$450 1911

Wheeler80

Wheeler80

Joined
Nov 12, 2013
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IMG_1171.JPG It's kind of a long story but I picked this up for $450. I generally don't have that kind of luck but what a way to start out the week. I don't know anything about Kimber's or 1911's. I've read they can be problematic but I couldn't pass this one up.
 
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I haven't had a Kimber either, but at that price, worth a shot (pun intended). Congrats on the deal :)
 
Never owned a Kimber, but I've shot a good bit. They're just a whole lot of fun to shoot. One thing I do know is that you definitely can't pass up a deal like that, haha.
 
I own a Kimber Pro CDP II, and it's been great. The only issues I have with it are with one specific magazine, so I just don't use that magazine. I can tell you it cost a lot more than $450. Good find.
 
Only Kimber I have is a 10mm. Only noticed some hiccups within the first couple hundred rounds. I like it, and would buy another if I was in the market... especially at the price you got.

One thing to note: It should use a Swartz firing pin safety system. Be careful not to force the slide on the frame. If you accidentally depress the grip safety while trying to put the slide back on the frame you could damage the firing pin actuator.

Also, some people don't like the full length guide rod, as it is harder to disassemble without a tool (just the issue pressing down the recoil spring plug). This, however, pertains to other brands as well.
 
As mentioned Kimber is a higher end auto. I have handled one but never owned as the price for new pieces are rather steep.... Congrats on that piece, it looks like it has well cared for.
 
I had a Kimber, but eventually traded it.

It was kind of heavy, held a limited number of rounds and didn't shoot any better than my other guns.

I'd probably buy another one for $450 though.
 
Thanks guys. Hopefully I'll get to put some rounds through it in the next couple days. I really lucked out. Someone had put it in layaway and put $125 down on it and never came back. They took the $125 off the $650 they had priced to that person and gave me $325 for a Glock 43 I paid $250 for.

Right time, right place I guess.
 
Wheeler80 said:
Thanks guys. Hopefully I'll get to put some rounds through it in the next couple days. I really lucked out. Someone had put it in layaway and put $125 down on it and never came back. They took the $125 off the $650 they had priced to that person and gave me $325 for a Glock 43 I paid $250 for.

Right time, right place I guess.
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Was going to ask for the story :) Always a good feeling when everything seemingly lines up out of nowhere. Should have picked up a lottery ticket after all of that!
 
Deinos said:
Should have picked up a lottery ticket after all of that!
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I didn't want to push my luck. I had originally planned on doing an even trade for a Henry Frontier rifle. I never thought they'd give me $325 on the Glock.
 
TinyDog said:
As mentioned Kimber is a higher end auto. I have handled one but never owned as the price for new pieces are rather steep.... Congrats on that piece, it looks like it has well cared for.
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Great find and Congrats OP. However I would disagree with the notion that a Kimber is a higher end auto. Wilson Combat, Les Baer, Ed Brown come to mind. Frankly anything over $1000 but less than $2000 I would strongly recommend a Dan Wesson.Much better when it comes to tolerances and parts being used, No plastic pieces for one thing.
 


Nice score on the Kimber...when saw the post title thought you'd bought Philippine 1911...I own one, a MetroArms American Classic Commander...pictured here along with my old but very good Kimber ProCarry and a pair of Ruger 1911's...all good with Winchester Ranger
T-Series 230 gr +P (RA45TP).

An observation on 1911's - it's not the arrow, its the Indian. Most WILL shoot.

Best.
 
Unk said:


Nice score on the Kimber...when saw the post title thought you'd bought Philippine 1911...I own one, a MetroArms American Classic Commander...pictured here along with my old but very good Kimber ProCarry and a pair of Ruger 1911's...all good with Winchester Ranger
T-Series 230 gr +P (RA45TP).

An observation on 1911's - it's not the arrow, its the Indian. Most WILL shoot.

Best.
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Nice collection! I've put about 200 rounds through it with zero issues. I have a holster and a couple mags on the way also. I figure if I can carry the 686 I can carry it.

I don't care for the grips or sights though. They'll be getting replaced soon.
 
The one time in my life I was in a gun fight I was carrying a kimber (with good ammo) and it jammed up on me (didn't have time to check the exact failure mode, more than a simple FTE tho). NEVER AGAIN!

After the police released the gun back to me I sold it the next day. I wouldn't touch another if my life depended on it, seriously I'd rather not have a gun at all than one that jams at the most inopportune time...
 
Cereal_killer said:
The one time in my life I was in a gun fight I was carrying a kimber (with good ammo) and it jammed up on me (didn't have time to check the exact failure mode, more than a simple FTE tho). NEVER AGAIN!

After the police released the gun back to me I sold it the next day. I wouldn't touch another if my life depended on it, seriously I'd rather not have a gun at all than one that jams at the most inopportune time...
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I hate to tell you this, but ANY gun can do that. It doesn't matter how many hundreds or thousands of rounds of ammunition you run through without any issue, things do happen and semi-autos can and will jam, for whatever reason, no matter how reliable it's been up until that point. There's always the chance of a random failure occurring, and there's not a thing anyone can do to prevent it from happening. Glock, SIG, Beretta, Kimber, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armor, Ruger, etc. they all have the same risk of such happening.
 
Charlie_K said:
I hate to tell you this, but ANY gun can do that. It doesn't matter how many hundreds or thousands of rounds of ammunition you run through without any issue, things do happen and semi-autos can and will jam, for whatever reason, no matter how reliable it's been up until that point. There's always the chance of a random failure occurring, and there's not a thing anyone can do to prevent it from happening. Glock, SIG, Beretta, Kimber, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armor, Ruger, etc. they all have the same risk of such happening.
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I don't plan on carrying it much. I carried it to a cookout Saturday and came to that conclusion very early in the day. It's just too damn heavy. Maybe around the property some (although my 686 carries easier) or to the range but I doubt anywhere else. I've got plenty of guns that hold more rounds, weigh a lot less, and are easier to carry.

I just couldn't pass the deal up. I bought it mostly because I've never owned or even shot a 1911. This one is fun to shoot and I kinda see the appeal but I don't know that I will ever own more than this one.
 
Regarding FTE on the Kimber, I had one that consistently had 1-2 FTE's per mag. Found out that the era of Kimbers with the slide-mounted ejector were prone to this problem.
 
Wheeler80 said:
Nice collection! I've put about 200 rounds through it with zero issues. I have a holster and a couple mags on the way also. I figure if I can carry the 686 I can carry it.

I don't care for the grips or sights though. They'll be getting replaced soon.
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Like any gun, make sure the new mags work reliably. A few years back, I heard that some mid range 1911 mags had bad welds on the bottom.

It's my understanding that the Kimber grips/screws are slightly different than most 1911 grips IIRC. I didn't know this when I changed my grips, as I just swapped in some custom universal 1911 grips with mine (and used the same screws). I haven't noticed any issues, but I think that some grip manufacturers might have a Kimber version available separately. I don't remember though, as I bought mine many years ago, and it's my only 1911 style handgun.
 
I've owned a $1300 CDP II Pro two tone about ten or so years ago. I hated it. I mean it was beautiful and accurate- lol, but the recoil would yank it out of my support hand on occasion and felt uncontrollable. I sold it a week later and lost $300. :(

I have owned about a half dozen 1911's including Colt Gov, and mostly Springfields, so although 1911's aren't my favorite I do like them in general and this was my least favorite. Most people that have them seem to have good experiences with them and like them for many reasons, some it seems just because they are high end (priced) and that's fine too I guess.

Still, if I found one in good shape for a decent price and had money in my pocket I would probably pick it up and take a chance on it. At that price even if it gives you any trouble you could find a good smith and afford to invest a little money and have exactly what you want, reliability, and looks all in one.

I can't see the photo anymore but it sounds to me like you did alright.
 
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