Kimber’s Stainless II 1911: One Classy Shooter By: Brian McCombie

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Upfront, there are two important points to make about Kimber America’s Stainless II – High Polished.

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First, this is a high-quality 1911, chambered in .38 Super, and is very accurate. This reliable semi-automatic action sports a first-class trigger, fine sights, and many more positive features.

Table of contents

  • Full Size
  • Ammo For the Kimber Stainless II
  • Ballistics
  • Nice Shooting
  • Prices For the Stainless II
  • Specifications: Kimber Stainless II – Highly Polished

Second, yes, one could very well think that the flashy stainless steel frame and slide, plus the ivory-style grips, make the pistol look like the sidearm of a drug boss in the Netflix show, Narcos. I view the Stainless II as classy, but I understand the cartel assumption!

Kimber Stainless II 1911 with Kimber patch on wooden table
Kimber’s Stainless II 1911—classy-looking or cartel ready?

Kimber America’s Stainless II is a full-sized 1911 and features a 5.25-inch barrel and a stainless steel match-grade bushing. The frame and slide are also stainless, with a highly polished finish. Lengthwise, the pistol comes in at just under nine inches, and unloaded tips the scales at 38 ounces.

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The ammunition capacity is 9+1, and the magazine well gently bevels. Sights popped nicely with white dots front and rear setting off the black rear blade. The synthetic grips are, as noted, ivory colored and very smooth.

nine-round magazine with ammo
The nine-round magazine loads easily by hand.

Kimber added an aluminum, 3-hole match-grade trigger. The gunmaker’s specs have the trigger pull at 4- to 5-pounds, but mine snapped off at a very clean 2-pounds, 5 ounces on average. Great trigger. 

Safety System on Kimber handgun
Standard 1911 safety system: one manual safety, one grip.

Safeties include a manual butterfly at the rear and left of the frame and a standard 1911-style grip safety.

I had difficulty finding .38 Super ammunition where I live in north-central Wisconsin. I managed to locate Federal Ammunition America Eagle loaded with a 115-grain jacketed hollow point bullet, and Remington UMC, and a 130-grain full metal jacket. As these are .38 Super rounds, loaded up to 36,500 pounds per square inch, they are by definition +P.

.38 Super ammo from Remington and American Eagle
McCombie only located two brands of .38 Super for his evaluation.

Of note, the .38 Super is not a juiced-up version of the .38 Special. The .38 Spl.  was specifically designed for revolvers and the .38 Super for semi-automatic pistols.  The .38 Super was a more powerful take on the .38 ACP. 

Anyway, the larger point here is that the .38 Super and .38 Spl. are not interchangeable in firearms. 

Beveled magwell on Kimber handgun
The magwell’s beveling at the sides made for easy magazine insertion.

I guess one could consider the American Eagle a self-defense load, given the jacketed hollow-point bullet. But Federal itself categorizes this load as made for “Target Shooting.” 

Self-defense rounds in .38 Super? A web search finds it made by Buffalo Bore, Cor-Bon (though listed as “out of stock” when I searched), Doubletap, Underwood Ammo, and Winchester. Minimal self-defense offerings are available in .38 Super compared to the 9mm, .357 Mag. and .45 AUTO. Just as clearly, not a lot of it’s made.

A point to consider for anyone in the market for the Stainless II or pistols of the same caliber.

Ammunition availability aside, the .38 Super is one solid round. 

A quick scan of ballistics data finds the .38 Super has greater velocity and energy than comparable 9mm loads. Not really a factor for plinking and range shooting but certainly a consideration for self-defense applications.

Kimber Stainless II 1911 with American Eagle 38 Super
Ten shots, ten yards, offhand.

I’d rate the recoil of the .38 Super in this pistol as slightly more than 9mm recoil in a 1911 platform. More power, similar recoil. Win, win.

At my outdoor range, I ran the Stainless II from a rest at twelve yards and offhand at seven and ten yards. 

Shiny silver handgun on target with Remington ammo
Remington UMC made several 1” groups in McCombie’s shooting, this one from seven yards offhand.

Accuracy was solid. Shooting at seven and eight yards offhand, both ammunition brands scored groups of 1.0 inches and slightly under. I certainly fired larger groups, too. But once I was used to the pistol and the sights, the gun was one-inch accurate at any distance under 10 yards. 

Kimber handgun on green and blue target with bullet holes
At eight yards offhand, the pistol and American Eagle .38 Super nailed this 1” group.

The two white dots on the rear sight blade and the single dot at the front came up to my eyes easily and showed up clearly on my targets.

Rear sight dots on handgun
The two dots on the rear sight blade pulled in McCombie’s eyes.

The backstrap metal was nicely checkered and anchored to the palm of my shooting hand.

Checkered grip texture on Kimber Stainless II 1911
Checkering on the backstrap metal promoted a firm grip.

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The pistol arrived with a single, metal magazine. I had no problem loading all nine rounds into the magazine without the aid of a mag loader.

All this stainless steel, plus features like the barrel bushing and full-length guide rod, are not inexpensive. Kimber lists the Stainless II with a suggested retail of $1,223.00. Web price postings I found ranged from $50 to $200 below that MSRP. Of course, add shipping costs to these prices.

barrel bushing on pistol
The pistol featured a stainless steel barrel bushing.

A higher-end, though not custom 1911. Not a bad price at all.

Action: Single,  Semi-Auto 

Caliber: 9mm

Capacity: 9+1

Barrel: 5.25”, Match Grade, Steel

Slide: Stainless Steel, High Polish, Serrations Front and Rear

Frame: Stainless Steel, High Polish Finish

Trigger: Aluminum, 3-Hole Match Grade

Sights: Front and Read White Dots

Safeties: Manual and Grip

Grips: Synthetic, Ivory Colored

Length: 8.7”

Height: 5.2”

Width: 1.28”

Weight: 38 Ounces (Unloaded)

Misc: Full-Length Guide Rod, 16 lb. Recoil Spring, Stainless Steel Barrel Bushing

MSRP: $1,223.00 

Kimber America

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