I have been looking at ads for 1911’s, what can you tell me about Kimber Crimson Carry 1911 and the XDM from Springfield Armory?
Here are the guns in question:
Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry Manufacturer's specs are here; here's a quick recap:
Weight: 25 ounces empty (about what my Glock G30 weighs; it's a decent weight, not too heavy for carry but not too light as to make recoil unmanageable)
Capacity: 7+1
Barrel: 3"
Sights: Low profile Novak, also Crimson Trace grips.
Springfield XDM (40 shown) Manufacturer's specs here; breakdown as follows:
Weight: 32 ounces empty (9mm or .40)
Capacity: 19+1 (9mm); 16+1 (.40S&W)
Barrel: 4.5" (either)
Sights: 3-dot white sights
These are very different animals indeed. The Kimber is a devoted-carry 1911-style .45, whereas the XDM is a duty gun. The XDM is heavier and larger, meaning that carrying it concealed will be more problematic than the Kimber; the advantage of ammo capacity is all-but negated by the MA AWB - you're limited to 10 rounds in either caliber for the Springfield, as this is a new firearm and there are no pre-ban magazines available for it.
(Side note: Jack - did you perhaps mean something like the Springfield EMP? You mentioned 1911-style guns, is this the one you're thinking of?)
If ammo capacity is the deciding factor, a Glock 19/23 (9mm/.49 S&W mid-size) might be more the ticket. There are many pre-ban magazines available at reasonable prices; these guns have been in production for well over 20 years now so there's plenty of accessories available on the open market; and Glock has a pretty near bulletproof reputation (ha! get it? A gun pun!).
As for the Kimber, if you can get one, grab ahold of it - with the limited availability of these guns because of the insane MA laws, chances are good that you can sell it for at least what you paid at any point down the road. If you don't have a line on a Kimber, Smith & Wesson makes a similarly sized SW1911 that should be MA compliant (read: available) and on the market for considerably less than a used Kimber.
If anyone has any thoughts/experience with either of the two handguns Jack is interested in, we'd love to hear from you!
That is all.
12 comments:
I have an XDM, I have one in 9mm. I like it, but the 19rd mags are hard to get, and it's really rather large compared to my other guns. In my case it gives a long barrel for chrono tests and serves as a very nice house gun.
For carry purposes, the XD subcompact (XDC) in 9mm is probably a better choice - I like mine. Note that there are new XDs with manual safeties (meaning THREE mechanical safeties on them) to be CA legal, so there might be an MA version. I have happy experience with the 9mm.
I also have springfield-armory EMPs. Mags are also hard to get (even though only 9rds) but way easier than XDM. The emp is apparently the smallest 1911 pattern 9mm gun that works reliably. In some conditions they pack more easily than an XDC.
So you correspondent might be well served to look at the subcompact/compact XDs and the EMP.
Also, if you can ONLY ever have 10rds, one advantage of 9mm is lost, and looking at bigger calibers might be more important, assuming you can shoot them well.
(I live in WA state where the state constitution has forced a more rational approach to gun laws.)
Jay,
I have a Kimber Ultra Eclipse with a set of CT laser grips on it, as well as an XD45.
I like em both, but find myself carrying the Spingfield XD more often than the Kimber. That might very well be a function of holsters at this point, but I've shot thousands of rounds out of the XD since I got it a year ago (BAG day 2008) without it failing to fire at all.
I'm a tall and slim guy (6'4, 230lb) and can hid the XD with no issues at all.
I'll do a longer blog post about the comparison early next week. I can also talk about a Glock 19 in the same post :)
--Jim
I would think the two guns are so different that it would be a question of personal preference.
Get out there and shoot as much ammo through both (or similar) guns as you can, and things should be a little more clear.
Also don't skimp on the holsters.
I've heard the 3" 1911s are pretty dicey as far as reliability goes — and that if you get a good one you're good to go, but if you get a bad one you'll never be able to make it run 100% — but the only issues I've had with my Kimber Tactical Ultra II were due to a weak mag spring. Just for grins, why are the Springfield & Kimber 1911s not on the approved list for MA?
Because MA sucks...
More than likely they didn't see the point in submitting several tens of thousands of dollars worth of guns for destruction simply to gain entry into the very small MA market...
I have the XD45(predecessor to the XDM)tactical model. Holds 13+1, very much not MA or CA compliant.
Pro- nice shooter, 2K + rounds and never a FTE or FTF, high cap mags, and I like the striker and chamber indicators.
Con- Totally subjective on my part, I don't particularly like the trigger and grip safety(s).
The XD45 is a big gun, but I'm a big guy so it's not an issue. During the past year I decided to carry all of the time. For that reason I wanted a standard platform (same feel, mechanism, sights) and bought Sigs for my carry guns. I like the XD45 enough that I never considered selling or trading it.
One of the guys at State Line carries a Springfield Operator 1911. It caught my attention and I'm saving my ducats for something in Springfields 1911 line next.
Jay, biggest negative about Kimber is the problems with MIM parts breaking. On the XD, people either love em or hate em... Another option, Springers come in a wide variety of 1911 platforms, and I "think" they are MA legal.
I have neither of those, but carry an EMP every day. I love that gun.
It is not a cheap gun, at $900 to $1,000..... it is manufactured to very tight tolerances (I had a box of remanufactured ammo that about 1/2 of the rounds would not drop into/out of the chamber- another guy there with a SIG had no problem with the same rounds.) and needed a 500 round FMJ "break-in" before it would feed HPs reliably.....
One other thought, which I have posted elsewhere: Unless you are going to handload, .45 ACP (or .380 for that matter!) is pretty spendy, at 20+ Bucks a box.... If you practice like you should, choosing 9mm will cost at least 30% less for ammo, which over the life of the gun will be more than you spent on the gun, even an expensive gun like the EMP.....
I carried a 5" steel framed 1911 for a year before I bought the EMP.... I hardly notice the little gun. The .45 hid out alright, it was just to HEAVY. I got tired of pulling my drawers up all the time..... I can't imagine trying to dress around that ginormous XD.....
Old NFO, nope, Springers aren't MA approved, and I suspect they'll never be.
Jay neglected to point out that even passing all the destructive tests the gun still might be denied for unknown reasons by the MA attorney General.
So tens of thousands spend for no particular assumption that that might be able to get into one of the smallest handgun markets in the US means that most handgun makers don't even bother.
Here's a GREAT example of stupidity.
http://www.fsguns.com/glocks.html
I do have to say, that S&W I linked is MIGHTY sexy...
Hey! I bought myself a .45 when I'd reached 5 years as a non-smoker.
Jan. 1 2011 will be 10 years. Time for another .45!
This was the S&W I was looking at when I opted for the EMP instead:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=45928&langId=-1&isFirearm=Y
Damn.... that got spendy in a hurry- when I priced it last, it was under 1,000 bucks!
Bought a Kimber SIS Pro last year. LOVE the gun, but it is about 97% reliable due to Failure to Feed issues.
Bought an XDM .40 last month, and I like it better than I thought I would. It feels very slim for a gun with a 16 rnd magazine (almost as slim as a single stack 1911), it points the same as a 1911 and it is very accurate. The trigger is good when compared to other striker-fired guns I have shot, crappy when compared to the Kimber though.
Both are good choices, just comes down to what suits you best, or what works better for your local laws/regulations.
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