Kimber makes .380's now

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smalls

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Earlier today I saw Kimber's Facebook post of their new "Micro" series of 1911's. basically the same as Colt's Mustang and Sig's 238.

My question is (and I've never compared a Sig 238 next to their new 938), is there still a market for these small "1911's" in .380? I've noticed a lot if small 9's come out lately, and I'm wondering if the pocket .380 fad is coming to a halt in favor if the pocket 9's.
 
I think the .380 craze will continue, with or without the availability of small 9mm pistols.

I cn't explain it; I wish I could, because I am afflicted by that craze. :uhoh:
 
I wouldn't consider .380 a "craze". There are some fine guns in that caliber.... Beretta 84/85, PPK, sig 232, mustangs, 238.... None of which are fad guns as they demand more than most 9mms on the market. Now if Kimber would make one that actually shot every time the trigger was pulled, I would add it to the collection. Never in a million years would I buy a new Kimber model anything until it has been in the market for a year or so.
 
Some people either can't shoot a pocket 9 well - or they'd just rather not.

I had a Colt Mustang, I wish I still had it, My ex wife was able to shoot it, and work the manual of arms on it. She couldn't work a Browning High-Power or my HK P7M8.

I made the decision that for me, a pocket nine made more sense than a pocket 380 Auto.

I don't find the R9 that difficult to shoot.

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Some people either can't shoot a pocket 9 well - or they'd just rather not.

In my experience with these "mouse guns" is that with guns of similar size, the 9mm was less "snappy", and the recoil was more manageable. But my experience is kind of limited in that department.
 
Smalls writes:

In my experience with these "mouse guns" is that with guns of similar size, the 9mm was less "snappy", and the recoil was more manageable. But my experience is kind of limited in that department.

My Bersa Thunder 380, a blowback-operated pistol, is far more pleasant to shoot than is my Kel-Tec PF9, a recoil-operated one. But, the grip on the Bersa is thicker and more comfortable to hold (though still kind of small for my long-ish fingers), and that might be a big part of it.
The Kel-Tec P11, which has a thicker grip than the PF9 does, might be closer, to me at least, to the Thunder 380 in comfort-of-shooting, but I have not tried that comparison.
 
I imagine recoil would be pretty tame in a 1911 type frame, too. I have not shot a Mustang or 238, so I wouldn't know. My experience with .380's has been pretty minimal, actually. But I've yet to find one I can tolerate shooting more than a few mags through, and I wouldn't consider myself recoil sensitive.
 
Very interesting indeed. I have both a Colt Mustang and a SIG P-238. Wouldn't mind adding a Kimber to the fold.
 
The soaring popularity of the pocket gun has reminded naysayers that the .380 is a viable round, not just in the SD sense but in the marketing sense. The "nothing smaller than 9mm Luger" crowd is as vocal as ever, but sales figures indicate that many new gun buyers aren't listening to them.

I've shot a few pint-sized .380s, and while not exactly comfortable to shoot--and not my range toy of choice--they are entirely manageable. In concert with recent developments in .380 ammo, that makes them an excellent choice for CCW, especially for those with small hands. And it follows that among all those who carry a .380, some would want to practice or plink with the same round so they don't have to deal with two cartridges.

I expect we'll see more mid- to full-sized .380s hit the market soon. I also think it won't be long before 9x19 to .380 conversion barrels will start hitting the market. There will be those who say I'm wrong, of course.
 
The 380 round is just a better fit in these micro sized pistols. Yes there are 9mm micros that work, but not as well as the same basic pistol in 380.
 
Oi, have I been testing 380s...

Depending on the 380 pistol, custom handloads can increase the power output.

With pistol design variations in chamber wall thickness, slide mass, recoil spring force, and chamber support, the maximum usable load varies from half way between SAAMI 380 and SAAMI 9x19mm, all the way to exceeding SAAMI 357 mag, while holding barrel length constant in the comparison.
 
My favorite .380 would be called mid-sized today. The Star S model just plain rocked. Very slim and 8 + 1 At th time the only 9 x19 that came close to that small was the Star BK series and it was noticably larger. For shooting I liked it better than the Walther PP and PPk, Astra constable, the smaller FI Imports version of the chopped Star S model, Bersa, and Berettas.

For looks though I realy like a Beretta 1934 and all I have shot shoot pretty well.

The regular S model and Super S guns are larger than the Kimber, but they do feel good in the hand to me. It concealed and carried in a cheap suede IWB holster or a Bianchi shoulder rig quite well even if it is no pocket carry gun.

Back in the 70's I never felt unarmed with a .380 loaded with the old Super Vel 88 grain JHP or even a buddy's handloads with a Speer 100 grain JHP. COuld not stand the S&W brand 90 grain JSP though, did well on expansion in wet pack but lack accuracy and reliability of action in everyhing I tried it in. Today there are more and better loads and to be honest I think the current crop of truncated cone FMJ ammo would not be bad for and EDC/ SD gun.

But that's just me....

-kBob
 
That's a sweet little Kimber, I'd love to check one out in person.

All of my friends that say "That little 380 isn't enough round for personal protection" have always answered NO when asked if I could shoot them with it.....
 
All of my friends that say "That little 380 isn't enough round for personal protection" have always answered NO when asked if I could shoot them with it.....

Motwonfire:

Nothing personal against you, but I really wish we could get rid of this phrase when comparing cartridges for self-defense.

Would your friends allow you to shoot them with a .22LR? Stab them with a knife? A pencil?

Rifle/Shotgun>.45>9mm>.380>.32>.22LR>small pocketknife>cell phone, etc.

But it's not practical to carry a rifle around so we carry handguns. For some a full sized .45 auto is too cumbersome so they carry something smaller.

We all have to weigh the pros and cons of what we carry.

Today I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt with my .380 auto LCP in a pocket holster.

Would a .45 be better defense? Of course, but it's cumbersome enough I'd probably go without more than with so IMO a .380 6+1 is better than going without.

Sorry for the rant...I really do try to play nice with others.
 
I'm a .380acp fan and I make no apologies for it, it's the only cartridge I'd be willing to buy new guns in, so yeah I'd like to see how this new Kimber stands up to scrutiny and use.
 
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Maybe they released info on them before, but I've never seen these before, with the exception of SHOT show pictures.

And everywhere that has them for ore order states it ships in 6-12 months.
 
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