Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns New Pistol for the Mountains...

As I get older, I realize that time start putting limitations on us all, just a fact of life. Normally I've always carried either 44 Mag or 45 Colt S&W Mountain Guns loaded with heavy cast bullets when traipsing around in the wild but find it more difficult each year to shoot them accurately AND quickly during training at the range.

I've found it's easier for me to stay on target with a semi-auto when performing these drills, so after long research and decision-making process (and a gentle nudge or two from RJM), I settled on the Kimber Camp Guard 10 as the new carry gun.

Picked it up yesterday at the dealers and once I had it home and unboxed, I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it more than most any other handgun I've held in a long time! The rounded edges feel very smooth in the hand. It's solid, and with the rounded bob-tail grip it just finds its way into the hand. Being an ALL-stainless pistol with some coating on the slide, it should wear well in the outdoors.

Love the front strap being checkered at 30 lpi, should give great control no matter the weather conditions.

Ordered 300 rounds of Blazer 180 FMJ FP for target/break in fodder which arrived yesterday, if it doesn't snow today, I will try to take it to the range for more initial testing.

So far, am impressed with it. I did order 4 Wilson Combat 10mm mags for it as well. They should arrive in a few days.

The current production models are being shipped with a nice Cordura nylon Range Bag with pockets for 5 mags, something I prefer to the plastic case that the older production guns are shipped with.








Really like the laser engraved grips as well......not your average 1911 grip for sure!



I will update more after a range session, and then again after I hand load some hard cast for it.

Frog---OUT!

Good looking 1911

If that coating is KimPro, it will wear. My son’s wore pretty quickly with daily carry. With SS under it, no biggie.

Nice gun.

Here in the East, a .45 loaded with hot hard-cast should be plenty. Ain’t seen any grizz of late…😜

I'd toss some good G-10's on 'er.......

https://vzgrips.com/products/vz-slant-palm-swell-full-size-1911-grips.html

And mill the slide for a EPS Carry.....

It sounds like we have some things in common, age perhaps and living in Wyoming myself I understand why you’re always carrying in the woods. And I’m usually carrying what you said that you’ve used for years.

I’ve seen those Camp Guards advertised in “The Bugle” and drooled over them for years.

My question as another old revolver guy, do you think it’s going to be hard to get used to carrying it cocked and locked? I would love to own a 1911 but that’s the question for me. I’ve seen holsters with thumb straps that go under the hammer. Is that what you’re going to use?

I'm about there too. Had pretty much concluded that a S&W 69 was about the ultimate lightweight backup handgun. Watched several videos of bears attacking. Critters are fast.


Decided I might feel better with more ammo. Handled several 10mm double stacks and had about decided on a S&W mp 2 PC 10mm and then... I made the mistake of handling a Dan Wesson 1911 10mm. Whoa... it felt so much better than the big double stacks.

Now... I don't know what to think. 5 or 6 in .44 mag? 7 or 8 in 10mm? 15 or 16 10mm in double stack? Obviously, more is better; but accurate hits are best and a good fitting handgun makes a huge difference in achieving that.

I'm good with the 329PD, the paramount carry a lot and shoot a little mountain handgun.

Also good point regarding locked and locked.

After years of Glocks, I bought a 1911. When doing draw / present repetitions, I didn't consistently swipe the safety off. I then transitioned to a Sig 365 (without manual safety) as my primary EDC due to size / convenience; but...

I know that making that safety off swipe automattic will take lots of repetitions and I wouldn't want to forget that while a bear is chasing me around a tree!

Ditto!

Very mechanically accurate gun.

No need to justify a gun purchase to us😆.

hey, frog.....

https://www.americanhunter.org/content/first-look-cci-10mm-auto-pest-control-shotshells/

Ruger SBH 3.75" .44mag with 280gn cast or 265gn solid.

Sig Sauer P227 SAS with 255gn cast.

Ruger SBH .480Ruger with 355 to 400gn cast for more remote locations.

I understand your choice and it's a good one. I usually carry some sort of 10mm in the woods here including a few varieties of 1911/2011.

I think Kimber's intentions were good with the camp guard, but makes me wonder if any of their marketing department has even elk hunted before. Wood grips on a gun exposed to all sorts of weather?? And fixed sights on a gun that could potentially be used to hunt game, not just defend against it. And no ambi-safety on the gun that might be used by either hand in a truly defensive situation. Clearly each one of those things could be upgraded with aftermarket. Just annoys me they put some elk carving on a grip panel and think it's all-appealing to anyone who spends time in the woods. I do like the round butt 1911's a lot. Very comfortable and easy to carry. Plus-one on that.

I doubt with a full-on charing bear you'll get more than 3 shots off, but I'm with most here and think more shots on board isn't a bad thing. Look at the PH's in Africa, their defensive gun is a double-barrel, iron-sighted, rifle. Two shots against some of the most dangerous animals in the world.

Currently it's a SW M&P 2.0 4.6" that gets wood's duty here. Best combination of reliability, lightweight, capacity, and red-dot option I've found.

It' actually prettier than you first described it to me on the phone. Wow!

Not a Glock guy at all, but for a working tool like a bear-protection gun, I think the Glock 10mm or a similar one from someone else makes a lot of sense. Simple, reliable, and no biggie if it gets dropped in the mud, rained on, or even lost.

Only downside I see for an auto is that it can be pushed out of battery if things get very close, but revolvers, especially SAs, have possible issues as well. Main thing I think is to always keep it with you, and in reach.

Here as well. The 329pd is the original bitey/scratchy havewithyoualways sidearm.

But, I love that Camp Guard !


https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyhintstricksideas/home/sw-329pd-info

Nothing wrong with carrying a nice set of grips. Besides, for less than $20 you can get a set of G10 grips that are very grippy and good looking.

Low-profile Novak-style sights are what the knowledgeable have been using for 40yrs. Tough, reliable, snag free, easy to see - pretty much all the things optics aren't. I can shoot those sights out to 100yds, so I'm not sure what the comment on hunting is about - the 10mm isn't a 44mag.
About 5 minutes of practice is all it takes to learn to shoot weak weak-handed without an ambi safety.

https://www.amazon.com/1911-Grips-F...c=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_oos_3_sc

I like the Camp Guard as well but couldn’t find one near me to actually handle before buying. So I installed a square FP stop and re-sprung my kimber 45acp to handle 45 super loads when I’m in the woods. 255 WFN doing 1000+fps should discourage anything I run into.

Howdy gents! I apologize for the delay in my respinse.....my laptop was clobbered the other night after Microsoft performed an update. I went to log on the next day and all I had was a blue screen asking for my BitLocker key! I lost everything in my computer, just received it back from the tech that had to wipe it and reinstall Windows OS. First thing now......disable BitLocker!!!

Yes, the Camp Guard laser engraved grips are very nice looking, and there are better options I suppose for being in the outdoors. How many of us have removed the original factory grips from a nice S&W or Colt and installed aftermarket to save the originals????

I've been researching my first 10mm purchase for about 2 years now, and feature for feature, I thought the Kimber Camp Guard provided more for the money than any other model or brand.

Having carried 1911's for years, I'm used to carrying it condition 1.

My plan is pretty much to use 3 loads......a 155-180 XTP load of some sort for 2 legged varmints, a 180 gr cast bullet load for all around use, and a 200 gr hard cast hot load for deep penetration where needed.

Those thre loads should serve all my needs out of that Kimber.


Frog----OUT!