kimber arms vs colt.?

Question

which manufacturer makes a better 1911??

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

I have a 70's vintage Colt, which I like very much. In the mid '90s, when I was looking for a target grade .45, I looked at the current Colt Gold Cup, and based on my research and the experiences of friends that had the newer Colt Gold Cups, I bought a Springfield Armory Trophy Match instead. Colt's were good ... but not anymore, in my opinion.

Personally, if I were to get another 1911 ... I would look at the Springfield Armory guns first, because of good experiences. The Kimber is a nice looking pistol, but I feel they are over-priced for what you get. The price of handguns, in my opinion, should not exceed months of your home mortgage!

I have not had the opportunity to handle or shoot a Kimber, in all fairness. But, the price tag is enough to scare me away!

To answer your question, Kimber has to be better than the current Colt's, but I would not by-pass the Springfield Armory guns!

Good luck!

Answer 2

If you asked the question five years ago the answer was Kimber because at that time they only made really high quality custom made and tuned 1911s.
Sadly, that is not the case anymore, at least not for all the models. You see, there's "Kimber" anfd then there's what the company called Kimber is selling today. They are milking the good Kimber name and selling assembly line models that are really no better than the Colts, and in some cases worse.

The current Series II Kimbers are fraught with well known issues: Poor fit and finish, crappy magazines, rough inside finishing, iffy accuracy, PLASTIC parts....yes, that's correct they use a plastic Mainspring housing!....

OK, don't take my word for it. Look it up yourself. I hear some PDs that adopted them are now dropping them, Denver if I recall.

Find yourself a good used Series I Kimber or buy the Colt...

Answer 3

Kimbers are nicer, but I would not mind having a Colt brand 1911-A1 if only because that was the original manufacturer. Even a series 80 Mk IV govt blue steel would be nice as a companion to my Kimber. One good thing you can say about Colt is that they at least do slides and frames right. I have been a real stickler on that lately. A lot of the Springfields that are not "special" are incredibly out of spec (newer GI models/mil-spec plus models) and Rock Island/Thompson/Charles Daley/
High Standard models suck. Kimber rules in it's own price category.

Answer 4

I have had bad luck with Kimber's that had external extractors, a bushingless barrel, or both. Other than that they perform well, but for the price you can do better. I cannot complain about any Springfield product I have ever owned. Colt is nice, but usually they require a little work to bring them up to snuff in comparison with some of the higher end Springfield's. If price is not a huge concern though, I would say Nighthawk or Les Baer. They are among the finest "out of the box" 1911's I have ever had. Good Luck, I am sure you will enjoy any of the three you are considering, just remember: No to external extractors, and yes to bushings!

Answer 5

Kimber will out shoot a colt...but they need a little more babying...keep them clean and they are the best 1911.

Answer 6

I'd have to go with Kimber.....your old school people will say Colt.

Answer 7

I have shot both and i would say Kimber hands down, I love mine its a blast to shoot. it will be even better one i get a compensator put on it.

Answer 8

kimber... that is what i have. but my brother swears by his colt.

Answer 9

Kimber, no question!