Made in New York City?

Kimber announced they will produce a limited run of Royal II (Texas Edition) 1911 pistols in .45 ACP.  The guns will feature a deep blue finish with engraving on the slide and mainspring, match grade components, special serial numbers and ivory grips with the Texas flag and state motto on them.  They are nice looking guns sure to appeal to Texans.

What I find most amusing is they are made in New York.  Like the old Pace Picante commercials, “This stuff’s made in New York City?!”  Actually a few miles north in Yonkers, but that is close enough.  The company should hire some marketing genius to produce advertisements which play off those commercials.  A bunch of guys sitting around a fire eating, passing around a bottle of salsa with a conversation that goes like this:

Cowboy 1: Can I see your new gun?

Cowboy 2: Sure.

Cowboy 1: A Kimber Texas Edition.  That thing is made in New York?!

Cowboy 2: Yes, yes it is.

New York is even helping Kimber to manufacture these guns.  A few years back they received a $700,000 state grant to expand their Yonkers plant along with local tax credits.

Kimber makes a number of colorful 1911s that I would not have thought would be big sellers, but apparently they are.  They include brushed gold/copper, baby blue, electric blue and purple.  This too is amusing considering then Mayor Bloomberg’s efforts to ban handguns colored anything other than blue/black or silver.  Thankfully that issue appears to have gone away after a lawsuit successfully challenged a Nassau county prohibition on brightly colored handguns on the basis of state law preempting such action.

You can purchase Kimber products online at Grab A Gun for shipment to a local dealer.  They even offer a financing program for gun purchases.