Kimber or Springfield?

[Rich Cronk]

I am thinking about buying a new 1911 type of pistol, maybe something similar to the old Colt Combat commander or Officer's model. Kimber's Pro carry 2 or a loaded Springfield Champion look good because I want some enhancement for reliability. I plan to use this gun for concealed carry pistol, and the .45 A.C.P. being the man stopper it is, I really don't see any reason to consider any other caliber. So which brand makes the best 1911?

[Lone Wolf]

Forget about both. Try out a Glock 21 or 30 if you want a 45 ACP for protcetion. High end 1911's are more sexy,but handguns are lifesaving tools not fashion accessories!

[S&W 10mm]

1st off Welcome to PAFOA.

Now heres the deal this is a very touchy topic and based off of personal preference. For instance go back to the pistol page and click on the Kimber SIS and scroll down the 2nd page at the stuff. Thats what your most likely eventually going to start. I mean I love reading this stuff i wish PAFOA would have a ton of those smileys GlockTalk has because i would love to have the little smiley face guy eating popcorn so i can post it whenever i feel necessary. lol Anyways, I like the Colts and the Kimbers. I want to be able to try em all so i can make my personal decision on which one i prefer. So basically buy what you can afford. What is your price range?

[Warners Surplus]

My opinion?

BUY THE KIMBER!!

in the way of 1911's right now I own

1943=Remington Rand 1911a1
True Colt 1911
Colt 1991 Officers
Kimber Stainless Compact
Kimber Compact Combat
Kimber TLE
Kimber Super Match

The TLE is my everday carry gun and I would not give it up for ANY Springfield or a bakers dozen of Glocks but thats just my personal opinion!



Rich W.

[Lone Wolf]

Sorry I didnt welcome you! Really what it comes down to is what YOU like best. Research the features of each,and try a few out if possible. You will find that some swear by a certain 1911 over another,but only you can choose the one right for you. If you dont like Glocks,thats cool. Its just what works for me.

[wellcraft]

i have a SA champion and i wouldn't consider it for concealed carry because it's a bit to big in my opinion. it has been 100% reliable and very accurate but if you want a 1911 style pistol for CCW i would suggest you look at the SA micro or ultra. i have never handled the kimber so i can't offer an opinion.

[synergy]

First thing I would say, is that .45ACP isn't any "man stopper" any more than the other cartridges really are. Rapid, accurate shot placement ends fights.. not magic bullets. So my advice would be to consider what kind of a platform you can deliver rapid, accurate fire, more effectively from.

I would consider multiple calibers, and multiple platforms, honestly.

If you are stuck on .45acp small 1911's...my advice would be to NOT go with a Kimber.

Colt or SA represent some of the more reliable out of the box 1911's, in my experience. I'm still never gonna trade my Glock in for one, though.

Good luck.

[45 ACP]

I own a kimber custom 2 and have put a few after market part on it, so far so good, no failures of any kind after 3000 rds through it. Here go a few pics.

[triple-tap]

i vote springfield champ...

I was asking this question about 3 months ago, and I am sorry i bought both. The kimber was nothing but problems and I was finally able to offload it for close to what I paid for it.

you will tend to find more used kimbers for sale, and for good reason. Plus, Springfield has one of the finest customer service depts. period. They warranty you gun forever even if you buy it used. From what I HAVE HEARD (no actual experience though) kimber's custom service is hit or miss.

some of the higher end kimbers may be awesome guns, but for sub-1K money, I would definitely stick with a Springfield

I actually have my first "loaded" champ LW for sale as i upgraded to the operator champ. if you are interested, PM me.

[ScaredOnce]

I plan to use this gun for concealed carry pistol, and the .45 A.C.P. being the man stopper it is, I really don't see any reason to consider any other caliber.

Really? Again?


You should probably be able to make an informed choice of caliber before considering platform. I'd recommend to try various calibers and platforms.