Gun Test Grade: A-

$709

Kimber hit the ground running with a pistol that covered many custom features previously found only on expensive custom items. While it is old news today, at the time it was introduced, the pistol was a sensation. The pistol tested was the “base” Kimber, the original Custom II with an optional aluminum LW, or light weight, frame. Potentially, an LW-frame Government Model might do very well against the steel-frame pistols simply because it was lighter, if nothing else.

Kimber Custom LW 37000597 45 ACP

We noted the barrel was well fitted with a good, tight lock up. The lightweight-frame gun had the pleasant shooting characteristics of the steel Government Model 45. The raters noted that while it isn’t advertised as having a carry melt or any such alteration to the slide and frame, the pistol was practically devoid of sharp edges. The pistol featured a well-designed set of high-profile sights with a serrated rear sight against a fiber-optic front sight. This sight would not allow racking the slide against a belt, if this is important to you, so it suffers compared to the Springfield Ronin Operator.

On the other hand, it was snag-free in concealed carry. The finish was a dull black oxide, durable enough, if not overly attractive. Small parts are blacked out, and the grips are dark, and half checkered in common with the Ronin. Trigger compression was 5.5 pounds. This was heavier than some other Kimber pistols we have tested. The pistol featured a flat mainspring housing and long match-type trigger. The barrel bushing was finger tight, and the pistol featured a full-length guide rod. The magazine well was beveled, and the mainspring housing was nicely checkered. The grip safety didn’t have a memory pad, but it worked well enough during testing.

The single supplied stainless-steel magazine isn’t a Kimber type but was instead a stainless Metalform. It was a flush-fit magazine, which is better for concealed carry, less so for slamming the magazine home quickly. The pistol featured forward cocking serrations. The slide lock safety was slightly more upswept than the Springfield’s. It clicked into position with a firm indent. Kimber uses the Swartz-type safety to lock the firing pin, and a heavy-duty firing-pin spring is considered a safety feature.

The Kimber LW is a Custom II with a lightweight frame, so we paid close attention to recoil. The Custom LW was fired with the same ammunition and magazines as the Ronin. At 31 ounces, the pistol was 7 ounces lighter than the Ronin. Just the same, there was little detectable difference in recoil. Some raters noticed a difference with the +P load. The comments, in summary, were that the pistol isn’t more difficult to control well in recoil, but it feels noticeably lighter when worn on the hip.

Our Team Said: Fired offhand, the Kimber’s results were good to excellent. The pistol came on target quickly. In common with many 1911 handguns with a long trigger and flat mainspring housing, the pistol fired low in the hands of some raters. With effort, this tendency was corrected. The pistol was controllable, and turned in good combat results. There was little practical difference between this handgun and the Ronin in combat shooting.

As far as accuracy from the benchrest, the pistol turned in good groups, with an average virtually tied with the Ronin. We experienced a single odd malfunction with the Speer +P load. The pistol locked back on the last shot, it seemed, but a live round was laying in the ejection port. Perhaps the rater did not properly grip the pistol. We gave the pistol a half point demerit on this malfunction.

45 ACP Range Data

Value Guide 45 ACP 1911 Handgun Rankings