I'm sold on Glock reliability, but am thinking about buying a 1911. Problem is, I hear a lot about having to break them in and constantly having problems with them. Is that just all from 1911 haters or do 1911s need more babying to make them run right? The Kimber Ultra Carry II is a nice looking gun, but I need to feel that it will work when needed.
1500 rounds never a issue , I would put this gun beside any glock on reliability any day or night but the problem is that the Kimber would be up front lol Haters tend to hate on 1911's but they have been around longer than glock and many makers are copying the 1911 and there is a reason . How man brands have you seen make a Glock like pistol>?
I carry one daily. It does NOT like Chip McCormick 10 round magazines and Para 8 round magazines. Has had NO issues with the supplied magazines. Lost track of the round count. Mine likes Golden Saber and Powerball ammo. Great firearm in my opinion. Not a huge fan on the finish, some are prone to rust spots if not maintained properly. Can't speak on the customer service as I have never had any issues with mine. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Your welcome, .45 and Blued. I will say they I did have the recoil spring break on mine, but that's what happens when you reload and seat the bullet WAY to deep into the casing.. LOL.
There will be no reloading at my house! Speaking of recoil...can you compare the recoil to one of the Glock .45s?
I don't have any experience with the Ultra Carry II, but I do have a Pro Carry II and while it's the best feeling 1911 I've ever held and was good to go right out of the box, it does require, ( and this is from Kimber ) recoil spring replacement every 800 rounds and the main spring and firing pin spring every 1600 rounds, IIRC. I was rather surprised by this once I found out about it. I would wager a guess that the Ultra Carry might also require it's springs to be replaced roughly this often, too. Double check with Kimber's Customer service folks about the particular model pistol and it's maintenance needs. I'm a fairly savy, amateur gun smith, so I do alot of my own work on my firearms and don't really mind the higher maintenance needs of the Kimber. ( On Kimber's web site, they sell the springs requiring regular replacement. These can usually be found in many of the local gun shops around the area, too. ) However, if you plan on shooting the Kimber often and the model you're looking to purchase requires spring replacement fairly often and you aren't keen into tearing into a 1911, then you may want to consider a pistol in this class from another manufacturer.
I can not compare the recoil between the two as I have never shot a Glock in .45. However when I was "shopping" for a carry firearm I fired the xd 45, a 5 inch, 4 inch and 3 inch Kimber . I liked the 5 inch and the 3 inch the best. The XD was ok, but there is just something SEXY about a 1911. At the time I thought the 5 inch was too big to conceal, didn't care for the 4 inch for some reason, and the 3 inch just seemed to fit the bill for what I wanted. I will suggest perhaps finding a range that has one (Ultra Carry 2) and you can put a few rounds downrange it to see if you like it. If you are ever down this way you are more than welcome to shoot mine. To me the recoil is not all that bad, however having a consistant proper grip and stance help with this Long story short, the recoil is not bad. To me anyways
This gun would not be a safe queen, so maybe I should consider one that would be more of a low maintenance 1911.
Not trying to steer you away from Kimbers, but this is something that I found out about after I bought mine. I've talked to a couple other folks who did the same thing and either found out like I did, or worse, found out after their pistol started having problems cycling/feeding/etc. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kimber and was lusting after one for years prior to actually bringing it home, but it's just FYI. I'd first find out if the particular model you're interested in also needs it's springs replaced as often or so, as the model I have does, before you decide to choose another manufacturer.
Ultra carry spring change is every 1800 rounds (unless you chip it firing hot reloads) Like ARMTGuy, I'm not trying to steer you one way or the other, just trying to give my experience with it.
Thanks for the info, guys. I'm going to try to find one to shoot. This gun is too expensive to buy without a tryout first.
I have a Kimber Ultra Tactical II that performs pretty nicely so far. I traded for it back in early November and so far I am happy with it. I noticed that you live in NE Georgia as do I (in the Athens area), I would be happy to let you shoot this one if you like and if we can set up a range visit.
I bought a used Ultra Carry II. Replaced hammer and recoil springs to make sure it was fresh and it runs like a champ. It is a carry pistol I can depend on. I recommend finding a used one... that way someone will have already put the required mileage on it to break it in. I've got 2 Kimbers. I like them a lot. They aren't the greatest 1911s money can buy, but they aren't bottom of the barrel either. If you were looking for a full size, I'd say take your pick of all the manufacturers, but in the compacts, which can be finickier, I think its hard to beat an Ultra Carry.
Melissa, Here is the Kimber Pro CDP II, that I just bought. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=53863 I too heard rumors about "breaking in" and "problems" with getting it to work right. I followed the owners manual, and feed it about 50 rounds, and then stripped and cleaned. First 100 rounds or so, I had a couple FTRB problems. Kept shooting, stripping, cleaning, and another 100 rounds. I did this about 3-4 times, cleaning every 50-100 rounds. They started to go away real quick. This past Saturday I took it to the range, and a buddy and I put about 300 rounds of all sorts of ammo through it. WWB, Atlanta Arms, Gerogia Arms, Corbon Power Ball, Federal Hydra-Shok, Speer Gold Dots, and a bunch of other crap we could find laying around. It never failed during that 300 rounds of assorted "stuff". Myself, my buddy, and the shop owner/gunsmith took it apart, inspected, and we all three proclaimed it "Carry Ready"!! It is by far the most accurate pistol I have ever shot. I practiced at 25 yds., and every shot is center of mass, everytime. I am a Glock lover, Armorer, and certified Glock nut, but I love this Kimber. It is light weight, looks great, and fun to shoot. If you want, you are welcome to shoot it anytime, if we can hook up somewhere. It might very well be close to the model you are looking at. I am all over Atlanta, and would not mind meeting you and your family/friends, if you want to shoot it. Jerry
In looking for an EDC a bit smaller than my XDM40, I settled on a Kimber Ultra Carry TLE II. First time out to the range I ran about 200 rounds through it. Not a single failure. Second time out I range another 200 and still no problems. I'd heard all the stories as well - and am happy to say that I have had no issues at all with mine. The ONLY bad thing I have to say is that it's a b*tch to run though a significant number of rounds with a single stack, 7 round magazine... Oh well.. btw - using CMC and Kimber extra magazines.