Kimber Manufacturing

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Kimber Manufacturing, Inc.

Type	Private
Founded	1979
Headquarters	Yonkers, NY
Key people	Leslie Edelman, President and owner
Industry	Defense
Products	Firearms, weapon
Revenue	unknown
Employees	100+ (2007)
Website	www.kimberamerica.com

Kimber is a manufacturer of M1911 pistols, rifles, and shotguns. The USA Shooting Team, Marines assigned to Special Operations Command, and the LAPD SWAT team use Kimber pistols.

1 History
2 Products
3 Kimber firearms in use
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Kimber was founded as "Kimber of Oregon" in 1979 by Greg and Jack Warne in the small town of Colton, Oregon. The company quickly built a reputation for accurate .22 caliber rifles, began to expand its product line and eventually build a manufacturing plant in the nearby city of Clackamas. In the early 1990s, the company fell on hard times. Over the course of several years, Leslie Edelman acquired a majority interest in the company. Kimber of Oregon's financial situation did not improve significantly, ultimately leading to the closure of its facilities in Oregon in 1997.

In 1990 several Kimber employees left to found Cooper Firearms of Montana. ^[1]

At the same time, Yonkers-based "Jerico Precision Manufacturing", a manufacturer of hand tools and mechanical components for the defense industry, was adjusting to cuts in defense spending. Edelman decided to connect Jerico Precision's existing infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities and Kimber's reputation and extensive network of dealers to build a line of 1911-style handguns. He eventually purchased Jerico Precision and renamed the business "Kimber of America".

A federal grand jury indicted former CFO Denis Shusterman for embezzling a total of $10 million from Kimber Manufacturing on December 9, 2004.^[2] He was later convicted after pleading guilty, ordered to pay damages and back taxes and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.

Kimber is planning to expand its manufacturing capacity. Presently, it owns a 31,500 ft² manufacturing facility in Ridgefield, NJ. A proposal to add more space to its Yonkers site had been approved as a "regionally significant project"^[3] but Kimber appears to have withdrawn its application following concerns raised by worried neighbors.

[edit] Products

[edit] Pistols

Kimber Custom Stainless II pistol in .45 ACP

Kimber is known for its highly accurate 1911-style pistols, as well as for offering a variety of customization options. Early on, the company introduced the use of metal injection molding for some parts, such as the thumb safety, which makes them more cost-effective to produce. The adoption of CAD and CAM technology were a priority due to the tight dimensions and low tolerances involved in producing firearms that are designed to be both accurate and reliable.^[4] In 2005, Kimber manufactured a total of 47,820 production handguns. In 2006, Kimber added the KPD .40, a self-defense firearm chambered in .40 S&W, to its offerings.

Kimber Custom TLE II in .45 ACP

Models available include:

Kimber Custom II Family
- Custom II
- Custom Target II
- Custom TLE II
- Custom TLE II (LG)
- Custom TLE/RL II
- Stainless TLE II
- Stainless TLE/RL II
- Warrior
- Desert Warrior
- Royal II
- Stainless II
- Stainless Target II
Kimber Gold Match II Family
- Team Match II
- Gold Match II
- Stainless Gold Match II
- Target Match
Kimber Compact & Pro Carry II Family
Kimber Eclipse
- Kimber Eclipse Target II
Kimber Ultra Carry II
Kimber Tactical II
Kimber CDP II
Kimber Covert II
Kimber Aegis II
Kimber Ten II Family
Kimber Rimfire Family

As well as various customized models, available for viewing on the official Kimber website.

[edit] Rifles

Kimber of Oregon Super Custom rifle in .270 Winchester

Kimber also makes several long gun models, including shotguns, hunting and tactical rifles. Kimber rifles have a reputation for accuracy and quality.^[5] ^[6] ^[7]

Their basic models are

Kimber 17 and Kimber 22
Model 84M
Model 8400 WSM
Model 8400 Standard & Magnum
Tactical

[edit] Shotguns

Kimber has recently started selling side-by-side and over-and-under shotguns as well.

[edit] Non-lethal self-defense products

Non-lethal self-defense tools are also being sold under Kimber's "LifeAct" trademark. LifeActs are highly concentrated irritant high velocity incapacitating non lethal chemical weapons. One is very economical, where the other costs as much as a quality pistol. The ranges and effectiveness of the two differ. Since these non lethal weapons are effective at ranges where most handgun and knife encounters occur, they could be used to defend against such attacks. They are also useful for hikers in the wild to discourage aggressive animals.

[edit] Kimber firearms in use

A modified version of the "Team Match II" .45 ACP caliber pistol is used by the US Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team. In 2003, the LAPD chose a slightly modified and specially marked version of the "Custom II", known as the "Custom TLE II" as the standard handgun for its SWAT unit. Several other law enforcement agencies have approved Kimber firearms for on-duty carry by their patrol and SWAT officers.^[8] In 2007 a new pistol was added to the Kimber's extensive line of 1911 pattern pistols. Designed and commissioned by LAPD's Special Investigation Section (SIS). The SIS is an elite undercover unit that specializes in working violent and dangerous criminals. After design and commission the LAPD's SIS agreed to allow Kimber to offer the Kimber SIS Custom to the public.