Shooting the Kimber 1911 Custom II TLE .45 Pistol

I recently purchased a Kimber 1911 Custom II TLE (Tactical Law Enforcement) .45 caliber model hand gun. The gun is black on black with night sights that glow in the dark and extra grip, called checkering, on the inside of the butt. It can hold seven in the magazine with one in the hole, meaning the capacity of the magazine is seven bullets, with one bullet remaining chambered in the barrel, ready to go, for a total of eight shots waiting to be fired.

I had heard wonderful things about Kimber, and specifically their 1911 model .45 caliber hand guns. I had originally gone to the gun store to purchase a Springfield Armory "Operator" model, but the Kimber looked so nice, and felt so right in my hands, I couldn't pass it up. I also purchased a .22 caliber conversion kit for it, but that's information for another article.

Some people change out the stock grips on their 1911 pistols, to add both appeal and comfort. I actually bought rosewood grips for mine, but the black rubber double-diamond grips from Kimber's factory felt so nice and comfortable, I don't believe I'll install the other ones at all. The Kimber 1911 Custom II TLE feels just right the way it is.

Now let's get to the shooting. I loaded it with Winchester 230 grain bullets, pulled back on the slide, and pointed the weapon down range. The gun fired flawlessly, sending each round toward the target with a sturdy feeling, reliable ease. This article is not intended as a safety piece, but please wear ear protection when shooting any gun, but especially a large caliber like a .45-they are LOUD.

I'm relatively new to the 1911 platform, and the gun had never been fired before, so my groupings (the amount of space all the shots fired into a target covers) weren't very good. I'm convinced it was operator error and not the gun, because the police officer I was shooting with did just fine with it.

I shot over one-hundred rounds through the pistol this morning, and never experienced one issue. No FTFs (failure to fires) or FTEs (failure to eject) or any feed issues. It just kept pumping out round after round, and seemed to be asking for more. I am extremely happy with the performance of my Kimber 1911 Custom II TLE, and cannot wait to shoot it again.

One thing I did modify before even taking it out was the magazine. For some reason, Kimbers are known for having less-than-perfect magazines, which tend to cause the occasional feed issue. I outfitted mine with a Wilson Combat seven-round magazine and couldn't be happier with it.

Overall, the Kimber 1911 Custom II TLE is a performer. Whether you are looking for a 1911 to play with at the range, or for home protection or both, the gun comes highly recommended by this shooter. I couldn't ask for a better .45. I will update my findings in another article sometime in the near future, after I have put further miles on the piece. For now, the Kimber gets an A+ grade.