#K6s

The Kimber K6s was dubbed the world’s lightest 6-shot .357 Magnum revolver at the time of its launch and has only been succeeded slightly by the ever-so-slightly smaller K6s revolver. However, what the K6xs lacks is a true rear iron sight. Last time we did an XS Sight review we took a look at the Taurus 605 Defender with the dedicated Taurus front Glow Dot. Like the K6XS, the Taurus also doesn’t have a true rear iron sight, instead, both pistols have trench-style rear sights which can be difficult to get a solid sight picture on if accuracy is your goal. In stark opposition to both of those revolvers, the K6s features a replaceable and drift adjustable rear iron sight and XS Sights just happens to make their XS R3D Night sights for that particular platform. So today we’ll be talking about those and see what advantages or disadvantages they might offer you should you choose to make the upgrade over the standard sights that the K6s ships with.

XS Sights is proud to present its new R3D Kimber Night Sights for the recently updated K6s Revolver line which now includes the much lighter K6xs (for eXtra Small). These new sights offer a solution for Kimber K6s revolver owners seeking improved sight visibility and enhanced accuracy. Designed specifically for this compact stainless-steel firearm, this 3-dot tritium sight setup offers improved performance day or night even with the relatively short sight radius of the K6s. With XS’s proprietary Glow Dot technology and a wider front sight notch, the R3D sights ensure rapid target acquisition and precise shot placement.

Obsolete Arms just announced that they were doing a run of aftermarket grips for the Kimber K6s revolver, but their grip is heavily influenced by Beaumont-Adams revolvers from the 1850s. Obsolete Arms’ new K6s grips will be CNC cut from Peruvian Walnut, Padouk, and Purpleheart wood. William at Obsolete Arms stressed that the grips seen in the photos were not finished yet as he had taken them straight from the CNC and took a trip to the range to try them out.

The two biggest new products at Kimber America this year were 4″ barreled K6s DASA revolvers with larger grips.  The first such model is called the K6s DASA “Target”.  Featuring an adjustable rear sight and fiber optic front sight, the DASA Target weighs 25.5oz and has an MSRP of $989.00.  The other 4″ K6s, the “Combat”, has a grip with finger grooves and features fixed white dot sights.  The Combat has an MSRP of $989 as well.  I personally found the new larger “three finger” (as Kimber calls them) grips to be a major enhancement to the K6s.  I also appreciate the longer sight radius and increased velocities that can be achieved with the 4″ barrel.

The new Kimber lineup for 2020 has just been announced, to include new offerings for their 1911’s, K6s revolvers, Micro 9’s and EVO SP’s.  Since Kimber’s introduction of the K6s DASA revolvers several years ago, Kimber has become a do-it-all handgun manufacturer that brings everything to the table.  Kimber’s 2020 pistol offerings are also quite varied between hammer fired and striker fired carry guns, and 1911 based pistols in full and subcompact sizes.

At range day this year, I took the opportunity to shoot some new handguns from Kimber.  First up was their new K6s DASA 3″ and 2″ revolver.  As the name intimates, this revolver has an exposed hammer that can be manually cocked for single action, as well as a 3″ barrel.  Trigger pull was very smooth with no perceptible stacking in double action mode (9.5-10.5lbs).  The single action trigger broke crisply at between 3.25-4.25lbs when the hammer was manually cocked.  I have to give Kimber some plaudits on the sights.  Thought they are just white 3-dot, the size and serrations make them easy to pick up very quickly in daylight conditions.  I fired 24 rounds of .38 and .357 though the DASA, and didn’t miss once.  Recoil is really not bad with the .357s.  The K6s 3″ has the same size grip as the hammerless K6s 3″, but in a lighter, red walnut color.

Kimber is rolling out a flurry of new wheelguns for 2019 to the delight of revolver lovers. This will include their 1st model of a .357 Magnum that offers a single-action trigger in the K6s DASA (Double-Action, Single-Action). The aesthetic curb appeal of the TLE (Tactical Law Enforcement) will be applied to a 2” and 3” barrel version of the K6s as well. Finally, the K6s DC (Deep Cover) and CDP (Custom Defense Package) will receive the option of a Crimson Trace lasergrip. There is a lot of 6-shooter sweetness to cover so let’s dive in!

Kimber has introduced a new variation of the K6s revolver – the K6s Classic Engraved. This version of the revolver is identical to other K6s revolvers in terms of the features and characteristics with the exception that it is a factory engraved gun. The engraving gives this modern weapon a bit of a classic look. Here is how Kimber describes it:

Let me start off by saying that this subjective list of TFB’s ‘Top 5’ best guns from 2017 is not rooted in scientific study nor is it the result of massive data crunching of user polls. The below guns were picked by general popularity, page views, innovative designs and overall accessibility. Point being, there were a lot of awesome firearms released this year and these are only a few of them.

Kimber rolls out summer edition firearms every year which usually means more unique or exotic colors in existing models. For the summer of 2017, they pitched the industry a curve ball. Kimber announced 3 new K6s revolver models and a Royal II Texas Edition that will be limited to 800 firearms.

A new firearm introduction that took the industry by surprise at SHOT Show 2016 was Kimber making a revolver. No one questioned Kimber’s capability to make a good revolver. It was just not a firearm type that you would consider to be in their wheelhouse. Nonetheless, the K6s has impressed a lot of people even with the high price tag.