Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm – Superb Optics Ready 1911

Description

Kimber Custom is the model that put the company on the map, and the Next Generation update brings it current without redrawing it. The Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm keeps the five inch barrel, the full length grip and the classic profile, then adds the thing modern buyers actually ask for: an optic cut in the slide with the plate already fitted. Finish is black over silver, grips are walnut with a G10 inlay, and capacity is nine rounds of 9mm.

The Classic Custom, Brought Up To Date

Both slide and frame are stainless steel, which is what puts this gun at 36.2 ounces rather than the low thirties an aluminum framed 1911 would manage. That mass is a feature in 9mm. Recoil is mild to begin with and a heavy steel gun turns it into almost nothing, which is why full size steel 1911s in 9mm are such popular range and training pistols.

Finish is the two tone that gives the model its name: KimPro II Black on the slide against a satin silver frame. KimPro II is an applied coating built for wear resistance rather than looks alone, so the contrast holds up under holster use instead of thinning at the muzzle and the slide stop.

Grips are black walnut with a G10 inlay, which is an unusual and rather good combination. The walnut gives the warmth and the look that wood panels have always given a 1911, while the G10 inlay provides the actual traction where the fingers sit. The trigger is the GT Performance Trigger set between four and five pounds from the factory.

Optics, Sights And Handling

The headline change over the older Custom is the slide cut. This gun ships with an RMR optic plate already fitted, so a Trijicon RMR or SRO, or anything else sharing that footprint, bolts on without sending the slide out for milling. That single change is what moves a 1911 from a range classic into something a modern competitor or home defence shooter will actually set up the way they set up everything else.

Irons are a red dot front sight with a fixed black rear. The red insert gathers ambient light and stands out against a dark target, and the blacked out rear keeps the eye on the front where it belongs. With the optic plate in place the irons are still usable, which is how a factory setup should be arranged.

Handling is exactly what a five inch 1911 should feel like. Overall length is 8.6 inches, height is 5.4 inches and width is 1.35 inches, so this is a duty sized gun rather than a carry piece. The long sight radius and the steel weight together are why this profile has stayed in production for over a century.

Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm Specifications

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 9+1 rounds
• Barrel length: 5 inches
• Overall length: 8.6 inches
• Height: 5.4 inches
• Width: 1.35 inches
• Weight: 36.2 ounces with empty magazine
• Sights: red dot front, fixed black rear
• Optic cut: RMR plate fitted from the factory
• Trigger: GT Performance Trigger, 4 to 5 pound factory setting
• Slide: stainless steel, KimPro II Black
• Frame: stainless steel, satin silver
• Grips: black walnut with G10 inlay
• Recoil spring: 12 pounds
• Manufacturer SKU: 3200399

The same Next Generation Custom is offered in .45 ACP with a seven round magazine under a separate part number, with identical dimensions and finish. If you want the bigger bore rather than the softer shooting one, that is the listing to look for.

Why Buyers Choose The Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm

Nine millimetre in a full size steel 1911 is one of the most pleasant combinations in handgunning. Thirty six ounces of steel over a mild cartridge means very little muzzle rise, and the GT Performance Trigger gives a short, clean single action break that flatters the shooter. It is a gun that makes range days longer rather than shorter.

The optic plate removes the main reason people used to pass on a classic 1911. The Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm arrives cut and plated, so there is no gunsmithing bill and no wait, and the iron sights still work if you prefer them.

Finish and materials justify the price. Stainless slide and frame, KimPro II coating, black walnut grips with a G10 inlay and Kimber fitting put this above the entry tier without stepping into custom shop money.

Who Should Buy The Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm

This is a range, training and competition pistol first, and a home defence gun second. It suits the 1911 shooter who wants the classic profile with a modern optic cut, the new 1911 buyer who wants 9mm rather than .45, and anyone who shoots long sessions and appreciates a heavy steel gun. At 36.2 ounces and 8.6 inches the Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm is not a concealed carry pistol, so look at the Micro 9 or KDS9c families for that role.

Full manufacturer specifications for the Kimber Custom Two-Tone 9mm are published by Kimber on the official product page. Browse more Kimber pistols and 1911s in our handguns category.