Air,

That is BS, you guys should send it back to Kimber. I have NEVER heard of a Kimber coming from the factory in that condition. When you put the weapon on the shelf did you pull it out of a blue bag? If not then that is why it had rust spots.

I will have to say that I have handled quite a few of the Kimbers myself, own a couple, and have never seen the problem you described either.

My buddy's gun store, where I occasionally help out, has sold close to a thousand Kimbers, and he says that they are consistently the best made and have the lowest returns of any 1911 he sells.

Just my experience, YMMV.

TR

Yes it came out of a blue Bag, just like the rest of them. For some reason, new kimber barrels - Especially on the stainless guns - seem to rust very easily in my experience. We (meaning Me) were able to southern engineer a solution to the mag release problem, and Flitz the rust away. These solutions along with a $20 discount, made the customer happy. The mag release issue was that the little Detent doohicky that you turn with an allen wrench to capture the spring and allow removal of the mag release button had gotten half way turned and just bound everything up. A simple turn of the allen wrench fixed it, but still I shouldn't have to turn a damn thing on a brand new $1100 pistol.

TR - We sell a ton of Kimbers and I am only mildly impressed by them in general. I have seen probably 3-5 guns with rust on the barrels when they came out of the package from the factory.

I know lots of people who are very pleased with their Kimber pistols, but I am not just chomping at the Bit to run to work and Buy one of my own.

Good choice
 

Very nice. I was also lucky enough to get a Kimber from my wife. She got me an Eclipse Custom II. Also, very nice.

Have any of you shot/own a Walther P-99 .40cal? I recently bought one and I find it a hell of alot better than any Glock I've fired.

Okay, chick comments on guns:

I have shot two seperate .45's, the Kimber full size standard 1911 and a Springfield compact that had a lot of work done post - factory.
The Kimber performed flawlessly for me (note- I have small hands and the single stack mags/smaller grip make that easier on me personally).
The Springfield was a compact (bought from anther person who not longer wanted it) and had some work done to it post purchase by a 1911 gunsmith. The Springfield wasn't what I expected at all. The gun didn't seem to fit in my hand well at all. It tended to have problems with stovepiping (wasn't just me, it did the same with the guys who shot it) and wasn't as accurate as the Kimber. The gun often ejected the shells directly into my forehead (thank God for shooting glasses). It also had a tendancy to dig into the webbing between my thumb and pointer finger. Being a compact, the kick may have been an issue, as well as the fact that the grip wasn't fitting uinto my hands well at all.
That having been said, I love the Kimber. We have never had to do anythig to it at all, it has shot flawlessly out of the box.
Now I have also shot CZ's to my satisfaction, until I bought my .40. Sadly, the 9mm and .380 legacy I was accostomed to didn't carry into the .40. I am going to trade or sell it once I get home for a 1911.
We should close on one note, however. A gun may or may not perform for a person depending on their shooting style as well. While I can do well with the Kimber, I don't do as well with a Glock or a Baretta. I also realize that having small hands to try and wrap around the double stack mag (grips) makes a big difference for me.