Oh, I have that one and a coupla others.....

 

nice! What is the one with the external extractor?

 

A later-model CDP.

 

Wait….you have a combat carry too??

 

I had an Ultra Aegis that I shot upwards of 6,000 rounds through, never had one problem with it. I ran recoil assemblies to 1,500 rounds and replace it and always ran Kimber magazines.

 

I had one of these and it was one of the best shooters I had. To this day it may have been the best compact I ever owned.

 

6K?! That is amazing actually. I found the short throw ultras to hang up on me. I figured 1911s were not meant to be that short and mostly kept to government lengths because of it. You have a good one for sure!

 

Actually, the compacts CAN be made to operate VERY reliably - it's just that most shops don't want to be bothered with that level of work. Look at some of the compacts STI made - especially their Elektra model. I've carried one daily for over 10 years, and actually have a spare one in case I have to use it and it's held for evidence.

 

Well, in full disclosure; I hate kimbers.

I owned four; Ultra CDP II, Ultra CDP Custom II, Stainless Procarry II, and a Custom TLE II.
The only one that was worth a crap I sold to a friend; the TLE II. I sold two more, and kept the Ultra CDP II. It was an anniversary present from the wife, so I replaced a bunch of MIM, and got the thing running reliably. It looks OK; but I never carry it, cause it’s a damn Kimber, and they were a big flop for me.

 

Kimber used to have a real custom shop that did ala carte work. The service menu was 3 pages long. I sent several guns there for minor work while it was still operating. From what I remember the list of services was extensive.

 

View attachment 929219
This is mine, pic courtesy of Kimber site. It’s been a great gun. I have several 1911s in this officers size format and the one that’s given me the most trouble is a Colt Defender. Defenders are touted as one of the most reliable 3-3 1/2 inch pistols but this has not been my experience.

 

A lot of people hate Kimber. I have three Kimbers and I've never had any issues with any of mine. They run flawlessly. I don't shoot competitively, so I'll never see huge round counts so MIM parts don't matter to me. I like them and have no problems carrying one.

 

I have 2 both from the late 90's. I guess they were doing better then. Both have run great for me. Not high round counts through them. First a Classic Gold Match.

Royal Carry one of 600 from the custom shop, which I assume existed in those days.

 

Royal Carry one of 600 from the custom shop, which I assume existed in those days.

I remember eyeballing a Royal back in the day. Sweet classic lines…..
Glad to know they work!
I believe it was a choice between the Raptor or Royal and I ended up Raptor. That one was stolen in the robbery I mentioned as well. Didn’t get to shoot it much if memory serves. Really cool design tho….

 

The Kimber Custom Shop was always as it is now, a marketing ploy. Some people like to believe there is actually one.

 

I have had success with my few Kimber's and a TLE II was spectacular. They have put out models over the years that definitely had more attention than others, but with all the back and forth about what Kimber's "Custom Shop" actually is, it would be nice to have Kimber simply give a virtual tour or explain what they mean by the terminology if they don't have one. Maybe they used to have one and no longer do? Maybe the custom features available in years past, while "custom", weren't actually done in a custom shop but by the same smith's that built their other guns? I don't know the answer to any of that, but it seems as though a straight answer from the horse's mouth would at least let people know what they are buying. If they have ever directly addressed it, I am unaware of it.

@ss396cars Classic Gold Match is a perfect example of one of the Kimber's that I would truly love to own. Was it built in a custom shop or by the same smith's that build every gun? I have no clue, but it is a peach either way in my opinion.

 

Kimber is very careful with what they say in writing about that. My discussions with them were point blank at the SHOT 4 years ago. They do not have one. Additionally, they use assemblers to build guns not "Smiths"....

 

This is exactly where I hoped the discussion would go. Naturally there are many satisfied customers and that is GREAT. As it should be. But I, like some broke into the addiction with a string of Kimbers. The early guns ran way better up until around 2001/2002. I was convinced that the custom shop was real at some point. I would routinely send back my newest gun to them for some correction or another. Some got fixed and others did not. The “shop” got so bothered by me that at some point an executive was added to some of the email correspondence and one of his replies I was NOT meant to see…..he said “tell this guy we dont do custom work” and to send my gun back not repaired.
So I only keep my CDP Proto type since it was my first and not many were made. That and the thing shoots GOOD!
The good news is my sour Kimber stomach led me to oh so many other real guns out there. Perhaps I should thank them? Lol

 

The thing that always perplexed me is that I was 6-8 Kimbers in back then and that didn’t count for squat in the customer service department. Funny….Nighthawk is always so nice when I need to call them,,,,,hehehe

 

I did have a Kimber called the Custom Eclipse which later became the Eclipse II. That was a fine pistol for sure! Sadly it was stolen. I check in with the State Police every now and then to see if it ever turns up….one day maybe.