What's the general consenus here about Kimber revolvers?

[tector]

I have a craving for a new .357 revolver (who doesn't?). Want to try something aside from S&W, Ruger and Colt. Korth is WAY out of my budget. The Rhinos just look goofy to me. So, a Kimber could be in the Goldilocks spot.

TIA for any help.

[rug357]

Two of my shooting friends have them one is 2" and second one has the 3" barrel version. Based on my limited shooting experience with them (about 100 rounds of 357 mag and 200 rounds of 38 Special +P through both) they were nice but not much better in terms of felt recoil and accuracy then my Ruger or S&W revolvers.

Comparing the 2" Kimber version to my Ruger SP101 and S&W model 60 (357 mag) I thought they were all about the same except the trigger was a little smoother and lighter but the SP101 was easier to control when shooting 357 mag ammo. You do get the extra 6th shot.

Comparing the 3" Kimber version to my 2 1/2" S&W model 66 or 3" model 13 I thought they all felt about the same except when shooting 357 mag the recoil was much more manageable with my model 13 but it may be because it has the compact Pachmyr grip and is heavier than Kimber revolvers.

Overall they seemed like good solid revolvers with some "custom" features. Their triggers are lighter and smoother than out of the box Rugers or S&W but some of my "old" (used alot) S&W revolvers are just as smooth. Their main attraction is their size as they are not much larger than most 5 shot revolvers despite their 6 shot cylinder and are light compared to other 6 shot 357 mag revolvers. They look very nice too...atleast to me. It would make a good carry weapon if someone wanted to carry 6 shot 357 mag revolver.

If it wasn't for concealed carry purpose, I don't see the attraction as their size and weight makes them uncomfortable to shoot. For range or plinking purpose I would prefer something a little larger and heavier...a "K" frame S&W revolver.

But then there is nothing wrong with getting one just because you want one. I got a Rhino revolver because I just wanted one but ended up loving that weird looking revolver as it shoots great and is very accurate.

[rug357]

If you want something "different" what about a single action revolver?
When I want to shoot real 357 mag rounds I shoot my Ruger Flattop Blackhawk revolver. It's completely different pace and I enjoy shooting some of my "real" 357 mag handloads (180gr cast @ 1,400 fps) without the painful recoil. It's one of my "fun" gun

[tector]

Rug, thanks very much for the detailed feedback. I think I might wait until the Miami show (first full weekend in January, I think) and go handle them, and maybe think again about the Rhino. Your endorsement is something worth considering. I had some really nasty wrist surgery in January, so recoil issues matter more to me now.

I just love metal revolvers and metal semi-autos!

[N4KVE]

While I can’t comment on their revolvers, I can comment on their 1911’s. When I worked at SS in WPB, every few months we’d take all the Kimbers they had, & inspect the barrels. Many had minor rust on the outside of the barrels. A little gun oil, & 0000 steel wool took care of it. It was a specific barrel from one of their models, not all of them. But these were new unfired guns in inventory. But it’d come back, & every few. months we’d have to do it again. A year later while working at Palm Beach Shooting Center a disappointed customer came from the range complaining about his POS Kimber. He claimed it never worked properly. He asked what else we had, & I showed him a Springfield that was $1200. He bought it, immediately put a box of fifty through it, & came back into the store with a big smile, & shouted out “anybody want to buy a practically new Kimber? So as far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t buy any Kimber product. GARY.

[rug357]

While I can’t comment on their revolvers, I can comment on their 1911’s. When I worked at SS in WPB, every few months we’d take all the Kimbers they had, & inspect the barrels. Many had minor rust on the outside of the barrels. A little gun oil, & 0000 steel wool took care of it. It was a specific barrel from one of their models, not all of them. But these were new unfired guns in inventory. But it’d come back, & every few. months we’d have to do it again. A year later while working at Palm Beach Shooting Center a disappointed customer came from the range complaining about his POS Kimber. He claimed it never worked properly. He asked what else we had, & I showed him a Springfield that was $1200. He bought it, immediately put a box of fifty through it, & came back into the store with a big smile, & shouted out “anybody want to buy a practically new Kimber? So as far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t buy any Kimber product. GARY.

[rug357]

While I can’t comment on their revolvers, I can comment on their 1911’s. When I worked at SS in WPB, every few months we’d take all the Kimbers they had, & inspect the barrels. Many had minor rust on the outside of the barrels. A little gun oil, & 0000 steel wool took care of it. It was a specific barrel from one of their models, not all of them. But these were new unfired guns in inventory. But it’d come back, & every few. months we’d have to do it again. A year later while working at Palm Beach Shooting Center a disappointed customer came from the range complaining about his POS Kimber. He claimed it never worked properly. He asked what else we had, & I showed him a Springfield that was $1200. He bought it, immediately put a box of fifty through it, & came back into the store with a big smile, & shouted out “anybody want to buy a practically new Kimber? So as far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t buy any Kimber product. GARY.

I had one of those pistols for a while. I got it on a trade.
I think it was called Concealed Carry or something like that...4" barrel with compact grip. The barrel would develop rust after short time with the worst problem on the muzzle. That pistol was very accurate with jacketed bullets and was totally reliable. I didn't notice the problem for years because I liked that pistol a lot so I shot it and cleaned it for carry frequently. I learned about the rust issue later and I contacted Kimber and after some negotiation they sent me a replacement barrel. I traded that pistol for something else that I can't remember.

[tector]

Oh their 1911s are way overrated for sure.

[rug357]

While I can’t comment on their revolvers, I can comment on their 1911’s. When I worked at SS in WPB, every few months we’d take all the Kimbers they had, & inspect the barrels. Many had minor rust on the outside of the barrels. A little gun oil, & 0000 steel wool took care of it. It was a specific barrel from one of their models, not all of them. But these were new unfired guns in inventory. But it’d come back, & every few. months we’d have to do it again. A year later while working at Palm Beach Shooting Center a disappointed customer came from the range complaining about his POS Kimber. He claimed it never worked properly. He asked what else we had, & I showed him a Springfield that was $1200. He bought it, immediately put a box of fifty through it, & came back into the store with a big smile, & shouted out “anybody want to buy a practically new Kimber? So as far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t buy any Kimber product. GARY.

I have several Kimber 1911 pistols in various sizes. I purchased all of them when they first started coming out. Last Kimber I purchased was the TLE pistol. All of mine are excellent pistols with great accuracy and total reliability. Only exception was the Target model where the rear sight elevation adjustment screw broke 2 time. I just replaced it with a Bomar adjustable sight and I never had another problem. I've heard there were some widespread problems with their pistols later but I did not personally have issues except the Concealed Carry with the rusty barrel.
My Kimber Target has over 10k rounds fired now and the TLE is reaching 20k rounds. They just required good magazine and ammo plus regular maintenance to keep running.

[George W]

I too have nerve issues in my hands. In addition to the cool looks of the Rhino, this was part of my reason to buy one as allegedly the perceived recoil is better, softer than comparable .357 revolvers. I'll let you know tomorrow how this works for me as my son and I will be going to the range to try it and a few other new to us toys.