Kimber Team Match II

So, what do you do when you have already become one of the most well-known 1911 pistol manufacturers in the world? Well, you turn inward and look at what you can do better. What better way to do this than to focus on building a gun worthy of the US Olympic team? This is exactly what Kimber did when they created the Kimber Team Match II.

Go USA!

The Kimber Team Match II was developed for the USA Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team to use in action shooting competitions at national and international levels. To say that these are picky shooters is an understatement. On the inside, the gun begins with an oversized steel match-grade barrel and is then fitted by hand in the custom shop for accuracy. The product is a 5” match-grade barrel that is capable of stacking shots on top of one another. Throw in a hand fitted bushing and the setup is golden! Laying underneath the barrel is a full-length guide rod with a 12-pound recoil spring. Helping us along in our accuracy are great sights. Kimber chose to use precision adjustable sights with steel-on-steel click adjustment dials. This gives shooters the opportunity to truly fine tune the sights to their needs. The body of the Team Match II is cut from a very durable stainless steel and coated with the durable KimPro II finish.

Of course, the main discussion concerning high-performance firearms always centers on the trigger. It is here where Kimber really did a great job. The pistol comes with the Kimber Match Grade Premium Aluminum Trigger. It is well fit and breaks cleanly at about 4.5 pounds. Reset is nice and short which allows shooters the ability to break the next shot more quickly, but maintain the accuracy they so desperately need to win! To once again make this gun run as fast as possible, Kimber has included an extended/angled mag well to make the shooter’s life easier. So the gun is a mechanical masterpiece with an eye on drilling the target. What else can Kimber do to make it even better? Well, they can make the gun exceptionally good looking. A black slide with an engraved USA Shooting logo in 24k gold sitting on top of a silver frame holding deep rosewood grips, the gun is eye-catching. It is simply the icing on the cake for the Kimber Team Match II.

Testing 123

Yes, good looking guns matter, but the soul of this blaster is focused on performance. The gun I received for testing was brand new with only test rounds fired through it. It is the classic 1911 but chambered in the much easier shooting 9mm round. While I am more interested in how a handgun runs in the action of things, I was compelled to shoot groups with this beauty. I was not disappointed. From a supported rest at my comfortable indoor range, I was able to get a very pleasing 1” group. In fact, the gun kept this type of performance up all day. A gun like this is a quick reminder that in many cases, the potential of the gun outreaches the skill of the shooter. A shooter with younger eyes could almost certainly shrink that group even more. One of the factors that helped me get this good group was the trigger. The Kimber Match Grade Premium Aluminum Trigger is a perfect fit for this gun. While good triggers are essential, sometimes they are a match made in heaven. The clean break of this trigger on a gun weighing a comfortable 39 ounces, made for some very enjoyable and ego building shooting.

Being boosted by my performance from the bench, I thought I would give some of the rapid-fire courses a try. For those of you that may not be familiar with this sport, it is a challenge. Each string consists of five shots inside a short time span. Targets are set at 25 meters and all shooting is done off hand. Only shots hitting the target in the set time frame count. So, the shot timer was set up and I got ready. As the buzzer went off, I raised my arm from the established 45° angle and went to work. While I would like to dazzle you with how well I performed, that would be less than honest. What I took away from that little trial was two things. First, the sport is very difficult. Second, for Kimber to be an accepted part of something that demands so much accuracy speaks volumes about their abilities as a manufacturer.

The Medal Stand

My take away from my all too short a time with the Kimber Team Match II is this. The gun is solid and certainly worthy of its’ link to the US Olympic Team. Kimber is committed to the team and they generously donate $100 of every Team Match II pistol sold to USA Shooting. To date, they have donated over $1.3 million dollars. However, this gun is not purely for Olympic shooters. This is a solid pistol for anyone who appreciates the step up from “good” to “great.” It retains its classic 1911 roots while enjoying the hyper accuracy that we get from the blend of modern manufacturing and handcrafted attention. The Team Match II is obviously a shooter, but I have no doubt that the gun has staying power. Kimber is known for quality and the Team Match II will serve you for a long time to come. Whether you aspire to be an Olympic athlete or just a weekend recreational shooter, this gun is absolutely worth a look.

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