Kimber Cdp

American Handgunner, Sept, 2000 by Cameron Hopkins

Shooters' Picks

It all boiled down to this question: If you could pick any of the three guns to keep, which would it be? Of the five evaluators, three picked the little Ultra CDP, despite its sights, because they all said it was the most concealable. These were the two Border Patrol agents and the gun shop owner. My neighbor the Marine had trouble deciding between the two Commander-length models, the Pro CDP and the Compact CDP. He finally went with the full-size framed version, the Compact CDP, as his choice.

I liked the mid-size version, the Pro CDP, with its Commander-size slide atop an Officer's-size frame. To me, this made the most sense for two reasons. First, the frame is the part of a 1911 that determines its concealability since this is the part that sticks out of your pants. The Pro CDP has a short frame, enhancing its concealability. Second, I like the Commander-length slide for its inherent shootability. The 4" barrel length (or 4.25" with a Colt) seems to be the perfect size for a 1911, offering enough sight radius to get a good sight picture and enough slide mass to shoot fast double-taps.

We were impressed with the reliability of the three Kimbers. There was precisely one failure to go into battery, and that was due to an improperly sized reload. We fired well over 1,000 rounds with no "allowance" for jams during break-in. There were none.

The CDP series offers great features, superior performance and an affordable price. We did our part, now it's time for you to do yours: which CDP model would you pick?

Special thanks for their help in testing the guns for this story go to Tom and Rick Ozbirn of the U.S. Border Patrol, Marc Halcon of the American Shooting Center of San Diego, Calif., and retired Marine marksman John Howard of the Orange County Marshall's Office.