I bought a Kimber Custom II

[shaftbass]

It's pretty much an entry level Kimber without night sights, but I wanted a nice full size 1911 for shooting at the range and plinking, and after doing some research, and shooting a few friends' Kimbers, I decided on this. It came down to this or a full size Stainless Springfield 1911 target gun for $100 more.

$690 out the door at Guns & Leather for a brand new Kimber. The cheapest price I could find on Gunbroker was $689.

I'm going to shoot it tomorrow and I'll post up some results. It feels like a really nice gun.

Link: http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/custom/custom.php

[towerclimber37]

nice pistol reef!

[Guest db99wj]

I like it. That is one of the models I eyeball when looking at 1911 pistols.

[Guest Phantom6]

Nice new toy there bud. Bet she shoots sweet too.

[Guest GlocKingTN]

Thats sweet reef!!!

[TGO David]

You're gonna enjoy it!

[Guest GlocKingTN]

You're gonna enjoy it!

I know I would!

[Guest pelican]

Hi, Reef. New to the board.

I have one of these and really like it. Great trigger.Only thing I mhave done to it is a S&A magwell. Helps on getting a new mag in.

Enjoy!

Robert:)

[shaftbass]

I'm going to put sights on it, maybe a mag well, and then leave it alone. I can't think of anything else I would want to do to it.

[Guest Jason F.]

Nice choice!

[Guest Old Chief]

Kimber makes a nice weapon. I carry a 4 inch Elipse Pro II and have a 5 inch also. Both have performed flawlessly.

[Guest Voodoo_1]

Really nice Reef. Have you got to shoot it yet? How was it?

[Marswolf]

Very handsome. 1911s are a lot of fun to shoot. If you have a spot with a good dirt backdrop, so you can see where the bullets hit, try shooting it at a can or something at 100 yards. You might be surprised how well you do.

[shaftbass]

Really nice Reef. Have you got to shoot it yet? How was it?

Yea, I shot it two weekends ago. I blew 100 rounds through it and it was superb right out of the box. Man, those Kimber mags are some POS... That much for a gun and they are still giving the stamped steel mags out with it. That being said, it cycled the WWB fine, and a few Hydrashoks. @ 10 yards it blew the center out of the target, 15 was within 3 inches, and 25 yards, everything was within 6 inches. I'll take pics next time I shoot it. I also want to shoot from sandbags to see how well it does when I factor myself out.

Very handsome. 1911s are a lot of fun to shoot. If you have a spot with a good dirt backdrop, so you can see where the bullets hit, try shooting it at a can or something at 100 yards. You might be surprised how well you do.

I like doing that. It's fun to shoot stuff at long distances with handguns. At the gun club I am a member of, there is a 300 yard rifle range which goes uphill starting at about 150 yards. At 200 yards there is a 1x2" steel plate painted white on a dirt bank. I used to take shots at it with my XD-45 and rarely hit it.. I have a feeling this one will do much better. I love the 25 degree angle you have to hold a .45 at in order for the bullet to make it to the target at that distance

[molonlabetn]

It's always fun to ring the 200yd rifle gong off-hand with the 1911... have to use major elevation though, hold like 12 ft over, with .45acp.

Funny thing is, I can do the same with the .357sig pistols, and they have very minimal drop at that distance... just have to aim for the top of the plate.

[Marswolf]

Mostly a matter of bullet speed, as I'm sure you know. Most 45 ACPs are around 850 f/s out of the barrel while .357 SIG are around 1350 with much lower mass bullets.

My Federal catalog / calculator says the drop at 200 yards is 87.8" vs. 18.8".

[shaftbass]

It smacks 1x2' steel plates @ 100 yards offhand pretty easily.

[Guest BigBoostDSM]

Awesome, when I'm looking to pick up a 1911 that's what I'll most likely be getting. Sweet gun!

[TGO David]

It smacks 1x2' steel plates @ 100 yards offhand pretty easily.

You're going to have to do that with me watching. We were shooting targets about that size with the AR's last weekend at 100yds and the target itself barely filled the smallest aperture on the rear sight. If you're hitting a 1x2 at 100yds offhand, I'm going to be seriously impressed.

[Guest myheartsinTN]

I've heard good things about the entry level Springfield 1911. Any thoughts?

[molonlabetn]

I've heard good things about the entry level Springfield 1911. Any thoughts?

I owned a Springfield Mil-Spec for a long while... It was a great shooting gun, for what it was. IMHO much better than anythin else in it's price range (hard to even get a new Glock in the low $400s). Never had any issues with it until I had a gun-smith mess with it... even then it was just to sensetive to carry. It would feed SWC all day without a hitch.

I'd get another one... and leave it stock.

[shaftbass]

You're going to have to do that with me watching. We were shooting targets about that size with the AR's last weekend at 100yds and the target itself barely filled the smallest aperture on the rear sight. If you're hitting a 1x2 at 100yds offhand, I'm going to be seriously impressed.

Hell yea man.. come on out to Gallatin with me some day. I understand your skeptacism. It's really not that difficult with the Kimber. Once you shoot at it a few times to see exactly where you have to hold, the shot is not too difficult to repeat.

My XD-45 was another story.. bullet impact locations were not at all consistent after about 25 yards.

[molonlabetn]

Hell yea man.. come on out to Gallatin with me some day. I understand your skeptacism. It's really not that difficult with the Kimber. Once you shoot at it a few times to see exactly where you have to hold, the shot is not too difficult to repeat.

My XD-45 was another story.. bullet impact locations were not at all consistent after about 25 yards.

I believe it... seen and done such things before, myself.

I can't wait to get a 10mm 1911, to shoot flatter and take advantage of the inherent accuracy.

That's surprising about the XD-45 though... Both the Service and Tactical XDs (not .45acp versions) that I've had could hold better'n'average groups at 50yd, and hit the rifle gongs without much trouble. I'll have to compare again now that it's warm and feel like venturing to an outdoor range.

[Guest Len]

I have heard similar tales of Kimber abilities, but never seen in person. Reef, next time you go to GGC, call me! A "demo" might just push me over the edge and make me go buy one. (Been on the wish-list for a while now!)

-Len

[ZZRguy]

Hell yea man.. come on out to Gallatin with me some day. I understand your skeptacism. It's really not that difficult with the Kimber. Once you shoot at it a few times to see exactly where you have to hold, the shot is not too difficult to repeat.

My XD-45 was another story.. bullet impact locations were not at all consistent after about 25 yards.

I went to IDPA at the Gallatin Gun Club last Sat. but it was rained out, and several of us was playing around and I hit the 100 yard gong with my Kimber on the first shot ( lucky I know ). There was one guy who shot and hit the 300 yard gong on the first try with a M&P 9mm. A couple of guys hit the gong at 100 yards on the first try. A lot guys was hittng the 100 and 300 yard gongs after they seen where the bullet was hitting and adjusted their aim.