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I'm not a 1911 person so I have no opinion either way but this caught my attention. ALE is North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agency. Also no opinion as to whether the pun lasted more than a day after the agency name was created.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/06/ ... iable.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It sounds like these guys have had some hefty monies to play with. And enough time on the range to see what guns were going to run - or not.

I had to chuckle at the writer's thinly veiled gun ignorance when he wrote that the Kimbers had the ALE logo carved into their "handles."

I also took note of this:

In addition to the new pistols, ALE agents have been issued new assault rifles after leaders determined their $1,495 Swiss-made Sig Sauer rifles, bought in 2006, weren't up to snuff, either.

So they are replacing Kimbers with Sigs, and Sigs with Bushmasters. I think that you have a combination of problems with the agency itself as much as with any of the weapons they are buying.

I myself liked the part about the "Safety button" falling off
I am also wondering what was done to the gun to cause the sights to break.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I had to chuckle at the writer's thinly veiled gun ignorance when he wrote that the Kimbers had the ALE logo carved into their "handles."

I also took note of this:

In addition to the new pistols, ALE agents have been issued new assault rifles after leaders determined their $1,495 Swiss-made Sig Sauer rifles, bought in 2006, weren't up to snuff, either.

So they are replacing Kimbers with Sigs, and Sigs with Bushmasters. I think that you have a combination of problems with the agency itself as much as with any of the weapons they are buying.

Im'e thinking the reasoning behind all this is to give the employees and friends a great oportunity to buy expensive guns at a cheap price.

Ah, North Carolina....the New Jersey of the South....complete with the corruption and everything!

Putting aside the history of issuing all new guns every few years, this is unquestionably a black eye for Kimber. It sounds like this special run was a little too special.

Sorry folks, Kimber's quality ain't what it used to be. A well made and properly set up 1911 shouldn't take more than 200 rounds to "break it in." In today's era of CNC machining multiple trips back to the factory shouldn't be needed either. It looks like Kimber sold them junk.

Most of the short barreled "1911" pattern pistols don't work reliably over the long haul and are too finicky to issue across the board to LEOs. Going back to the SIG was a good idea.

It looks like there was some "special interest" involved. I'd like to see how this plays out.

G.A. Heath wrote:I myself liked the part about the "Safety button" falling off
I am also wondering what was done to the gun to cause the sights to break.

Perhaps the ALE or solvents dissolved the "Safety button glue"?

Here's my take on it: Sights just don't break. 1911's don't have safety buttons and parts do not Just "fall off." Based on the issues mentioned in the article I am going to go out on a limb and say that these guns were either abused, improperly maintained, or the operators were improperly trained. Choosing a 3" gun with a mag-well to be issued to officers shows questionable judgement on the part of whoever chose to issue these weapons so I am leaning towards a combination of improper maintenance and improper training.

I agree that you have to be dense to issue a 3" or even 4" 1911 as a duty gun, but if the gun doesn't run regardless of the front sight and "safety button " issues then you've got to replace them.

This should not be read as an indictment of Kimber, but of an absolutely insane purchasing process that allowed it to happen. Who in the wide wide world of sports would allow a small local agency to spend that amount of money this way. Kimber makes very fine pistols, and the 1911 is a fine platform, but it requires loving care and dedication from the shooter. It really is a terrible choice for this application. Think about all of your friends in law enforcement who never shoot other than to qual, then imagine them using a 3" 1911. Amazing.

not completely "on topic" but my ONLY Kimber problem is the $1000+ price tag

Well, the fact that the agency spent a bunch of funds on Kimbers is beside the point. I am sure there was some imput/desire from the previous man in charge. All that aside though, I would never suggest a 3" Kimber for LEO. I have owned one Kimber CDP II so I will throw my 2 cents in. My Kimber was sent from the factory with ONE magazine. It performed flawlessly with that one magazine and that was it. It didn't likeKimber mags and only slightly tolerated Wilson Combat mags. The one mag that came with it had a metal follower which gouged the inside of the aluminum frame the first 50 rounds. It was horrible. I was pretty disgusted and got rid of it while I still could.

As far s sights falling off, YES THEY DO. I remember standing next to a guy qualifying for his CHL when the front sight of his Colt 1911 just fell off.

I am not sure if the safety "button" was ambi or not, but they have been known to seperate and fall off.

All that being said, I think they are headed in the right direction with the Sig, and I don't even own one.

For the price tag, Kimbers should shoot reliably under high-use conditions.

What "special training" should a LEO (even ALE) need in order to successfully use a Kimber that they wouldn't need to successfully use a Glock or Sig or Springfield? If a cop needs to be gentle with a Kimber, or fear it falling apart or otherwise failing at a critical moment, it's not a SD choice for me.