Sunday, June 5, 2011

Kimbers

Dragon, over here, discusses his first, last, and only Kimber 1911. It makes me very glad I passed on the SIS when it first came out, albeit for philosophical reasons.

This brings me to the point of my Kimber: a Custom Classic series 1 (colt series 70 copy with out the foolish series 80 firing pin block. I got the gun used, already equipped with an Ed Brown barrel and bushing, everything else was MIM, so I presume original. The gun had been run hard, the finish on the front strap was worn noticeably where the shooters fingers hold the pistol. And it has continued to run very well while I run it hard.



As the holster wear might suggest I carry and shoot this gun a lot. Some where between 6 and 12 thousand rounds a year, and on my belt any time I'm not in a prohibited.

I've replaced all of the small parts, either for practical reasons (grips and trigger to make it fit me better, and and ambidextrous thumb safety for off hand) or for shits and giggles (everything else). Only the guide rod, barrel and slide/frame are original. And this has made absolutely no difference in reliability.

I'm not sure how common or uncommon my Kimber experience is, but given that I have just demonstrated the ability to build a custom 1911 for the price of a new Kimber, I don't think I'll be buying another one. On the other hand this one is not for sale at any price.

AE

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