Is Kimber Winning the Affordable American Double Stack 1911 Game?
Alabama-based Kimber has made a big move to dominate the double-stack 1911 pistol space by offering the new DS Warrior series.
Debuting at SHOT Show in Las Vegas last week, the Kimber DS 1911 Warrior–borrowing from the company’s classic old Warrior line– is offered in not just 9mm but also .45 ACP, 10mm, and .38 Super chamberings.
Further, besides the standard 5-inch Government barrel format, they are also producing a 6-inch longslide hunter style Warrior in 10mm.
The longslide is a beast, and will surely be a hit with backcountry folks and handgun hunters.
All models are optics-ready for RMR-pattern mounts under a TAG cover plate with a fixed rear sight. The pistols use Kimber’s internal 1911-style extractor, a bushing system barrel, mil-spec guide rod, and a match-grade trigger.
They use stainless Checkmate 2011-pattern mags with the 9mm and .38 Super variant shipping with a 17+1 flush and 20+1 extended, while the 10mm goes 11+1/13+1 and the .45 ACP 15+1/18+1
Best yet, they are made in Alabama– not imported– and have an MSRP that starts at $1,099 and tops out at $1,350 for the 6-inch 10mm model. That’s a good bit less than even the Springfield Prodigy and on par with Turkish-made guns without the baggage and QC issues.
