Kimber Pro Crimson Carry II

[TMan]

I've tried shooting with Laser's before, and just didn't much care for it. It seems like something anyone could do with no skill required.

However, having watched too much TV as of late, I have seen instances where shooting a gun with a laser could save your life i.e. you are hurt or wounded and can't raise the pistol to obtain a sight picture.

Then after watching Joel shoot his Beretta from his side because of a shoulder problem, I decided I should investigate further.

While picking up the Walker (I can't even hold it up with my right arm - it is over 4lbs), I mentioned it to Becky, and she told me to go look at the Kimbers. She had both the Pro Carry and Ultra Carry models, and I just liked something about the Pro Carry better. Perhaps it is the 4"barrel - I'm not sure.

One of the things I like, esthetically speaking, is that on the switch housing it says Kimber on it. So you know these were made especially for Kimber. They are also adjusted at the factory to POI/POA at 50 yards.

So today I took it to the range for the first time. Rather disappointing: after the first round my shoulder sent a message to my brain: "what the ^%$* are you doing to me." I gave up after 15 rounds and handed it to Ed to shoot. He was quite impressed with it and had all of his rounds in the center of the target using the laser. My first 5 were with regular sights and after the first two, I started flinching and pulled the next 3 into the 7 o'clock position. The next 10 were in the center, but I knew then I was in trouble and needed to stop shooting for the day.

They advertise the trigger to be 4 ~ 5 lbs, but mine is breaking at 5lbs 12oz. However, it is very crisp and since I want it to be a defensive pistol (replace the old Ruger P90 in the bedroom), I'm happy with it at the heavier trigger weight, and won't modify it.

(For MLB: the background is the new marble on the living room floor.)

[MLB]

Is that a switch of some sort on the heel of the grip?

I haven't tried shooting with a laser. I do have the reflex dot on the RMII, but am not a big fan of it. I may go back to open sights. There's something comforting in just plain gunpowder and iron. No batteries required for years and years.

I can identify with the 4" barrel. I'd love to get my hands on just about any 4" 1911 at this point. It would be smarter for me to go with something new as I just don't know enough about the platform to identify trouble, but I'm sure there's a thread here somewhere that would set me straight.

[TMan]

Yes, that is the on/off switch for the Laser. The other switch is the one that you squeeze with your middle finger on the front of the grip.

I like it. I also like the 4" 1911 too. This is the second one that I bought. The first one cost twice as much and is made by Wilson Combat.

The goofy thing about the Kimbers is the need for the little takedown tool that looks like a allen wrench. It is used with the captive spring for field stripping the pistol.

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; Is the Kimber a Steel Frame or a Lightweight Aluminum Frame ?

What is your 4" Wilson Frame ?

I have a reason for asking you this. ;D

[TMan]

...I have a reason for asking you this

And the reason is: you are so smart!!! I never thought of that.

Because of the AL frame the Kimber is light and that is why the recoil is bothering me so much. I can just imagine what my shoulder would say if I shot the S&W 500.

Another thing of interest is the fact that the gun is so inexpensive compared to the Wilson. I could have bought two of these for what the Wilson cost.

Well, I had better get my rear in gear if I want to get out to Cabela's today. I've got a lot of work to do before I can play - even though the cat is away she expects me to have a lot of work done by the time she gets home, I can't spend all my time playing.

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; I am preparing a report on my findings, and I will have it ready soon. I'm a little slow this week.

["DoubleAction"]

"Another thing of interest is the fact that the gun is so inexpensive compared to the Wilson"

TMan; There is reason for that also.

I sometimes come contact with guns which don't belong to me; they belong to my brother. We go to the range together, gun shows, dealers, and we once spent three days at the S.H.O.T. Show when it was in Atlanta in '99, by special invitation from a very known gun smith that my brother knew.

My brother has impeccable taste for the finer things in life, where everything exist completely flawless. A person has to acquire that kind of life by searching, through an endless maze of grades to reach the goal of excellence.

The Kimbers

One day, my Brother brought two Kimbers with him on our way to the Gun Range; had a $1700. price tag on it ( the Full Size 5" inch model) and a 4" inch lightweight ( Alloy Aluminum Frame Model), with a $1400. price tag on it. Both pistols was called Limited Production Models to only 500 hundred pistols of it's kind.

While shooting the 4" inch model, I noticed that it did not shoot as smooth as my steel frame Colt Combat Commander or my steel frame Colt Officer's Model, after all, it was a lightweight and the pistol performed very well.

The Complete Detail Strip Of The Kimbers

My brother has always trusted me with his handguns, and I take that trust in knowing that when I'm finished with his gun, it will be just like "New" again; No Room for Idiot Marks on his pistols ;D

First thing that noticed while disassembling the frame, was how tight the the parts was fitted together. The Ambi-Thumb Safety had to be pried off, by using a lever. The pins had be pushed out, by using a pin pusher and brass hammer. While putting the Slide back on the frame, the Swartz safety got in the way, because it required leaving the your hand off of the grip safety.

For pistols costing that much, I would expect a lot more fitting of the parts and the fine tuning of the action. It was became obvious to me that pistols in question was not the work of skilled craftsmen, but rather to work production line assemblers.

Wilson Combat

Again; I was first introduced to the Wilson Combat pistols by my brother. I have been buying parts from Wilson for several years before I actually had the chance to shoot one at the range, at the courtesy of my brother.

Shooting the steel frame 4" inch Wilson CQB Compact, was like words could not described. The speed and accuracy of this pistol was far beyond my own imagination. I have to remind you that this pistol was stock, out the box, from where it came from the factory at the hands of Wilson Combat.

The Gun Range has a rule that multiple shots cannot be fired from the same gun, using the one second intervals rule; this prevents the "Spray & Pray" customers from shooting the place up. On this day, my brother and I was shooting on the two bay rifle range.

I thought it was time to test this gun, at the risk of being barred from our range. I loaded up a fresh magazine, and I decided to go to work. While using the method of tapping out the shots, by not placing my trigger finger in direct contact with the trigger, I proceeded to tap out the full magazine.
The results was most surprising, even for me. The shots impacted at the ten ring and went straight up, in a vertical line, in a within three inch area on the target. In most part, my brother had admitted that I had found my pistol.

Detail Stripping The
Wilson Combat Pistol

Detail Disassembling the Wilson Combat pistols, my brother had four, was a joy to behold. The parts was so perfectly fitted and it required very little effort on my part. The only thing that I didn't, which was minor, the plunger spring did not have a crimp, which caused the spring to shoot out upon the removal of the thumb safety.

I have four words to describe this pistol :

Fast, Accurate, Smooth, and Flawless