Kimber Compact Aluminum Stainless

[davinco]

I was at the local gun show today and picked up my first 1911. Not the one I have been dreaming about but one I'm sure I'll have forever.

It is a Kimber Compact Aluminum Stainless with 3 mags, 2 Wilson combats, for $750. Was this a good deal. He was another patron and not a vendor. All the other Kimbers that I saw were going for a minimum of $1000.

What do you all know good or bad about this firearm.

[The Annoyed Man]

I carry a Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II, which is basically the same thing as yours, but with a slightly shorter, ramped barrel, and it is a wonderful pistol - accurate, reliable, light, and powerful. You should get a lot of good service out of yours. Many if not most of the Kimber carry weapons have alloy (aluminum) frames with steel slides.

[bryang]

Congratulations! That is a very nice compact 1911 you have there, davinco! I am sure you will have many good years with it. I don't have one, but that is not because I don't like them...you know, the ole' money thing.
And by the way, Welcome to the forum! It is good to have you with us.

-geo

[Excaliber]

I was at the local gun show today and picked up my first 1911. Not the one I have been dreaming about but one I'm sure I'll have forever.

It is a Kimber Compact Aluminum Stainless with 3 mags, 2 Wilson combats, for $750. Was this a good deal. He was another patron and not a vendor. All the other Kimbers that I saw were going for a minimum of $1000.

What do you all know good or bad about this firearm.

The gun in the pictures appears to be a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry. I can't make out the engraving on the right side of the slide. If it is a Pro Carry II, it has the drop safe mechanism. If not, it is a series 70 type 1911 design that could discharge if dropped muzzle down with a round in the chamber. The Pro Carry is an excellent concealed carry / personal defense firearm, and Wilson mags are top notch.

The price you paid was fair in today's overheated supply / demand environment, but was not a deep discount from what you could get from some of the larger handgun dealers at a gun show.

You'll enjoy shooting it - they handle very well and are extremely accurate.

[davinco]

The gun in the pictures appears to be a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry. I can't make out the engraving on the right side of the slide. If it is a Pro Carry II, it has the drop safe mechanism. If not, it is a series 70 type 1911 design that could discharge if dropped muzzle down with a round in the chamber. The Pro Carry is an excellent concealed carry / personal defense firearm, and Wilson mags are top notch.

Excaliber,

The markings on the right of the slide are"COMPACT ALUMINUM STAINLESS", the other side just has the kimber Logo. Could I figure out how old it is by the serial number?

[Excaliber]

The gun in the pictures appears to be a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry. I can't make out the engraving on the right side of the slide. If it is a Pro Carry II, it has the drop safe mechanism. If not, it is a series 70 type 1911 design that could discharge if dropped muzzle down with a round in the chamber. The Pro Carry is an excellent concealed carry / personal defense firearm, and Wilson mags are top notch.

Excaliber,

The markings on the right of the slide are"COMPACT ALUMINUM STAINLESS", the other side just has the kimber Logo. Could I figure out how old it is by the serial number?

Kimber serial numbers and production dates are not available on line. A quick call to them should answer your questions, though.

A little research showed that the Compact Aluminum Stainless model was being sold back in 2000, and the current CDPII model is based on that design. It is not listed as a current production item. The current Compact Stainless II model has a stainless steel frame and a drop safety. Without the "II" designation, your gun is a 70 series type 1911 and not equipped with the drop safety system. The compact models have shorter grips (like the Ultra Carry series) than the full size models.

With a used gun and an unknown number of rounds fired, I would suggest replacing the recoil spring assembly (which can and does break if you exceed the recommended round count without replacement) and the mainspring housing as well if it is plastic instead of metal.

[Bunkins]

Nice gun I have one just like it, except it's a Ultra Carry II.. I bought mine about 3 weeks ago and I've put about 200 rounds through it.. I like it a lot, I have no regrets in buying it at all.. It's my first semi-auto handgun, and no doubt it wont be my last. I prefer the way the Kimber feels, no slop in any parts, so far out of every 1911 handgun I've handled I like this one much better. Although opinion's vary greatly on that subject..

Mine being so new I cant say anything about how reliable it is, although I did have some failure to feed issues. Being that it wasn't broke it, from what I hear things like that are to be expected. I now use gun grease on the slide and a few slide components, and so far so good..

A little tip, when you remove the recoil spring and guide rod. Lock the slide back, and look on the guide rod, you'll see a small hole. If you put a paper clip in there, bent so that when you release the slide the clip hits the barrel bushing.. Makes it much easier to get it all apart.. Kimber actually makes a tool for that, but mine oddly enough didnt come with one. Their tool would probably work much better, a paper clip isnt really strong enough for repeated use, 1 or 2 times and it's shot. A few buddies with Kimber's complained about getting the recoil spring in a out, I find it odd they didnt know about that either You might have, but since it's a new gun to you and all I figured I'd throw it out there just incase you didnt know

Enjoy your new toy

[Excaliber]

Nice gun I have one just like it, except it's a Ultra Carry II.. I bought mine about 3 weeks ago and I've put about 200 rounds through it.. I like it a lot, I have no regrets in buying it at all.. It's my first semi-auto handgun, and no doubt it wont be my last. I prefer the way the Kimber feels, no slop in any parts, so far out of every 1911 handgun I've handled I like this one much better. Although opinion's vary greatly on that subject..

Mine being so new I cant say anything about how reliable it is, although I did have some failure to feed issues. Being that it wasn't broke it, from what I hear things like that are to be expected. I now use gun grease on the slide and a few slide components, and so far so good..

A little tip, when you remove the recoil spring and guide rod. Lock the slide back, and look on the guide rod, you'll see a small hole. If you put a paper clip in there, bent so that when you release the slide the clip hits the barrel bushing.. Makes it much easier to get it all apart.. Kimber actually makes a tool for that, but mine oddly enough didnt come with one. Their tool would probably work much better, a paper clip isnt really strong enough for repeated use, 1 or 2 times and it's shot. A few buddies with Kimber's complained about getting the recoil spring in a out, I find it odd they didnt know about that either You might have, but since it's a new gun to you and all I figured I'd throw it out there just incase you didnt know

Enjoy your new toy

The tool used to keep the recoil spring compressed for easy disassembly and assembly can be bought from Kimber here.

It can also be readily made out of .04" spring wire bought from a hobby shop. The long leg of the tool is 2 3/4" long, and the short leg is 3/8". Cutting the wire to 3 1/8" long and simply putting a 90 degree bend in it is all it takes. You can make a bunch from a single length of the spring wire.

[NcongruNt]

Also, another suggestion, especially since the history of the gun is unknown...

Since it is a Series 70-style pistol, you may want to replace the firing pin spring with a heavy spring and change the firing pin to a lightweight (usually titanium) one. This resolves the vulnerability of a direct drop on the muzzle being able to create enough downward momentum energy in the firing pin to overcome the resistance of the spring, strike the primer and cause an AD.

We had a somewhat recent occurrence with a member here who dropped his newer RIA 1911 on the floor and had the chambered round go off into the floor, catching some shrapnel in his leg. You can read the original post here:

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... 23&t=16443" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Excaliber]

Also, another suggestion, especially since the history of the gun is unknown...

Since it is a Series 70-style pistol, you may want to replace the firing pin spring with a heavy spring and change the firing pin to a lightweight (usually titanium) one. This resolves the vulnerability of a direct drop on the muzzle being able to create enough downward momentum energy in the firing pin to overcome the resistance of the spring, strike the primer and cause an AD.

We had a somewhat recent occurrence with a member here who dropped his newer RIA 1911 on the floor and had the chambered round go off into the floor, catching some shrapnel in his leg. You can read the original post here:

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... 23&t=16443" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

An excellent suggestion for a very prudent modification.

[HighVelocity]

I have owned and carried the identical pistol for the last year and a half or so. 100% reliable out of the box, shoots extrememly accurately with 230gr, 200gr and 185gr defensive ammo, carries easily do to it's lightweight and is just plain sexy as far as pistols go.

The only modifications I made to mine are, night sights, VZ grips, torx grips screws, grip tape on front strap, Wilson mags, Ed Brown hard core firing pin, Wolff springs and a Smith and Alexander magwell. None of which were needed, just personal preference. I am a chronic tinkerer and tweak everything to my liking.

[davinco]

Thanks for all the good info and suggestions. I plan on making my trip to Academy then to Bracken Range for my first go round. I'll be getting up to speed on my 1911 tinkering now. I have had a few glocks and sold my 37 prior to getting the kimber. Looking forward to testing it out!

Thanks again to all who posted!

[Skiprr]

The tool used to keep the recoil spring compressed for easy disassembly and assembly can be bought from Kimber here.

It can also be readily made out of .04" spring wire bought from a hobby shop. The long leg of the tool is 2 3/4" long, and the short leg is 3/8". Cutting the wire to 3 1/8" long and simply putting a 90 degree bend in it is all it takes. You can make a bunch from a single length of the spring wire.

Just a quick follow-on to what Excaliber and Bunkins said: You don't absolutely have to use the little recoil assembly retaining pin they described, but I think you'll find it much easier with one. The reason Excaliber said to get .04" spring wire (or the tool directly from Kimber), and that Bunkins said paper clips were good for only one or two uses, is that the little retaining pin has to be very thin to fit, and it's under a pretty good amount of pressure. The low carbon content of paperclips is simply too malleable; it bends way too easily. Even the original Kimber tool will bend if you let the recoil assembly slip a little and strike the pin while it's inserted, as opposed to letting it gently come to rest against the pin.

Your Compact Aluminum Stainless is the forerunner of my daily carry, an Ultra CDP II. Like HighVelocity, I use Wilson magazines. Surprisingly accurate for its size, it is lightweight and extremely comfortable to carry, and has been completely reliable for me. I choose Winchester Ranger SXT 230-grain +P for my defensive round, and I certainly don't feel under-gunned with that load in a three-inch barrel.

[Target1911]

I have the Compact Stainless and I Love it. Very accurate, reliable, and concealable. Mine will shoot any ammo I feed it.......ball, SWC, and HPs. It is my daily carry.
I think you got a pretty good deal being its an alloy frame. They seem to hold their value.

[davinco]

Well, I went to the range yesterday with the new defense tool and ran 320 flawless rounds through it . 300 UMC 230 grain rounds and 20 Speer Gold Dot 230 grain. The only issue I had was it did not lock the slide back on the final round twice.

My groups at 15 yards looked like my old groups with my Glock 23 at 7 yards. I love it already. I am definately a 1911 fan now. Still like my Glocks but I think I have fallen in love.

I have replacement springs and titanium firing pin on order should be here Friday along with 3 new Wilson mags.

The only thing I am dissapointed about is the fact that I don't have a holster for it yet and all the leather crafters I like are running a lag of 1-12 months.

Thanks again for all the advice.