Kimber 1911 - yes or no?

[marie-angelique]

my first handgun was a Kimber 1911 - it was lovely and had a feature where you could change out the slide and shoot .22.

when i got divorced i just walked away from it all, including my guns.

thinking about getting another one. i have a glock, but am tired of the heavy trigger pull. plus i just want another gun.

should i get another kimber?

[Rhah]

You can do a hell of a lot worse than a Kimber. They make great 1911s. You might want to look at Springfield Armory however, they make great stuff too. I'm not sure what your budget is, but if your looking to spend in the price range of $800.00+ then for sure look at Springfield also. If you have any other questions just let me know, I love the 1911 and own quite a few

-Rhah

[marie-angelique]

does Springfield Armory make a convertible one too? i felt that really helped my accuracy.

thanks :)

[Rhah]

Any full size Government model 1911 (5" barrel) can be covereted to .22LR

Kimber, Marvel & Ciener all make said conversion kits. I can't say that I've seen conversion kits for anything other than the 5" Government Model

Those .22 kits are awesome great way to practice a lot and not break the bank. Great for developing proper trigger control too.

-Rhah

[Hitoru]

+1 on the Kimber.

But I'm partial to STI's . Although I don't think they make sub-caliber kits.

http://www.stiguns.com/guns/guns.php

[marie-angelique]

pretty :)


why are you partial to them?

is it just ignorance, or does the kimber look cleaner?

[Hitoru]

The STI is a handmade semi- custom gun, while the Kimber is a production line gun.
Kimber is simply an assembler/finisher of 1911 parts made primarily by other manufacturers. Their slides and frames are made by Smith & Wesson. Kimber does a good job at smoothing edges and finishing, but in some cases, I feel that they over-grind edges, etc. which removes the lines/look/feel of a true 1911.

[Hitoru]

http://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27

http://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44


http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread. ... c&t=117851

[marie-angelique]

The STI is a handmade semi- custom gun, while the Kimber is a production line gun.
Kimber is simply an assembler/finisher of 1911 parts made primarily by other manufacturers. Their slides and frames are made by Smith & Wesson. Kimber does a good job at smoothing edges and finishing, but in some cases, I feel that they over-grind edges, etc. which removes the lines/look/feel of a true 1911.

gotcha - thanks :)

[Woodsman]

M-A you have tons of options!!!

Kimber, Springfield, and S&W - all make very high quality 1911 style pistols - As do STI, Bauer, Wilson Combat, and many others - but the former are cheaper and still built with high precision parts.

Tactical solutions makes .22LR conversions for both the single stack 1911s and wide body 2011s (and a couple for the basic Glock models). I have personally purchased parts from them before - they are a top notch machinist house.
http://www.tacticalsol.com/products/22-lr-conversions?page=shop.browse&category_id=10

Another option is you could keep the Glock, and just change the trigger parts out and/or get a .22 conversion for it:

Most models of stock Glocks have a 5.5# trigger connector in them, making for a lousy feeling and heavy trigger.

Lots of folks, including Glock, offer lighter connectors (-), or 3.5#, that you can install quite easily. The connector just changes the trigger group angle so it is easier to pull the trigger back. Everything functions as before, but less effort to pull the trigger - this may change the overall feel of how the trigger pulls though.

Most of the "creep" of Glock's trigger comes from the trigger bar assembly rubbing over the firing pin safety plunger to push it down so the firing pin can move - this can be adjusted by buffing and smoothing the angles of the safety plunger, but it's tricky to adjust properly and still allow the safety to function properly - See Vanek, below...

Ghost, Inc. offers a 3.5# (-) connector with an overtravel stop that needs a little metal taken off to adjust (this is not difficult - but following the directions is very important).
http://www.ghostinc.com/category/35_rocket/
The feel is lighter than the stock, WAY better reset, minimal overtravel, but still has the creepy feel to it before it breaks (safety plunger is part of it) - probably the best of the cheaper ways to improve the Glock trigger though - other than working the metal.

Charlie Vanek makes (arguably) the best Glock trigger kits available - Basically, what his crew does is readjust the metal (and in some cases, possibly the smooth trigger assembly itself) and buffs and properly lubes the parts associated with the entire working trigger mechanism and sends them to you to replace - or you can send your gun into them if you want the sooper-dooper triggers, but most people tend to agree these are the guys to contact to make the Glock trigger feel the best:
http://www.vanekcustom.com/3.html

Advantage Arms makes .22LR conversion kits for ALL the Glock models (and 1911s - though I would opt for Tactical solutions if you're going the 1911/2011 route). I have an AA .22 kit for my G29SF - and while it isn't a tack driver, it will shoot with equal precision to the parent slide (at least). The manufacturer claims 2" @ 25y precision - and that's probably right on a ransom rest with good low S.D. ammo.

http://www.advantagearms.com/

There really isnt' much fitting for these - remove the mag, take off the slide, replace with conversion kit slide and mag and you're ready to go: 15 seconds maybe? It comes with adjustable Glock sights (which are cheap and not really well designed, but the good thing is they are replaceable, just like Glock's receivers). These kits are a really great addition to any Glock centerfire semi-auto.

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If I were personally to "do it all over again" (in my quest for ultimate high precision, highly adaptable pistol), I would have purchased a commander length H.D. framed 2011 (probably STI), chambered in .45ACP, with a .460 rowland and .22 conversions for the gun.

That's custom and pretty big $, but highly concealable, highly precision and allows hunting for anything from squirrels to Brown bears.

I like the idea of having just one gun that can handle a variety of situations - and I love compact gear.

[Woodsman]

SCHWING! ;-)

[Devlin]

You can't go wrong with a high quality .45 Even if you get tired of it they hold a good amount of resale value. I have this thing that when I go to a 9mm call it is going to a shooting, but going to a call with a 45 is more of a killing.

There are tons of them on gunbroker and other sources. Some people need to get ride of their toys.

[marie-angelique]

thanks for all the info woodsy, fixing the glock trigger pull is a great idea.

i still want to buy another pistol and really liked the feel of the 1911 :)

[Moosehead]

SIG SAUER makes some nice 1911 models. It's a popular model, lots to explore, many manufacturers.

[Ultra Swain]

The Sig P220 was a brilliant gun to own. Accuracy was unbeatable, never jammed, and handled the range bought reload ammo without a problem. The drawback was the small mag capacity. It was a shame to sell it.