Kimber NG 1911: Updating Browning’s Century-Old Design

Unless you’re a baby boomer or older, chances are you have no idea what it meant to be a 1911 aficionado back in the “bad ol’ days.” Back then, 1911s required a lot of customization to operate at the level typical users preferred. Fortunately, the platform has come a long way, and models like the NG 1911 from Kimber exemplify this.

The Kimber NG 1911 Updates a Century-Old Design

Not too long ago, if you wanted a 1911 for carry or competition, you’d start by buying a Colt or Springfield Armory pistol. Then, you would drop it off with a pistolsmith to add an extended thumb safety, beavertail, and combat sights. Most likely, you’d also ask for a polished feedramp, tuned extractor, and trigger job.

By the time you picked up your gun, much later, you’ve invested double the gun’s purchase price to get it “right.” That all changed in 1997 when Kimber introduced the Classic Custom.

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Believe it or not, the Classic Custom was the very first production 1911 to come with an extended thumb safety, beavertail grip safety, and low-profile combat sights. Making the gun even more attractive was its price—less than the unaltered Colt and Springfield Armory’s 1911s.

The gun was capable of 1-inch 25-yard groups and was completely reliable. I used mine for many years in USPSA competition, even before they had a single stack division. My review of the Classic Custom was the first article I sold to Combat Handguns and the start of a very long relationship. Thanks to their innovation, Kimber pistols have always remained a favorite of mine.

Introducing the Kimber NG 1911

Last year, at the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, held at the Brush Creek Resort in Saratoga, Wyoming, I had the chance to look at the newly released Kimber Next Gen (NG 1911) pistol. According to company officials, the new pistol uses some of the improvements included in their explosively popular 2K11, double-stack 9mm pistols.

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Among the improvements are the external extractor for reliability, an optic-ready slide, a ramped disconnector, and a GT Performance Trigger. The single-stack 9mm or .45 ACP pistols use a forged Series 70-style frame with its grip heel “bobbed” for concealed carry.

NG 1911 guns are available in an all-stainless-steel finish or with a two-tone finish featuring a black slide on top of a stainless frame. After firing some magazines through the Next Gen pistol at Rendezvous, I was impressed enough to order a test-and-evaluation sample.

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NG 1911 Details

My test sample is all stainless steel, chambered in 9mm, and comes with two 9-round magazines. The gun is beautifully finished with nary a tool mark visible inside the gun or out. Slide and frame flats are polished bright, while the other surfaces are glass-beaded satin.

Fitment of all of the parts is also exceptional. The slide-to-frame fit is, well, perfect! With the slide in battery, there is no discernible play whatsoever. Likewise, the barrel is fit with the same precision.

Kimber equips the NG 1911 with ambidextrous thumb safeties that are extended and engage and disengage with the same crispness as the trigger breaks. Likewise, they are not so wide as to be obtrusive while carrying the gun concealed. I shoot 1911s with a thumb high grip, that is, my thumb on top of the thumb safety. The Next Gen’s beavertail has enough meat at its bottom to disengage this safety reliably.

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Kimber cuts the gun’s frontstrap with 32 LPI checkering. This is fine enough to provide a secure grip but not so coarse as to abrade skin or tear clothing. The same checkering is used on the mainspring housing. However, Kimber leaves it smooth at its heel to prevent clothing from hanging up on it.

The NG Up Top

Also aiding concealed carriers is Kimber’s bevel treatment of the slide. The slide edges, muzzle, and even the barrel bushing are all given a gentle bevel to prevent sharp edges from cutting the user or expensive leather holsters.

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I really like the Next Gen’s slide geometry. It is 7-sided, with a serrated flat top and a dovetailed front sight with a red dot. Kimber lowers the ejection port dramatically to give empties every opportunity to clear the gun without deformation. That should make reloaders happy!

The gun’s rear sight is integral to the optic cover. Removing the cover allows the shooter to install the C&H Precision optic plate for a Trijicon RMR. It literally took just 2 minutes to attach my RMR HD to the Next Gen pistol.

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Kimber uses a stainless-steel, match-quality, supported barrel on the 9mm pistols. Its integral feedramp is polished to perfection, and its muzzle is given a deep-dish concave crown. A traditional-style 1911 bushing is used on the gun. I was able to disassemble it without a bushing wrench, but it was tough.

Like all of the other parts, the bushing was fit with precision and undoubtedly partly responsible for the gun’s wonderful accuracy.

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A standard recoil spring guide is used on the NG 1911. Over the years, consumers have demanded full-length guides without really understanding their value or lack thereof.

I was once at a gathering that included some of the world’s top 1911 smiths, and I asked if any of them had seen a stoppage that would have been prevented by the inclusion of a full-length guide rod. After several seconds of contemplation, they all shook their heads from side to side. I’m glad to see Kimber used a standard recoil spring guide on their Next Gen 1911!

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Running the Kimber NG

To test the Kimber NG for accuracy, I set my target stand out at 25 yards and fired all groups from a seated rest. I used a DOA Tactical bench with the gun’s dust cover resting on a Ransom Rest Multi Cal Steady Rest. I brought along a good mix of range and defense ammunition and fired 3 groups with each. The best group is reflected in the accuracy chart (below).

The GT Performance trigger helped significantly in shooting these small groups. My test sample’s trigger broke crisply with 3.8 pounds of pressure. Overtravel was tuned precisely, and the reset was firm. In short, the Kimber Next Gen possesses all of the things savvy 1911 users desire in a trigger for serious work.

Three of the ammunitions I tested produced 5-shot, 25-yard groups under one inch. Wilson Combat’s remanufactured 135-grain Hollow Base Flat Nose bullets clustered five rounds into a ragged hole that measured just .69 inches!

I tried bullet weights from 115-grains to 150-grains with different bullet nose profiles and overall lengths. Everything fed without fail and produced exceptional accuracy. In fact, the aggregate group size for the eight loads tried was just 1.02 inches.

Shooting 9mm rounds through a steel-framed 1911 that weighs over 2.25 pounds is an absolute joy. Recoil is negligible, and recovery shot-to-shot is very quick. Combined with the crisp trigger with its short and firm reset, I was able to fire some very fast double-taps and controlled pairs.

I really like the Next Gen’s bobtailed grip-it feels great while shooting and makes the gun much more concealable. After working my way through 300-rounds of ammo, I’m happy to report the Kimber NG 1911 devoured them all without a single bobble.

The Kimber NG 1911: Custom Performance—Production Pricing

In my opinion, Kimber has done it again, delivering a 1911 that is carry-ready straight out of the box. The NG 1911 is as accurate as it is reliable. It looks great and shoots like a dream. With a suggested retail price of just $999, Kimber’s NG 1911 provides shooters with custom gun performance at a production gun’s price.

Again, in my opinion, the newest Kimber is a tremendous value for the money. What I’d like to see next from Kimber is an aluminum-framed version of the NG 1911 with a 4-inch slide and barrel. In my estimation, this would make an incredibly handy carry gun!

Kimber NG 1911 Specs