NRA Gun Of The Week: Kimber Rapide Black Ice

Kimber America has built its identity with an expansive lineup of M1911 handguns. In addition to smaller 1911-style pistols like the Micro 9 and Micro 380, the company has also introduced a number of big-bore guns designed for handgun hunting, camp defense and more. While .45 ACP is a mainstay in Kimber’s 1911 collection, the 10 mm Auto chambering is available in a number of designs, like the Rapide Black Ice seen on the range in the above video.

The Rapide Black Ice in 10 mm Auto ships from Kimber with a stainless-steel slide and frame. A DLC-treated barrel comes standard for added reliability and corrosion protection. Adding to the Rapide's eye-catching aesthetics and functionality are uniquely textured black G10 stock panels. While many M1911s feature traditional serrations and slide cuts, the Rapide Black Ice incorporates a windowed slide, along with specially milled serrations at the front and rear that sit within cut borders. Kimber’s effective Stiplex texturing treatment is provided for enhanced purchase. Rectangular cutouts on the gun's backstrap provide additional grip texturing.

A generous beavertail grip safety comes standard on the Rapide Black Ice, as well as a skeletonized hammer and a skeletonized trigger, all upgrades from the standard M1911. A left-side magazine release is also standard, though lefties will appreciate the mirrored thumb safety. The provided Tru-Glo TFX Pro night sights feature an orange circle with an illuminated tritium center on the front post and two illuminated tritium dots on the rear sight face that we found to be effective for myriad target types.

With its 10 mm Auto chambering, the Kimber Rapide Black Ice can be a bit of a handful for the uninitiated, but given its all-steel construction and full-length, 5-inch barrel, sheer weight helps temper some of the blistering power of the cartridge. Our range testers particularly appreciated the combined texturing techniques found on all faces of the grip, as it helped anchor the jumpy gun in our hands. Reloads were fast and easy, thanks to the generously flared magazine well, and the combination of the match-grade barrel with the easily picked-up Tru-Glo sights allowed us to put rounds exactly where we wanted them.

Specifications
Manufacturer: Kimber America
Model: Rapide Black Ice
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire, repeating pistol
Chambering: 10 mm Auto
Frame: stainless steel
Slide: stainless steel
Finish: KimPro II Silver/Gray
Barrel: 5"
Sights: Tru-Glo TFX Pro
Stocks: G10
Magazine: eight-round detachable box
Overall Length: 8.7"
Width: 1.28"
MSRP: $1,665