Kimber K6s Revolver

New for 2016 from Kimber is something that no one expected: a compact, six shot revolver. That’s right, Kimber is making a wheelgun.

Kimber-K6s-revolver

And it looks damn good to my eye. The new K6 is an all stainless steel carry gun with a 2 inch barrel, putting it square against the SP101 and S&W 640 as competitors, but unlike either of those guns it holds a 6th shot in its .357 Magnum cylinder. That is a neat trick.

Let’s pound out some vital statistics:

  • Weight: 23 ounces
  • Capacity: 6 (YES)
  • Barrel length: 2.00
  • Hammer: shrouded/DAO (YES)
  • Trigger pull: ~10 lbs
  • Sights: Dovetail 3-dot replaceable (YES)
  • MSRP: $899 (NO)

Basically, what Kimber has done is bring us a 6 shot .357 j-frame, and that’s awesome. The gun appears to originate from Manurhin in France, makers of truly excellent revolvers, which gives me a tremendous amount of hope for the new K6. The new Kimber revolver ticks all the boxes that serious wheelgun shooters want to have in defensive guns, from its DAO trigger to replaceable sights and everything in between.

Kimber-K6S

The only downside to the K6s is its price point. Coming in just shy of $1,000 means this gun is more expensive than the SP101 and the 640, only the S&W 640 Pro Series pushes that high in price. Sure, street price will be a bit lower than the MSRP of $899, but not that much. You’re probably looking at about $800 out the door for a new gun, and that’s problematic. Yes, you’ll have a certain number of people who buy in simply because it says “Kimber” on the barrel, but to really make this line profitable you’ve got to shift units in volume.

For what it’s worth, I hope they do. I’ve been hoping for a viable 3rd option carry revolver for a long time, and while it may not seem like much to most people, that extra 6th round really can make a difference. I’ll be putting in a T&E request for the new K6s just as soon as SHOT is over so I can give you guys the thoughts of a dedicated wheelgun shooter on it.

Edit 01/19/16: Kimber has said that the gun is not in fact an imported Manurhin, and was developed entirely by their engineers in Yonkers, NY where it’s built. Cool.

11 Comments

  1. I just want it to be durable. That’s something that Gen II Kimbers haven’t been known for. I have a very old series I gun that’s been excellent, but that was the gun their reputation was built on, not the MIM parts of the Series II. I guess that makes me pessimistically optimistic.

  2. I find it hard to believe it’s taken this long for somebody to put out a Cold D frame sized 6 shooter. I hope Ruger gets the hint and gets a $400 LCR6 out double quick….

  3. Perspective: $800 is less than a Colt Magnum Carry; if you can even find one. I wish it was cheaper, but it’s not horrible considering its 6 shot competition.

  4. Where is the info on the Manurhin connection? I want to look into that more as my life loves revolvers and French things, so this may be a gun she would actually be interested in

    1. It’s a bit of a theory, and there’s no confirmation from Kimber, but the gun itself looks EXACTLY like a Manurhin M93.

  5. Doing research on Manurhin Co. (est.1919) now part of a multi faceted conglomerate that is into all sorts of firearm and military equipment/munitions through various entities that have joined the ranks. A heck of a journey through a world many have never seen. Back to the K6s; I think I’ll stick with my 686+ 3″. If I want a pocket rocket, I’ll carry my model 632 .327 6 rounder.

  6. Since the problems in QC beginning with Gen 2 Kimber 1911s, the brand has become something of a punchline to lots of folk who see the company as a boutique-priced firm with subpar products. But they forget that the company is capable of genuine innovation, even now. Maybe I’m defensive of them because my Series 1 1911 was my first brand-new duty gun, and still is more accurate than I am, and still runs 100% reliably. That puts emotion into play, which is embarrassingly subjective. But Colt hasn’t made the (proper) Agent or Cobra for a very long time, and this is a gun that we’ve been missing. Will they make it in lw alloy frames, I wonder?

  7. Like you, I hope this revolver does well. I like competition.
    Back when Colt made the D-frame (Detective Special, Agent, Cobra), their advertisements stressed “the all-important 6th shot.” It might actually be all-important in today’s multi-offender environment.
    But all the “experts” say you should carry .38+Ps in your .357. In that case, for the price of this Kimber, you can get 2 642s or LCRs and have the all-important 10th shot.

  8. Kimber building it isn’t a good thing…in fact, it all but assures I will never buy one

    1. Yeah, I’d have preferred a quality Euro import. Kimber’s qc rep isn’t what it was a decade ago. Heard someone else speculate that Korth built the k6s — that’d be awesome.

      The reply Caleb got said designed in Yonkers, but didn’t quite say whether Kimber was actually building the guns. Can anyone confirm that?

      Gotta say I may be interested. Perfect setup for belt carry ccw wheelgun.

Comments are closed.