I’ve developed a love/hate thing on Kimber last couple of years. But lately it’s been more hating than loving. I have my reasons. So I have some serious criticisms for Kimber.
Tag Archives: Pistols
Glocking it today
You guys are of course well aware that I’ve been packing a 1911 a lot lately. Let’s clarify just what a lot lately is. About 3 days a week I’ve been packing my ATI 1911 Commander. I’m pleased with it. But the rest of the time, I’m packing my Glock 23. Still.
Reason being, there is no doubt or question about the Glock. It’s going to be there if I need it, and it’s going to do just what I need it to do. Simple as that. Also, it’s packing as much ammo in one mag as the 1911 packs in 2. That’s a bonus. Pretty much, the Glock 23 remains the perfect carry gun.
Springfield Range Officer.
We finally got in one of the famed Springfield Range Officer 1911’s. The simplicity and plain appearance belies the nature of the gun. It’s truly a Sleeper… a Q Ship. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
I’m looking at you, Taurus.
You know, Taurus is one Gun Maker that has more than it’s share of detractors. But I have to give them some props. Their 1911 really is a solid and well built gun for the money. Bang for the buck value is through the roof. I took a couple that we have at the gun counter, hit them with some Slipstream… and I kid you not, the bloody things are the smoothest 1911s in the case now. (In fact, I’ve never felt such a drastic effect from Slipstream, as I did with the Taurus 1911s!) These are very good 1911’s, not just “for the money”, but very good 1911s – period.
The only real problem it has, is that they are not selling.
Llama’s cute little .22 Auto
We got here a Llama .22LR. It’s very 1911’ish, small, and cute as hell. The action feels well worn, and the finish is about 80%… but the gun still feels solid and it should shoot just fine. We took it in for a hundred bucks… Marked it for 220 bucks. It has the box, all that, and two spare magazines. My question is should we mark it for more? I mean, dang… this thing is adorable.
S&W 745
This is an older Smith & Wesson auto. I’m not sure of the value as the blue book on it only showed the 745 IPSC model, which looks just like this, but has a fixed rear sight. It’s Single Action Only. The safety lever is only a firing pin blocker, and does nothing to prevent the trigger from dropping the hammer.
The grip is slim, giving it a feel much like a SIG P220 with factory synthetic grips. The checkering on the front strap is a little rough, but it’s factory checkering. Over all, I like the gun.
ATI Commander Update
The nice wood double diamond grips were just too nice for the ATI. They didn’t go well with the matte black finish. After awhile it got to the point that I found them just irritating. So I got some nice plain old Hogue grip panels in OD green. The matte finish on the Hogue work very well, keeping the ATI in a nice subdued scheme.
The gun is north of 600 rounds now, with only one fail to feed. Again, that failure to feed was in the first few rounds right after I got the gun, and it has never happened since. I did replace the recoil spring after those first few rounds, because the gun did feel under-sprung. The gun has been perfectly reliable since. The gun shoots point of aim/point of impact at 30 feet or so… I’ve had no complaints about accuracy, only compliments from everyone that has shot it. I’ve let a few people shoot it and no one has had a negative bit of feedback, and no one has reported any malfs.
The biggest question about the ATI is the quality of the steel. So far, there has been no unusual wear on any of the internals. So I am thinking, so far, that the steel is up to snuff. I have no reason to suspect that its a lesser quality steel alloy. I don’t think it’s anything great or special… but it doesn’t look bad at all. The only real wear the gun is showing is on the finish, which looked suspect right from the beginning. If you look at that photo closely, look at the muzzle end, you can see the wear. I’ll have Joe at Crusader Weaponry give this thing a Duracoat treatment, and that will take care of the finish – no problem. It’s a 450 dollar 1911, so you do have to cut it some slack. And finish that shows holster wear only makes it looks like you actually use the thing… I think a gun with some holster wear looks better than a gun that looks like it’s a Safe Queen. But that’s just me.
Gun Wants
Recent message asked what guns I was thinking about getting in the future.
That’s a good question. Because there are so many awesome guns out there, and new ones coming down the pipe.
Ruger’s 1911, the rumors are true.
To have another Gun Maker coming out with a 1911, isn’t surprising. But for Ruger to jump into this crowded pool actually makes sense. Much like S&W before they entered the game, Ruger has been making 1911 parts for a long time.
The “SR”1911… because Ruger can’t say 1911… actually looks pretty good. I like the fact that the slide is Forged, even if the frame is cast. Ruger’s casting is the best in the industry. I’ll give them points for not putting on forward slide serrations. I’ll even go so far as to give them props for not making the slide a huge freaking billboard. The simple Double Diamond checkered grips also look good, with a simple Colt style medallion inset into the wood. As much as I’ve been hating on Ruger… I have to give them a nod here. Well done, Ruger. Well done.
Now if you would just change your Distributor Only business model so dealers could actually make a buck stocking your guns – yeah… that would be great. Because as it is now, I hope I don’t have to sell one, because I’d make more money selling anything else. Ruger and Glock… there’s no money in selling the things. So am just not excited about these things.
Kel-Tec P-11
So I picked up a Kel-Tec P-11 today. I honestly don’t know why, but had to. The size and weight make for an attractive Sub-Compact, as is the 9mm caliber… being a much better defense option that the ever popular (but I don’t know why) .380. I have yet to test fire it, but I did clean and examine it and it looks fine. If I have any problems, I can send it back to KT for them to go through it. Lifetime Warranty makes any Kel-Tec a safe bet, and they stand behind their guns.
I’ll detail strip it down, Slipstream it, and then test fire the crap out of it. If I like it at that point – it will remain in the Ogre Inventory. If I decide I don’t like it, I’ll sell it or trade it.