WheelGunMan
Member
@lernerk392 ...HERES an article you may find enlightening.
Thanks for chiming in. When it comes to buying used, I’m not afraid of some wear on the finish, that really doesn’t bother me (it’s a plus in some cases), unless it’s ridiculous. Buying new in this situation really comes down to availability and warranty policies. Prefer not to pay for anything out of pocket, considering guns should work out the box as a general rule lol. I have no problem being on Kimber’s *** about any issues.A little 1911 like that can work. I have a Colt that's been excellent. An acquaintance of mine carries one daily.
Used is fine. I bought my Colt used.
For the OP or anyone who's curious, this is my way of thinking about it:
I prefer to buy a used pistol with a worn finish that hasn't been shot too much. The worn finish means it's been handled/carried a lot. That means it worked. You don't want one that's been shot a bazillion times, obviously. Look for the smiley face on the barrel, check the rails for wear, etc. I think this is especially good for a carry type pistol. Ideally someone carried it fairly regularly, shot it occasionally, and traded it in towards something they liked better. There should be a lot of used carry pistols out there now, with everyone and their uncle buying 365's and Hellcats.
If there's a problem with a used gun, some companies will fix it even if you're not the original owner. Or you can pay them to fix it. Or pay a gunsmith. Worst case scenario, you have to pay to have it repaired and it ends up costing the same as a new pistol. But I have never had that happen with the type of used handgun I've described. Yeah, I've probably been lucky, but it helps to have a plan.
Oddly enough, the used handguns that I'm most suspicious of are not very old and haven't been shot or handled much. The owner may have bought it new, it had a problem, and they preferred to sell or trade it without disclosure. I've had a couple of those.
Good luck with the micro 9mm hunt. Let us know how it goes.
That’s what I was thinking; that these types of guns are inherently flawed/prone to problems. Might be the reason why all/most of the micro/compact 1911 9’s are discontinued (except the Kimbers of course).I’m not a fan of Micro 9s/938s/911-9mms. Nothing ever goes right when you take a smaller, less pressure, caliber and then try to make a higher pressure bigger caliber on that same platform. Just ask Glock. The Micro sized pistols were made for 380s, they may run right with 9mms but it’s a crap shoot. The Officer/Ultra size 1911 is the better platform for the 9mm, IMHO.
That’s what I was thinking; that these types of guns are inherently flawed/prone to problems. Might be the reason why all/most of the micro/compact 1911 9’s are discontinued (except the Kimbers of course).
This.938 is good to go, like the micro 9 without the drama.
I have a couple Hellcats, which have a 3" barrel, so very similar the Kimber and the P938 in barrel length/footprint, they are very dependable without a doubt. But the HC is a striker fired, simpler gun.To each their own, but I echo the sentiments of others here. The 9mm is finnicky in tiny pistols, even when they work. That's .380 territory.
The smallest 9mm I own is a Smith Shield 9. I wouldn't want to go smaller. I used to own a Kahr P9 before that and hated it. Long trigger pull, and the occasional F2F.
Snubs / revolvers are pretty useless in this day and age.
I feel you. I'm young, work hard (so I can afford it at the moment), and I already have a good rotation of dependable pistols. This would just be the first, and maybe only, "nice piece" I'd add to the collection.I kind of like the look of them, but the price places them well outside of what I am willing to pay. My shield 9 ($300 at time of purchase) is more than sufficient for my needs, holds the same # of rounds, and has never given me any reliability issues, except with steel cases.
Thanks for providing the illustration. I have certainly experienced this before. Again makes me think that some of the issues that plague the Kimber aren't really specific to that particular pistol.The nose diving of the top round is attributed the taper of 9mm rounds "fanning" in the single stack magazine.
ALL single stack 9mm mags do it, creating a gap between the top round and the 2nd round, that the feeding round dives down into when pushed forward.
The more rounds a mag holds the greater the ammo "Fan", but it decreases as rounds count are shot.
Some guns deal with it better than others, mostly because of Follower or RAMP design.
This pic is of a "see thru" mag, made of wood, by a member on the KahrTalk site, to show the fanning.
You can see the rim of the top round is into the rim undercut of the 2nd round that will contribute to nose dive when it is pushed forward by the slide..
View attachment 1085917
View attachment 1085918
Know that most 9mm Kahr owners mod the followers to put more spring pressure the on the bullet in the stack so the ammo fans less.Thanks for providing the illustration. I have certainly experienced this before. Again makes me think that some of the issues that plague the Kimber aren't really specific to that particular pistol.
If you do decide to go with a Kimber Micro 9..take a hard look at the Rapide Black Ice... they're retailing for around $900 now...the checkered front strap, extended mag well, G10 grips and the Tru Glo sights are definitely worth the couple hundred+ over the standard model.Still interested in continuing the discussion if anyone else has anything to add. I'll be thinking over the Kimber for the next few days/weeks and maybe take the dive. Maybe not