Known for its bolt-action rifles and M1911 pistols, Kimber jumped into the revolver market in 2016 with the K6S, a design they touted as the lightest, six-shot, .357 Magnum revolver on the market. Over the years, the company has expanded its K6 lineup with larger target and “combat” models. For 2023, Kimber is taking the K6S design in the opposite direction with the K6xs, a lightweight revolver chambered in .38 Special.
Like the original K6S, the K6xs is a double-action-only design, with its hammer concealed in a shrouded rear area of the frame. It uses the “match grade” non-stacking trigger design of the original K6S and has a factory pull rating of 10-12 lbs.
Whereas the K6S uses all-steel construction, the K6xs has a T6 aluminum alloy frame with a stainless-steel barrel and cylinder. The 2” barrel has a full underlug that encloses the extractor rod and has 5R rifling. To save additional weight, what is traditionally a blind slot cut into the underlug for the rod has been cut completely through. The sights are fixed and non-removable, with a front blade that features an orange dot.
The rear sight is a simple aiming “gutter” machined into the top strap of the frame with raised “ears” to form a side blade at the rear. The cylinder has more conventionally-styled flutes, versus the flats of the original K6S. Both barrel and cylinder have a bead-blasted finish, while the frame is finished in a KimPro silver coating. Grips are a rubber Hogue Bantam Monogrip-type with a cobblestone texture that are larger than the standard K6S rubber grip. The K6xs is compatible with all K6S aftermarket grips.
The K6xs is rated to handle +P pressures and has the same six-shot capacity of the K6S. With an overall length of 6.8”, a height of 5.5” and a cylinder width of 1.4”, the external dimensions of the K6xs are similar to the K6S, and the new revolver can use holsters designed for the latter. Coming in just under the pound mark at 15.9 ozs., the K6xs is 7 ozs. less than the all-steel 2” barrel magnum K6S. Its overall size and weight is comparable to other five-shot, alloy-frame, compact .38 Spl. revolvers on the market.
The Kimber K6xs has an MSRP of $679, which makes it the most affordable revolver Kimber offers by more than $300. For more information, visit kimberamerica.com.
