Accuracy of Kimber Pro Carry vs Ultra Carry? Thoughts on full size Kimbers?

[jearne]

I am looking into a Kimber for my next purchase down the road. I really like the idea of a 1911 based carry gun. Does the accuracy stand up to other Kimber models in the .45 ACP cartridge? Such as full size models.
A friend of mine has a Super Match .45 and it is extremely accurate. Would I be compromiseing this type of accuracy for a really comfortable carry? Should I give a full size more thought?

 

[RWK]

Without doubt, Kimbers are accurate.

This said, the greater sight radius inherent in full-size 1911A1s tends to provide improved accuracy, in comparison to reduced barrel length (e. g., officer and commander sized) 1911A1 models.

It can be argued that the smaller semiautomatics are not inherently less accurate. However, most shooters obtain increased accuracy with greater sight radii.

A safe course would be to fire three or four different Kimbers at a range to ascertain if your personal accuracy is influenced by sight radius.

 

[Jack Carson]

Try'em before you buy'em

The only way to really know if you're going to be happy is to actually shoot the different models before you choose one. I am very satisfied with my Custom Compacts. These are strictly carry guns that give me "about" two inch groups at 20 yards. Some days are better than others but it's me and not the guns.

I really wish I had bought one full size Kimber and one Compact. The only reason I went the way I did was that I was very happy with my first Compact and ran into a great deal on the second.

Bottom line is: If you are going to shoot matches you are most likely going to be most happy with a full sized gun. For carry or home defense only, it won't make much difference in terms of good hits. The five inch barrel gives a decided edge in terms of velocity.

That's just my opinion. Take care, jack

 

[JimFox]

I own one each (Ultra CDP and Compact CDP) and from the bench they shoot about equally well. 2-5 inch groups, off a bench, depending on the ammo. (And how my old eyes feel about sight pictures on any given day.)

In theory Kimber makes an extra effort in the fitting of their high end target models so you probably shouldn't expect quite the degree of inherient accuracy out of the non-target guns. However every gun is unique and some lower end guns can be real tack drivers with the right ammo.

As others have said - try before you buy - if at all possible.

In theory the slightly longer sight radius of the Compact should give you better results. However, shooting off hand, I tend to do better with the Ultra. YMMV.