Kimber 2K11 Pro: Double-Stack 1911 Competitive Defender

It seems like everyone has caught the competition bug in handguns these days, and Kimber decided to come out swinging. The 2K11 series of pistols will certainly be showing up at matches across the country this year. However, that isn’t the only arena where this gun will shine. Today, I’m going to talk about what makes the Kimber 2K11 Pro Stainless an ideal pistol for your nightstand.

The Kimber 2K11 Pro Stainless

Let me be the first to admit I come from the polymer frame, striker-fired pistol generation. 1911s were old school even when I was a rookie, and the double-stack, 2011 pistols were never approved for duty carry with the feds. So, I never gave them a second look.

Today, I spend a lot more time at shooting competitions, and variations of the 2011 style pistols are everywhere. There is a good reason for that. No matter how much I like striker-fired handguns, even the best trigger on one of them pales in comparison to a mediocre trigger on a 1911.

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The 1911 doesn’t pivot on a trigger pin. It pushes straight to the rear. When you are trying to hold a gun steady, that is a beautiful thing. Also, the trigger can easily be adjusted so it has a very short take-up before the shot breaks. Then, it can have an equally short reset.

The problem with 1911s was that they were single-stack, and polymer guns had mags that easily carried more than twice as much ammo. So, in the early 90s, somebody came up with the idea of putting double-stack 9mm magazines in a 1911-style pistol.

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The name “2011” didn’t come until later, but it is definitely here to stay. Everyone knows a 2011 pistol means a 1911-style, single-action pistol, with a double-stack, typically 9mm magazine. Sure, there are variations, but that is the nuts and bolts of the concept.

Kimber’s Take on the Double-Stack 1911

LOTS of manufacturers recognized the benefits of this type of gun and put their own specific stamps on it. Kimber has a line called the 2K11, which not only runs great (my test gun did not have a single malfunction with any of the different ammunition I used for testing), but it also looks pretty sharp.

For my test gun, I received their optics-ready Stainless Target model. However, they also have a Standard, a Target, and even a Target model with an optic included.

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The 2K11 is different from most. While it has a stainless steel, ported slide, it has a Kevlar and carbon fiber grip attached to a steel frame. While Kimber isn’t the first manufacturer to have a slide, frame, and grip be three separate components, it certainly isn’t the norm.

The grip feels a lot better in my hand than the classic steel or aluminum frame found on most 1911s/2011s. The texture is aggressive without biting into your hand the way deep checkering often does.

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Setting Up the 2K11 for Home Defense

For this to be a bedside gun, the first thing I insist on adding is a light. If you want to investigate something that goes bump in the night and your gun doesn’t have a light, you have failed to prepare.

I reached out to Streamlight because I have trusted my life to their lights for over 20 years on duty. Apart from replacing batteries, I’ve never had one stop working. The models today are significantly brighter and have more features than when I began my career as a cop.

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Streamlight sent me the TLR-1 HL-X to try out. It comes with two CR-123a-size rechargeable batteries and a charging cord that will plug into both at the same time. It also includes a key kit to fine-tune the fit to your weapon. High and low on/off switches (I prefer the high because that is where my thumb naturally sits with my normal grip) make actuation easy.

The light is IPX7 waterproof and can change out batteries while still attached to the gun. Finally, it boasts 1,500 lumens (20,000 candela) brightness. In laymen’s terms, it is blindingly bright. This is an important feature for not just illuminating but also temporarily blinding and disorienting any bad guy you point it at.

Running a Red Dot

Next, I added a red dot sight. I’m just getting to the age where the front sight always looks a little blurry. A red dot sight fixes that problem. It also greatly improves my accuracy testing, so you can see what the gun is actually capable of shooting.

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There are numerous high-quality red dot sights available, designed to withstand the repetitive shock of being mounted on a slide. In this case, I mounted the Eotech EFLX with the 6 MOA dot. It is also available with a 3 MOA dot, but I prefer 6 MOA on a handgun.

Again, I have trusted my life to Eotech for decades. The EFLX is a reflex sight, not holographic like the ones they make for long arms. However, I found it worked flawlessly. I particularly appreciated the tactile clicks for sighting in when so many others have a free-wheeling dial that makes you guess how far you have moved it.

Shooting the 2K11

I happened to be invited to a Dick Williams gun writer event at Gunsite and decided it would be the perfect location to test the 2K11. Over several days, I used it for timed drills, man-on-man competitions, and in Gunsite’s famous “Funhouse.”

If you haven’t taken a class at Gunsite, you should add it to your training list. Besides having traditional square ranges, they have three live shoot houses and a variety of specialized ranges that simulate urban and outdoor environments with targets of various sizes and distances.

The Funhouse turned out to be an ideal spot to test the 2K11 as a home defense weapon. It did not disappoint. The gun, the light, and the sight made a perfect combo for slicing the pie and clearing rooms.

By the end of my testing, I will admit I was very impressed with the 2K11. It shot every type of quality ammunition with virtually identical accuracy.

It had great features like an ambi-safety, oversized beavertail, oversized magazine release button, integral oversized magwell, and even notched magazine floorplates to aid in pulling them out of the gun if you ever have a type three malfunction (double feed). I also like the magazine capacity (17 or 20 rounds) because there is no substitute for ammunition in a gunfight.

This 2K11 is set up for home defense. However, I’ll be honest, I think it would feel equally at home at a USPSA competition.

Kimber 2K11 Pro Stainless Specs

Performance

Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in feet per second, 15 feet from the muzzle by a Doppler radar, and accuracy in inches for 3, five-shot groups at 25 yards.

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