Kimber Pro Carry II

[pjose411]

I've been looking for a 1911 preferably 3.5 to 4 inch barrel as my 2nd carry weapon. I've looked at the ROck Island GI Compact - heavy. And the Kimber pro carry II is nice and lighter. I have heard and read in Calguns that Kimber has a bad rap. How true is that today? Should I be concerned that they only have 1 yr warranty? The RIA tho heavy at least is backed by them for life of the firearm. The cost is 500 vs 800 RIA/Kimber. Thoughts Calguns community? Thanks in advance for all input.


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[Soginator]

If you're getting the Kimber for that price with night sights and NIB that is a good deal. My thoughts on this; unless you are determined to stay with a .45, you're within striking range of the new EMP if you can get off roster pistols.

I've seen some posts about kimber showing poor QC. Haven't personally experienced it.

[Munny$hot]

I had a older Pro Carry HD and never had a problem. IMHO generally 1911 owners dislike Kimber because you got a semi custom pistol for a very low price. There has been a lot of debate because Kimber was using MIM parts which is used by most firearms manufactures today.

[Tokarevman]

I had a older Pro Carry HD and never had a problem. IMHO generally 1911 owners dislike Kimber because you got a semi custom pistol for a very low price.

I agree. My Pro Carry II HD has been flawless. 3k down the pipe.

[Bainter1212]

IMHO generally when people say they never have a problem, their most rigorous shooting is a few rounds of slow fire 7 yard groups at their local indoor range.

I have shot several thousand rounds through my Pro Carry II, drawing from holster, akward positions, failure clearance drills, etc etc.

Mine has been great. The matte bluing on the slide doesn't hold up well to holstering all the time, but a gun that actually sees use will get that wear anyway so no bother.

I think they are the perfect 1911 for carry use. That alloy frame makes it balance beautifully. Nice huge wide safety is easy to park your thumb on, and accuracy with the bull barrel is very good.

Kimber DOES have a reputation for finicky pistols, so I recommend putting several hundred rounds downrange before carrying.

Also, the manual says that hollow points will not feed in the first 500 rds. This was true for mine. After that break in period, it eats everything I feed it.

[glockman19]

I have a Pro Carry II, it is wonderful

[pjose411]

I carry and M&P Shield 9 today where I choose to use the safety much like I would using a 1911. I do Front Sight training twice to three times a year on top of going to outdoor ranges to train locally coming out of concealment. But I do get what HopetonBrown is saying, cant get into a situation with a gun that you're not familiar with the controls. I once switched from the shield to my XD9 at Front Sight and I kept trying to take safety off every draw...that muscle memory is ingrained. If only I can get my hands on an SA Range Officer compact...

[Bainter1212]

I carry and M&P Shield 9 today where I choose to use the safety much like I would using a 1911. I do Front Sight training twice to three times a year on top of going to outdoor ranges to train locally coming out of concealment. But I do get what HopetonBrown is saying, cant get into a situation with a gun that you're not familiar with the controls. I once switched from the shield to my XD9 at Front Sight and I kept trying to take safety off every draw...that muscle memory is ingrained. If only I can get my hands on an SA Range Officer compact...

I find that it is usually OK to train on a gun with a safety, and then transistion to one without a safety.

I keep the safety off when I carry my Shield, and yes I also automatically "sweep" the safety lever while drawing. If the muscle memory is there it shouldn't be an issue.

Now training on a gun where you DON'T sweep a safety off and then moving to one that you do could create a problem.

It's like driving a stickshift - anyone who drives stick can drive an automatic too, but not necessarily the other way around.

[FeuerFrei]

I've been looking for a 1911 preferably 3.5 to 4 inch barrel as my 2nd carry weapon. I've looked at the ROck Island GI Compact - heavy. And the Kimber pro carry II is nice and lighter. I have heard and read in Calguns that Kimber has a bad rap. How true is that today? Should I be concerned that they only have 1 yr warranty? The RIA tho heavy at least is backed by them for life of the firearm. The cost is 500 vs 800 RIA/Kimber. Thoughts Calguns community? Thanks in advance for all input.

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Having carried a Kimber ultra carry 2 for many years I can say that they are accurate and light.
1911 shorties can be finicky. Mine was at first.
One trip to Kimber because the chamber was too tight and lots of ammo afterwards before I blessed it good enough to carry. I am indifferent to weight but not reliability.

The thing I didn't/don't like on it was the extended mag release, slide stop and safety switch. Snag free? Nope.
I replaced those pieces with standard 1911 parts from Brownell's. Can't remember brand.
Having a de-horned pistol with all those things sticking out.

If you decide to go with a 1911 shorty be sure to shoot the hell out of it before you depend on it. Iron out anything that seems esque. (good rule for any carry pistol really)

[bubbapug1]

I broke the right side thumb safety on my Kimber after about 150 rounds. It's MIM and was too long, hitting the right grip slightly. The part narrows too thinly right before the rod. I never touched it but it broke.

That said Kimber sent me one no questions asked. The new part was shorter and stouter too.

So yes, the MIM parts are funky, but the Kimber is still an excellent gun. The sights in particular are extremally easy to use, the balance is great, and the guns have a good trigger. I'd certainly buy one again but I'd upgrade or at least change the right safety to the shorter model.

I've done drills with the following guns. I time from the beeper to first shot on target which is a 6" plate at 10 yards. I'm always fastest with the Kimber.

STI edge, STI Steelmaster, Sig scorpion 226, ruger new vaquero, Sig 938, glock 26.

My best time with the Kimber is 1.51 Sec.

I've never had a failure to feed or eject with the Kimber, even using my own funky reloads. It does great with gold dots!! It's a cdp II - the same gun you want to buy. Get one.

[1CavScout]

My full size carry is a TLE/RLII. Not the same gun, but still a Kimber. I had heard the Kimber hate for years on the internet, but kept an open mind when I was breaking in the gun. I ran 500 rounds through it (ball and HST) the first time I shot it. Not one malfunction. I now have 650 rounds through the gun and it has been 100%. Fit and finish is also very good. So far I am very happy with the brand.

I will not carry a gun I don't have confidence in. I don't carry my XDs9 anymore because of a failure that required me breaking the gun down to get it to fire again. If my Kimber was not reliable, it would have become a range gun. I am running ETM's BTW. Make sure you run good mags in your gun.

[jim13csulb]

I've got a Pro Carry HD II that I've had for a few years and carried routinely for the past year. Between local indoor slow fire and a fair amount of IDPA I haven't had any issues at all. Loved it so much I just got a kimber 1911 chambered in 9mm just for fun!

[bluzman]

I have a 9mm Kimber Tactical Pro II which is basically a Pro Carry II but includes night sights, a tapered/extended mag well and a checkered front strap. I bought it after first getting a .45 ACP Custom II TLE. Both pistols have several thousand rounds through them. All break-in issues disappeared after about the first 100 rds. Since then, both are reliable shooters. The 9mm is in my concealed carry rotation.

[keith1911]

I've got a Stainless Pro Carry II that I've had for 10+ years and it has over 10K round through it. After a little break in it has been great.

[JTROKS]

My Eclipse Pro II CS has been reliable, accurate and a joy to shoot.