So when SHOT show rolled out the belle of the ball was the Kimber K6S revolver. It was pretty cool, it’s reminiscent of the Colt Detective Special, but modern and in .357….but it’s a Kimber, and by now I think we ALL must know somebody who’s bought a high-dollar lemon from them.
Well is it as awesome as they say?
Thankfully Ryan and I have contact with Grant Cunningham who was a consultant on the design team!
Have a listen, Grant says a LOT of great things. I really wish all the best to Kimber, I’ll be super happy if this revolver marks the turning point on the less-than-stellar years of that company.
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I bought 4 handguns of the 1911 variety: 3 Kimbers and a Colt. All four of them were constant sources of jamming and misfeeds, even though each of them cost well over a kilobuck. One of those Kimbers set me back $1500.
That was when I learned the truth: It takes thousands in custom gunsmith work to get a 1911 that works as reliably as a modern handgun does out of the box, and even then the handgun is likely to reject certain loads or ammunition manufacturers.
That was when I sold my 1911s and switched to the S%W M&P series. I own Sigs, Glocks, a Taurus, a J frame, and a few M&Ps. All of them together have had less than half a dozen feed problems. I was getting that many misfeeds per 100 rounds on the Colt, and nearly as many with the Kimbers.
I don’t blame Kimber: IMO, the 1911 platform is outdated and unreliable.
I’m a little late on this one. First up Kimber is well known for poor quality control, and Colt is well known for going bankrupt.
I have minimal experience with, but hear nothing but good about Springfield Armory, who essentially makes guns very similar to how Colt does, but cheaper and better. My 1911s are S&W and they run like tops, and they are filled to the brim with MIM parts that function as well as forged parts.
Ruger seems to be doing VERY well for themselves with their cast-frame 1911s, and offering them at attractive prices, as is the Armscore family in the Philippines.
Of course Springfield does make their guns in the “outdated” method, and you pay for it, The others have modernized production (much like Kimber did) but did it properly.
It is an outdated platform, but from my experience, not unreliable.