By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
The Kimber K6s is a well-made and reliable handgun.
As a professional writer, instructor and teacher I must maintain objectivity. I test many firearms and few are without merit. As long as the handgun is reliable, then the piece has a baseline for personal defense. My personal handguns are tested to a higher standard when I consider replacing a long serving carry gun.
As an example, my standard for some 40 years has been the 1911 .45 and a snub nose .38 for backup. The 1911 may be a Springfield or SIG today, but the .38 is usually a Smith and Wesson J-frame with two-inch barrel. There simply hasn’t been anything markedly superior to command the replacement of the backup handgun. However, recently I made a big change in my personal battery.
The Kimber K6s .357 Magnum revolver has replaced both the J frame .38 and the Colt Detective Special for deployment. The technology, reliability, accuracy and power of the K6s revolver are compelling and make for a considerable upgrade. The K6s is little heavier or more difficult to conceal than the previous .38 caliber backup, even though the K6 is a six-shot .357 Magnum revolver. A higher level of protection is always desirable and the Kimber revolver affords us just that.
Compared to a five-shot .38 the six-shot Kimber .357, bottom, is little larger.
The K6s is based on proven technology but with a custom-grade polished action and modifications in the hammer spring and hammer pivot that make for a very fast and smooth action. The K6’s most surprising feature is the six-shot cylinder. It isn’t fluted, but there are flats between the chambers. The flats are nicely polished. The cylinder is very thin at less than 1.5 inch and the chambers are each recessed for safety. The loaded cartridges may be seen on each side of the recoil shield.
The grip frame features a humpback profile. This extra length of the backstrap helps make the K6 comfortable to fire with .38 Special ammunition and bearable with .357 Magnum loads. This is the best design for controlling recoil in a small revolver. The double-action-only trigger that is smooth, very smooth. The action is so smooth I had concerns that it would fire every type of primer, including hard magnum primers. These primers are a little thicker than standard primers in order to help contain Magnum pressure. There were no worries. The K6s cracked and ignited every primer. The action is a very smooth and short at 9.6 to 9.8 pounds. The Kimber has become perhaps a little smoother as I have used it.
Sights
The Kimber features excellent all around combat sights.
A great design advantage of the Kimber is the sights. High visibility sights are uncommon on a revolver. The rear sight features a serrated lower face and dual dots for aiming; the bold front post features a single dot. My example features self -luminous iron sights. It is worth the extra cost for these tritium lamps. I have stated that a small handgun with a short sight radius needs a good set of sights more so than a service size handgun. The K6 provides excellent sighting equipment.
The K6 is the smallest six-shot .357 Magnum revolver available. The pistol lists for $840 as tested, so it isn’t inexpensive but worth the price. The question is, of course performance. It isn’t all about size and weight but about accuracy and recoil control. There are handguns too light for the cartridge for which they are chambered and the shooter suffers because control isn’t possible. The K6 is controllable and accurate with .38 Special +P loads. With Magnum loads the revolver becomes a hard kicker. It requires experience and practice on a weekly basis to maintain the edge with this type of handgun. When you have mastered the .357 Magnum cartridge you will have a high level of protection on your side for little gain in weight. I have tested small derringers and revolvers that were practically worthless.
The K6s cylinder is well designed and is as small as possible.
The K6 is a capable revolver. The intrinsic and practical accuracy are each excellent. A word to the wise: this is a revolver that should be fired with .38 Special ammunition for the majority of your training and practice. Learning to use the action smoothly, lining the sights, controlling recoil, allowing trigger reset and hitting the target are best done with .38 Special ammunition. When you are capable and comfortable with the .38 Special then the .357 Magnum may be addressed. Even so, most of the shooting will be done with .38 Special loads. Even if you do not progress to the Magnum, there are .38 Special +P loads that would not be comfortable in the lighter revolvers that are good to use in the K6s. Extensive practice with the proper technique is mandatory. I have fired the revolver extensively and find a surprisingly accurate revolver.
Ammunition
Cartridge case rims are visible beside the recoil shield.
The majority of loads have been lead bullet hand loads and quite a few factory defense loads including the Black Hills Ammunition 100-grain Honey Badger .38. I feel confident in my ability to extend the effective range of my back up revolver and also to fire the piece more accurately at all ranges with the K6s. The Black Hills Ammunition Honey Badger load, as an example, cuts a full caliber wound channel and causes considerable damage without bullet expansion. This is a failsafe method of creating wound potential without worrying if the JHP bullet will open at snub-nose velocity or if the JHP bullet will strike bone and close up. With concentration on the sights and good trigger control it is possible to hit man-sized targets in the kill zone at a long 25 yards. With .357 Magnum cartridges recoil is much greater. As an example the 100-grain .38 Special Honey Badger breaks 1010 fps in the K6’s two-inch barrel. The Hornady Critical Defense .357 Magnum 125-grain FTX exhibits 1180 FPS. That is a considerable difference. While the Magnum’s wound ballistics are desirable, accuracy must be placed above power. Accuracy may make up for power, the reverse is seldom true. Accuracy is affected by muzzle flip. The K6 recoils more to the rear than most light revolvers with muzzle flip limited. Keep a steady hold on this revolver and avoid allowing the grip to shift when firing.
The author found a credible revolver with much to recommend. While recoil is there, the Kimber K6s is controllable with practice.
I have used a number of standout loads with good results. The Fiocchi 125-grain XTP .38 Special has given particularly good results, with clean powder burn and excellent accuracy potential. This is the type of handgun that invites considerable ammunition testing, and the Fiocchi load is among those that have given excellent accuracy. Again, control means everything and the K6s is controllable with .38 Special ammunition. The Fiocchi load offers good penetration. Many are concerned with animal attacks and they should be. Every week there is a tragedy caused by some inadequate personality type with a large mean dog that attacks and kills a child or neighbor. In the wild, when hiking or camping, there is a good chance you will run into feral dogs or one of the big cats. In my home state of South Carolina the DNR reports that coyotes are bigger and more aggressive than ever. For this role the .357 Magnum revolver is an excellent choice. Carrying the Kimber K6s isn’t difficult and it provides excellent protection.
I have fired a number of Magnum loads in the Kimber. The Black Hills Ammunition 125-grain JHP breaks at over 1,400 fps in my four-inch barrel revolvers and maintains a solid 1,200 fps in the Kimber. Recoil is there. In many incidents of animal defense the revolver has been thrust into the animal’s body and fired until the threat expired. In this scenario the revolver is king, it will not jam after the first shot as a self-loader would. While designed for personal defense the K6 certainly is among the most capable revolvers, ounce for ounce, for use in an outdoors environment. The Kimber K6s .357 Magnum isn’t for the casual shooter. You may as well purchase a less expensive and less powerful revolver is you are going to fire it but little and then carry the piece or keep it for home defense. But if you are willing to master the K6s it will provide a high level of protection.
Packing the K6
I find the Galco Walkaway a useful inside the waistband holster. The holster features a sturdy belt clip for secure carry. The handgun may be drawn quickly and the handle is directed straight into the draw as it should be. We should all carry a spare gun load but few do. The Walkaway features a speedloader pouch as part of the design.
Since the proper speed load requires the speedloader be carried on the same side as the handgun, the Walkaway is a good choice. There is a plastic insert that is set up for five-shot speedloaders. Remove this insert and you may deploy a six-shot HKS speed loader. The setup is secure and a great all around option. Be certain to practice speed loads and reloads with the K6.
