Got my 1st handgun...
 

Finally got my 1st handgun.. it'sa cheap little 1911.. that I got off the used rack at local gun store. I got it for a great deal... It's a Kimber Stainless Pro Carry...



Been looking at extra mags for it.. and I Wilson Combat are excellent but a bit pricey.. How do the Ed Brown mags compare? Saw them for pretty cheap on Midway.

Also what target ammo do you guys tend to like?
What self defense ammo?

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Wow, pretty nice for a 1st one! Congrats, should serve you well. I'm a huge Kimber fan. For self defense ammo I use Speer Gold Dots in my Glock 23.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

You'll be happy with that. Nice choice.
Not sure about themags, but stick with major brands for sure, and test each one with your self defense ammo.

Anything in 230g will hit hard for defense. I use a lighter round from Federal because the backup gun has a very short barrel, and I want to have enough velocity to insure expansion.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Nice. What's so cheap about it and what caliber is it? I've been eyeing the Ruger P95 or P345 for around 400 bones. How much was that one if you don't mind?

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

The cheap part was the price that I got it for... which was less than $400.

And it's a .45 ACP of course...

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Nice, I think you did very well!

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

cool, I don't know that much about hand guns but have been thinking about getting one for homeland defense. Please don't think I'm crazy for saying that or that I'm a Jack Bauer wannabe. I just would like a little extra security these days. You never know what could happen in the next 5 to 10 years.......

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

That's a heck of a deal. Congratulations, big time.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

KB, you got a great deal on the Kimber. You will really appreciate your decision. I own one ofthe the Kimber CDP's and it's by far my favorite auto loader handgun.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Good buy!

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Are there any must haves or any mods that onemust to do to a 1911? other than what's done from Kimber?

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

ttt

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

"Must"? Hmmm, there's a can o' worms.

I haven't felt the need to do anything to my Kimber Eclipse Custom II. Then again, it's my 1st & only. I have felt better triggers on others, so I might go there. I didn't care for the sights at first, but I've learned to shoot so accurately with them that I'd be afraid to screw them up now! I think you & I started far enough up the 1911 food chain that we don't have to start with the upgrades all that soon.

I trade with others at the range to see if I like how theirs shoot, then see what they've done to make it like that. I also spend more time at the gun case now than I did when I bought mine! I might find something so cool that I'd be inclined to tweak mine.

I like to think of it as having a girlfriend, rather than a wife: if you see something you like better, feel free to upgrade what you've got! Only in this case, you can do it 1 part at a time.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

KBacon,

The 1911, as a critter in general, has been heavily modified and improved from it's original design which actually came outaround 1903 and then had a major redesignaround1911 if memory serves. Kimber's big marketing push is that they specialize in out-of-the-box 1911s that have all or many of the 'custom' features that people have done over the years to make their guns more reliable, perform better, and be more personalized.

Original 1903:
note grip angle and overall shape


Original 1911:
note new grip angle, simple grip safety, hammer shape, poor sights, and small ejection port.




Some common modernupgrades that your pistol appears to already have:
-lowered and flared ejection port (for reliability)
-polished feed ramp (to feed hollowpoints better. The originals were designed to feed hardball ammo due to the anticipated military usage, Geneva Convention restrictions, and the infancy of hollowpoint development at the time)
-beavertail safety (to better protect the web of your gun hand from the movement of the slide, and also to better protect the rear of the cocked hammer from being struck at such an angle that it might damage the sear and fire a round unintentionally when dropped.)
-much better sights (a must for accurate shooting)
-skeletonized speed hammer (for quicker locks times that help keep the gun on target through the trigger stroke)
-a manual safety that is easier to manipulate than the original small bump (not visiblein the above view)
-allen screws for the grips (nice to look at, and generally will show less wear than regular screws.)

Some other things you may wish tochange about your new 'girlfriend':
What a great analogy! :D

-ambidextrous manual safety (so either hand can work it. Good for competition or off-hand use in the event of a combat injury)
-fancy grips (who dosen't want to change the way your girlfriend dresses occasionally?)
-a curved mainspring housing (most guys like the feel of the straight one, but there are curved ones of varying shapes available too.)
-higher capacity single stack magazines (there are various sizes, but a 10 rounder wont stick out of the bottom too much if you want a few more bullets without going to a double stack sized frame and a whole new gun. Test all magazines for reliability both full and with only a few rounds in them. Poorly shaped mag lips will fail to feed often when the mag is maxed out, and weak springs will fail most often when there are only 1 or 2 shots left.)
-add bump pads to the bottom of your mags since they are already drilled for them (makes it less likely that you will fail to seat a magazine deeply enough during a quick reload, mainly for competition. The rubber pads may not be a good idea for carry since they will adhere to clothing.)

Other than that, there isn't much to change. That pistol of yours is a good modern 1911 with plenty of bells and whistles. As with any gun, it may be more accurate with one bullet weight, brand, or style, so break it in properly with a few hundred rounds of any generic ammo, and then start playing around to see what shoots best.

Enjoy the girlfriend!
-Bulz

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Congrats on your purchase. Good choice! Kimber makes a fine firearm and the 1911 is an American icon. I have one myself. There are a number of good mags you can buy for it. Wilson Combat, Chip McCormack just to name a few. Shop around, you'll come across some good deals. Just my 2 cents worth..

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Well.. just got back from shooting it for the 1st time... went through a quick 100rds.

I think it shot pretty well from about 40'... considering I've never really shot a handgun before.

Out of 100rds.. I prolly had 7-10 times where the slide locked back.. and didn't feed the next shell. Rack the slide back and it would feed the shell and continue to fire. Not sure what this is called. What causes this? I am new to all this.. and I know that improper grip can cause issues like this?

The below pic is 5 mags worth of ammo.. so 40 rds. The outer spray was just racking off the last 2 clips for fun...

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Wow. . .and you're smart too. Great pick. Now you need a full size 1911!

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Ain't NEVER heard "cheap little 1911" associated with a Kimber.

You got a GREAT deal provided it is in good shape. Hard to beat those up so my guess someone bought it and then didn't like it cause they couldn't shoot it well, it didn't fit them or it was too much for them.

That would be their loss and your gain.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Really, that is not ok. You may want to try a different magazine and see if that eliminates your problem. Usually, this is caused bybullet catching the slide stop. Sometimes this is shooter bumping the slide stop. Be sure you are not touching during recoil. It should never do this of course.A gunsmith can repair fairly easily.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

I think you just found out why that gun was so cheap. I know there are a lot of Kimber fans here but I have not heard good things about their guns. I was all set on buying the exact gun you just did until I did a little research.I read a lot of guys had gun that jammed, slides actually getting stuck, poor customerservice, multiple returns to the manufacturer. It seems like if you get a good Kimber they are no problem, but it sounds like they have a lot of lemons. Either way you did get a heck of a deal on that gun and if you have to put some money into it to make it reliable you will still make out OK.

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

chr103yod... Yeah.. it may have a few issues.. but it shouldn't take much to remedy this issue I hope. Gonna try a couple more boxes of ammo and a few different mags and see if it continues.I've also been told that the Kimbers need a "break in" period? This gun is in such good condition.. that it may not have had the "break in" completed yet?

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

Just talked w/ the guy that originally owned the gun today... he said that he only put 200 rds through it.. and he bought it new. So the gun only has 300 rounds through it total. He stated that he never had a single issue with the gun.. So I believe that it's very probable that I may have been hitting the slide release w/ my thumb during the shot or something like that. I totally disassembled the gun today, cleaned and lubed it a bit more.
How far do you guys normally take down your guns when cleaning them?

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

For a semiauto handgun... magazine,frame, slide, recoil spring, spring guide, slide stop, and barrel bushing if there is one.

The most critical areas to clean for reliability are the bore, breach face, and under the extractor's hook. Lube no more than the manufacturer recommends. Too much will attract gunk.

That's my guess too. Curl your thumbs downward so they can't contact the slide stop and seeif that helps. Once you've diagosed the cause, you can experiment with fine tuning your grip, but start with one that helps you find the problem.

Good luck.
-Bulz

RE: Got my 1st handgun...
 

I field strip. . .barrel, slide, bushing and frame seperated every or every other time I shoot mine.

I detail strip every piece except the grip screw bushing andd plunger tube about oncee a year.

Keep it lubed with a good oil. I use some grease internally and on the rails in the summer. In the winter, I'm afraid it might slow things down though.