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Just a thought i have heard a lot of series 70 vs series 80 internal safeties arguments. I would just like to hear a few words and thought on the series II kimber safeties. I guess this is just to spark a little arguing or discussing the pro's and con's of its design. My gut says avoid it and there is a reason it was not used before. My safety conscious side says "hey nice idea" . My this could be a future custom package says uh probly better to avoid it and buy a springer, colt or caspian kit. Just food for thought and hopefully this will inspire some more intelligent conversation on this fine forum.

By the way this is by far the greatest gun forum on the internet.

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"One thought he was invincible the other thought he could fly" well? "They were both wrong"
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I prefer a 1911 with the standard safety parts / grip safety / thumb safety. I don't really want the series 80 parts although I own one colt series 80. The series 70 colts and pre-series 70 colts are my choice. I also like Ed Brown and springfield pistols without additional safety parts.

Folks that have problems operating a 1911 safely are not going to become better at gun handling because they have more nanny parts on their guns. I want a gun that requires no special thought to dissassemble or operate. The thumb safety is just reflex for me after shooting 1911's for better then 25 years. I have excellent finger placement resting my trigger finger up near the bump of the slide stop / release when not on the trigger { when on target }. Gun safety comes from treating all guns as loaded... not ever aiming at something that you are not willing to destroy... and keeping your finger off of the trigger until it is time to shoot.


The springfield safety system is nice in one regard... it is easily removeable with no trace of the parts once gone. The kimber series I I pistols hold zero interest for me. The various sig and smith and wesson guns look ok , but I like traditional internal extractors on my 1911's. The sig and smith safety parts are a no-go also.

Many of the fine pistolsmiths still make exactly what I want... so there is no rush to buy the last 1911 setup like I prefer. Ed Brown , springfield , les baer , wilson combat . colt series 70 etc offer me what I want.

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For me the 1911 is the perfect design. It is a fighting tool , not a toy. John Moses Browning was a genius and craftsman.

I don't own a Series II Kimber but I've seen problems with them at IDPA matches. Usually the grip safety will be depressed enough to allow the hammer to fall but not enough to allow the firing pin to move. Another problem I've seen is the plunger will retard the slide from closing when loading a new round after firing.
I don't like the fact that you can't take the parts out for routine cleaning and maintenance. The Colt Series 80 safety is a better way to go if you want a firing pin safety.

I'm with Amp on this.

Check the timing of the Series II system before buying.
By timing, I mean at what point in the grip safety's travel the firing pin (f.p.) block releases the f.p.
I've heard of them releasing fairly early, and others that released it late- very late. I'm pretty familiar with one of those- mine.

I got a Kimber stainless TLE II last year. The first time out, I was shooting a variety of ammo, testing it for function and accuracy. It was malfunction-free, and shot the best groups I had ever shot with a pistol that wasn't a target .22. I was happy happy happy.

The next time out, I practiced as I usually do- drawing from concealment, moving, etc.
I had several failures to fire. Not happy.

The cause was the f.p. safety, which I then found out released late. The grip safety had to be all the way in for it to release the f.p. And I mean ALL the way in. Any slack at all, and it wouldn't fire.

I know. If I always gripped the gun properly, it would work fine.
As much as I would like to think otherwise, if I'm in a desperate sitation, I can't guarantee my grasp will be ideal.

I removed the grip safety, found where it contacted the frame when all the way in, and gave it a few file strokes. That took off enough material to allow it more travel/overtravel, and give some wiggle room.
It has been trouble-free for the 1400+ rounds since.
I carry it daily.

For another fix, others suggest replacing the firing pin with a Series 70 Colt-type. They don't have any cutouts for the f.p. block to engage, so you are effectively bypassing the Series II system. Some say you amy run into legal problems by doing that. I don't know, but I don't think that approach is needed.

Would I buy another Kimber?
Yes, and I have.
I'm not a Kimber-hater. The next 1911 I got was a Kimber.
I don't have Kimber blinders on either. The last gun I got was a Springfield 1911.
I have, or have had, 1911s from all the majors. The all needed something done to them. That firing pin safety problem was a relatively easy fix compared to some of those- after I knew about it.
And that's the problem. It isn't obvious unless you know to look for it.

So, while I'd buy another, I would strongly advise any potential buyers to check the timing of a Series II's f.p. safety first.
All you have to do is a pencil test (unloaded gun, drop pencil down barrel, elevate, cock hammer, shoot- pencil should launch). If you do it several times, varying the amount the grip safety is squeezed in, you can see what point the f.p. safety releases and launches the pencil.

I think it should release by the time the grip safety clears the trigger to come back, but a little past that might be OK.

Supposedly, Kimber's view is that if you hold the gun correctly, there is no problem.
So it looks like it's up to us to check them.

I guess while I was typing all of that in, I duplicated some of what was already said!

Well great info. And Hi to my old shooting rival(he always killed me in cdp!!!!!! I lost more #1's to that...stories for another category!) AMP this forum has helped me fix guns buy guns not buy others and hook up with ole shootin partners geez wonder if it will help me fix a roof leak and plumbing?? Never know. Thanks ned and others for the input looks like a series '80 will be the platform for my next 1911 carry gun.

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"One thought he was invincible the other thought he could fly" well? "They were both wrong"
SIC VIS PACEM PARABELLEM

The new Colts are really nice. The rollmarks are a return to the good old days, the lines are straight and they are put together well. I just hope they keep it up and don't let their quality slip. It would be nice to see Colt bounce back.
I agree with you, this is the best gun forum.

With so many great and time tested series 70 and series 80 options (Colt, Springfield, Baer, Brown, STI, etc., etc.) available, I personally will never enter the world of the Kimber Series II system... just too "iffy" for me to even bother with. I do have a few pre-Series II Kimbers which are nice guns, but the Series II modifications leave me cold.