[Packing Patriot]

Greetings all...

Ordered my first 45 yesterday... woo hoo!

I'm looking for some decent books on proper care and maintenence. I ordered the Kimber Ultra CDP and am sure the manual will only give some basic stripping steps.

I'm looking for more details on how to maintain for long term (ie spring life, troubleshooting, etc.)

Thanks in advance...

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[doctor j]

Packing Patriot, welcome to the 1911 Forum!

Bill Wilson has a book entitled, "Wilson Combat 1911 Auto Maintenance Manual". I got mine from Midway for $10 or so. Chapter titles are: Introduction, Exploded View, Tools Required, Maintenance Schedule, Routine Disassembly, Detailed Disassembly, Cleaning, Inspection, Lubrication, Assembly, Spare Parts, Troubleshooting, Miscellaneous Tips. The book is not long, but it has plenty of photos to illustrate disassembly, and perhaps more importantly, ASSEMBLY. This is probably a good place to start. doctor j

 

[Packing Patriot]

Thanks Doctor J... that sounds exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[Packing Patriot]

Thanks Rob...I already ordered the one by Wilson...and will look into the ones you suggested.

I ordered the KimberUltra CDP II...and can't wait.
I went to the range tonight and shot my 9mm and a rented Colt 1911...boy was that Colt nice...I hope the Kimber is close to it.

 

[Gun Nut]

Originally posted by Packing Patriot:
...
I ordered the KimberUltra CDP II...and can't wait.
I went to the range tonight and shot my 9mm and a rented Colt 1911...boy was that Colt nice...I hope the Kimber is close to it.

Oh my goodness. You are in for a treat. The Ultra CDP is going to be awsome. The only issue is that because it is so light with such a short barrel you are going to have more muzzle flip and felt recoil than with the full sized 1911.

I would say that it seems that current Colt production guns are pretty much up to snuff quality wise compared to Kimber. For the past 10-ish years, Colt has just been sucking wind. Kimber pretty much blew them out of the water because of quality and features.

Now if the Colt you had rented was fairly new (2-3 years)or about 20 years old, I would say your Kimber would have the same or slightly better quality. If the Colt was 5-15 years old, the Kimber will have a much better feel to it.

I have the Colt Defender, which is essentially the same as the Kimber Ultra Carry, and it is about 3-4 years old. In comparison to Kimber, I would give it a "B" grade to the Kimber's "A-". The Defender's frame finish is so-so, the thumb safety is mushy, and the plunger tube has come lose. But the accuracy is dead on, trigger is decent, and the sites are nice.

In contrast, the Ultra CDP frame finish will be the same so-so for durability, but the whole gun is going to be tight. Everything is going to feel solid, and the CDP has its parts fitted at the Custom Shop. For CCW, you just can't go wrong, and the CDP Ultra should be a "cut above" the Colt. If the Ultra Carry was around when I bought my Defender, I would have got the Ultra Carry instead. As a matter of fact, I remember sending an e-mail to Kimber begging them to have something so I didn't have to buy a Colt...

You'll enjoy. You'll become addicted. You'll have a fullsize 1911 added to your collection before you know it!

 

[Packing Patriot]

Gun nut....

Yeah...I'm in...hook, line, and sinker.

Thanks for the input...I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas.

Any suggestions on ammo, cleaning ,etc? Things I should watch out for that are different in the 1911's???

 

[Gun Nut]

Originally posted by Packing Patriot:
Gun nut....

Yeah...I'm in...hook, line, and sinker.

Thanks for the input...I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas.

Any suggestions on ammo, cleaning ,etc? Things I should watch out for that are different in the 1911's???

Ammo is just going to be what shoots best in the gun. I have found that with the 3" barrel actually heavier weighted bullets lose less FPS and energy. A 200 or 230 grain slug is going to have more energy than a 180 or 165. The 165 and 180s in a 5" barrel actually would rate faster/more energy.

As far as cleaning goes, I use M-Pro 7 and Break Free CLP. There is just nothing better than Break Free CLP for rust prevention.

The take-down is going to be a little more complicated because of the 3" barrel and the Seacamp patented recoil spring system. It may look flimsy / cheesy and is a little strange to strip / reassemble but I haven't ever had an issue with it in the 3-4 years I have owned my Defender (its the same system as on the Ultra). It has rubbed the interior of the frame shiney though.

Lastly, like I said in the previous post, you will get fatigued faster because the gun is much shorter and lighter than a full sized 45. I could probably shoot 150 rounds in 30 minutes before I would get fatigued on my full sized CDP, but its only 50 rounds in the same time on my Defender. 50 rounds and the trigger finger / wrist is pretty much done for a few hours.

The Ultra is going to be so light and easy to carry, you are just going to want to take it everywhere. I use a Thunderwear setup and I can always carry it shirt out with anything except Blue Jeans. Just buy your pants/shorts one waist size bigger. 99% of the time my Defender is with me. One thing that might get in the way depending on how you carry is the ambi-safety. It may "print" or get in the way. You'll have to see what you settle into, but regardless a standard thumb-safety is something you can drop in for $30 tops. The Defender never came with an ambi-safety, so I never had to deal with it.

For formal stuff/shirt-in carry though, the Ultra is going to be too bulky to hide well unless you wear a jacket over it. You are going to need a .38 snubby or a Kahr MK9 or smaller for formal occasions and IWB carry if you plan on taking your coat off.

The only other thing I have done is get "ultra-thin" grips to thin out the carry profile. If you have big hands, you probably won't even consider it.

That is one thing you will see with the 1911. There is never a lack of aftermarket stuff for it...Enjoy!