Alpha Carry: My Range Time with the Kimber 2K11 Pro Comp in 9mm
Alabama-based Kimber went double-stack 1911 in 2024 after at least a 30-year run in the field of making single-stacks. We have reviewed a couple of these excellent pistols since then and are past the 3K round mark on our original test gun with zero (0) hiccups to report, leaving us feeling good headed into the new Comp series.
Released in January at the SHOT Show in either stainless (SST) or black in both 5-inch full-sized (Government) and 4.25-inch Pro (Commander) sizes, with flush-fit 20- and 19-round magazines, respectively, as the name would imply, the Comp models all sport a compensated barrel and slide.
Meet the stainless 2K11 Pro Comp SST, our test gun:
This gun was a dream to shoot on the range. Full stop.
We ran a bit over 1,000 rounds through it and should probably talk about how we ran them. Coming after our trouble-free 3,000-round review of the full-length 2K11, we had a feeling the 2K11 Pro Comp would be able to comfortably digest just about any commercial load we could throw at it.
So that’s what we did.
A typical range box for our Pro Comp field trip:
If you prioritize a gun that looks great, shoots better than it looks, and gives you minimal heartburn while still being carryable in a pinch, the Kimber 2K11 Pro Comp is a “cry once, buy once” option.
It ran so well on the range and felt good in the hand that finding things to complain about is a chore.
Holsters for double-stack 1911-style railguns with a commander-length slide are a bit tough to find. The nose of the 2K11 Pro makes it even harder. Luckily, Kimber has gone the extra mile and stocks a variety of 2K11-specific OWB and competition holsters on their site from Blackpoint, Ghost Hydra, and Red Hill Tactical. Still, we’d love to see folks like Galco, DeSantis, Falco, Philster, Safariland, and Tenicor cranking them out as well, especially in an IWB format because this shorter 2K11 could make a great carry gun, giving the Staccato CS or HD C4X some serious competition.
Other than that, about the only sticking points that got under our skin were the fact that you had to leave the excellent rear sight at home when you opt for a red/green dot. Further, the mag release and safety lever were stiff right out of the box but wore in over time.
Candidly, I really dig it.
