Review: Kimber Pro CDP II Custom Shop 191145 ACP Pistol
Pat Cascio 08.18.16
The Kimber Pro CDP II under review today is one the finest fighting 1911s you’ll ever run across. The CDP II comes from the Kimber Custom Shop, and attention to detail is evident in its fit and finish. I’ve always preferred the Commander-sized 1911 over the full-sized 1911. The smaller pistols just seem to balance better in my hand, and I think I can shoot them faster.
The Pro CDP II is everything I could ask for in a 1911. The slide is stainless steel with a nice brushed finish, and the frame is aluminum. Both the frame and slide have been de-horned (sharp corners removed). This pistol has night sights and an enlarged and lowered ejection port.
The “II” in the name of the gun means it has a safety, but unlike many 1911s, this firing pin safety operates off the beaver tail grip safety rather than the trigger pull. The magazine well is nicely opened up just enough to help with fast reloads.
There is a 4-inch bull barrel that is fitted perfectly to the slide with no barrel bushing. The full-length guide rod handles a 22-pound recoil spring so you can shoot plenty of +P 45 ACP ammo through this baby. The Aluminum frame is finished in matte black, which contrasts nicely with the stainless steel slide. It has the tough KimPro II finish on the frame.
Weight of the Pro CDP II is 28 ounces. An ambidextrous thumb safety is there if if you need it. I can take or leave ’em. The front strap of the frame is checkered at 25 lines per inch. Nice! The aluminum trigger is match grade, and that contributes to the superb accuracy of this gun. More on this later.
Beautiful Rosewood grips adorn the Pro CDP II (but I used other grips for these photos).
The trigger pull on my Pro CDP II sample came in at a crisp and clean 4.25 pounds. Kimber provides just one magazine with their guns (shame on them). Mine came with a 7-round mag that functioned perfectly.
Accuracy
I had a great assortment of 45 ACP ammo for testing in this cool 1911:
- Black Hills 185-grain JHP
- Black Hills 230-grain JHP
- Black Hills 230-grain FMJ
- Buffalo Bore 160-grain standard pressure low recoil TAC-XP
- Buffalo Bore 160-grain TAC-XP +P
- Buffalo Bore 185-grain TAC-XP +P
- Buffalo Bore 200-grain JHP
- Buffalo Bore 255-grain cast bullet +P
The little Kimber Pro CDP II perked along through 500 rounds of shooting with zero problems. I used a variety of magazines, and the Kimber seemed to prefer Wilson Combat 47D mags. It just seemed like rounds fed smoother through the gun with those magazines.
My accuracy testing was at 20 yards over the hood of my SUV, resting the gun on a rolled-up sleeping bag. The Kimber preferred the Buffalo Bore 185-grain TAC-XP +P. I could get 2-1/2-inch groups all day long if I did my part. The Black Hills 230-grain JHP was fast on its heels, providing 2-3/4-inch groups. All other loads tested gave me groups no larger than 3-1/2 inches.
Final Thoughts
The little Kimber was a joy to pack all day long, and nothing pleases me more than a 1911 that is accurate and 100% reliable. But this sort of combination doesn’t come cheap. Full retail on the Kimber Pro CDP II is $1,331. Considering that most out of the box 1911s will usually need some kind of work to make them really reliable, I’m willing to pay this kind of money.
