Judas Priest on a pogo stick, did I ever luck out with this one.
I've always heard great things about the various 1911s that Kimber puts out -- basically, that they're just about the best 1911s you can get outside of the higher-end 1911s from Les Baer, Wilson Combat, etc. So my stepdad's business partner picked up one a couple of months ago -- the Tactical Ultra II .45ACP with the 3-inch barrel -- and had raved about it ever since. The fella I buy all my guns from recently hooked up with a Kimber distributor and he said he would be able to find me one for a pretty good price. To make a long story short, though, it turned out that particular sidearm was on back-order and the wait time on it was about three months or so -- and by the time they came off back-order, the price was probably going to be well north of $1,000 a pop. (The Kimber website lists the Tactical Ultra II at $1099.)
Fast forward to last Saturday, April Fool's Day. I was chewing the fat with stepdad's business partner and he pops off with this, no April Fool's joke, either...
"I'm gonna sell my Kimber."
"Do what?"
"Yeah, you want it? I'll sell it to ya for what I paid for it, think it over the next couple days and let me know."
"Won't be no thinkin', I'll take it!"
I went and picked it up the next day. I talked him into letting me pay it out in installments, as I did not have all the money up front -- $931 after tax was what he paid for it -- and brought it home. He'd only put about 50 rounds through it. Here's a pic, courtesy of the Kimber website:
God, but ain't she beautiful? I took her out later that afternoon. I was thinking I would not have enough time, but I was sitting at home, thinking, "I can MAKE time, I can't just sit here." A trip to Walmart for 100 rounds of 230-grain Winchester White Box and more targets and I was on my way. Ran through the whole box in about an hour...just from the three-yard line. God, but she's dead-on accurate, will probably end up to be the best-shooting gun I own...at least so far. ;-) She doesn't kick nearly as bad as I thought she would with that little 3" barrel. I was pleasantly surprised...she'll make for an awesome carry gun when I get my CHL. I had a couple of failures to feed, and just one yesterday with 100 rounds of 230-grain Magtech. They said it'll take about 400 rounds to break her in, so we will see. With the big 3-dot sights, it's much easier to put the bullets where you want them to go. Only thing I don't like is the takedown...with that bushingless bull barrel, there's this little piece of wire which you have to stick in a hole on the front of the full-length guide rod to get the recoil spring-guide rod assembly (and the barrel, as the assembly holds the barrel in) out. Lose that little piece of wire and you're up the creek. I did a couple of times and uttered all sorts of curse words. Now I never let that little bugger out of my sight when it's outta the case. But I love this gun. As Stevie Ray Vaughan sang, "she's my pride and joy..." In comments to this post at View From the Porch, Xavier said,
...To many people make a $1000 pistol a safe queen.
Yes, indeed. The Lady Kimber, however, shall not meet such a fate.
Safe queen? More like range fiend.
;-)
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