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Kimber’s Custom Shop has just come out with their Tactical Custom II, Tactical Pro II, and Tactical Ultra II 1911’s. The new guns are geared specifically for the CCW (Concealed Carry) crowd. If the guns function as well as they look, Kimber’s got some winners on their hands–’cause the new guns look GOOD.
Since they’re geared for the CCW crowd, all three guns sport lightweight 7075-T7 aluminum frames and the Kimber Tactical Extractor, which is an external extractor. Kimber calls the new extractor…
"extremely reliable, under even the toughest field conditions."
According to the company, the Kimber Custom Shop’s Premium Aluminum Trigger breaks at between 4 and 5 pounds, with "minimal creep or overtravel", which is just right for a carry gun. All three guns also sport Meprolight three-dot (green) Tritium night sights(fixed). The Kimber Tactical Custom II utilizes a standard 5" match-grade barrel and bushing. The Tactical Pro II and Tactical Ultra II both use bushingless match-grade bull barrels. The Tactical Ultra II’s barrel is ramped.
From what DefRev understands, the Kimber Tactical Custom II, Tactical Pro II, and Tactical Ultra II all come with additional custom features like 30 lpi machine-cut checkering and extended and beveled mag wells for fast reloading. All magazines thus feature bumber pads.
I only have two questions about the new guns, both relating to the aluminum frames. First, I’m curious about their durability/longevity as compared to a steel frame. I’m thinking the aluminum frames can handle about 25-33%(50% tops) of the round count that a steel frame can handle without cracking, but that’s just a guess.
The second thing I wonder about is how much additional felt recoil the shooter will experience due to the aluminum frames. One must remember, however, that these are intended to be concealed carry guns, not range hoses. Life’s a compromise.
DefRev would like to get a Tactical Custom II for a thorough T&E, shoot a video of the gun during a shooting session, and then post that video on Defense Review. If you would like us to do this, please email David Crane at david@defensereview.com. If we get enough member/reader response, we’ll contact Kimber and try to make this happen. It will be up to our members and readers.
Click here to visit the Kimber Tactical Custom II, Tactical Pro II, and Tactical Ultra II page on Kimber America’s site.
