Kimber KDS9c Rail: The 1911 Reimagined

There aren’t a lot of 113-year-old products that remain relevant today, but the 1911 semiauto pistol is an exception. John Browning’s pistol is a brilliant machine, but that’s not to say that the original design wasn’t without areas for improvement. Over the years the 1911 has evolved, and few companies have played more of a role in the 1911’s reinvigoration that Kimber.

As a top manufacturer of 1911 pistols, Kimber knows their source material, and over the decades the company has made minor modifications that have enhanced and updated the John Browning design. The new KDS9c Rail pistol is the latest distillation of the original Browning formula, and this gun begs the question — is this most well-appointed single-action carry gun ever?

The March Toward 1911 Perfection

Times have changed, and so have the tastes and tactics of shooters. If the 1911 was going to remain relevant it had to address some of its perceived shortcomings in the face of newer competition, and that’s what Kimber has attempted with the KDS9c. At its heart, this gun is a true 1911, a single-action, hammer-fired pistol with a crisp trigger and the unmistakable grip angle and balance inherent to this family of firearms.

But there are a lot of improvements to this pistol. For starters, it’s chambered in 9mm. The .45 Auto versus 9mm Luger debate will probably never die, but the advent of new and better ammunition has placed the 9mm firmly in the driver’s seat for self-defense and law enforcement applications for the time being. Traditionally the 1911 was devised as a single-stack pistol, and that limited capacity. The original KDS9c addressed that issue by reworking the architecture of the gun to accept double-stack magazines, effectively silencing the argument that 1911s couldn’t match the capacity of striker-fired pistols. The KDS9c comes with a flush-fit 15-round magazine and an 18-round extended mag.

Another knock on Browning’s .45 was its size. The original 1911 Government was a big gun, measuring 8.5-inches long and weighing around 39 ounces. That’s a lot of pistol to carry every day, but Kimber has lightened the KDS9c and shortened it so it’s more portable. With its 4.09-inch stainless steel barrel, the Kimber measures just 7.75-inches long, and it weighs 29.6 ounces with the flush-fit 15-round magazine, or 30.3 ounces with the 18-round mag. This reduction in mass is thanks in part to its 7075 aluminum frame. That means the new Kimber is closer in weight to a polymer-frame pistol than a full-size 1911.

Speaking of the frame, the new railed version of Kimber’s KDS9c comes with a built-in four-slot accessory rail on the dust cover of the pistol. Modern shooters want the option to add accessories like tactical lights, and Kimber provides that capability. Because the frame is made from precision machined aluminum, the slots are durable and solid, providing stable mounting surfaces that will interface with most handgun accessories.

Sights have evolved, too, and Kimber’s KDS9c keeps pace with the competition. Virtually all modern semiauto pistols come with a slide that is cut for optics. The KDS9c Rail comes standard with a machined slide and a cover plate that include iron sight dovetails and TRUGLO front and rear night sights. There are also optics plates available for RMSc/Holosun K, Trijicon RMR, and Doctor footprint optics. This allows the owner to choose their sight and offers a pair of backup night sights that co-witness with the optic. It also simplifies the optic mounting process.

There are also ergonomic improvements that make this pistol more shooter-friendly than the original design. The trigger and hammer have been skeletonized, and the trigger comes factory set between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds. The ejection port is lowered and the beavertail has been extended. Wraparound checkering on the front and rear of the slide extends high enough that manipulations are easier to perform, and the carry cuts reduce weight and streamline the pistol’s profile. The oval magazine release is easier to operate, and the KDS9c Rail comes with extended ambidextrous thumb safeties. Additionally, the traditional barrel bushing design has been replaced with a flush-fit bushingless bull barrel with a 30-degree deep cut crown. Kimber has also deleted the traditional grip safety.

Kimber pistols are known for their aesthetics, and the KDS9c rail does not disappoint. The test pistol came with a two-tone finish (KimPro Gray on the frame, KimPro Black on the stainless-steel slide) with black grips and controls, but there is also an all-black version available as well. It features black crosshatch cut G10 grips for control of the gun and enhanced comfort, and the natural finish stainless steel barrel has been fluted. The various cuts and flowing geometric lines on this pistol prevent it from snagging, but they also give the gun a stylish look.

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Three important elements inherent to the original 1911 and its offspring remain: safety, balance, and reliability. The ambidextrous manual safety is easy to locate and operate and allows the pistol to be carried cocked-and-locked for immediate action. As the range test bore out, the Kimber is also a very reliable pistol, producing very good groups with a variety of target and self-defense ammunition to 25-yards, and throughout testing there were no issues with extraction or ejection. That’s thanks in part to the 1911’s excellent design but also the machining and material quality of the KDS9c which features a stout external extractor (another departure from the original) and a smooth polished feed ramp.

The feel and balance of the 1911 are what sets these guns apart from modern rivals. They’ve been called handguns with soul, and Kimber captures that ethos with the KDS9c Rail. The just-right grip angle and balance are excellent, and the weight is not so heavy that the gun is burdensome to carry yet it does an effective job absorbing recoil and allowing for fast, accurate follow-up shots.

With its build quality, practical design, and striking good looks the KDS9c Rail feels more like a custom pistol than a factory gun. Price is set at $1,903, though, which is less than you’ll pay for a custom build.

Range Testing

The KDS9c Rail is one of the smoothest shooting, smoothest cycling 1911-style pistols available today. But despite its good looks and handling qualities it’s a workhorse. I stuffed its metal double-stack magazines with 115-grain FMJ loads, 147-grain subsonic hollow-points, and everything between, and at no point did the Kimber falter.

It’s also proved to be a very accurate gun. Keeping rounds within the 10 ring of a torso target offhand at 7 yards was no problem, and there’s plenty of room on the aluminum frame for a solid thumbs-forward grip to maximize control. Rounded grip panels fit comfortably in the hand and do a good job securing the gun under recoil. Trigger pull was short and crisp, and the test trigger broke at four pounds. This is a fast, flat-shooting pistol.

The optics plate included with the test pistol came with a Holosun 507K green dot sight pre-installed, and the combination of the green dot sights and night sights offered dual round-the-clock aiming options. The front dot sight is dovetailed into the slide and the rear sight is blacked out, preventing it from distracting when using the optic.

Has Kimber created the perfect 1911 carry pistol? Quite possibly. The KDS9c Rail is solid throughout, and it retains the 1911 soul with some substantial upgrades. I think John Browning would have approved.

Kimber KDS9c Rail

• Type: Single-action semiautomatic pistol
• Chambering: 9mm
• Capacity: 15+1, 18+1
• Trigger: 4.0 lbs (tested)
• Slide: Stainless steel with KimPro Black finish
• Frame: 7075 Aluminum with KimPro Gray finish (tested)
• Sights: Optics cut, TRUGLO night sights
• Barrel: 4.09-inches, stainless steel with 30-degree flush fit deep crown
• Weight: 30.2 oz (empty magazine)
• Length: 7.75 in.
• Width: 1.45 in.
• Grips: Crosshatch G10 black (tested)
• MSRP: $1,903
• Contact: Kimberamerica.com