Kimber for Concealed Carry

[HoustonRaven]

Hello everyone,

New to this forum today! I am looking to pick up a 3" Kimber .45 ACP for concealed carry. I was wondering if anyone else has one and have any issues / problems / likes / dislikes?

Thanks! Look forward to hearing from everyone.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[maxwell]

Welcome from Florida, I carry full size 1911 no problems.

[bsnow]

Great choice! Must train a lot no matter what you choose. Welcome from Montana!

[HoustonRaven]

I am former LE and Military Police so training is not the issue.

Comfort is a big issue with me. I was cursed with small hands so I have been carrying a Glock 19.

[JDE101]

Welcome to the forum. I prefer a full size 1911 to the shorter barreled one. See my signature line below.

[JKnick]

No problems here! I carry a 4" kimber everyday without any issues.

[DobeLuvr]

Welcome from the same neck of the woods,

I normally carry the rig in the pictures. I am finding that it is a pain in the tail to dress around it in shorts and a golf shirt. I normally wear my shirts tucked in and it would look strange for me to do otherwise. I will likely purchase a pocket rocket for summer carry.

Cons:
The Ultra's grip comes to very sharp point at the back and the point/backstrap checkering digs into both my hand when shooting and my side when carrying. I will probably have a gunsmith bob it.

The Kimpro frame finish looks cheesy and dings easily. For the money it should be hard anodized or Robar.

Pros:
It's a 1911, all metal, shoots acurately (I'm still working to find what it likes) and has gone bang every time for about 300 rounds so far.

[ScubaDuba]

Welcome. I carry a 4 inch Kimber in a CompTac Minotaur with no problems. I will also probably have a gunsmith bob it in the future.

[DobeLuvr]

I forgot to add that I also carry a Glock 19 in a MTac which is super comfortable but prints way too bad with a tucked in golf shirt

[DaveT]

I collect Kimbers and usually carry one of mine every day. Some days it's one of my 3 inch Ultra models, other days it's one of my 4 inch Pro models.

Never a problem with any of them being concealed. My experience has been that finding a holster with the right forward cant to match your physical configuration will take care of any issues with printing of the back bottom end of the grip.

Keep in mind that Kimber does recommend a break-in period of approx 500 rounds to insure smooth operation. As with any manufactured item, you will hear stories of malfunctions. While they are not that great in comparison to the volume of Kimbers sold, those owners usually scream the loudest on internet discussion boards. If you do have a problem with your new Kimber, keep in mind that Kimber's customer service is among the best in the industry and they will take care of you.

That said, go through your break-in period and make sure that you have a weapon with no malfunctions before you start using it for your EDC. I would offer that advice for any handgun, not just a Kimber.

[DobeLuvr]

My Ultra does not print nor did I say it did. My Glock does. Also, my Kimber has had hundreds of dry cycling operations prior to and in between shooting sessions. If I were not comfortable that it would operate when needed I would not carry it.

[JohnLeVick]

My usual EDC is a Kimber Ultra Aegis (same size as your Ultra Carry) that I have converted to 9x23. Easy to carry in a good holster, dead-reliable. I've carried several other models of Kimbers in the past, including the Ultra Carry, Compacts and full-size guns. Both my sons carry Kimber Compacts that I gave them.

As DaveT mentions, you'll find reports of problems with Kimbers on the net, and there have been some QC issues, but not on a Toyota level, by any means. There was a big lot of Pro-Carry-size guns that went out with recoil springs that were about 4 coils too short, for instance, resulting in feeding problems. That run even included some high-dollar SIS guns. I've fixed several for friends and family. There have been some extractor issues with some of the external extractor models, and various other, mostly trivial issues. My son-in-law bought one of the first SIS guns to come out, and it had the short recoil spring, an (internal) extractor set way too tight and about a 12 lb. trigger pull. Easy to fix, but a bit of a head-scratcher. He loves it now!

[Phantoms]

I've posted this before but here's my Kimber Ultra CDP II at approx. 4:00 IWB.
Carried everyday,all day long.

[DobeLuvr]

Phantoms, yours looks just like mine carried. What I am saying is that without an undershirt and with a tucked shirt, it is difficult to carry comfortably for me.

[Phantoms]

Phantoms, yours looks just like mine carried. What I am saying is that without an undershirt and with a tucked shirt, it is difficult to carry comfortably for me.

Change the position you carry at until you find where it's comfortable. I settled around 4:00 and carry there comfortably with and without undershirts.