Kimber Warrior Review

Like Colt, Kimber is a name that is synonymous with the 1911. While Kimber does manufacture other kinds of weapons such as their K6 revolver, it’s ultimately their 1911 pistols that they are the most well known for.

The Kimber Warrior in particular is one of Kimber’s most notable 1911s in their very wide lineup. That’s because this pistol is designed for one primary purpose: military use. The name ‘Warrior’ alone should be a very big clue that this is a sidearm built for the purpose of combat.

The Warrior comes installed with a match grade barrel for greater accuracy, a durable steel frame and slide, and a Picatinny rail that runs underneath the frame for the easy addition of lights and lasers. It also features a beavertail grip safety and extended frame mounted safety. It’s also a 70-series 1911 that lacks an internal firing pin block like the 80 series guns come with. This will be a welcome feature for ‘1911 purists’ who feel that the 80 series guns deviate too significantly from what John Browning had envisioned and built.

The five pound trigger is a little bit heavier than you would expect for a 1911. However, this is keeping in-line with the military theme of the pistol. The Warrior is built for combat, and duty pistols used by law enforcement and military forces alike commonly come with heavier triggers in order to reduce the odds of an accidental discharge. Furthermore, a 5 pound trigger pull is nothing bad. If anything, it’s lighter than the triggers of most striker fired pistols floating around on the marketplace.

As a pistol built for the battlefield, the Warrior’s origins unsurprisingly began in the form of a military contract for the United States Marine Corps, and specifically for the special unit known the Marine Special Operations Command Detachment One. The Warrior saw immediate combat use in Iraq, where it was issued as a sidearm to several US special operations troops.

Initially, only around 350 Kimber Warriors were built, but it didn’t take long for civilian interest in the pistols to grow substantially. As a result, Kimber began manufacturing them for civilians as part of their Custom II line, which are known as a base model Kimber that come with more features than several thousand dollar 1911s commonly come with.

An alternative version of the Kimber Warrior is known as the Desert Warrior, which comes with a Flat Dark Earth coloring to it and durable tan G10 grips.

Additional features of the Kimber Warrior include front cocking serrations, ambidextrous thumb safeties, and a mainspring housing that has been checkered with the addition of a lanyard loop.

All in all, if you are seeking a truly battle proven modernized 1911, the Kimber Warrior is a great option. It’s one of the finest production 1911s on the market, and remains true to John Browning’s original design.