Kimber has an interesting reputation in the firearms community. On one hand, they’re a popular 1911 with people looking for a “nice” 1911 due to their price point and generally nice appearance. On the other hand, many serious shooters don’t like Kimber, due to documented issues with reliability. When I set out to do a Kimber Team Match II 9mm Review, I was…skeptical at the beginning.
Right off the bat, I wanted to like the gun. The Kimber Team Match II 9mm is intended for competition shooters, with adjustable sights and a magazine well for fast reloads. But, full size 9mm 1911s often have problems with reliability, and again factor in “Kimber” and who knows what to expect. I started the test with the 10-8 Performance Function check, a course of fire designed to expose flaws in a 1911’s extractor function. The Kimber Team Match II passed this part of the review with flying colors, which was surprising.
Up next was the long slog through 2,000 rounds of ammo. I shot the Kimber at Steel Challenge, I shot it in training, and eventually the Kimber Team Match II 9mm hit 2,000 rounds. Want to know how many failures it had during that time? 1. That’s right, out of 2,000 rounds fired in various conditions, the Kimber didn’t complete its entire cycle of operations one time. For a full size 1911 in 9mm that’s impressive regardless, and it’s especially impressive considering that this 1911 says Kimber on the slide.
I didn’t have any serious complaints about the Kimber Team Match II 9mm. I would have preferred different grips on the gun, but that’s fixed with some aftermarket grips from VZ. Other than that, I liked this gun. Easy to shoot well, I turned in a couple of personal best runs on Steel Challenge stages with it. With only 1 malfunction in 2,000 rounds it was also very reliable. Sure, it’s a sample size of one, but this one Kimber was awesome.
