Are the old Series 1 Kimber Classic Custom 1911’s a good buy? I have an opportunity to buy a very good condition (less than 200 rounds) Classic Custom from a local gun shop for around $650 out the door.
How does this Kimber pistol compare to a Springfield MC Operator?
That’s a great price for a pre-series 2.
They’re about the same quality as an MC Operator/Loaded.
Yes, I’d buy it in a heartbeat even if I had to use plastic credit card.
They’re good guns- before Kimber went all nuts with “MIM/Firing Pin Safety”.
I had one and it was a shooter, well made.
Years ago a friend of mine got one, they are okay but don’t expect much from them.
The Series 1 Kimbers are where they made their original good name.
They were always made with the same mim parts.
I purchased new a low 2,000 serial number, in 1996, with the Clackamas rollmark.
It was essentially a Chip McCormick/Wilson type frame & slide, forged by Jerico, produced on modern CNC equipment, nicely dehorned, and with a very good fit. At that time, the Kimber 1911 was a rare option for an off the shelf 1911.
It had MIM, and the finish was poor, but the slide didn’t rattle, the edges weren’t sharp as a razor, the VIS was correctly milled, and they were forged. They could easily be built into dependable, accurate guns.
Mine got checkered, refinished, all parts upgraded to Brown, Wilson, C&S, etc, and a Kart barrel. Fire control, slide stop, extractor, sights, etc, replaced with best materials available.
It was an accurate and very reliable pistol, and held up perfectly to a brutal period of shooting. Yes, I retrofitted many parts, but I knew that going in.
Obviously, the company has changed, but the very first Kimbers were solid and worthy base guns.
Their frames and slides are still good stuff and make fine base guns, you just have to get rid of the firing pin safety junk.
There is no firing pin safety junk in the early models.
Sample of one pre series II. Carried on duty for 3 years in factory configuration with the exception of replaced extractor and sights. Eventually I replaced the ignition parts as after about 20k the hammer started to follow dropping on empty chamber on malfunction drills. It has been through multiple LE firearms courses, and a couple competition based trainings. After about 50k it got retired from carry and got regulated strictly to USPSA. Added a Smith and Alexander mag well and eventually replaced that with a Dawson mag well because gamer. Pulled it out to shoot the USPSA Single Stack Nationals last year and other than the extractor claw breaking off (which is the one I put in about 70k ago) during a club match it continued to run like a champ. Replaced the extractor and continues to chug along. Needs a new barrel as the accuracy is starting to degrade due to the throat showing obvious wear.
It gets cleaned rarely, lubed with bearing grease and motor oil and generally gets abused. The finish wear with the factory blue is really bad and wears quickly.
Jon
What is the difference between the pre-series II and the series II?
Mostly the Schwartz Firing Pin Safety junk.
Series II has the Schwartz firing pin safety stuff, and the quality control started to go down as they started making a crap load of different models.
As others said, the old Kimber (pre firing pin safety doodad) were good and tough guns. I had a couple and never had any problems. A friend of mine had several and shot tens of thousand rounds in them in IDPA. He had one that he had John Harrison customized, with a integral magwell, checkered front strap, trigger job, hard chrome frame, fiber optic front sight, Ed Brown beavertail and thumb safety, etc. One of the nicest custom Kimbers I’ve ever seen.
I’m aware. People think there is a big difference between an old Kimber and a new one. There’s not. They were always full of MIM and weren’t any better fit than anything they make now. Their ugly years were when they tried the external extractor. The Series II makes them a non-starter for most 1911 guys as it’s a flawed system and is a liability.
Late to the party- did the OP buy that Pre Series 1? If not, he should just put out the world re where it is at because somebody here would snap it right up.
I have a Yonkers marked series I. The big difference, other than the lack of the firing guns pin safety is the QC of the guns and the parts. These are the guns which made Kimbers reputation, undeserved as it might be today.
Yes, it is full of MIM, yes it is a rack grade gun. However, all MIM is not created equal. HK pistols are full of MIM and they work fine. The real issue came when Ron Cohen came in to trade on Kimbers good name while cutting QC to increase profits, a model he would repeat at SIG.
Awesome gun. Regarding finish wear, I kind of like the worn look. I have a Les Baer with DLC and the lack of honest wear bothers me for some reason. It’s like Dorian Gray’s pistol.
