Post by Sgt K USMC on Mar 24, 2008 6:34:39 GMT -5
The Kimber Tactical Ultra II is an ultra compact .45 caliber pistol based off of the 1911 frame. It is a preferred concealed carry weapon for those of us who like the 1911 series of weapons, or as a back up piece for law enforcement and military personnel. As of this printing, the weapon is the most accurate 45 caliber in it's class, which is impressive considering it's size, 6.8 inches in overall length and a diminutive 3 inch barrel length.
Kimber arms is one of the more top shelf weapons companies with a reputation for excellence that is unmatched by any other, with the possible exception of Wilson Combat Arms. Every Kimber is designed to exacting standards with a high degree of quality assurance at every level of construction and assembly, tolerance levels are also extremely low, which ensures that each and every Kimber, right out of the box, can stand toe to toe with just about any custom weapon on the market.
Kimber Arms initially started off as more of a tribute company that dedicated itself to making nothing but 1911's for competition shooters, since that time however, they have branched out considerably and produce weapons in all calibers and frame styles, each of which are still set to Kimbers exacting and precise quality control standards.
MY 1911 Ultra:
Range: The range on this weapon is downright impressive, you can easily expect to hold half dollar sized groups at 15 yards and close to that at 20 and 25 if you try really hard.
Accuracy: I have personally chewed the center out of the target during my CHL test and the many practice runs I did in the weeks prior to taking it. The groupings were so tight on the 50 round test that the only shots you could tell weren't in the center were the 3 that tossed out into the 9 ring, the 1 that dropped into the 8 and the one in the 7. I missed a perfect score by 1 point. All of these shots were during my rapid fire at 15 yards.
To put it mildly, this weapon can generally outshoot the shooter 90% of the time, all you have to do is be there to pull the trigger and make sure the weapon is pointed in the right direction.
Recoil: Recoil is a bit heavier than expected on this weapon, this is in fact my one and only complaint and one that can be easily corrected with the addition of a different recoil spring.
The recoil on the weapon, due to it's size, causes a good deal of muzzle climb, in my case, up to a full foot of muzzle climb until I got used to it. Combating this is relatively easy, you just have to make sure you have a solid grip on the weapon and are locking your wrist while shooting. It took me around 150 rnds to get used to it enough that I no longer had such a high climb rate.
Trigger: Because the trigger is a solid piece of milled aluminum it is incredibly stable with almost no travel time and ZERO trigger wiggle. Trigger pull is also perfect at about 4 lbs and is consistent with each shot, regardless of how fast you may be shooting.
Sights: Out of the box the weapon comes with adjustable Meprolight Tritium 3-dot night sights. They are adjustable on both the front and rear, and each Kimber is factory set prior to shipment to the proper zero.
I've never been a fan of the glowing sights… until I got my Kimber that is, now I have no idea how I ever managed to shoot without them. I will be getting a set for my other 1911 this week.
Accessories: Because it is a 1911 it is easy to find accessories for the weapon, the only limiting factor comes due to it's size of course, as there is only so much you can do to an Ultra Carry weapon's barrel and slide.
Aside from this however, the weapon comes standard with most of the accessories that one would normally add on after the fact: Mag well, competition trigger, Tritium night sights and even the pro style milled hammer.
Reliability: As a 1911 you really can't beat the reliability of the weapon, I have owned mine for almost a month now and in that time I have put close to 1,500 rounds through her. I have shot her clean, shot her dirty, shot her with bad mags, bad ammo, and even shot a few competitions. I have put this weapon through it's paces and the worst that has come from it has been a few misfeeds due to poor lubrication and carbon build up.
Ammo: 7 round mags are the standard for this weapon although 9 round mags are available, obviously the 9 round mags will not seat flush with the mag well however.
On a side note… When you get magazines for this weapon it is important that you do not get the ones that have metal followers, Kimbers in general don't like metal followers, this one especially so, and after a short period of time you will find your weapon malfunctioning at a rapid pace.
Metal followers with this weapon can eventually also lead to barrel failure, as the metal chips away at the breach a tiny bit at a time every time it hit's the last round.
Personal preference on magazines is the Wilson Combat mag, they have Teflon followers, are easy to clean and maintain and rarely ever gum up.
Opinion:
This is without a doubt the finest pistol I have EVER fired, not just in the ultra series, but period. Out of the box every Kimber is a competition ready weapon that will EASILY outperform the shooter in almost every instance.
To test this theory I started doing the weekly competition that our range hosts, on my first night there I placed 5th out of 9 shooters, most of whom have been shooting competition for years and years. To say the least, I was impressed.
For those of you who are looking for a solid quality weapon that will maintain it's value while at the same time exceeding every possible performance expectation… This is the one you are looking for.
Kimber arms is one of the more top shelf weapons companies with a reputation for excellence that is unmatched by any other, with the possible exception of Wilson Combat Arms. Every Kimber is designed to exacting standards with a high degree of quality assurance at every level of construction and assembly, tolerance levels are also extremely low, which ensures that each and every Kimber, right out of the box, can stand toe to toe with just about any custom weapon on the market.
Kimber Arms initially started off as more of a tribute company that dedicated itself to making nothing but 1911's for competition shooters, since that time however, they have branched out considerably and produce weapons in all calibers and frame styles, each of which are still set to Kimbers exacting and precise quality control standards.
MY 1911 Ultra:
Range: The range on this weapon is downright impressive, you can easily expect to hold half dollar sized groups at 15 yards and close to that at 20 and 25 if you try really hard.
Accuracy: I have personally chewed the center out of the target during my CHL test and the many practice runs I did in the weeks prior to taking it. The groupings were so tight on the 50 round test that the only shots you could tell weren't in the center were the 3 that tossed out into the 9 ring, the 1 that dropped into the 8 and the one in the 7. I missed a perfect score by 1 point. All of these shots were during my rapid fire at 15 yards.
To put it mildly, this weapon can generally outshoot the shooter 90% of the time, all you have to do is be there to pull the trigger and make sure the weapon is pointed in the right direction.
Recoil: Recoil is a bit heavier than expected on this weapon, this is in fact my one and only complaint and one that can be easily corrected with the addition of a different recoil spring.
The recoil on the weapon, due to it's size, causes a good deal of muzzle climb, in my case, up to a full foot of muzzle climb until I got used to it. Combating this is relatively easy, you just have to make sure you have a solid grip on the weapon and are locking your wrist while shooting. It took me around 150 rnds to get used to it enough that I no longer had such a high climb rate.
Trigger: Because the trigger is a solid piece of milled aluminum it is incredibly stable with almost no travel time and ZERO trigger wiggle. Trigger pull is also perfect at about 4 lbs and is consistent with each shot, regardless of how fast you may be shooting.
Sights: Out of the box the weapon comes with adjustable Meprolight Tritium 3-dot night sights. They are adjustable on both the front and rear, and each Kimber is factory set prior to shipment to the proper zero.
I've never been a fan of the glowing sights… until I got my Kimber that is, now I have no idea how I ever managed to shoot without them. I will be getting a set for my other 1911 this week.
Accessories: Because it is a 1911 it is easy to find accessories for the weapon, the only limiting factor comes due to it's size of course, as there is only so much you can do to an Ultra Carry weapon's barrel and slide.
Aside from this however, the weapon comes standard with most of the accessories that one would normally add on after the fact: Mag well, competition trigger, Tritium night sights and even the pro style milled hammer.
Reliability: As a 1911 you really can't beat the reliability of the weapon, I have owned mine for almost a month now and in that time I have put close to 1,500 rounds through her. I have shot her clean, shot her dirty, shot her with bad mags, bad ammo, and even shot a few competitions. I have put this weapon through it's paces and the worst that has come from it has been a few misfeeds due to poor lubrication and carbon build up.
Ammo: 7 round mags are the standard for this weapon although 9 round mags are available, obviously the 9 round mags will not seat flush with the mag well however.
On a side note… When you get magazines for this weapon it is important that you do not get the ones that have metal followers, Kimbers in general don't like metal followers, this one especially so, and after a short period of time you will find your weapon malfunctioning at a rapid pace.
Metal followers with this weapon can eventually also lead to barrel failure, as the metal chips away at the breach a tiny bit at a time every time it hit's the last round.
Personal preference on magazines is the Wilson Combat mag, they have Teflon followers, are easy to clean and maintain and rarely ever gum up.
Opinion:
This is without a doubt the finest pistol I have EVER fired, not just in the ultra series, but period. Out of the box every Kimber is a competition ready weapon that will EASILY outperform the shooter in almost every instance.
To test this theory I started doing the weekly competition that our range hosts, on my first night there I placed 5th out of 9 shooters, most of whom have been shooting competition for years and years. To say the least, I was impressed.
For those of you who are looking for a solid quality weapon that will maintain it's value while at the same time exceeding every possible performance expectation… This is the one you are looking for.