If your Kimber runs, I wouldn’t be so quick to trade it in or sell it. There are better ways to finance a new 1911 than selling one that runs.
I’m open to suggestions… I won’t turn down any help at all. How do I go about this without digging into my bank account??
Find a gun shop with stealth layaway. I have a shop here in Michigan which allows 1 year layaway with no phone calls, no email, no letters sent your way. You agree to pay once a month and don’t have to sell what works. I’ve bought 3 Kimbers, 2 ARs, and several high end shotguns that way.
Oh yeah and the Kimbers run just fine. I’m with the crowd about selling what works.
That’s a little hard to do here in MD. These suckheads here inly allow 60 days and their prices are way too high. My local shop said, they could order it for me and it be about $1300 with the layaway. We need shops like the one you mentioned here in this commi state.
Buy from an out of state dealer and not only will you get a better price but you won’t have to pay sales tax. 
They charge you for layaway? I agree: time to buy out of state.
No, they don’t charge for layaway. They do however have a 30 - 60 day limit though. Me personally, I would say as long as you’re making payments on the layaway its not a problem.
Correct.
Honestly, between Kimber and S&W 1911s, I’d pass on both. There are far, far better options available. If you’re after a basic model look no further than Colt or Springfield Armory, from there the sky is the limit.
The two best budget 1911’s on the market are S&W E series and Colt. Remember that S&W makes 1911 parts for a good number of folks so I would not discount them.
C4
If you had the options before the kimber I would say s&w. But to trade one for the other, I say if the kimber runs, keep it. Then again, other than the external extractor (odd smith thing), the smith is nice.
Grant, my first choice wqs a SA but, I saw the Kimber and thought it was a piece. I went with what I saw and not my gut instinct. Now, I am trying to redeem myself. What about the SIG 1911, are they any good??? I kniw ther earlier models were some shyt but, the new ones look like they have made the corrections.
Pass on anything new out of SIG (especially their 1911’s).
C4
Sorry for the thread drift but what parts does S&W make and who do they make them for?
Slides and frames from what I have seen.
C4
Had 0 problems with my ‘kimmy’ :stop: but good luck getting any decent amount of money out of that thing. I sold my UCII because the short barrel pissed me off.
Local shop has a park’d Springfield GI Champion (4") for $525…that’s top of my list. Have you checked those out?
If you can keep the Kimber, I’d say do that and then get the “E” Series gun.
I switched to a RB “E” Series S&W about two months ago. I am now well over 2300 rounds and could not be happier. I made a few changes, (which are well documented in Hilton Yam’s Blog about the “E” Series guns) and it has been a reliable sidearm.
In addition to the RB, I own the TA and the standard versions of the “E” Series gins. I would trust my life to any of them.
All three have at least 1500 rounds through them and they all work. I chose to polish the feed ramps and in retrospect I should have tested them before I did that.
I used 185gr Hydra-Shok, 200gr Corbon +P, Ranger 230gr Bonded JHP and 230gr Ball for my testing and break in. It fed very well from my WC and CMC mags. The factory mags had issues so I tossed them in the recycle bin. None of them were flawless at first. After I made the changes Hilton talks about and beat them into submission, they work great.
I especially like having the RB on my hip in the Summer. I didn’t think that a 10 ounce weight reduction would matter as much as it has.
To the OP…if I had to choose between the Kimber and the “E” Series S&W, I’d take the S&W.