any Kimber were selected because they were competitive in price. At one point in time many years ago I discussed this subject with a factory employee, he was very nice and he said it was not his decision to make. The factory claims all the slides and the frames are forged steel but when I see pepple grain, I always suspect a casting. I will not say any more about what I believe.

There are pros and cons about every handgun out there but when you see the price of these Kimbers it can stagger you. It does not matter what I think, its what ever you feel comfortable with. I can only give you my opinion. Just ask your self what a full page 4 or 5 color advertisement must cost on all these back covers of these magazines. The name of the game is money.....

Should you have any questions please feel free to email me and I will respond. I honestly believe the Kimber Series I is a better way to go than the Kimber Series II.

Please Note: I intentionally selected the specific mill spec 1911 pistol for our "PROJECT STREET GUN" because it is the very best gun and best buy for our purpose. We could not have done this project using 1911 pistols with very high prices to keep things in perspective.


AUTHORS PERSONAL NOTATION: This commentary as well as all my previous commentaries are my personal opinion only and my personal viewpoint only.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith
www.actionsbyt.com
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tjacobson@houston.rr.com
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