Fast Shooter Wannabe Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 After 10 years of not owning a 1911, I returned and purchased a Springfield TRP, which I truly love shooting. Now, I want to get back to carrying one and am looking to see if anyone here carries one too. I can't swing an Ed Brown or Wilson, so I am looking for either a Springfield Armory LW Champion Operator or a Kimber Super Carry Pro. I like that both are light weight, 45's, and have 4 inch barrels. Anyone have any recommendations or advice? Thanks, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'd go for the one that doesn't have monkey motion devices hidden inside! That would be the Schwartz safety... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedale Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Not on your list but I normally carry an STI Escort. A tad shorter but great to shoot and carry. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast Shooter Wannabe Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Not on your list but I normally carry an STI Escort. A tad shorter but great to shoot and carry. Dave How do you like STI? I looked at a Ranger I, which I like the feel of. I just don't know much about STI. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjs375 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The STI Ranger is a great carry pistol, I have one in 40 S&W and it shots great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59Bassman Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I've carried a Kimber CDP Pro II for the past 4 years. It's been flawless for me. Either one will be a great gun once you've tested it and are confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedale Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Not on your list but I normally carry an STI Escort. A tad shorter but great to shoot and carry. Dave How do you like STI? I looked at a Ranger I, which I like the feel of. I just don't know much about STI. Jason Awesome pistol. It has run flawlessly w/ ball and JHP. It's a great carry pistol. There are tons of folks running STI single stacks around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradleyA Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I have a Super Carry Ultra, and at best I have mixed thoughts about it. It was not at all reliable when new. It wouldn't feed the first round from a full magazine, regardless of the brand. Also, it had plenty of FTF's. Kimber says the gun needs a 500 round break-in (as do several 1911 manufacturers), but it still needed to be sent back to Kimber. I don't get a 500 round break-in on a $1300 handgun, when I can buy a Glock that works out of the box, but that is another topic. Anyways, I sent the Super Carry back to Kimber, and after around 7 weeks they returned it. Tuned extractor, polished feed ramp, and some other things that should have been done right on a 1911 in this price range. It's working quite a bit better, and it is amazingly accurate. I still haven't put enough rounds through it to completely trust it, and it still doesn't feed all the ammo my Springfield does. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-man Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) I had and immediately sold a SA Lightweight Champion. Not the Operator with a rail, but the 2 tone Champion. The gun was junk. Rattled like crazy, wouldn't feed hollowpoints, and the finish was chipping from the factory. Sent it to SA, they put a new barrel in that corrected the HP issue but the gun was worse fit than when I got it. They also claimed that the finish issue was not their problem. That was and will be my last SA. A buddy got a Sig C3 about the same time and it was 2x the gun. JMO. PM for more details. Edited January 21, 2011 by Z-man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast Shooter Wannabe Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks for the opinions. I am leaning towards the SA, but am still trying to figure out the model I want. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheers623 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 +1 on SA or STI. I have a number of each and carry both the STI Escort as well as the STI VIP. STI and SA both have lifetime warranties and their customer service departments are great if needed. I had a bunch(7) of Kimbers and everyone of them had to go back for things like new barrels, polishing feedramps, broken links...etc etc and their customer service dept. was a serious PITA to deal with. One pistol I bought for my wife to carry went back for a new barrel and when it came back the serial number was different! Talk about a BATF nightmare. Kimber denied they sent it even though I had taken pictures of the gun with the serial number for insurance purposes before sending it to them. They sent me a different pistol with a different serial number and when I called them they told me there must have been a mistake when I originally purchased the gun while recording the serial number. I had the Gunshop review the BATF paperwork and it coincided with both my own private paperwork I'd sent to Kimber for the warranty repair as well as the PHOTOGRAPH of the serial number I'd taken of the pistol to show the repair department what needed to be repaired. Kimber CS treated me like crap right up to that point and then suddenly became very courteous and helpful. Once that fiasco was resolved I sold every single Kimber I had and have never looked back. STI or SA will serve you well. My 2 cents FWIW Cheers623 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Cline Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) I've not owned other models, only two Kimbers. A Custom II and a Super Match II. I love them both. I've not had problems with the safeties, barrels, links or anything else. They go "bang!" They are accurate. I hear good things about other guns as well. Occassionally I hear bad things about other manufacturers as well. A dude bought a Springfield Loaded only to have the plunger tube fall off before 50 rnds. dunno. I compete and carry a Kimber. In fact, 4 of the top 5 at the 2010 Texas Single Stack Shootout. I share this only to say that maybe Kimbers aren't as bad as some personal opinions make them... maybe they aren't as good as my personal opinion makes them. I look at the threads list in this forum just now and see two threads on STI problems. I just told you about a Springfield which went bellyup in 50 rnds. There is a TRP in the case at my range... that's one UGLY slide to frame fit. Trigger ain't bad, but nothing to go on about. I can't believe Springfield would ask that much for gun with that kind of fit. People with a bad experience don't define a brand anymore than those with a positive experience. Maybe the larger picture will help you choose. I don't think you have anything to fear from Kimber's Super Carry. Edited January 27, 2011 by Steven Cline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buck-boost Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 A very good friend of mine has a Champ Operator and it is an excellent shooter. No FPS and a ramped barrel make it a winner in my book. It is almost as nicely finished as my TRP Operator and has a little lighter trigger. It is tight, good barrel fit, bright night sights and nice and light at 31 oz unloaded backed by an unconditional lifetime warranty. Unless kimber switched over to a ramped barrel on their aluminum framed models, it wouldn't even be on my consideration list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff F Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I have aTRP and it shoots lights out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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