Kimber Ultra Carry II

[dfletcher]

Bouncing around some options for a 3" lightweight 1911 - have a few, none of them is a Kimber. I see them on line at about $670.00 and I figure transfer to my not so greedy FFL, shipping, tax will add about $100.00 - does that make it about a "push" if I buy local? I haven't paid a heck of alot of attention to Kimber pricing.

For reasons I don't quite get, manufacturers of the 3" 1911s consider the "Officers Model" grip length about minimum rather than the 1" shorter Detonics - the Kimber Ultra takes the same OM length mags, correct?

If anyone has one and can provide experience on reliability, accuracy it's appreciated. And if there's a gun store between Sac & SJ that has them in the $750.00 range, I'd rather buy from a LGS than on line. I usually hit stores from Rocklin to Manteca to San Jose on "gun run Saturday".

I presume what CA DOJ lists as this: Ult Carry II / Blue Steel, Alum. Alloy Pistol 3" .45 ACP 1/1/2018

is this:http://www.gunbroker.com/item/608355993

[Cokebottle]

Looks like that is one.
Riflegear shows 7 Ultra II models (hopefully the filters work on the link)
It is a 7rd mag and overall height is 4.75"

[diveRN]

I have one, it's actually my EDC. I've got more than 10,000 rounds through it and have come to these conclusions:

The good:

It's a 1911, so the trigger is as you would expect.

It has been very reliable for me using 230gr JHP Speer Gold Dot ammunition. Have NEVER seen a failure of any kind after firing several hundred of these rounds.

Using different powders and projectiles, I have developed several different reloads for this gun that shoot very much like the Speer GD in terms of recoil and velocity. No issues with these either.

It's pretty accurate for a 3" gun. I can easily take down a 6" plate rack at 15 yards and score devastating hits on an FBI target out to about 30 yards. Beyond that, it's a guess where it's going to hit.

It's easy to conceal for a 1911, leaves a minimal print.

The iffy stuff that I would change (again):

The factory sights suck. No dots, just plain Jane Kimber sights. I installed Meprolight Trudot Night Sights specifically fitted for the Kimber and like them much better. Price varies for these, shop around.

Kimber mags suck: Buy some Wilson Combat mags when you purchase the gun.

Take down is weird for a 1911. You have to use a special tool or bent paper clip to remove the barrel from the slide vs just removing the bushing, spring, guide rod, etc. It's really not a big deal, but kinda funky.

Initially, my UCII had some issues with steel cased ammo like Wolf and Tula. Didn't like it, had several stove pipes and double feed issues with those rounds, until I went to a 22lb recoil spring (up from the factory 18lb) at around 2000-2500 rounds. Once I did this, it will fire/eject/feed anything I've fed it. Polishing the feed ramp also helps.

I had a TON of stovepipes and other issues with my own reloads starting around 4500 - 5000 rounds when I never had these issues before. After tweaking the Kimber extractor some, the problem decreased a lot, but didn't go away so I replaced it completely with a Wilson Combat direct fit version and it has worked flawlessly since. I would probably do the recoil spring and extractor straight away knowing what I know now.


Overall:
I like the gun, at least enough to carry it daily. Not too heavy, easy to get parts for, easy to find holsters for, and shoots well when you get a few things dialed in.

I changed the grips to a Hogue solid grip with finger cutouts to add some bulk to it. I have big hands, so this helped me establish a more positive master grip when drawing.

As with many guns, don't use +P ammo in this one. Firstly, there's no need for it, and secondly, it will wear out your gun prematurely.

Some guys like Yeager will badmouth the 3" 1911s (and 1911's in general), but I've found this particular gun to be solid and reliable. YMMV. Some people love Kimber, some people hate them. I'm somewhere in the middle, but certainly more towards the "love" side of the continuum.

EDIT TO ADD: I also have Colt Defender. From the factory, the Colt has more bells and whistles like dot sights and better mags, but otherwise they're pretty equal in terms of accuracy and reliability. Since I shoot ~2500 rounds a year with my UCII, which I had first, I expect that I'll be retiring it before too long and will start carrying the Colt afterwards.



Sights.

[dfletcher]

^
Thanks for the review, especially the effects of a few thousand rounds of ammo. I have a Defender too. Lots of "shake, rattle & roll" but the thing is reliable as heck. The Kimber at 4.75" height is pretty good, the Detonics has 1 fewer capacity and comes in just about 4" height.

I don't mind the oddball takedown. Kind of a pain but I can live with it.

[dfletcher]

Looks like that is one.
Riflegear shows 7 Ultra II models (hopefully the filters work on the link)
It is a 7rd mag and overall height is 4.75"

I didn't notice the Eclipse Ultra with 3" bbl, Kimber lists it as CA OK too. Hmmm.

[Cokebottle]

I didn't notice the Eclipse Ultra with 3" bbl, Kimber lists it as CA OK too. Hmmm.

I like the Eclipse, it's a nice gun, but it and the basic Carry II models have the sights diveRN talked about.
The CDP, Covert, and Raptor all come with night sights.

I'm seriously thinking about a Covert to replace my G36 on my permit.

[Peashooter]

I have one, it's actually my EDC. I've got more than 10,000 rounds through it and have come to these conclusions:

The good:

It's a 1911, so the trigger is as you would expect.

It has been very reliable for me using 230gr JHP Speer Gold Dot ammunition. Have NEVER seen a failure of any kind after firing several hundred of these rounds.

Using different powders and projectiles, I have developed several different reloads for this gun that shoot very much like the Speer GD in terms of recoil and velocity. No issues with these either.

It's pretty accurate for a 3" gun. I can easily take down a 6" plate rack at 15 yards and score devastating hits on an FBI target out to about 30 yards. Beyond that, it's a guess where it's going to hit.

It's easy to conceal for a 1911, leaves a minimal print.

The iffy stuff that I would change (again):

The factory sights suck. No dots, just plain Jane Kimber sights. I installed Meprolight Trudot Night Sights specifically fitted for the Kimber and like them much better. Price varies for these, shop around.

Kimber mags suck: Buy some Wilson Combat mags when you purchase the gun.

Take down is weird for a 1911. You have to use a special tool or bent paper clip to remove the barrel from the slide vs just removing the bushing, spring, guide rod, etc. It's really not a big deal, but kinda funky.

Initially, my UCII had some issues with steel cased ammo like Wolf and Tula. Didn't like it, had several stove pipes and double feed issues with those rounds, until I went to a 22lb recoil spring (up from the factory 18lb) at around 2000-2500 rounds. Once I did this, it will fire/eject/feed anything I've fed it. Polishing the feed ramp also helps.

I had a TON of stovepipes and other issues with my own reloads starting around 4500 - 5000 rounds when I never had these issues before. After tweaking the Kimber extractor some, the problem decreased a lot, but didn't go away so I replaced it completely with a Wilson Combat direct fit version and it has worked flawlessly since. I would probably do the recoil spring and extractor straight away knowing what I know now.


Overall:
I like the gun, at least enough to carry it daily. Not too heavy, easy to get parts for, easy to find holsters for, and shoots well when you get a few things dialed in.

I changed the grips to a Hogue solid grip with finger cutouts to add some bulk to it. I have big hands, so this helped me establish a more positive master grip when drawing.

As with many guns, don't use +P ammo in this one. Firstly, there's no need for it, and secondly, it will wear out your gun prematurely.

Some guys like Yeager will badmouth the 3" 1911s (and 1911's in general), but I've found this particular gun to be solid and reliable. YMMV. Some people love Kimber, some people hate them. I'm somewhere in the middle, but certainly more towards the "love" side of the continuum.

EDIT TO ADD: I also have Colt Defender. From the factory, the Colt has more bells and whistles like dot sights and better mags, but otherwise they're pretty equal in terms of accuracy and reliability. Since I shoot ~2500 rounds a year with my UCII, which I had first, I expect that I'll be retiring it before too long and will start carrying the Colt afterwards.



Sights.

Great write up.
I would like to add I love mine
Seems I shoot this better than my other 1911's idk?

[SonofWWIIDI]

Great gun. Never had a problem.

I did put better sights on it.

[Blade Gunner]

Wish it came in 38 super

[caliberetta]

I had a Kimber Ultra Carry II.

It was a beautiful gun. The problem is a never ending series of FTF, just like so many Kimber owners. Even when I sent it back to Kimber, it would still come back FTFing.

I even had Wilson Combat mags and it would FTF on those, too, but not as bad as with the original mags.

People have developed many ways to make it work well, some are right here on this thread.

But for me, the magic trick was relatively simple. I ditched the original mag. I ditched the Wilson Combat mag. And I got myself the Kimber KimPro Tac mags. This is all that was needed to make the gun work flawlessly.

Hope that helps, good luck.




Picture (I had two of them, the other was the SIS model. Runs flawlessly too with KimPro Tac mags and a 22lb recoil spring).
.

[diveRN]

I like the Eclipse, it's a nice gun, but it and the basic Carry II models have the sights diveRN talked about.
The CDP, Covert, and Raptor all come with night sights.

I'm seriously thinking about a Covert to replace my G36 on my permit.

Just FYI - The California compliant version of the Eclipse Ultra II has Meprolight Night Sights on it as OEM.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/eclipse-ultra-ca

[FeuerFrei]

I carried a CDP 3" shorty for years. Good pistol for me after some teething problems.
Tight chamber and 1 trip back to Kimber. (iirc, it's been a while)
I shot 230gr ball for practice (steel cased and brass ammo du jour) and Corbon Pow'rBall ammo for carry. +P 165gr.
The OEM mags work fine and Chip McCormick's as well. CMI SS 8rd mags worked as well.
The overly wide ambi safety can use replacing as well as the grips. (personal prefs)
Take down can be done sans tool (paperclip) so no biggie there either.
My Kimber is now benched for LTC duty. Other options abound so...

[dfletcher]

I like the Eclipse, it's a nice gun, but it and the basic Carry II models have the sights diveRN talked about.
The CDP, Covert, and Raptor all come with night sights.

I'm seriously thinking about a Covert to replace my G36 on my permit.

I'd plan on replacing with XS sights, maybe Novak. I see Fusion has an adjustable that works on the fixed cut:

http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/sights/sight-sets/kimber-adjustable-white-dot-sight-set-prod97678.aspx?avs%7cMake_3=Kimber

[Cokebottle]

I really like my TroGlo TFX sights.