Kimber Warrior Review (Novice Opinions) NOW WITH PICS!
I just received a NIB Kimber Warrior for my 17th birthday. I am a total and complete novice when it comes to the 1911 platform. Yes, I occasionally shot a few different models at the range and my grandfather (my range buddy) shoots a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec model.
That is the extent of my 1911 knowledge. What originally drew me into the 1911 platform was the feel of the gun in your hand. With the 1911 you know you are getting a "gun". The pistols are heavy compared to my Beretta 96 Vertec, or HK USP .40 S&W. Loading up an eight round .45 ACP magazine with 230gr. Ball is a fun experience in itself. The rounds are big. They honestly dwarf the little 9mm rounds, and puts the .40 S&W is in its shadows. To put it into simple terminology the gun is just plain cool.
After I knew I wanted a 1911 is was a simple matter of choosing a model. My price range, at first, was modest. I was originally drawn to the simple Springfield Loaded. Great features at an excellent price. Then I began to look at Kimber. They have some contracts with several agencies and Kimber has no problem at all with letting the consumers know it. Kimber obviously spends a lot on marketing as one can always see their advertisements gracing the back cover of Guns and Ammo or Shootings Times. Being a young and impressionable young teen they hooked me.
So I then looked into Kimber. My first choice was the Kimber TLE. The gun looked great and had nice features. So I asked around on the forums from people who would know best about this type of thing. Most said it would be a great choice but I always heard the Warrior coming up. Hmmm. I grabbed an old American Rifleman magazine and looked through it and saw an article on the Kimber Warrior. It looked neat and the grips at first were disgusting.
Then I tried to rationalize it. I told myself that the 1911 isn't all what it is made out to be. It's finicky, holds few rounds, cannot be shot when the hammer is lowered. And most of all the weapon is OLD.
That worked for about a week,
. I knew I had to get one. I read all I could about them for awhile. I soon found after just a few posts was that the Warrior was what I wanted. It combined conventional features (Series I, no guide rod) with modern twists (light rails, Gunner Grips, simulated Novak Sights).
I ordered two Wilson 47D magazines, a set of real Gunner Grips with the beveled bottoms and ambi cut. I also got 550 rounds of .230 Grain Ball Winchester to break the gun in with.
The Review
When you pick this pistol up you know you are holding a lot of gun in your hand. The pistol is heavy, yet still balanced very well. It looks very nice with the Kim Pro finish. It is slick, and looks very nice when combined with the Coyote Brown Gunner Grips.
The Gunner grips are very rough and the texture on them might be painful when shooting. Just picking the pistol up and holding it tightly might hurt some hands. I am not by any means calling anyone a wuss or anything like that. I am just saying that it might hurt your hands if you shoot the weapon without gloves. I think I may sand them down with the included sand paper.
The lanyard loop doesn't interfere with magazine reloads at all. The included magazine has a large bumper pad on it which allows you to slam to the magazine home and still not hit you hand on the loop. The 47D's have enough of a bumper that your hand will not hit the lanyard on a fast hard reload.
My hand fills up in the beaver tail very well. The pistol honestly feels like it belongs in my hand. My trigger finger feels great on the wide trigger, compared to a GI type pistol which has a less wide trigger. The checkering on the front strap is something I thought I might miss, but I do not even know it's not there. The Gunner Grips provide all of the texture that I need. The gun is TIGHT. It is really, really, really tight. The slide takes more force than I am used too in order pull back, but it's not a problem.
Pet Peeves;
The MIM parts do not match well with the rest of the gun that has the Kim Pro Finish. The MIM parts are rough and are not slick. For this much money you would think that Kimber could make these parts with the Kim Pro finish. The checkering on the rear on the pistol has already started to wear. The trigger has some creep to it. It's not a target trigger, but nor is it like the trigger of a Double Action auto such as a Beretta, SIG, or an HK. The trigger of a Luger is a bit better.
Hoped this may have helped out a newbie who is looking into getting a 1911.
The Warrior
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My Other Centerfire Pistols
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I just received a NIB Kimber Warrior for my 17th birthday. I am a total and complete novice when it comes to the 1911 platform. Yes, I occasionally shot a few different models at the range and my grandfather (my range buddy) shoots a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec model.
That is the extent of my 1911 knowledge. What originally drew me into the 1911 platform was the feel of the gun in your hand. With the 1911 you know you are getting a "gun". The pistols are heavy compared to my Beretta 96 Vertec, or HK USP .40 S&W. Loading up an eight round .45 ACP magazine with 230gr. Ball is a fun experience in itself. The rounds are big. They honestly dwarf the little 9mm rounds, and puts the .40 S&W is in its shadows. To put it into simple terminology the gun is just plain cool.
After I knew I wanted a 1911 is was a simple matter of choosing a model. My price range, at first, was modest. I was originally drawn to the simple Springfield Loaded. Great features at an excellent price. Then I began to look at Kimber. They have some contracts with several agencies and Kimber has no problem at all with letting the consumers know it. Kimber obviously spends a lot on marketing as one can always see their advertisements gracing the back cover of Guns and Ammo or Shootings Times. Being a young and impressionable young teen they hooked me.
So I then looked into Kimber. My first choice was the Kimber TLE. The gun looked great and had nice features. So I asked around on the forums from people who would know best about this type of thing. Most said it would be a great choice but I always heard the Warrior coming up. Hmmm. I grabbed an old American Rifleman magazine and looked through it and saw an article on the Kimber Warrior. It looked neat and the grips at first were disgusting.
Then I tried to rationalize it. I told myself that the 1911 isn't all what it is made out to be. It's finicky, holds few rounds, cannot be shot when the hammer is lowered. And most of all the weapon is OLD.
That worked for about a week,
. I knew I had to get one. I read all I could about them for awhile. I soon found after just a few posts was that the Warrior was what I wanted. It combined conventional features (Series I, no guide rod) with modern twists (light rails, Gunner Grips, simulated Novak Sights). I ordered two Wilson 47D magazines, a set of real Gunner Grips with the beveled bottoms and ambi cut. I also got 550 rounds of .230 Grain Ball Winchester to break the gun in with.
The Review
When you pick this pistol up you know you are holding a lot of gun in your hand. The pistol is heavy, yet still balanced very well. It looks very nice with the Kim Pro finish. It is slick, and looks very nice when combined with the Coyote Brown Gunner Grips.
The Gunner grips are very rough and the texture on them might be painful when shooting. Just picking the pistol up and holding it tightly might hurt some hands. I am not by any means calling anyone a wuss or anything like that. I am just saying that it might hurt your hands if you shoot the weapon without gloves. I think I may sand them down with the included sand paper.
The lanyard loop doesn't interfere with magazine reloads at all. The included magazine has a large bumper pad on it which allows you to slam to the magazine home and still not hit you hand on the loop. The 47D's have enough of a bumper that your hand will not hit the lanyard on a fast hard reload.
My hand fills up in the beaver tail very well. The pistol honestly feels like it belongs in my hand. My trigger finger feels great on the wide trigger, compared to a GI type pistol which has a less wide trigger. The checkering on the front strap is something I thought I might miss, but I do not even know it's not there. The Gunner Grips provide all of the texture that I need. The gun is TIGHT. It is really, really, really tight. The slide takes more force than I am used too in order pull back, but it's not a problem.
Pet Peeves;
The MIM parts do not match well with the rest of the gun that has the Kim Pro Finish. The MIM parts are rough and are not slick. For this much money you would think that Kimber could make these parts with the Kim Pro finish. The checkering on the rear on the pistol has already started to wear. The trigger has some creep to it. It's not a target trigger, but nor is it like the trigger of a Double Action auto such as a Beretta, SIG, or an HK. The trigger of a Luger is a bit better.
Hoped this may have helped out a newbie who is looking into getting a 1911.
The Warrior
My Other Centerfire Pistols
