ChuckW, many years ago, I worked in a motorcycle accessories store to support my racing habit. Whenever a customer entered the store looking for a helmet, I would show them the available stock, and I would try and steer them away from the $75 cheap plastic Gibli and towards the much more expensive, and much more protective Bell, Shoei, and Arai helmets. (I was not paid commission, so that wasn't the motivator.) When folks would complain about why a good helmet was $250 and up, I would ask them what their head is worth to them.mgood wrote:When you consider what you're getting for your money, Kimber really is a lot of bang for the buck.ChuckW wrote: . . . the high cost of a Kimber. . .
Get what you think is best. As the CDP page on Kimber's website says, "A handgun used for personal protection is not a good place to compromise quality."
Now, did a $500 Shoei with your favorite racer's graphics all over it protect you any better than the plain jane version of the exact same helmet for $300? No. Not at all. Don't pay the extra $200 unless you want the more "decorative" helmet, but DO pay for the $300 plane jane model instead of the cheap $75 piece of garbage.
So, my point is that $800-$900 or so for a regular Kimber Ultra (a little bit more for the stainless version) is well worth the expense compared to what you get for the money (they are excellent pistols). The CDPs and Raptors and other "upgrades" are beautiful pistols (my son owns a Pro Raptor), and I would be happy to have any one of them. I particularly like the meltdown treatment on the CDP. But the difference in price between them and the "plain jane" Utra pistols is analogous to the difference in price between a really good plain jane helmet, and the same helmet with all the racer graphics on it. I am not saying that laser grips are not useful, or that the meltdown treatment doesn't make the pistol that much more comfortable to handle and carry, or that the "scales" on a raptor don't give you that extra bit of grip on the slide, etc., etc. But I am saying that those extra features don't mean that the plain jane versions of the otherwise same gun won't function just as well, or protect you just as capably, or carry as easily as their nicer siblings. ALL Utras are de-horned. ALL Utras have match triggers and barrels. ALL Ultras are tight, reliable, and accurate.
You don't have to pay the $200-$800 dollars for all those extra features built into the CDP, Raptor, Covert, and other upgraded models in order to have Kimber quality. Long before Kimber started offering all those extra options, they built their reputation on making tight, accurate, 1911 pistols with lots of extra value built into them already. They are a lot of bang for the buck, even in their more "basic" models. So don't feel like you are not getting "Kimber quality" unless you are buying their upgraded pistols. The basic, "plain jane" Ultra is a great pistol, and you can carry it in confidence, knowing that you haven't compromised on quality.
OTH, if anyone wants to trade me my SS Ultra for their CDP Ultra, I am happy to oblige.
I just meant that it didn't seem to bother me that much, although it is somewhat more stout than on the 5". But then, I often wrap up the session by running 40 or 50 rounds through my .44 magnum.
