There is something wrong with this story.
Today is a good day to die.
I didn't say for whom.
Posted on 02/06/2011 9:34:42 AM PST by STONEWALLS
RALEIGH Little more than a year after buying 150 collector-grade handguns, officials at the N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement say the $1,055 pistols were so unreliable they had to get rid of them.
ALE director John Ledford said the Kimber pistols repeatedly suffered such problems as rounds jamming during training exercises, broken sights and the weapon's safety button sometimes falling off. He made a deal with a local firearms dealer to swap the pricey pistols for less expensive handguns without spending any additional money.
"Failure of a weapon during training is problematic enough, but if any of these types of failures occurred during a life-and-death situation the result could be loss of life to a sworn member of the division or an innocent civilian," Ledford wrote in a November memo to justify the new weapons. "During violent encounters with armed suspects, reliability and speed are paramount."
(SNIP)
"The Kimbers were unreliable as a whole and had numerous problems involving the malfunctioning of the weapon," Young said last week in a written statement. "They needed to be replaced as their use had become a safety issue for the officers and a liability issue for the department."
(Excerpt) Read more at charlotteobserver.com ...
I’ve got a Kimber .45 Ultra Crimson Carry...it is reliable as h*ll!
The phrase “collector-grade handguns” is one we’ll need to add to the journalists’ guide to firearms.
Frankly most any decent handgun is worthy of collecting.
“Collector-grade.” In other words not to be used.
S&W MP. 9mm, .357, .40, .45 for half the price. And you can get them w/ a thumb safety if that’s an issue.
But hey, it’s taxpayer’s money. Go for the gold.
Did anyone perform test on the weapons to see if they would make the grade before the mass purchase?Doesnt sound like it.It was tax money so what the phuck did they care.
They could have bought Glocks or USPs,or S&W M&Ps and saved themselves a lot of money and trouble.
That is the result of some gun nerd being the guy that gets to choose the gun, or pitch the gun to the board that selects the gun.
Not al Kimber models enjoy the same level of reliability. My Colt has been rock solid, but my Glocks are my go-to guns.
My Kimber Warrior runs like a Swiss watch and is more accurate than the Glocks that I used to own and sold.
While I’m certain that your Kimber is a fine piece of hardware, the fact is that Kimbers models in general are not manufactured in the numbers that, say, Glocks, are, and do not have the history of practical reliability with all the glitches worked out that they do. And while I don’t doubt that your Kimber is more accurate than your Glocks when firing from a bench rest, either gun is more than accurate enough for combat purposes, more accurate than 90-99% of the users.
This is the criteria that the old military used in selecting a model to best protect their commanders. They chose the Colt model 1911 hands down. It's very design and function left no competitors standing.
The Glock is a fine pistol for target practice and home protection, provided it is kept clean. But in the combat world, it still falls short.
I believe you are target!
Why buy "collecter grade" Kimbers instead of straight run new shooters?
And what do they mean by "collecter grade" anyway?
Burned out used shooters? Factory seconds?
Kimbers are thought of more as shooters than collector pieces.
There is something wrong with this story.
An avid gun buff and collector, Chandler ordered Kimbers with special sights and the ALE seal carved into their handles, spending $158,250 provided to the agency through federal seizures involving alcohol, drugs and illegal gambling. The purchase was also approved by Chandler's supervisor, Gerald Rudisill, the chief deputy secretary of Crime Control.
And,
A review of Internal ALE records going back three decades shows the agency has bought all new firearms every few years. The old guns are then typically sold to ALE staff, usually for less than half the price the state originally paid.
Records show that since 2000, the agency has sold at least 373 pistols and shotguns back to its own agents. Some agents have bought as many as six discounted weapons in the last decade, sometimes buying more than one of the same model.
I think the ALE boys got a sweet racket going - adding to their collection every few years. From the article: "The Kimbers replaced Sig Sauer handguns bought in 2003 and 2005 for about $685 each. The Sig pistols, which Chandler said were worn out, were declared "surplus" and sold to agents for $326.
A review of Internal ALE records going back three decades shows the agency has bought all new firearms every few years. The old guns are then typically sold to ALE staff, usually for less than half the price the state originally paid."
I never owned on but my understanding is a Kimber is a tight fitted accurate gun which should not be used as a service weapon.
Something smells here...
Kimber makes an OK 1911, but “collector grade” it is not.
When I think “collector grade,” I see visions of color case hardening, gold inlay, engraving, etc.
Kimber does none of this.
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