Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Kimber K6S opinions

Looking at the Kimber K6S Target as a general packing type gun. Looks to be about the same size as the Ruger SP101 4" model which is right in the ballpark of what I'm looking for. The Kimber isn't the prettiest of the genre to my eyes but reviews all seem positive. Pictures of the rear make the grip look downright skinny with a very angled transition to the sides, to me that combination says "pain". The ejector rod is too short but not looking at this for high speed reloads so that's not a big deal. Mostly just haven't paid much attention recently to anything made by Kimber to know if their quality is good, top of the line or slipping

So, what says the all knowing and heavily opinionated fire? Good, bad, indifferent?

S&W and Ruger still make revolvers.

Amen, and Colt too. Looks like Kimber tried to make a full size revolver out of a snub, instead of the opposite approach.

All I know is it looks like it would be the Ruger to me for the price and lots of practice ammo. Be Well, RZ.

I look at the short ejector rod and think,
That's stupid on a 4 inch gun.
Too short.
Cutting the channel for a linger would have shed some weight,
While still allowing extra muzzle weight.

Dumb designer?
Cost cutting?

I'm really fussy about guns. There is something about every gun I
have that I really dislike. Any gun I see with something so poorly
done, just from a glance, turns me off.

Bet you can find a 686 for that money.
A Ruger should be cheaper. (Really should probably)
A nice Security Six?

Should have bought one when my local dealer had one. They are sweet.

have the 3 inch version and I like it .......perfect kit gun and very good ccw as well


great fixed sights , better than most any snub I have seen , butter smooth double action , very crisp single pull


6 shots and very little bigger than a J frame

I have yet to see one in the flesh, but I have read complaints about the back of the grip. What I wonder about is whether it's just a matter of changing or modifying the grips. The same people making those complaints have raved about the trigger.

Jim, I am aware of your problems with QC in the SP101 line. Have you considered the S&W 3" m60as? That's still my favorite small frame revolver.

The SP101 4" actually fits the bill perfectly for size and weight and the factory grip absorbs recoil very well. It would be my first choice by far over anything else, but having had to return four brand new ones in a row last year (two 4" and two of the new adjustable sighted 3") with Ruger scrapping three of them for being irreparable, I'm just not going down that road again. Had a Colt King Cobra briefly and it was a very nice revolver overall but had one feature that was a deal killer for me. Maybe just a small nit to others but to me it was something I'd have to settle for and I've learned the disadvantages of "settling" for something, the little nit you pick early on will just grow larger and larger over time.

Which comes to the M60. A poster here sold me his 60-4, the original 3" AS model with underlug in .38 Special and it is a dandy. The .357 model is a possibility but I'm really searching for a 4" barrel particularly for a .357. Folks can tell me all the reasons a 3" is just as good as a 4" and my brain will understand but the "Iwantit" organ won't. A Model 66 or a Ruger Security Six are possibilities but I've never owned a Kimber so wanted to see if it might be a reasonable choice.

The grips might be the big sticking point on this one. Pachmayr doesn't make a grip for the K6S but I haven't finished that search. Will look around the valley here to try to actually hold one, the current shortage of everything is putting a damper on that. On line reviews are obvious advertising copy but they do all mention the nice trigger. The few youtube videos I've seen are pretty worthless as far as giving actual objective information. Watching someone shoot at a junk pile at 10 yards in their back yard while mumbling over wind noise or judging the entire revolver by a nice brushed finish and saying "awesome" a lot for some reason just doesn't supply the info I'm looking for.

Hence my post. The fire has a lot of folks who are honest brutal in their opinions but do provide the kind of solid info that really helps.

https://www.hogueinc.com/grips/kimb...bantam-cobblestone-rubber-monogrip-black



about the only rubber grip I've found for a K6

I own one. I have had it about 3 months. I have put 50 rounds of 357 factory ammo through it from 7 to 25 yards ( would shoot more often but ammo is hard to find and I am hording my supply). I have fired 12 rounds of 38 Special Gold Dot ammo and the recoil was very pleasant. It is accurate enough for head shots at 25 yards. It is light and compact for a 357. Very similar in size to S&W M-60. It carries and conceals easily because it is a bit more narrow by reason of the flats on the cylinder. The action is smooth and the grips are comfortable. Recoil with factory 357 125 grain Federal ammo was very manageable and not painful. My only complaints are the grip is nearly too small and a bit narrow, but I have large hands and the rear sight has vertical play on the spring. I wish it was more solid like the old S&W sights. It is lighter than the Ruger and holds one more round. I am fairly certain it is the lightest and thinnest 6 shot 357 in the market. The short ejector rod was a design error. However, a brisk punch while holding the gun vertical will clear the cylinder.

Dang it! I was at Buds the other day & they're shown in stock in the store. Wish I'd looked one over, as I've read good things about them & basically have faith in Kimber to do it right.

Good luck with it Jim & hope you'll share your views after you've given one a workout.

Thanks, that's good to hear. The vertical play in the rear sight is probably more annoying than an actual problem, Ruger rear sights have done that forever but they stay sighted in okay. I'm guessing with those large screws and rather large sight overall that the click adjustments are very positive?

Really wish I could find one to hold, grip feel is always subjective but I know that right angles and my hand have never been good friends. Was also looking at the combat model with the three dot setup. It has a lower front sight and the rear is adjustable for windage. POI left or right of POA is always a bugaboo with fixed sight revolvers but as long as POI is fairly close vertically I can allow for that.

Will call some more shops around the valley to see if anyone has an example I could examine in person.

Jim, the Boise Cabela's has a 4" target model K6 in the display as I'm standing here looking at it.

I fondled that K6, and I gotta say I approve. I don't know what the beef is with some about the back of the grip. It feels fine to me and fits my hand well. Lucky for you I have other interests right now.

Yeah they’re pretty awful looking in a longer barrel

If it's the one with the green fiber optic front and finger grooved grips, yes, I've handled it twice now. Almost whipped out the credit card but would prefer the red front and smooth grips.

Agree on the back of the grip, that was my main concern and it's definitely wide enough to spread the recoil out some. Though the grip is smallish it fills the hand well enough. Still not in love with the square transition to the sides but a little sandpaper would ruin a $79 grip take care of that.

Also still keep going back and forth on the adjustable sight model or the 4" combat model with the windage only rear sight. They had one of those with the 3" barrel and I like the sight picture a lot, plus the overall profile with the lower front sight looks a lot better.

Going to wait a while and see if Pachmayr comes out with a grip for it. Really like their Compac grip on a small J-frame as it mitigates recoil very well.

I know someone who bought one (3"?), shot it a bunch, and was so impressed he bought a second for a spare. I've handled one a bit and added a 4" target version to my "someday" list...

I was going to buy the 3" BBL version KIMBER K6S 357 Mag. DA Revolver for it's smaller carry size -

But, I thought, since I already have a Ruger LCRX 3" DA Revolver,38 SPL+P, exposed hammer, Hogue Grips, adj. sights,
that shoots accrurately and carries easy - I opted for the longer 4" KiIMBER K6S 'TARGET', DA Revolver.

At Scheel's, I was able to compare, side by side the Kimber K6S with some high end, S&W Revolvers, and a new Colt Python. I put the
Kimber on hold and read reviews, and researched a lot of facts about the revolver on-line - regarding design. quality, and performance.

Then I purchased my KIMBER K6S TARGET!

I have also owned Dan Wesson revolvers, 357 Mag and 44 Mag - S&W M19, 357 Mag - Colt Officers Model Match 22LR - Etc.
For ME... this Kimber Revolver is unique and the other's don't compare - I like every about it - But they're not for everybody -

And I always respect everybody's opinion - especially mine...