Blammer - Gun Blog

I picked this up as gun #3. I didn’t t need it at all, but I’ve always wanted a 1911-style pistol, and this one I just liked. It’s an older model of the TLE II with some wear marks and scuffs, but it just makes the gun look that much better. The trigger is great, the gun is tight, and as a used gun the price was in the high $500s. Not sure I got gyped, but I like the gun and am glad I got it.

The TLE is one of the cheaper Kimbers you can get, but it feels pretty good. I’m a bit partial to the simpler “three hole” aluminum trigger, as opposed to those funky triangles you see on some of the newer Kimbers. And though I’m not a huge fan of the forward slashes, they don’t look that bad here.

After shooting a few hundred rounds through this gun, I can understand why people recommend just picking one gun and sticking with it. Compared to the striker-fired Glock and XD-9, the 1911 trigger requires a different mindset. The idea of carrying “cocked and locked” and training to sweep the safety with the thumb is something that requires training. If I were serious about carrying, I would have to definitely pick something and stay with it.

The first few times I shot the Kimber, I accidentally touched off a quick double because I was used to more forward trigger movement required to reset. Bad. Now I hold the trigger back until I’m ready to shoot again, which probably helps with followthrough at the same time. I’m still a little intimidated by the 45ACP, but this is still my favorite gun to shoot. I just don’t shoot it particularly well. I am thinking of reloading just so I can shoot this more.

This particular Kimber has the glow-in-the-dark meprolight sights. I don’t find them particularly easy to see in the dim light at the range, though, and they’re a bit difficult to line up vertically. I might replace them with Big Dots. The raked back angle of the rear sight also contributes to shadow issues, making the two dots even harder to see in regular light. The newer TLE II is different in that the sights are raked forward, so I wonder if they’re a bit easier on the eyes.

The full-length guide rod is kind of a pain in the butt, but I’ve gotten the hang of taking it apart. The gun came with one of those Kimber magazines that I hear are terrible, but the replacement mag I got is even worse. I’m pretty sure it was a new 8-round Wilson Combat mag, but I’m not sure …the mag isn’t marked and I already tossed the packaging. The big problem I have with it is that when empty, you can’t push down on the slide release because the top of the magazine flexes and jams. The follower, I think this is called. It’s plastic, which I’m told is used for guns with aluminum frames.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 26th, 2004 at 9:00 am and is filed under Gun Gallery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.