Kimber Ultra Carry

Carryconcealed.net headed to the range to try out the Kimber Ultra Carry .45 ACP. It is a compact 1911 with a 3 inch barrel and 7 +1 carry capacity.  One of our CCW class students had just purchased it as his primary carry pistol. Mike owns a restaurant and has been concerned about safety and security at home and at the restaurant.  We invited his wife and other CCW students to come out and have a practice session at the range while testing the Ultra Carry.  Mike lives a city that is ranked 2^nd in the United States for restaurant robberies and he does not want to become a statistic.

While Mike has shot guns all of his life, he has not shot in many years and needed the practice. I was pleasantly surprised how well he was able to place close groups at 7, 10 and 15 yards. We also worked with his wife to help get her used to the pistol even though she did not go through the CCW class. It is recommended that everyone in the house practice with the firearms and understand gun safety.  She was able to shoot the pistol, but she wants to look for a smaller caliber and possibly a revolver.

Mike picked the Kimber because of the Kimber brand name and the fact that he wanted a larger caliber defense pistol.  The duties of a restaurant owner required that the handgun be easily concealed as not to upset patrons, and let the bad guys know that he was able to defend himself.

Pictured on the left is a close up of the target that MIke was shooting. Notice the nice grouping and the head shots done in rapid fire drill. I enjoyed shooting the Kimber and found that it was almost identical to my Springfield Arms Micro Compact. We compared sizes and styles to find that there were very few differences. The Springfield Arms Micro Compact has a larger beaver tail, and mine has night sights. My Micro Compact is 6 +1 and I have to be careful not to mix the shorter magazine in with my full sized 1911 magazines as they will NOT work in the full size 1911 handgun. One advantage to using a Micro .45 as a primary side arm is that you can leave full sized magazines in your truck or in strategic parts of your home or place of business.

Shooting a Micro .45 does give a little more recoil, and is tougher to get tight groups at a longer distance. The advantage is that it is easier to conceal, and felt easier to bring on target in close quarter drills than a full sized 1911. The Carryconcealed.net team gives the Kimber Ultra Carry a 5 out of 5 stars as a concealed handgun. It would make an excellent primary as well as a backup sidearm should you require one. Especially if you are already carrying a full sized 1911.

Stats:

Total length: 6.8 Inches

Stainless Steel Slide

3 inch barrel

Low profile sights

Trigger pull (as tested) 5.1 lbs.

Anyone looking to defend themselves, should take a serious look at the Kimber family of products. If you are looking to conceal a larger caliber handgun, the Kimber Ultra Carry is an outstanding value. MIke is pictured on the left with his wife. She did not have any problem with the kick, but she said that she would like to shop for a lower caliber handgun. We worked with her shooting other pistols to help see what kind she liked.

Happy Trails and Keep the Lead Down Range – Clark