Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · II · 335

Kimball pistols

Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 11 ↗

Kimball, pistols, all models, all cal.’s.

What this entry requires

  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1955–1958.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States³
Manufacturer
J. Kimball Arms Co., Detroit
Type
Pistol
Action
Semi-auto⁴
Caliber
All calibers
Made
1955–1958production; ATF states no date¹²
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 11 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. forgottenweapons.com ↗, years: the J. Kimball Arms Company of Detroit introduced a semiauto pistol in 1955; 250–300 made before bankruptcy
  2. Wikipedia, “.30 carbine” ↗, years: 'In 1958, the short-lived J. Kimball Arms Co. produced a .30 carbine caliber pistol'
  3. forgottenweapons.com ↗, country: J. Kimball Arms Company of Detroit
  4. forgottenweapons.com ↗, action: semiauto pistol with a delaying chamber ring
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
None

Historical context

Patent drawing, U.S. Patent 2,846,926 (shown for Kimball pistols)
Shown: the patent drawing for John W. Kimball's floating-barrel pistol action (U.S. Patent 2,846,926), an early design; not a production example.

Image: U.S. Patent 2,846,926, “Floating barrel action for automatic pistol, sheet 1” by John W. Kimball, Public domain (US patent). Retrieved October 2026.