Description
The Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP is named for the scale pattern that runs across its slide serrations, grip panels and mainspring housing, but the reason to buy one is what sits underneath. A stainless match grade barrel and bushing, Tactical Wedge tritium night sights, an ambidextrous safety and a match trigger come standard on a full size steel frame. MAG5 Firearms stocks the Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP for shooters who want a distinctive 1911 that is properly built rather than merely decorated.
The Scale Pattern And What It Does
The Raptor treatment cuts a scaled pattern into the slide serrations, the zebrawood grip panels and the mainspring housing. It is unmistakably a styling choice, but it is also functional, because scaled cuts give the fingers positive edges to catch rather than the shallow grooves on a plainer slide.
Zebrawood is an unusual grip material and it suits the pattern. The grain runs in strong dark stripes that echo the scaling, and wood fills the hand more comfortably than G10 across a long range session without the abrasiveness that aggressive synthetic panels bring.
Matte black with brush polished flats is the other half of the look. The polished surfaces on the sides of the slide catch light against the matte finish everywhere else, which is a Custom Shop touch that costs real labor and is usually reserved for more expensive guns.
Barrel, Sights And Trigger
The barrel is stainless match grade fitted with a stainless match grade bushing. That bushing is the detail that separates an accurate 1911 from an average one, because it locks the muzzle end of the barrel in the same position every time the slide returns to battery. A loose bushing is why cheap 1911s do not group.
Tactical Wedge tritium night sights sit across a 6.8 inch radius. The wedge profile is designed to be snag free and to allow one handed slide manipulation against a belt or a hard edge, and the tritium keeps them usable in the dark. A long sight radius on a five inch gun makes them precise as well.
The trigger is an aluminum match grade unit set between four and five pounds, and an ambidextrous thumb safety means left handed shooters run the pistol as designed. A 1911 trigger travels straight back rather than pivoting, which is the core reason the platform holds its accuracy reputation.
Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP Specifications
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 5 inches, stainless match grade with match bushing
- Capacity: 8 plus 1 rounds
- Action: Single action, hammer fired, 1911 pattern
- Frame: Steel, matte black with brush polished flats
- Slide: Steel, matte black with front serrations and scale pattern
- Sights: Tactical Wedge tritium night sights, 6.8 inch radius
- Trigger: Aluminum match grade, approximately 4 to 5 pounds
- Grips: Zebrawood with scale pattern
- Safety: Ambidextrous thumb safety
- Recoil Spring: 16 pounds with full length guide rod
- Weight: Approximately 38 ounces with empty magazine
Kimber ships the Raptor II with one eight round magazine, and buyers who plan to shoot it regularly should budget for several more. The Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP is only as reliable as the magazine feeding it, and worn or bargain magazines are the single most common cause of feeding trouble in this platform.
Why Buyers Choose The Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP
The Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP earns its following because it delivers a genuinely finished 1911 without asking the buyer to send the gun out for custom work. The match grade barrel and match bushing are fitted at the factory, the aluminum trigger arrives tuned to a four to five pound pull, and the tritium night sights are already installed. Those three upgrades alone would cost most of what a plain 1911 does if you bought them separately and paid a gunsmith to install them.
The scale pattern is the other reason people choose this gun. It runs across the front strap, the mainspring housing, the slide top and the grips, and it gives the pistol a consistent look and a consistent feel in the hand. The texture on the Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP bites enough to hold the gun still under recoil but it is not the sandpaper grip that some aggressive checkering produces, so the Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP stays comfortable across a long range session.
Honesty matters here too. This is a thirty eight ounce steel pistol carrying eight rounds, and that is a real tradeoff against a polymer gun that weighs half as much and holds twice the ammunition. The weight is exactly why the Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP is pleasant to shoot in 45 ACP, but a buyer who wants a light everyday carry gun should know what they are signing up for before they commit.
Who Should Buy The Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP
The Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP suits the shooter who already knows they like the 1911 and wants one that shoots well out of the box. It is a strong fit for range use, competition in single stack divisions, home defense on a nightstand, and belt carry for anyone who is willing to wear a proper gun belt and a quality holster.
New shooters can absolutely learn on it, though the manual thumb safety and grip safety mean the manual of arms takes a little more practice than a striker fired pistol. Collectors appreciate the zebrawood on the Kimber Raptor II 45 ACP and the brush polished flats, which give the gun a presence that plain matte finishes do not have.
Learn more about this pistol from the manufacturer, or see more firearms available at MAG5 Firearms.
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