WheelGunMan
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@lernerk392 ...HERES an article you may find enlightening.
I Want A Kimber Micro 9 But.....
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Nasty Canasta
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Mrs bought herself a Kimber Micro9 & proceeded to struggle shooting it well. Reliability was 100% but trigger was not good so she moved on from it & I took it on as an improvement project. Disassembled & inspected/polished/cleaned & reassembled with a Mcarbo kit & it’s like a completely different gun now. I’ve made it my lunchbox gun & like it a bit more over my 938 that’s a great gun too
My daughter and I have Micro 9's.No issues.
I have a Bel Air Micro 9 for my wife but we have not put any rounds through it yet.
I have several Kimber Micros (380 ACP guns) and a couple Kimber 1911's. No issues with any of them.
I have an early production Sig 238 and it was a piece of crap until Sig figured out that it needed a flat wire recoil spring. Mine is mostly a safe queen these days.
I have a mid 1980's vintage Colt Mustang that has been as reliable as a light switch. It is what I compare any newer mini 1911 based pistol against.
I have a Bel Air Micro 9 for my wife but we have not put any rounds through it yet.
I have several Kimber Micros (380 ACP guns) and a couple Kimber 1911's. No issues with any of them.
I have an early production Sig 238 and it was a piece of crap until Sig figured out that it needed a flat wire recoil spring. Mine is mostly a safe queen these days.
I have a mid 1980's vintage Colt Mustang that has been as reliable as a light switch. It is what I compare any newer mini 1911 based pistol against.
I’m not a fan of Micro 9s/938s/911-9mms. Nothing ever goes right when you take a platform built around 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.
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Tallball
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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.
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.
Seymour380
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I had a bad experience with the unreliability of a Kimber Micro 380. I only have had one Micro 380. It looked well-made and had a beautiful finish, but I could not get that thing to work consistently with factory ammo or many different reloads. I wish they worked as good as they look. I got rid of it and was very disappointed in Kimber. They demand a premium for a product that didn't work well.
I think the .45's have a better reputation for reliability. I shot my friend's .45 Kimber and it had very manageable recoil and worked flawlessly.
I agree that you should be prepared for returns to Kimber if you get a micro 9, but I hope that you don't have any troubles. Good luck!
I think the .45's have a better reputation for reliability. I shot my friend's .45 Kimber and it had very manageable recoil and worked flawlessly.
I agree that you should be prepared for returns to Kimber if you get a micro 9, but I hope that you don't have any troubles. Good luck!
OP
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lernerk392
Member
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.
OP
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lernerk392
Member
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).
highroadmember
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I carry 2 Hellcats. Gave up on snubs after Summer of Love 2020. Snubs / revolvers are pretty useless in this day and age. Time to move on. Dems have seen to that.
Again, the design has been around since the 1920s when Star came out with their first Model D. Yes some changes have been made over the years by other companies. But it is a proven design either way. I have owned old Star Model D, Colt Pony, Mustang and Sig P938 pistols and they have all worked as they should.
And comparing a P938 to a G43 will surprise some. They have the same capacity but the G43 is bigger and heavier than the P938. Between the two it boils down to which action you prefer; single action hammer fired or striker fired. There is no difference in reliability between my G43 and P938. The only time I have had any issues with either have been either ammo related or magazine related (trying cheap aftermarket mags)
toivo
Member
This.
I had a 938 for a while. It ran flawlessly, but I find micro-sized 9mm pistols to be too snappy for my aging hands.
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.
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.
OP
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lernerk392
Member
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.
That might be the difference, could it be that hammer-fired guns have more moving parts and when you shrink em all down (or try to make them work in a micro footprint), it only exacerbates the potential issues?
This is a legit question posed to anyone who wants to chime in. I am "new" to guns, in the way that my experience has been greatly limited to modern, polymer framed, striker-fired pistols. So I am wanting to learn and get a good idea for things.
jag1954
Member
I swear by either one of these, SA Ronin EMP 4" and the Hellcat.
Personally I would never buy a Kimber product. I have in the past and at some point, partly due to their clever marketing tactics, people think they're getting a really good gun with a Kimber when in reality they make mediocre guns at best. If you want a micro 9mm, there are plenty of other good options out there, I would advise to stay far away from anything Kimber. Go with something like the M&P Shield Plus, the Hellcat, the P365 series, the G43/43X for example. Call me odd but my favorite of all of them is the G26, even if it's not considered "micro", it's very short top to bottom and conceals quite well while being easy to shoot and accepts larger OEM Glock 9mm mags.
LOL, this is gold right here!
WheelGunMan
Member
@lernerk392 .. you may want to look at Smith's new CSX as a viable alternative.
FL-NC
Member
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.
OP
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lernerk392
Member
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.
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 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..
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 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..
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OP
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lernerk392
Member
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.
Also, I load the chambered round (for carry) from a mag with a single round in it.
That puts the follower directly under the round being chambered so there's no place to for it to nose dive and bump the feed ramp.
I can ride the slide all the way and see the round go right into the chamber, without hitting the ramp.
So, no worries about bullet setback, or unloading rechambering that same round over and over.
jmo,
.
OP
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lernerk392
Member
After doing research on these types of guns, I've read about FTF, FTE, magazine, trigger, grip, etc. issues with just about every single one of them. From Sig to S&W, none of these pistols are 100% guaranteed to be flawless. I guess you just have to be willing to put in the extra work when putting 1911 style micro 9's through their paces before carrying/making a final decision.
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
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
WheelGunMan
Member
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.
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