Kimber Tactical Entry II

I've always wanted to build an airsoft Kimber 1911 but the kits are really pricey. That or they're always out of stock -- especially the most popular kits like the Warrior, Desert Warrior, LAPD SWAT Custom II (or Custom TLE/RL II) and the MARSOC model. 

Kimber Custom TLE/RL II

Kimber Custom II

Kimber Gold Combat RL II
(photos from Kimber's website)

When Hurricane released their Kimber Tactical Entry conversion kit, I told myself this is my chance to build a Kimber. At first sight, I instantly loved the look and color of the gun. I immediately searched through the internet for photos of the real steel pistol and fell in love with it even more.

My initial plan is to get this kit and build it with my M.E.U. as a base gun. But then, I found stocks of the Custom Covert II and they are both on sale so I grabbed them both! My plan now shifted and I decided to build the Covert first; not because I like it more than the Tactical Entry (it's actually the other way around), but because I'm willing to use the Covert as a starting platform of my know-how when it comes to building 1911s.

This paid off and the plan went well. I encountered problems and difficulties in building the Covert -- problems and difficulties I didn't have when I was building the Tactical Entry. The build of the Covert is just the opposite of the build for the Tactical Entry; the latter is just smooth and it took me a significantly shorter time working on it. I knew my way around the gun better than before, I had the right tools as compared to my first build, and I already knew the steps I needed to do. But aside from that, after building the Tactical Entry, it didn't take me much work on lapping the slide and the frame. I never had to file a single part to make them fit. Just a few slides and racks and it worked perfectly. When I lapped my Covert, I'd shaved a huge amount of the rail just to make them fit.

Now, here's an overview of the Tactical Entry project.

The real steel Kimber Tactical Entry II in some ways are similar to the more popular Warrior or Custom TLE models. It has an under rail for attaching lasers or flashlights and it has Meprolight front and rear sights. This is what I really liked about this kit. I wanted to build a Kimber in the form of a Warrior, but with a somehow different grit and attitude.

The real steel Kimber Tactical Entry II
(photos from Kimber's website)

As far as I know, among the Kimber kits in the airsoft market today, the Hurricane Tactical Entry II is the only kit that comes in a dark matte gray color aside from the Kimber SIS kit (which I'm not a fan of). And I like that. I like the color; and I like being unique.

I used the Hurricane Kimber Tactical Entry conversion kit for this custom work

Since I've used my M.E.U. as a base gun for the Covert, I used my Tokyo Marui Night Warrior pistol for this build.

The kit includes:

-Aluminum powder coated slide and frame

-Stainless steel chamber and outer barrel

-Steel front (in slide) and rear sights

-Kimber type slide stop lever

-Steel checkered magazine catch

-Solid aluminum match grade trigger

-Steel magwell

-Uprgaded recoil spring

-Slide spacer

-Outer barrel o-ring

-Magwell pins

-Plunger replacement spring

-Loading nozzle spring guide

-Front frame screw

-Dummy extraxtor plug

Just like the Custom Covert kit, I test-fitted the parts that I will be using in this custom build and I had to file almost the same parts of the Tactical Entry as those I filed in the Covert.

Very visible are the parts outside the frame that I accidentally filed. It was a "rookie" mistake. 

For my next post, I'll discuss the other external parts -- Nova parts -- that I used for this build to make it look exactly the same as the real Kimber Tactical Entry II. Until then!