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Old October 27, 2013, 09:12 AM   #1
UncleEd
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Kimber, only 1 magazine?

I've been told and based on its home site, apparently Kimber only issues one magazine. How odd and cheap.

I understand Rock Island Armory is the same way but since it's a budget product, I can understand.

Back in the dark ages, Colt used to only issue one magazine and it was a constant irritation considering Colt prices even back then.

On sites to sell guns, I regularly see for Kimbers a phrase such as "comes with a Kimber magazine and two extra Wilsons."

Kimber, how cheap? What is that company thinking? Any other makers of 1911s only issue one magazine?
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Old October 27, 2013, 09:21 AM   #2
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IMHO, Kimber, as a brand, has a few issues that affect their perceived value. The mag issue is only one of several.
In my limited experience, I've found OEM mags to be a mixed bag. Most of what gets tossed into the box with 1911s these days will often be a disappointment. Sadly, price point doesn't seem to matter as much as one would like. Honestly, more often than not, I'd rather they just gave me a gift card instead, so I can go buy Wilsons (or Tripps) and be done with it.
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Old October 27, 2013, 10:38 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleEd
How odd and cheap.
I think it makes total sense: Lots of people are just going to buy aftermarket mags anyway. So why would Kimber add the extra expense of adding another mag when many people aren't going to use it anyway?

When I bought a Kimber about a decade ago it came with one mag. And I didn't care because I immediately bought three Chip McCormick mags and never looked back. If my Kimber had come with two mags that just would've meant I was paying a little extra money, and for that extra money all I would've had was two unused mags instead of just one.

When I buy a 1911 I prefer it to come with only one mag: I'm going to use Wilson Combat mags anyway, and I'd rather not pay extra for my gun so it can come with another mag I don't want.
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Old October 27, 2013, 11:06 AM   #4
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All five of my Kimbers work fine with supplied factory mags, I've even bought extra Kimber mags.
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Old October 27, 2013, 11:43 AM   #5
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It's not just Kimber. I'm an STI fan and they only come with one mag. I'm on my 12th STI so I'm used to it, but it just seems like they could do better or at least give you the option of adding additional mags to come with the gun. Whether buying a 1911 carry gun for a $1000 or a 2011 competition pistol for $2000-$3000, you still just get one mag.
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Old October 27, 2013, 12:38 PM   #6
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I'm assuming you don't want them to raise the price of the gun $ 40 to pay for the extra magazine....

so why not just buy the mags you like...from Wilson or whoever / pesonally I use Wilson Mags in all of my 1911's...and they run and last longer than anything Kimber shipped with the 2 Kimbers I have...
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Old October 27, 2013, 03:50 PM   #7
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I don't always get the idea of never using the issued mags.

People have posted that Colt mags are junk. I dunno; they always work fine in a variety of 1911s I've owned or do own.

People have posted that Remington mags are junk. Ditto, I don't know about that.

I do have some Wilson and McCormick and they seem to do exactly as well as the manufacturers' product. Maybe only truth will tell if you shoot 50,000 rounds a year through a 1911. Or maybe I'm just lucky with mags, of nearly any brand.
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Old October 27, 2013, 04:12 PM   #8
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I agree that it is irritating to only get one mag, so you have to search out another mag because who wants to not have a backup mag or have to reload the one mag each time at the range. I have always had better luck with factory mags in general, but then I am not that picky. As long as it works every time it is fine with me.
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Old October 27, 2013, 08:49 PM   #9
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People have posted that Colt mags are junk. I dunno; they always work fine in a variety of 1911s I've owned or do own.
Must be the new ones. Because all my old ones including the ones that came with the guns from the 90s are still perfectly good. I bought Pachmayrs for the Mark IV, a long time ago, but I still use the original as well.
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Old October 27, 2013, 09:05 PM   #10
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Quote:
I've been told and based on its home site, apparently Kimber only issues one magazine. How odd and cheap.
It's a 1911. 1911 magazines are common and relatively inexpensive.
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Old October 28, 2013, 10:38 AM   #11
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Kimber is famous for shipping with only 1 mag. That's not your LGS skimping on you... that's Kimber skimping on you.

The Kimber Pro-Mag's are good magazines. I've bought several of them and have found them to be excellent. My preference is for Novak or Wilsons, but barring those, I'll get a Kimber Pro Mag.
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Old October 28, 2013, 10:55 AM   #12
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For those who say magazines are relatively cheap and a person is going to buy what they want anyway, why worry about only one mag, I'd say why bother with any mags at all? Just let the LGS provide one for in-store testing of the lock back (unloaded of course).

For a new shooter or someone not as "into" 1911s, getting two mags would be a distinct advantage.

With Kimber providing only one mag, it seems like it's urging buyers to test the waters elsewhere, not only for mags but maybe guns too.

Actually, I always thought manufacturers ought to provide 3 mags, but that's another wishful thought.
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Old October 29, 2013, 01:25 PM   #13
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They could raise the price and ship with two magazines.
Raise the price even more and ship with tool steel small parts ( not MIM) and a metal MSH.
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Old October 29, 2013, 01:29 PM   #14
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It's a 1911. 1911 magazines are common and relatively inexpensive.
That's an excellent reason why Kimber should include 2 of them then.

Many makers ship 2 mags with their 1911s. It does seem a bit cheap, but wouldn't be my first complaint.
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Old October 29, 2013, 01:53 PM   #15
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FWIW, most auto pistol makers these days don't make their own magazines, they buy them from specialist companies, some of them overseas. That can be good or bad, but basically they are the same makers who turn out the after market magazines many folks complain about.

I haven't bought a commercial 1911 magazine in years. I buy and use only WWII GI magazines, which were made to strict specifications and under rigid quality control.

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Old October 29, 2013, 02:42 PM   #16
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Kimber mags suck anyway from what I hear. Be glad they only give you one.
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Old October 29, 2013, 09:17 PM   #17
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They could raise the price and ship with two magazines.
The retail price on the 1911 mags is low. How much would Kimber have to raise the price to cover the cost of mags they would get in bulk for very little each to promote a little good will.
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Old October 29, 2013, 10:43 PM   #18
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Seems like a lot of various brands only ship with one magazine these days. Its pretty sad I think.

The mag my Kimber shipped with, as well as the two I bought aftermarket have worked fine just fine for me.

Though I already had a number of Wilson's and Chip McKormicks in the cabinet anyhow.
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Old October 30, 2013, 12:11 AM   #19
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I haven't ran into this problem yet with my two 1911's (Remington and S&W). Having only one mag sucks but try having a brand such as s&w give you 2 garbage mags that you would never use ever. The two that came with my Remington are great, no issue whatsoever, but I could just run the ones s&w threw in the box with my more expensive gun with my car then throw them in a fire and my only regret would be that I didn't do it sooner. Did kimber at least give you a good mag?
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Old October 30, 2013, 12:12 AM   #20
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Quote:
BigJimP
I'm assuming you don't want them to raise the price of the gun $ 40 to pay for the extra magazine....

so why not just buy the mags you like...from Wilson or whoever / pesonally I use Wilson Mags in all of my 1911's...and they run and last longer than anything Kimber shipped with the 2 Kimbers I have...
It's not about $. I have no problem with paying for additional mags. As I said in my post, it would be nice to be able to add extra mags onto a pistol order. You're right about 1911 mags. I use Wilson Combat ETMs. There's no simple answer for a 2011. The double stack mags can at times be very difficult to locate. I bought an STI Eagle (2011) earlier this year specifically for competition. It came with one mag. It took over 2 months to get the additional mags needed in order to use the gun in matches.
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Old October 30, 2013, 04:44 AM   #21
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Maybe when people stop buying Kimbers as fast as they come off the line they'll start re-thinking how they do things.
I'm not a fan-boy by any means, but for all the complaining bout Kimber you hear on the internet you can;t fault their business model. They sell a whole lot of guns, and most people who buy them are quite happy with them.
When you sell as many guns as Kimber cutting $20 of profit from each one by adding another mag would get expensive.

Most people buy guns at a gun store. Most gun stores sell 1911 mags. So, when you buy your gun it's easy enough to buy some extra mags if you need them. It might even be a good thing for shop owners as they get a chance to start a dialog with new gun owners, and maybe convince them to buy local instead of Amazon.
I still try to buy most of my accessories at the same shop where I bought my first gun.

I agree that it's nice when you get more than 1 - getting 3 with my gen4 Glock was pretty sweet - but it's obviously not a deal breaker for most people.
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Old October 30, 2013, 08:34 AM   #22
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Quote:
When you sell as many guns as Kimber cutting $20 of profit from each one by adding another mag would get expensive.
But that's not true. Read KMAX's post above, which makes a good point:

Quote:
The retail price on the 1911 mags is low. How much would Kimber have to raise the price to cover the cost of mags they would get in bulk for very little each to promote a little good will.
It wouldn't be $20 as they buy in bulk and it wouldn't cost them $20 a mag.
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Old October 31, 2013, 10:18 PM   #23
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I agree with the OP. Selling a high-end assembly-line pistol with just one magazine is, in my opinion, short-changing the customer. I passed on Kimber about ten years ago, and bought a Springfield Armory micro-compact instead, partly because Kimber only provided one mag.

The prices were roughly the same, around $900, the quality looked good on both guns, but the fact that the Kimber only came with one mag stuck in my craw a little. So I bought the SA loaded, and have been very happy with it, and both the mags that came with it.

I bought a new Colt Series 70 gov't. model in 1973 that only came with one mag, and I was happy with that. Still have the Colt, with the original mag, and both still work fine. But times have changed, and I like the idea of getting two mags with a new pistol. It just seems "natural" to me.

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Old November 1, 2013, 06:39 AM   #24
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Kimber isn't the first company, or the last, to sell guns with only one mag.

It sucks but it isn't like you buy the gun and get the mags free. You pay for them in the price of the gun or in the after market.
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Old November 1, 2013, 11:04 PM   #25
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Recently bought a new Colt and was surprised to see that it came with two CMC Shooting Star 8 round magazines.
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