Kimber Ultra Carry

By P. Allen

I recently bought a Kimber Ultra Carry. My primary interest was its size and weight (one of the smallest 1911-style .45’s made). The gun is very accurate, considering it has a 3″ barrel. But it leaves plenty to be desired as far as reliability goes, particularly with the factory magazine. Takedown is a pain, you have to stick this little allen wrench into the guide rod to keep the recoil spring assembly intact. Its size and weight make it ideal for concealed carry. I tried various brands of ammo (all FMJ), but had feed and ejection problems right out of the box. Not to mention the inability of the slide to lock back after firing the last round. I got an Officer’s size magazine from Wilson Combat and the problems almost entirely disappeared. It’s hard to believe I had these problems after all the QC inspections Kimber claims they perform on their guns. I guess their magazines don’t get these inspections. IMO, it’s a nice piece but a $650+ gun really should be able to fire reliably out of the box. Shop around.