Overall average accuacy for the .45 ACP UItra Raptor with 15 different factory loads was 1.28 inches for five-shot groups fired at a self-defense distance of 15 feet.

Functional Reliability: To test the Ultra Raptor's functional reliability with the various .45 ACP loadings, I fired four five-shot strings with each of the 15 factory loads over the course of one afternoon. I think that constitutes a pretty thorough shooting evaluation of a semiautomatic pistol. And I did not clean the pistol during all that shooting. I made sure it was properly lubricated, but I didn't disassemble the gun and thoroughly clean it until after all the shooting was finished.

Accuracy: As you can see from the shooting results chart, the Ultra Raptor II turned in some very good strings. In most cases the five-shot groups were pretty much just single ragged holes. Occasionally three or four rounds would be touching each other with the other one or two rounds just a fraction of an inch away (the enclosed target photo is one of those). Regardless, overall average accuracy was 1.28 inches. And that's for 60 individual five-shot groups. Again, the distance was 15 feet.

Felt Recoil: I don't much care for heavy-recoiling handguns, and some of the small compact .45 ACP pistols I have worked with produced enough felt recoil to make them uncomfortable for me. But after shooting this little Ultra Raptor almost continuously for a period of three hours, I can report that I was unaffected by the felt recoil.

Kimber's Raptor pistols get their name for the distinctive feathered and scaled cosmetic treatments on their slides, grip frames, and grip panels.

That says quite a bit in my book because I suffer from tendonitis in the elbow of my shooting arm, and an afternoon's worth of shooting generally puts me in a considerable amount of discomfort. Of course, the 185- and 200-grain loads had much less felt recoil than the hotter 230-grain loadings, but the little pistol was actually very pleasant to shoot with all loads. Muzzle flip with the hotter 230-grain cartridges was naturally more noticeable, but the Ultra Raptor was extremely controllable with all the ammunition.

Once I was back at my workshop and had tallied the results of all that shooting, I couldn't help but wonder what the short-barreled .45 could do accuracy-wise at the standard evaluation distance of 25 yards. So I made another trip to my shooting range and fired the five factory loads that had achieved the best average accuracy at the 15-foot distance. I was surprised by the results. The average of those 25-yard five-shot groups was 3.30 inches. That's not too shabby for a short-barreled and relatively lightweight little self-defense pistol.

When discussing the necessary attributes of self-defense pistols, Shooting Times handgun Editor Sheriff Jim Wilson has often stated that the key elements are a good trigger, good sights, and total reliablility. Well, this Ultra Raptor II has an excellent trigger. It's smooth, crisp, and lets off consistently at 4.25 pounds.

The sights are good, too. They were easy to pick up even in the bright light I encountered during the sunny afternoon I spent at the range, and in the low light of my workshop the Meprolight tritium inserts glowed. As for reliability, well, what more can I say than the Ultra Raptor II did not miss a beat during the firing of 400 rounds.

Back in the late 1970s when I worked at Gil Hebard Guns in Knoxville, Illinois, I became aware of the short-barreled, compact Detonics .45 ACP pistols. I wanted one immediately. But reports from the field were not enthusiastic, so I held off. Then when Colt offered its 3.5-inch-barreled Officer's Model .45 (introduced in 1985), I thought it was what I needed.

However, the shooters I knew who had fired the Colt reported that it did not function reliably with all .45 ACP loads, so I passed again. Kimber has worked out those functioning problems associated with short-barreled 1911s and has been offering top-performing mini-.45s for a number of years. Now with its distinctive styling, the new Ultra Raptor II stands apart from the rest of the field.

One hundred percent functional reliability, comfortable handling, excellent accuracy, and distinguishing looks make the Ultra Raptor II a real gem.

How Kimber's Raptor Got Its Name

One of the first things that came to mind when I received the sample Ultra Raptor II was why Kimber named it after a bird of prey. That thought lead to wondering how Kimber names its guns. I contacted Dwight Van Brunt, Kimber's vice president of marketing and sales, and asked him. Here's what he said: "Once the specifications of the particular model have been finalized we move from a 'working name' toward something appropriate for the product. The Marketing Department brings names to the table, as do both Dennis Madonia and Winslow Potter from the Kimber Custom Shop. Members of the Sales staff offer up many good ideas. "Marketing compiles a list of possibles, then consults with management and, in particular, owner Leslie Edelman, who is always heavily involved in the process and usually contributes his ideas as far back as the first cut. We try to reach a general consensus with Leslie having the final approval, then consult with Legal to determine if there are any conflicts. "In some instances we have gone outside for suggestions, and in one case we actually had two others come up with the same name that was first on our internal list, leaving little room for argument. "In this case, the 'family' name we settled on is 'Raptor' because of the feathered or scaled cosmetic treatments. The addition of Ultra (three inch) and Pro (four inch) follow designators within the rest of the Kimber 1911 line. "I think 'Raptor' was Winslow's idea and one we all agreed on quite easily."

I will turn 45 years old in about month, and I have decided to celebrate this milestone birthday by buying a special .45 pistol. Guess what? I like this Ultra Raptor II so much that I'm not letting it get away from me. I've asked the folks at Kimber to send me the bill.