Kimber Rapide pistol
SHOT Show 2019 – The Kimber Rapide is a new arrival in the 1911 lineup of the famous brand. Available in .45 ACP and 10mm Auto, it has been optimized for fast shooting in competition, defensive or tactical situations
The Kimber Rapide semi-automatic pistol – a handgun so new that it doesn’t even show up on the Company press releases as of today! – made its debut at the 2019 edition of the NSSF SHOT Show in Las Vegas and was available for testing by selected members of the press invited to the 2019 Industry Day at the Range, held the day before the opening of the show.
Just like all other Kimber full-size pistols, the Rapide model is a 1911 platform variant, and a very peculiar one, adding up to a vast lineup that made Kimber one of the world’s best known manufacturers of America’s quintessential pistol.
The Kimber Rapide features a stainless steel machined slide with a black KimPro II finish, a set of stepped front and rear cocking serrations, and three lightening cuts per side around the barrel, providing additional ventilation and faster lock time, making up for a fast-shooting target, tactical or defensive handgun. Dovetailed to the slide is a set of hermetically-sealed TruGlo TFX Pro fiber-optic/tritium day-night sights.
The Kimber Rapide pistol features a Match Grade, stainless steel 5-inch barrel with a stainless steel Match Grade bushing; a full-length guide rod; six left-handed grooves with a 1:16” twist; and a golden TiN carbon-nitride outer finish for superior durability.
The single-action trigger is a competition-oriented, aluminum V-cut model, with a factory set weight of approximately 4 to 5 pounds (1,8 to 2,2 kilograms).
The frame of the Kimber Rapide is likewise manufactured out of Stainless Steel, with a black KimPro II finish, and sports an ambidextrous manual safety, a high-profile grip safety, a set of grey-black G10 WavZ grips, and a Kimber Stiplex front serration pattern.
The Kimber Rapide pistol is 22 cm long (8.7”), for an overal weight of about one kilogram (38 oz) with an empty magazine. The Rapide is made available in .45 ACP and 10mm Auto, both variants feeding through single-stack, 1911 standard 8-rounds metal magazines.
