Kimber’s new .45 ACP Target Match was designed and built from the ground up as an investment quality M1911 match pistol. Built on Kimber’s Series I design, the Target Match comes with an ambidextrous thumb safety and uses a traditional extractor, but has unique wide cocking grooves on the slide. Note the small target engraved on the right rear of the slide.
By Gary Paul Johnston
In addition to using the finest materials, Kimber M1911 pistols are built using advanced CNC production methods. This precision technology allows Kimber to maintain tolerances that were out of the question just a few decades ago. The result is out-of-the-box reliability and accuracy never before possible from the factory M1911 pistols many of us grew up with. Even entry-level Kimber M1911s commonly produce accuracy far better than most of yesteryear’s factory match-grade pistols, not to mention Kimber Match M1911-style pistols, which actually produce close-range accuracy that is superior to many rifles. One such M1911 was the .45 ACP Kimber Target Match, released in a limited-editions of 1,000 guns beginning in 2006. Not to be confused with the Kimber Match Target, this Kimber M1911 shares many features, but is definitely a separate model with a number of unique features.
On the top of the Target Match’s slide are eight 20-LPI grooves, which run between the front and rear sights.
Mated to the Match Target’s stainless steel Match Grade 5” barrel is a blue steel solid Match bushing, which is also fitted to the slide. Being larger at the muzzle, the barrel locks up inside the bushing with no play. Below the barrel is a solid, stainless-steel, full-length recoil spring guide rod that enhances smooth operation.
Machined from a single, solid piece of stainless steel, Kimber’s Match barrel is air-gauged to verify end-to-end consistency within 0.001” inch. The barrel is final fit by hand in Kimber’s Custom Shop.
Atop the front of the slide is a dovetailed front sight, the rear of which is serrated to eliminate glare, and on either side of the slide are three forward slide-cocking grooves.