Kimber Firearms

Kimber Firearms, an American gun manufacturer, was founded in the late 1970’s by Jack Warne and his son Greg. The company was named “Kimber” after the Australian town of Kimba, where Jack was born. “Kimber” is the aborigine word for “brush fire.”

Kimber manufactures a few rifles, and imports shotguns from Europe, but what the company is really known for is its extensive line of top-quality 1911 pistols.

Kimber is currently the worlds leading manufacturer of 1911 pistols.

Articles on Kimber Firearms

Kimber service salute

I currently own four Kimber 1911s: a Custom, two Pro Carrys and a Compact. The Compact is new. It would not feed reliably with the same ammunition that the other three ran without a hitch. I even tried Wilson magazines to no avail. I contacted Kimber, who suggested I send the gun back to them, which I did.

In praise of Kimber, EAA

My Kimber Compact Stainless .45 ACP was not ejecting properly. I’m not in danger of winning any IDPA matches with it, or with any other gun for that matter, but it was still annoying. After some e-mails between Kimber and me, I sent the pistol to them to check, along with a letter that made it clear that it was not under warranty. I purchased it used.

Praise for Kimber – Letters to the Editor

I recently purchased a new model Kimber Tactical Custom II that was on back-order for six to eight weeks. When it finally arrived at my local gun dealer, I was indeed excited. My only concern was that the grip panels were not the silver and black colors as advertised, but rather all black.

Articles on Kimber 1911 Pistols

Desert Warrior: Kimber honors the troops with the military-tough Warrior series!

One might say the Marines are a bit old fashioned but then again he might say they knew better than to fix something that wasn’t broke. What they did want were good night sights, an ambidextrous safety, a beavertail grip safety, steel mainspring housing with lanyard loop, forward grasping grooves on the slide, some unslippery grips and a durable finish. So we end up with a retro-1911 with a touch of modern thrown in.

Kimber three-gun test: 6,000 rounds and a surprise or two

Ever since Kimber made their first 191l-style pistol I’ve been watching and studying their guns. I have no idea how many of their pistols I’ve tested, and while they haven’t all been perfect, the quality has been consistently excellent. One of the real drawbacks of gun tests as we normally do them is that we are dealing with a sample of one. And while we fervently hope every other gun is going to be the same, it’s safe to say there will always be exceptions. The famous Mr. Murphy loves to hang around the gun business.

Kimber anniversary pistols

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Kimber name but today’s shooter may not even know they began making very classy little .22 rifles. To celebrate, they are making a limited edition of anniversary edition of their 1911 pistol which is now their major product. The noteworthy point is these are faithful to the original Kimber pistol design, sans external ejector and Swartz firing pin safety.

Kimber’s BP Ten II wideboy 1911

Over the years, the 1911 has carved a permanent niche in the hearts of Americans. However, we were rather under-whelmed with the initial high capacity polymer 1911, and I was one of those who shunned the ugly new child. But “Doctor” Kimber performed a face-lift, presented us with the new BP Ten II and I’m learning to love another kind of 1911.

Kimber Ultra RCP II – Out Of The Box

Kimber recently announced just such a specialized concealment gun in the form of the Ultra RCP II. Standing for Refined Carry Pistol, this is the smallest and sleekest of Kimber .45’s at a mere 6.5 inches in length and 4.5 inches in height. Weight is a skinny 24.8 ounces unloaded, due largely to the RCP’s 7075-T7 aluminum alloy frame.

LAPD SWAT: Los Angeles’ finest choose Kimber’s Custom II

If you think the Kimber 1911 model tested by LAPD SWAT was a top-of-the-line Kimber Custom Shop Target .45, think again. It was none other than Kimber’s entry level 1911 — the Kimber Custom II.

Kimber arms LAPD SWAT – Industry Watch

The new handgun of the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT Team is the Kimber Custom II. The highly-regarded poince unit selected the Kimber 1911 after two years of testing 1911s from five companies.

Kimber Custom Shop LTP II – Combat Shooting

The Kimber Custom Shop LTP II is ideal for the USPSA’s “Limited Ten” division. It’s a single-stack 1911 .45 ACP with a flat-top serrated slide, adjustable rear sight, tungsten guide rod, extended ambidextrous thumb safety, and checkering on the front strap and underneath the trigger guard. The pistol is finished in black KimPro, a tough, rust-resistant, self-lubricating phenolic resin finish. It comes with a ten-round magazine.

Observing Eclipse: Kimber has set the 1911 World on Fire with Its Great Shooting, Good Looking Pistols. The New Eclipse only Fans the Flames Higher

The first thing that strikes you about the Kimber Eclipse is its appearance. There’s no way around it. The flats of the pistol are silver in color and brush/polished in texture. The rounded surfaces — the underside, the valleys of the slide grooves, the distinctive lettering — are a charcoal gray that’s only a shade or two away from jet black. The result is a light and shadow effect that an artiste might call chiaroscuro. Kimber’s laminated double-diamond-checkered grips finish the eye candy element with a stunning earth-tone medley of subtle brown and green shades. The overall result is a pistol that just reaches out and grabs you by the eyeballs.

Kimber Ultra Ten Ii

A New, Dedicated, 10-Round Double-Stack .45 ACP From Kimber Is Ultra-Light, Ultra-Compact and Ultra-Potent.

Kimber CDP

A Limited Edition Of Three Custom Defense Pistols From The Leading 1911 Manufacturer In America.

Kimber .40

It was a bit of a surprise when Kimber announced it was offering a .40 S&W chambering. While the Kimber .45’s have been top performers, other calibers built on the GM platform have not always worked as well. Many were temperamental feeders.

Articles on Kimber Rimfile Pistols

Kimber conversion unit

A few issues ago we told you about the Kimber Rimfire Target .22 caliber pistol. Now the top half–with a few changes–is available as a conversion unit that will fit most Government Model pistols. Mechanically it’s the same with the exception of a cut to allow the existing ejector to clear the slide.

Kimber .22 fun gun: 23 ounces of tack-driving accuracy

Kimber has put the fun-gun back oil the 1911 map with their Rimfire Target pistol. It’s a whopping 23 ounces, is deadly accurate, reliable and an absolute joy to shoot.

Delightful diversion: testing Kimber’s new rimfine was a tough job, but someone had to do it

Kimber’s new Rimfire Target model pistol, a full-size 1911 in .22 caliber. Almost since it’s invention, people have wanted to make the .45 into a .22. The most common reason given was for economical training.

Articles on Kimber Rifles

Doggin’ it: .17, .22.3+.204 = fun Les Baer and Kimber prove walnut and plastic mix on the prairie dog field

Given a mixture of Hornady. 17 Mach 2 and .204 Ruger ammunition, plus Leupold-scoped precision varminters by Kimber and Les Baer, the prairie dogs and ground squirrels of the West and Midwest were on risky ground this past summer. Doggin’ it in Kansas and Wyoming, I came away from the field with some strong impressions about our newest varmint cartridges, rifles and optics.

Alaska tough Kimber: Kimber’s genteel bolt gun faces the toughest terrain on the continent

“I’m saying that today’s Kimber 84M can take anything Alaska can dish out. No loss of zero, no swollen stocks, no frozen firing pins. My point is a man can successfully hunt a sheep with a nice rifle.”

Kimber’s Delightful Little Varminter: Trim, elegant, accurate and beautifully crafted – the Kimber 84M just may be America’s classiest production rifle

The new Model 84M, in both classic sporter and varminter versions, is a remarkable series of rifles that reflects Kimber’s commitment of offering the shooting public semi-custom feature at production prices. Moreover, the new Kimber rifles exhibit a degrees of engineering sophistication that is rarely seen in commercial firearms production.

Kimber’s New .22 Rifles

The new rimfires from Kimber bring shooters back to an age when the company was known for world-class rifles.

New Kimber 82: A classic In The Making

Kimber’s new .22 rifle boasts new and innovative features including a Mauser-type claw extractor for controlled-round feeding, a two-position Model 70-type safety, and an eccentric action in which the bolt raceway is slightly above center in the receiver.

Articles on Kimber Shotguns

Kimber’s Augusta offers superior shooting, high value

Currently available in 12 gauge, the Augusta features a Boss-type action with its corresponding shallow profile and slim lines. This gives the gun good looks and the practical advantages of being light with added strength. The guns are made in Brescia, Italy, where Beretta and Perazzi shotguns are manufactured.

Kimber Valier: a classy SxS shotgun

Now along comes Kimber with a truly classic side-by-side game gun. It’s a 20 gauge with a sleek straight stock of stunning Turkish walnut and real detachable seven-pin sidelocks.

Kimber’s Augusta offers superior shooting, high value

The over-and-under shotgun has gained a following over the past few years and should prove popular with women shotgunners.

Articles on Kimber Firearms

Articles on Kimber 1911 Pistols

Articles on Kimber Rimfile Pistols

Articles on Kimber Rifles

Articles on Kimber Shotguns

Kimber Firearms Patents

Kimber Firearms Manuals