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well, looks like the good guys from the IRS are going to give me some money this year!
i'm down to this 2 and i'm really leaning over to the STI side.
all .02 will be greatly appreciated! thanks...


P.S. to all owners, can i @ your pics first until i get my check.

STI is great! I think you will get more options for less money with the Kimber. Ive never had any problems with mine. Comes down to how much do you want to spend and do you trust a Kimber. Both of my Kimbers are deadly accurate!

I have looked at STI Heavily but the models I like are in the 1800 to 2200 range. Thats more then I want to spend. I own a CDP Pro with a Crimson Trace lazer grip/ Aluminum frame and Night Site. The whole thing complete cost me 1400.00 that was my max that I wanted to spend.

I could be wrong but I believe the Kimber is an aluminum frame and the STI is steel. If this is for CHL carry then that extra weight makes a big difference when you carry it all day. You cant go wrong with either just fig out what your priorities are.

Just looked it up Kimber 28oz and the STI 33oz seems thats lite for the STI being all steel. Again 5oz doesnt sound like much but if you pick both up you will be amazed how much lighter the Kimber will feel.

The Kimber is Stainless slide and Aluminum Frame. So no rust issues, The STI is Blued Steel. Not a big deal just have to keep the sweat off it.

Ive never had any stainless gun that I own get any kind of rust on it. Im a big stainless fan. I will allways buy the stainless model over a blued model thats just me.

The STI is probably better quality not sure though. And looks like the Kimber actuallly may cost more. I like the rounded handle for concealment and the Night Sites. Hope this helps but probably just confused you more lol. Lets us know what you decide.

I've been drooling over the Kimber Ultra CDP II, but the STI Escort also looks nice...

Random thoughts..
Lots of end user support and easy to find parts/grips/etc for the Kimber...
Lots of out-of-the-box reliability stories about the Kimber, nothing insurmountable, but, tough to ignore.
Replacing springs every 800 rounds for the Kimber can get expensive.... Not sure about the interval for the STI.
Owning a TX-made STI will be nice if TX decides to give the feds the shove regarding firearms manufactured within TX not being subject to federal laws on "interstate commerce"
STI = Local, but there's something satisfying about carrying a gun that's manufactured only a few miles from Mr. Bloombergs city and stamped with a NY address.

Overall, I would plan for some time and $$ to deal with the possibility of having a few startup issues with Kimber.. But that wouldn't scare me away...

I don't own either... but I did shoot the Ultra CDP II and liked it quite a lot...

Just my $0.02

Keith, this will be more of a showcase gun. someday, i'll probably carry it.
here's the one i've been looking at:
http://www.gtdist.com/ProductDetail.asp ... I-41450002" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And here I am, having to pay for a Bersa Thunder .380 over time.

My financial adviser has our money already divvied up, and we haven't done our taxes yet.

Both of these are very nice firearms.

STI. They are different classes of guns from that of Kimber.

The Kimber offers more out of the box features than the STI for sure. I think STI will install any feature you want if you contact them directly, but then you will not be buying an out of the box gun. And you would also have to wait for them to make it/assemble it. I still think the STI is worth the wait and the price over the Kimber.

gigag04 wrote:STI. They are different classes of guns from that of Kimber.

I would agree, although it's worthwhile to note that both are much better guns than you could get from anyone but a custom smith at a few times today's prices 20 years ago.

Kimbers use MIM parts (molded parts made out of finely ground metal chips) wherever they can on the internals. STI started out as a shop that produced EDM (electrical discharge machining) parts which are cut from solid metal. Both types work, but the EDM parts are smoother, cleaner, and, IMHO, higher quality and more durable.

Kimber trigger pulls are pretty good, but STI triggers are generally significantly better right out of the box.

STI, besides being a Texas company, is owned entirely by its employees. I believe that makes a difference in commitment to quality, and I'm inclined to support that concept with my wallet.

My next 1911 will be an STI.

I think both of them are fantastic weapons...the only problem is, good luck finding one of them in stock somewhere...I ended up settling for something completely different than I was looking for due to availability issues. I don't happen to be one of those folks with the insider information, much to my personal sadness.

(Warning: I'm a relatively new shooter, so what do I know )

This topic interests me a lot, because:

1. I have an STI Ranger II in 9mm, which is very nice, but has been a lot of trouble, and I would have gotten rid of it a long time ago if the factory wasn't <30 minutes away. This is my intended carry gun.

2. I have a Kimber Tactical Entry II in .45 which, after a few premature slide-locks during the first 300 rounds (a known 'break-in' thing), has been nothing short of awesome, imho.

3. I would love to get a Super Carry Pro in .45, as I like the Commander size and the bobtail.

The STI was problematic due to:

* Need for tuning shortly after I got it.
* Need for cleaning, because, according to STI, I gummed up the works using Gun Butter.
* A broken extractor, followed by
* An improper handoff of gunsmiths within STI, leaving the gun untuned after repairs, causing the top-end to lock up after a few shots.

Since the last repair, the Ranger II has had only one FTE in a few thousand rounds (and I'm tempted to blame the cartridge on that one, actually), but the ejector is still quite loose when the slide is removed (it can be raised to the point that you can see a gap between the frame and the ejector).

STI has been very good about tending to my problems, but I'd rather not have had the problems in the first place. I'm hopeful that the STI is broken in, and broken no more. When I called them about the loose ejector, they first said, "(sigh) bring it back in," then later in the same conversation, "Look, just use the heck out the gun, and bring it back if it fails."

The Kimber's been sweet, sweet, sweet. It's my HD gun.

If I'd to do it all over, I'd get the Super Carry Pro. Unless I won the lottery, in which case, I'd get this.

Probably can't go wrong with either pistol.

I know this is one of those opinion things. I can't speak to Kimber. I do have STI's and carry a Guardian. There should not be a second thought about the reliability and operation of an STI. They work and work well for me. PS, their support and warranty is bulletproof also, not that I have used either. Good Luck.

I'd go STI over Kimber for a variety of reasons....

1. Price
-STI retails for $1,100.00.
-Kimber retails for $1,499.00.

2. Construction
-I prefer steel frames for over all long term durability / strength.
-I prefer STI internal fire control parts over the Kimber.

3. Over all quality control
-The 1911 platform may be subject to the need for tuning / hand fitting right out of the box, due to the fact that the original design and specifications are not being strictly followed by most manufacturers. This in turn can require hand fitting to account for modified parts and tolerances that can occur at the factory. It has been my experience that STI does a better job of accounting for these modifications, and has better quality control than Kimber.

4. The "Texas" factor
-STI is a Texas company, and is a proponent and supporter of the shooting sports. That means a lot to me.
- Kimber, on the other hand, is a dirty nasty yank....er....New York company who's business taxes directly fund local N.Y. government bodies that restrict the rights of their citizens to own and use firearms for lawful pursuits. That, too, means a lot to me.

I believe STI produces an over all better product than most manufacturers, and I prefer to support local businesses that support my rights and shared interests.

STI all the way...

STI for sure.

Great product....and it keeps your hard earned money in TEXAS!