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swilkes wrote:Not trying to steal anyone's thread but I too am in thee market for a 1911. But I have it narrowed Down to a STI LAWMAN or a KIMBER SUPER CARRY CUSTOM HD.

I have held and shot the kimber but have yet to hold
Touch or shot a STI.

Maybe there is someone around the DFW area that
Can let me shoot there's?


I am not willing to spends $1200+ on a gun I have not ever touched.

I have owned several Kimbers and still have a Ultra CDP II... and currently own an STI Guardian... I'm just down the road from STI so I've handled all of them (including the Lawman series) several times. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that those to guns are not in the same league. when I FINALLY got the STI I was so mad that I hadn't bought one years earlier!

Don't get me wrong, the Kimbers are good guns... but when looking honestly in the mirror, the STI's are truly in a different class. I don't shoot the Kimber anymore.

ETA: Not sure what you want it for so the Kimber may be the perfect gun.... not trying to talk you out of it,or into the STI. I just know that many people (before they ever handle higher end guns) have trouble justifying them.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:In your price range, don't overlook Rock Island Armory pistols, imported from the Philippines by Armscor.

They're very well made and include a lifetime warranty.

Do they still use odd-sized front-sight dovetails?

That I do not know. Mine have staked front sights. On the compact, I had the sights replaced with Trijicon night sights. Easy as can be. (Of course, I had someone else do the work for me. )

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/35757 ... tium-green

Pawpaw wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:In your price range, don't overlook Rock Island Armory pistols, imported from the Philippines by Armscor.

They're very well made and include a lifetime warranty.

Do they still use odd-sized front-sight dovetails?

That I do not know. Mine have staked front sights. On the compact, I had the sights replaced with Trijicon night sights. Easy as can be. (Of course, I had someone else do the work for me.

I just remember AndyC having the devil's own time to try and get a new front sight to fit the dovetail on his RIA. I believe he was ultimately successful, but it was more involved than just a casual sight swap.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:In your price range, don't overlook Rock Island Armory pistols, imported from the Philippines by Armscor.

They're very well made and include a lifetime warranty.

Do they still use odd-sized front-sight dovetails?

That I do not know. Mine have staked front sights. On the compact, I had the sights replaced with Trijicon night sights. Easy as can be. (Of course, I had someone else do the work for me.

I just remember AndyC having the devil's own time to try and get a new front sight to fit the dovetail on his RIA. I believe he was ultimately successful, but it was more involved than just a casual sight swap.

I remember. Advanced Tactical (where RIA firearms go for warranty work) now sells the tactical sights. Judging by the prices, I'm sure they're not night sights.

https://advancedtactical.com/products/p ... 11-sights/

EDIT: I take that back. The site says they ARE night sights.

If you are gonna have one, why not one of these?

Bitter Clinger wrote:If you are gonna have one, why not one of these?

There earlier ones had a much nicer bevertail and a few other changes.
Extremely reliable on a 3" barrel

Bitter Clinger wrote:If you are gonna have one, why not one of these?

Show off.

if i remember right, the lower end STI was actually made by armscor (to sti specs) and assembled by STI

rentz wrote:if i remember right, the lower end STI was actually made by armscor (to sti specs) and assembled by STI

Yes, Armscor provided the frame & slide for the Spartan.

Did Kimber ever get their quality control and customer service problems corrected? They look great in the store but all the horror stories have me scared of em.

glbedd53 wrote:Did Kimber ever get their quality control and customer service problems corrected? They look great in the store but all the horror stories have me scared of em.

I have heard those same stories but I just purchased a Kimber Ultra Raptor .45 3" about a month ago and it has been 100% reliable with Hollow points and FMJ. It is unbelievable accurate! The Raptor series comes out of the Kimber Custom Shop and to be honest I don't know if that makes a difference.

Yep - it's so close, it's irritating; they could have just done it right first time around. I had to get a friend to mill 10-thou off the top of the slide, but it would have worked with 5-thou:

which model was that, Andy?

I put a dovetail front sight on & didn't have that problem (CS model), but it may have originally been staked rather than improperly dovetailed.

Is it worth the extra money? It is the buyer who will decide...

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/670422471

I like the early style colt defender look a little better. This one also sports colt custom shop porting Picked this one up not long ago previous owner left the idiot mark.