Kimber raised a lot of eyebrows in the mid-1990s when it started offering fully-loaded 1911s at a price most shooters could afford. For the first time, shooters could get a 1911 with custom features such as good sights, a crisp trigger and a match-grade barrel without sending their gun off to a big-name pistolsmith and spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars to get the 1911 they wanted. Not surprisingly, Kimber sold a lot of them, and the list of available models grew along with the company.

Now Kimber has raised the bar with the Crimson Carry II. The gun in Custom guise is a full-size, aluminum-frame 1911 (smaller Pro and Ultra versions are also available), but its distinguishing feature is the Crimson Trace grips. The grips on the Kimber Crimson Carry II are made exclusively for this pistol. They are a high-impact polymer material with an attractive rosewood finish--with the exception of a small section of soft, black rubber that wraps around the front strap just below the trigger guard.

The rubber section houses the unit's momentary-on pressure switch, but it also gives a bit more traction on the front strap for the middle finger. A master power switch at the bottom of the left grip panel gives users the option of disabling the laser.

The matte black steel slide has rear and forward cocking serrations and houses a five-inch, stainless steel match barrel and a full-length guide rod. The rear of the ejection port is relieved, and a notch in the barrel serves as a loaded chamber indicator.

The sights are Kimber's classic, low-profile, snag-free design. Their faces are black and serrated, in keeping with the overall no-nonsense design of this gun.

The heart of the Crimson Carry II is, of course, the Crimson Trace laser grips, tastefully designed with a rosewood finish. The soft black rubber section houses the activation switch. The Crimson Carry II's thumb safety and slide release are slightly over-size for ease of use, but aren't so big they get in the way. Kimber's low-profile, snag-free rear sight is one of the author's favorites, although even with the laser grips he wishes it were a night sight.

As mentioned, the Crimson Carry II's frame is aluminum. For some reason, aluminum-framed, full-size 1911s have never been very popular. But seeing as how carry guns are meant to be, well, carried and five-inch guns are the most reliable members of the 1911 clan, a full-length slide on a lightweight frame has always made sense to me.

The frame is finished in a matte sliver, providing an attractive contrast to the black slide. The front strap is smooth, but the hard polymer mainspring housing has molded-in checkering.

Other frame-mounted features include an extended magazine release; a checkered slide release; an extended, three-hole aluminum trigger; a Commander-style hammer; an extended, tactical-style thumb safety; and a nicely fitted beavertail grip safety. A carry bevel package, which extends to the magazine well, is also standard.

The above-mentioned features pretty much cover all the 1911 "must-haves." But the lack of a checkered front strap and night sights might leave some shooters nonplussed, despite the fact that skipping those features helps keep the suggested retail price down. More on this later.