Reliability
Reliability was excellent throughout with multiple brands of .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Spent casings never stuck in the chambers per se, but using just the thumb in the old fashioned FBI reload technique, the short rod sometimes left long Magnum cases still hanging from the cylinder. A sharp smack with the palm on the ejector rod cleared the brass much better. Feedback from the field on the Kimber K6S series has been generally excellent.
Bottom line? Yes, the Kimber K6S CDP costs a lot of money. In my youth, Colt advertised that their small frame snubs were preferable to S&W’s because the latter held only five rounds and the Colt had an “all-important sixth shot.” Silly me, I always figured that if there was an “all-important” shot it would be the first, not the sixth. That said, while one more round of capacity isn’t a big deal in the currently pre-eminent polymer pistols, it’s a 20% increase in a pocket revolver. I wouldn’t be inclined to turn down a 20% increase in life expectancy, income, or firepower.
The K6S series offers a potentially life-saving advantage that Kimber, strangely, does not advertise, and which I’ve not seen mentioned elsewhere. In very cold weather with big gloves, one problem with revolvers in general, and small frame ones in particular, is that thick glove material creates enough bulk between trigger face and inside front of trigger guard to block trigger return, turning the revolver into a single shot. The elongated trigger guard of the Kimber K6S allowed full trigger-return every time when I tried it with winter gloves. The newest iteration of Colt’s Cobra is the only other small revolver I’ve seen that shares this feature.
And when I see a pocket-size snub that can put five shots in 0.65” at 25 yards, as our test Kimber K6S did, well I’m sold. Contact Kimber America, Dept. OT; Tel.: (888) 243-4522; Web: www.kimberamerica.com
SECIFICATIONS:
Weight: 23-oz.
Overall Length: 6.62-inches
Barrel Length: 2-inches
Sights: Front and rear night sights
Finish: Brushed Stainless/Black DLC
Capacity: 6
Retail Price: $1,155
