Kimber revolver

[JohnR]

I handled one today...

[Alfonse]

Last time I checked, it didn't seem like they were shipping yet. What did you think?

[JohnR]

Engineering and craftsmanship is up to Kimber's usual standards. I prefer a 3-finger grip on a .357 Magnum, this grip is 2-finger but a nice rubber material. But they did get six rounds into the cylinder of a very compact revolver. The sights are Novak-ish, well streamlined for concealed carry but just black. No dots. How hard is it to put dots on black plastic at this price point? I guess some people like it, but don't the vast majority of customers prefer dots to blank sights? I don't know.

The trigger was unexpected.

The initial takeup is typical revolver, you feel the clunks as it stages the cylinder and then a detent. It was a bit gritty, but it was brand new and probably not cleaned. The rest of the pull was kind of 1911ish - it felt like a crisp straight-back pull to a clean glass-rod break. While the initial pull is very heavy, in the last part you're not fighting against the springs, you're just pulling till it falls into place, not unlike a Kahr trigger. On a target pistol it would be fantastic. I'm not sure it's all that useful in a fightin' gun, but it's good in and of itself and I like it. I doubt I'd pay a grand for one, though.

[Alfonse]

Thanks!

[JohnR]

If the price were competitive with a similar size S&W I'd be tempted.

[downtownv]

If I recall, they are rather pricey....

[b4uqzme]

If I recall, they are rather pricey....

Indeed. I'll stick with an Airweight and a speed strip: more rounds and an extra $500+ in my pocket.

[Alfonse]

I haven't seen one for sale yet. For some reason I was thinking they would be about $800 retail from SHOT show, so maybe under $700 street. But, that is my unreliable memory talking.

[JohnR]

This store is usually overpriced. They'll appear on Wikiarms eventually, hopefully at the price you mentioned.

[340pd]

When ther were first announced I really was interested. Then I bought a S&W Mod. 60 Pro Series and it appears to be very similar in overall appearance to the K6s from Kimber. Solid, heavy, little revolver. Gaining one round over my S&W may not be enough to make me fork over $750 (local LGS approx. quoted price).

[zaitcev]

Here's what Grant Cunningham wrote about Kimber consulting him:

I suggested to them that a good self defense revolver would carry six rounds, have a great trigger and good sights. Of course there were a lot of other details that were important: it needs to fit and feel good in the hand, have rounded edges that were comfortable and didn’t chew up clothing, be of a concealed or enclosed hammer and double-action-only, have a rounded and smooth trigger face, be easily used by people with smaller hands, and of course be of high quality. In short, it wouldn’t be revolutionary but rather evolutionary: none of this stuff is really new, but it’s never been put together in one gun. The goal was to get everything into one package and get the details right.
As you see, K6S is supposed to be a combination of incremental improvements. Of course it's up to each individual to determine if the value proposition is present.

[berettabone]

For a total of about $600 including springs and polishing, I'll stick with this.

[JohnR]

For a concealable 6 shooter I'll keep my Ruger Speed Six. For a lighter weight revolver I'll keep my SP101. Even my GP100 3" isn't very hard to conceal.