Looking for my full-time carry pistol.

[Hal-Koll]

Hello,
I've had my CCW for a few months now and have been trying out different pistols at the range to try and find what I feel the most comfortable with. I have shot the Glock in 36, 37 and 38. They do not have a Glock 39 as a rental so I can't shoot it. I have been able to hold the one they have for sale but it sure feels weird with my pinky folding under it. I am not really thinking of carrying the 37 but tried it out just to see how the .45GAP felt in a full size pistol. I liked the 36 and shot it well. At least as well as my limited skills allow. The 38 felt really good and I like shooting it, the best I felt with the Glocks. Then today I shot a Kimber Compact CDP II. Sweet . The one problem I had with the Kimber was 5 failures to feed. I don't think I was limp-wristing it, I had a tight grip on it. Four of the 5 were the last round in the magazine. I know there are many variables at play here; 1)rental, 2)CCI Blazer ammo, 3)possible magazine problems, 4)limping. I know there are several people here that carry this particular pistol and am looking for some input on reliability. Forgive me if this is a totally n00b question, but what about the aluminum frame? How long have they been producing them with the aluminum? Thanks for the help.

Kurt

[wuluf]

Kurt, in anticipation of somday carrying on a daily basis, i own and shoot an Ultra Carry II. I love it and as you've seen, shoots well and very accurate. The problem you're describing could be many things. You can get advice on these as well as aluminum frame questions at the 1911 forum:
http://forums.1911forum.com/
there's a separate section just for kimbers and all sorts of good advice available. good luck.

[Hal-Koll]

Thanks for the link, I had forgotten about that place.

Is the "Ultra" smaller than the "Compact"?

[canuck]

Originally Posted by Hal-Koll

Thanks for the link, I had forgotten about that place.

Is the "Ultra" smaller than the "Compact"?

Much lighter, 3".

[tango-52]

If it was the stock Kimber mag, that was probably the problem. I have Wilson combat Mags for my Kimbers and it makes a difference.

[safe carry]

I got Wilson mags for my Ultra because I didn't want any trouble, guess what, the wilson mags didn't always load the last round every time, but the Kimber one did. Go figure.

[tango-52]

Hmm. That's interesting. Kimbers are notoriously tight though. That's what helps make them accurate. Provided I'm not the one shooting it.

[canuck]

Had some early issues with my Kimbers while breaking them in. I found that the Kimpro tactical mags worked flawlessly, better tham McCormics even. Easy clean with removable base as well.

[CCWInstructor]

Ultra is 3" Compact is 4" barrels. It has nothing to do with weight. It has do with the lenght of the barrel. They make both in steel and alloy.

For example ultra CDP is a alloy frame. Ultra Raptor is a steel frame.

The G39 works very well with the finger groove floorplate. The G39 loaded weighs the weight of a Ultra CDP empty. Kern is a little far to drive to Orange County to try one.

[CCWInstructor]

They have been making the Alloy Frames for years. As a Kimber Dealer I have not seen any problems with the frames. Once a Kimber custom is broken in, they work excellent as long as they properly cleaned with good mags and quality ammo. The number one problem I have seen with feeding inssue's is stock magazine related. I personally own three Ultra's, they work great. I gave the stock mags away and use Wilsons.

[1buba]

Originally Posted by CCWInstructor

Kern is a little far to drive to Orange County to try one.

Are you KIDDING ME????? I came down to try SEVERAL guns... :-)

[1buba]

Originally Posted by CCWInstructor

They have been making the Alloy Frames for years. As a Kimber Dealer I have not seen any problems with the frames. Once a Kimber custom is broken in, they work excellent as long as they properly cleaned with good mags and quality ammo. The number one problem I have seen with feeding inssue's is stock magazine related. I personally own three Ultra's, they work great. I gave the stock mags away and use Wilsons.

+1 on the Ultra CDP-II. Mine, and all those i've shot (probably 6 or 8 now) have been great - though they do require a breakin of ~ 750 rounds (YMMV). I like mine so well, I went ahead and bought the Pro CDP-II. The thing with Kimbers is that they are built so stinkin tight from the factory, that you HAVE to break them in. On the Pro - i'm going to try only crap ammo (Blazer aluminum) and not clean it until after 750 rounds. just curious if it will loosen it up a bit more.

[Hal-Koll]

Thanks for the responses so far guys.
Is there a grip size difference between the Ultra and Compact or is it just the barrel length? I am going to the range again next week, I'll see if they have an Ultra I can try out.

Greg, on the Glock 39 are you talking about the Pierce grip extensions or the flat plate that sticks out and goes between your ring and little fingers when griping the pistol?

Is there a real-world difference in the 3" barrel of the Ultra and the 3.46" barrel of the Glock? I'm not talking the difference between shooting 1" groups at 25 yards vs shooting 1.25" groups at 25 yards. I am more concerned about certain ammunitions not feeding well or major accuracy concerns out of short 45 barrels. I have no real experience with either of the pistols so any help is appreciated.


Kurt

[More Cowbell]

I can't speak to the Ultra, but my 4" Compact CDP II eats anything for ammo. Only malfunctions I've had were caused by limp wristing--just two in almost 3,000 rounds.

[Dan M.]

Originally Posted by Hal-Koll

Is there a grip size difference between the Ultra and Compact or is it just the barrel length?

It's just the barrel length.