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I am considering one of the smaller Kimbers, like the Ultra Aegis II or the Ultra Carry II (9mm), as a daily carry.

Is anyone carrying a small Kimber and, if so, how do you like it? Is it as reliable as many of the reviews would indicate? And, other than the high cost of a Kimber , are there any problems to be concerned about?

Chuck

Yes, I have an Ultra Crimson Carry II in .45ACP as my daily carry.



I either carry it in a Crosbreed OWB, or a Tucker 'The Answer' IWB.

It's very light, and I've shot enough rounds through it that I would gladly consider it reliable.

It also has a ramped barrel, being that it is an aluminum frame, and To me, Ramped barrel = Less chance of feeding issues.

I carry it with it's standard 7 round short magazine in it, but the spares I carry are full-size mags, so that I have a few extra rounds if/when I have to reload.
If you've already drawn it, and are firing it, I don't think the extra inch or so of extra magazine length sticking out is going to matter anymore

It sure barks a fireball when you shoot it, due to the short barrel, Clearly visible at night. And I have to say that shooting 50 rounds out of it will leave you with a sore hand, especially in the thumb web area because it is so light, however, I can put all 50 rounds center torso of a BG target at 15 yards just fine, so it will gladly suit it's purpose.

Summary: It's a nice to look at, light, well made and reliable firearm that is easy to conceal, and has a caliber that starts in .4. I Love it.
The crimson trace lasergrips also add no additional width, and work excellently. I will say, however, that after approximately 50 rounds, the laser lens may get enough GSR on it to obscure the beam, and needs to be cleaned with a q-tip.

The only downside, and this is to every .45acp out there, is capacity. If they could somehow trump the laws of physics and fit 15 rounds of .45acp in the same size magazine, it would be the perfect carry handgun :)

I've got the Ultra Crimson Carry II, and I've just aquired the Ultra Aegis...

The UCCII has been flawless out of the box and is easy to carry and conceal. I'm hoping that the Aegis is the same with accuracy and reliability... I'll find out over the next few weeks! Besides some range time, it'll be making the trip to Front Sight with me.

I carry in a Crossbreed Supertuck, UBG Regulator, or Fist K1.

I carry a Stainless Ultra Carry II in a Minotaur MTAC from Comp-Tac. It's just like dicion's, except it is all stainless, and comes with just night sights instead of the CT grips. After trying out a couple of grip options, I settled on the Hogue wrap-around grips with the scalloped finger grooves on the front. Unlike what dicion said about it hurting his hands, I've shot 150 rounds through it in a range session before, and suffered no ill effects or soreness. The recoil is a little stiffer than shooting a full sized 1911, but it isn't that bad, and the recoil spring design does a pretty good job of controlling the recoil. I've shot somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 total rounds through it (rough estimate) and it has functioned flawlessly. It is reasonably easy to shoot accurately for such a stubby gun, and the sights are very good. I have only fired mine in low light at an indoor range, but under those conditions I didn't notice any muzzle flash. I would imagine that it would be fairly noticeable at night, unless you're using a cartridge with a low flash. I stoke mine with Federal 230 grain HSTs. My only complaint isn't really a significant one, but I wish that you didn't have to use a little wire tool on the guide rod to field strip the pistol.

I have an Ultra CDP II 3" and Compact Stainless/Aluminum 4" that have been 100% trouble free. Both are accurate, reliable and easy to carry.

The Annoyed Man wrote: Unlike what dicion said about it hurting his hands, I've shot 150 rounds through it in a range session before, and suffered no ill effects or soreness.

Let me translate: "Dicion is a baby who can't handle a little recoil"
Lol, Seriously though, Is the frame of that stainless as well? The additional weight might make it recoil a little less than mine if it is.
EDIT: Nope, just looked em both up, they're both alum. Frames, and weigh the exact same
Oh well, either way, the handgun does it's job very well, even if I do have wimpy hands that get sore after shooting it

I also agree on the takedown tool comment. It's kind of annoying, compared to the standard barrel bushing method, but once you get it, it's pretty quick.

dicion wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote: Unlike what dicion said about it hurting his hands, I've shot 150 rounds through it in a range session before, and suffered no ill effects or soreness.

Let me translate: "Dicion is a baby who can't handle a little recoil"
Lol, Seriously though, Is the frame of that stainless as well? The additional weight might make it recoil a little less than mine if it is.
EDIT: Nope, just looked em both up, they're both alum. Frames, and weigh the exact same
Oh well, either way, the handgun does it's job very well, even if I do have wimpy hands that get sore after shooting it

I also agree on the takedown tool comment. It's kind of annoying, compared to the standard barrel bushing method, but once you get it, it's pretty quick.

Sorry, I didn't mean anything by the recoil comment. 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.

Compared to the Model 29, any 1911 is a pussycat.

I carry the ULTRA RAPTOR and love it . That being said I have full size 1911's also but i find myself reachin for this paticular gun as my everyday carry. I wear it with all clothing and am very lucky my employer allows me to open carry at the office .I carry it OWB in a Rafter S holster on a custom made double thick ranger belt. If I have to hide it I have a tuckable holster and a shoulder rig.

I have an Ultra CDP II to which I have added Crimson Trace Lasergrips.
I've been keeping it loaded with Federal Personal Defense 165 grain Hydra-Shoks. It's a lower recoil round which I thought might be helpful with the light frame and short barrel. I've shot plenty (about 1200 rounds) of full-power 230 grain ammo through it in practice and competition and have no problem with that. But with the 165 grain Personal Defense round, which at an advertised 1060 fps is more like a .40S&W load (I'm sure I don't get quite that velocity out of a 3" barrel.), it kicks like a 9mm. Really. Lower recoil means I can get back on target quicker for faster follow-up shots.




Belt and Compact Undercover holster from Kirkpatrick Leather
disappears nicely under a light jacket or loose shirt/sweatshirt.
For deeper concealment, I have The Answer from Tucker Gunleather.


I'm not carrying daily because 1) Though I have taken the course again, I still haven't sent my stuff in to the state and 2) as a college student, whenever I'm outside my apartment, I'm usually going to or from school, which effectively disarms me, with or without CHL, since we didn't get campus carry passed.
I did carry it daily when I worked in New Mexico where open carry is legal (and unlicensed concealed carry is considered a minor offense along the lines of changing lanes without using a turn signal).

ChuckW wrote: . . . the high cost of a Kimber . . .

When you consider what you're getting for your money, Kimber really is a lot of bang for the buck.
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."

I put the first 50+ rounds through my Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II this weekend and it shot flawlessly. I was pleasently surprised after reading some of the horror stories about trips back to the factory to get adjusted during the break-in period. So far so good.

mgood wrote:

ChuckW wrote: . . . the high cost of a Kimber . . .

When you consider what you're getting for your money, Kimber really is a lot of bang for the buck.
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."

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.

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.

Kimber ultra carry-
-In firing never jams (had a few fails to load but really cheap ammo for plinking).
-Lot of shockwave and recoil coming off of it as its such a small .45.
-However very accurate.
-Carries quite well. not much larger than a Walther or Bersa.
-Its a .45. Its going to "do the job." there are no issues here of whether the rounds are too small, penetration, etc. etc.
-Recommend you carry a second clip. Recommend a good gun belt as well (for any carry actually).

i've been carrying a stainless ultra carry for just over two years now. i love it. i've even shot one night idpa and one indoor idpa with it.
it is very accurate and easy to shoot. i'm sure some would find the recoil harsh but i seem to handle it well.
i didn't start carrying it until i had about four hundred fault free rounds through it. the first seventy five or so had some minor feed problems but they went away as it broke in. now it is very reliable and enjoyable to shoot though not my first choice for range or idpa duty.
i added the truglo tfo sights.
in my opinion you couldn't go wrong with the ultra if you want a 1911 to carry.

The Annoyed Man wrote: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.

Yep. Lady at the bicycle shop told me "If you've got a ten dollar head, wear a ten dollar helmet."

The Annoyed Man wrote:OTH, if anyone wants to trade me my SS Ultra for their CDP Ultra, I am happy to oblige.

I think I'll keep the one I've got. But thanks just the same.

I carried a stainless UCII for over a year. It was a nice gun and very accurate for such a short barrel. A bit snappy when shooting and I have a fairly weak (damaged) wrist so I went back to fullsize and midsize 1911's.

That, coupled with the inability to change the UCII to a standard plug as opposed to the reverse plug/bull barrel setup that requires the tool, made me decide to sell it and go with standard rod/plug/bushing 1911's exclusively.

I will not buy another 1911 that forces me to use a FLGR or reverse plug setup.