Kimber CDS9 Concealed Carry 9mm: Full Review

It’s hard to place Kimber’s new CDS9 in a box. Its 1911 heritage is obvious, both in ergonomics and features. The CDS9 is a compact single-action, hammer-fired pistol with a short (3.18-inch) barrel, which would lead many to say it’s an officer-style 1911.

But that’s not true, or at least that’s not the entire story. Yes, the CDS9 offers many of the features that have made Colt’s 1911 Officer model which debuted in 1985 a successful carry pistol for decades, but Kimber understands the 1911 as well as the needs of modern shooters. With so many inexpensive polymer carry guns offering double-digit capacity a short-barreled 1911 faced overwhelming competition.

The CDS9, then, is sort of a modern take on the officer concept. CDS stands for Covert Double Stack, and as the name suggests this is a double-stack version of the compact 1911 handgun. The original Colt Officer had a relatively short (3.5-inch) barrel and a reduced frame, but it only held six rounds of .45 ACP ammo. Kimber’s CDS9 comes with included 13 and 15-round magazines, more than doubling the number of cartridges on tap (a 10-round magazine will be available for those who live in capacity-restricted areas). The Kimber’s 13/15 round capacity puts it on par with today’s top striker-fired double-stack pistols, and it makes the CDS9 a natural choice for concealed carry.

Kimber gave the new CDS9 other upgrades that make it very appealing as well. There’s no grip safety on this gun, but it does come with a bilateral thumb safety, as well as a trigger actuated firing pin safety. Iron sights come standard, of course, but the stainless-steel slide is cut for RMSc footprint optics so mounting a red dot is fast and straightforward. There’s also a two-slot Picatinny rail for mounting lights and lasers.

One feature that remains from the original 1911 design, though, is a crisp single-action trigger. The Kimber trigger offers minimal take-up (much less than many striker-fired guns) and a very crisp break. The test gun’s trigger broke at an average of 4.5 pounds for 10 pulls on a Wheeler gauge, and that significantly improves the accuracy potential of this pistol.

In addition to the trigger, Kimber has included other features that make the CDS9 one of the most comfortable compact carry guns on the market. In addition to the steel slide this gun features an aluminum frame and a stainless-steel match-grade barrel with 1:10 5R rifling, yet despite the use of metal throughout this gun only weighs 20.8 ounces with an empty magazine. The included magazines come with extensions that allow you to fit all four fingers on the gun. The CDS9 manages recoil and muzzle rise extremely well, even when shooting powerful defensive loads.

The CDS9 I tested was the OR RL (Optic-Ready Rail) version of the gun and came with stylish VZ G10 Frag-style grips with a Frag patterning on the mainspring housing and front strap. The alternating red and black color pattern of the VZ grips looks good and the grips themselves offer plenty of purchase. Unlike some 1911 grips which are rounded in profile, the Kimber’s grip panels are slab-sides which aids with concealment.

The CDS9 comes with a stacked recoil spring. The primary advantage of a stacked (two-part) recoil spring design is improved recoil management and control. That’s particularly important with a concealed carry weapon designed primarily for personal defense where fast, accurate follow-up shots may be required. The Kimber’s design makes it easier to deliver accurate shots on target and allows for improved control and a more enjoyable shooting experience.

I prefer front and rear slide serrations on my carry pistols, and I am particularly fond of the Kimber’s fish scale slide serrations. They look good (it’s one of the first things you notice when you pick up this gun) but they also function as designed, offering improved grip when manipulating the slide. If you conduct press checks to ensure a round is chambered you’ll appreciate the level of control offered by those front serrations.

The controls on the CDS are similar to most other 1911 pistols, but the Kimber is one of the few 1911s with a truly ambidextrous safety and slide stop. That means this gun is not just “suitable” but actually designed for use by southpaw shooters. The magazine release button is positioned on the left side but is reversible as well, and doing so means that left-handed shooters will have a gun with all the major controls in the proper position. Kudos to Kimber for that.

The aluminum frame and steel slide both feature a rugged Kimpro II finish (gray for the slide, black on the frame). Take down is simpler than traditional 1911 pistols. With the gun unloaded and the magazine removed, retract the slide until the curved cutout in the slide aligns with the top portion of the takedown pin/slide stop. Using a non-marring punch, press the takedown pin through from the other side (it is positioned in the slide stop on the opposite side of the gun). Then you can simply remove the slide/barrel/spring assembly.

MSRP for the Kimber is set at $1,075, which is higher than most double stack polymer-frame 9mms. But if you compare it to the handful of all-metal double stack concealable single-action guns like the Staccato C2 ($2,300) you see that the Kimber is a value.

At the Range

The Kimber CDS9 is a joy to shoot. The grip is wide enough and—thanks to the extended magazines—long enough so that the shooter’s hand has complete control of the gun under recoil. Small 9mm semiautos can be a real handful when shooting hot loads, but not the CDS9. It’s certainly one of the easiest small 9mms to manage on the market. Since the Kimber measures just over an inch wide and tucks close against the body, it’s easy to conceal under light clothes.

One of the draws for single-action semiauto pistols is a very good trigger, and the Kimber doesn’t disappoint in that regard. The trigger pull is smooth, light, and predictable. This vastly improves the Kimber’s accuracy potential compared to other pistols with similar-length barrels. I mounted a Burris FastFire C red dot optic on the Kimber and could deliver quick, accurate follow-up shots at seven yards, and this is primarily possible thanks to the CDS9’s combination of the excellent trigger and superb grip design. All that extra magazine capacity is of little value if you can’t manage the gun for follow-up shots, but that’s not an issue with the Kimber.

Accuracy figures were excellent with this gun. At 7 yards offhand I could consistently keep shots in the center ring of the target, but the grip design and smooth trigger also make it fun to run pistol drills with the CDS9. Drawing from concealment, I shot several Mozambique drills on a 9-yard torso target and found that the Kimber was very easy to control.

I think it was wise on Kimber’s part to include a rail on this pistol. Some shooters absolutely want to mount a light on their gun, and Kimber has at least given them the option. The gun also uses RMSc footprint optics so finding a suitable red dot isn’t an issue. These guns certainly borrow design elements from 1911 Officer pistols, but the two designs are not identical. I could, however, make the Kimber fit in an officer-style holster, though there are dedicated CDS9 holster fits arriving now.

The Kimber CDS9 is an excellent defensive handgun, the rare concealed carry pistol that is at once fun to shoot and convenient to carry. Kimber knows a thing or two about 1911s, and they knew exactly how to build the CDS9 so that it seamlessly blends the best aspects of John Browning’s classic single-action design with the convenience of modern double-stack 9mm striker-fired pistols.

Kimber CDS9 (OR) (RL)

• Action: single-action semiauto
• Chambering: 9mm
• Capacity: 13, 15 (10 round magazines also available)
• Barrel: 3.18-inch match grade stainless steel, 1:10 twist
• Unloaded Weight: 20.8-ounces
• Height: 5-inches (13-round magazine)
• Width: 1.1-inches
• Overall Length: 6.2-inches
• Slide: Stainless steel
• Frame: Aluminum
• Grips: VZ G10 Frag grip panels
• Finish: KimPro II
• MSRP: $1,075
• Contact: Kimber America, kimberamerica.com, (888) 243-4522