Description
The Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP is the shortest 1911 Kimber builds, chambered in the cartridge the platform was designed around. A three inch match grade ramped barrel sits in a stainless steel slide riding on a satin silver aluminum frame, which brings the empty weight down to twenty five ounces. Rosewood grips and a fiber optic front sight finish a pistol built specifically to be carried rather than admired.
Aluminum Frame, Stainless Slide
The two material approach is the whole point of this gun. An all steel three inch 1911 would weigh well over thirty ounces, which is more than most people will carry every day. Putting the frame in aluminum drops roughly a third of that weight while leaving the stainless slide to handle the wear and the corrosion resistance where it matters most.
Satin silver on both parts keeps the appearance consistent, so the Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP does not read as a two tone gun despite being built from two different metals. The finish is matte enough not to throw glare and it hides holster wear far better than a black coating does over years of daily carry.
There is a durability conversation worth having honestly. Aluminum framed 1911 pistols have a shorter service life than steel framed ones, measured in tens of thousands of rounds rather than an indefinite number. For a carry gun that sees a few hundred rounds a year that is irrelevant, but a high volume competition shooter should buy a steel frame instead.
Shooting A Three Inch 45
The Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP is not a soft shooting handgun and buyers should go in expecting that. The eighteen pound recoil spring is stiff to rack, the slide cycles fast, and twenty five ounces is not much mass to absorb a big bullet. That said, 45 ACP is a low pressure cartridge and the recoil is a firm push rather than a sharp crack. Most shooters find it manageable with a solid grip.
The barrel on the Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP is steel, match grade and ramped, with a sixteen inch left hand twist. The ramped design is important on short 1911 pistols because feed reliability is the historical weak point of the shortened platform. Kimber addresses it at the barrel rather than asking the magazine to do all the work, and the result is a compact gun that runs well with standard hardball and quality defensive loads.
Sights are fixed low profile with a fiber optic front on a 4.8 inch radius. That short radius asks more of your alignment than a five inch gun, so expect groups to open up at distance. The fiber optic front is quick in daylight, though it gives you nothing in the dark, and anyone using the Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP as a nightstand gun should plan on a light or a tritium swap.
Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP Specifications
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 3 inches, steel match grade and ramped
- Twist Rate: 1 in 16 inches, left hand
- Overall Length: 6.8 inches
- Height: 4.75 inches
- Width: 1.28 inches
- Weight: 25 ounces with empty magazine
- Magazine Capacity: 7 rounds
- Frame: Aluminum, satin silver
- Slide: Stainless steel, satin silver
- Grips: Rosewood with Kimber logo
- Sights: Fixed low profile with fiber optic front, 4.8 inch radius
- Trigger: Aluminum match grade, 4.0 to 5.0 pounds
- Recoil Spring: 18 pounds
- UPC: 669278323305
One seven round magazine ships with the Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP. Short 1911 magazines have less spring travel to work with than full size ones, so buy factory spares and replace the springs on a schedule if this becomes a daily carry gun.
Why Buyers Choose The Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP
Buyers choose the Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP because it puts a full power defensive cartridge into a package small enough to carry inside the waistband without a fight. The single stack grip is narrow, the three inch slide conceals under a shirt, and twenty five ounces sits comfortably on a decent belt all day.
The build quality is the other half of the argument. This is a machined aluminum and stainless pistol with a match grade barrel, a match grade aluminum trigger and real rosewood grips. It is not a budget compact with a polymer frame and a rough trigger, and the Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP shoots like the more expensive gun it is.
The tradeoffs are capacity and recoil. Seven rounds is a genuine limitation against a modern double stack, and a light short barreled 45 kicks harder than a heavier full size gun. Practice ammunition also costs more than 9mm does. A shooter who wants more rounds and cheaper practice should look at the 9mm version of this same pistol.
Who Should Buy The Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP
The Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP fits the concealed carry permit holder who wants a 1911 they can actually carry every day and who is committed to the 45 ACP cartridge. It suits shooters with smaller hands thanks to the narrow single stack grip, and anyone in a humid climate benefits from the stainless slide. It is a poor first handgun, because the thumb safety, grip safety and sharp recoil all ask for experience. High volume shooters and anyone wanting double digit capacity should look at a steel framed or double stack model instead.
Learn more about this pistol from the manufacturer, or see more firearms available at MAG5 Firearms.
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