Kimber Micro9

[ManualF150]

So I'm thinking about getting a Kimber Micro9 ESV in Gray.... but I absolutely hate the grips. Don't get me wrong, it looks pretty and all, but I prefer to like the feel of the gun and have a good grip on it when shooting it.

However, I want the grips and mag off the STG:

So I was going get some Hogue STG rubber grips and the 8 round magazine and swap it over...

What's folks thoughts on this gun? Reliability? Ammo preferences?

 

[dsdmmat]

I have a Kimber Micro 9. I put about 800 rounds (700 in one week) through it before the Ejector broke. Sent it back to Kimber and they replaced the frame. It seems there was some other damage as well so they just replaced the frame. The ejector has been beefed up from the original. I typically shoot 115 grain through it, but have shot 124 and 147 grain bullets through it.

 

[ManualF150]

I have a Kimber Micro 9. I put about 800 rounds (700 in one week) through it before the Ejector broke. Sent it back to Kimber and they replaced the frame. It seems there was some other damage as well so they just replaced the frame. The ejector has been beefed up from the original. I typically shoot 115 grain through it, but have shot 124 and 147 grain bullets through it.

How many rounds you think has been through it since you got it back with the hardened ejector?

Also how would I be able to tell if it's got the newer ejector when out shopping?

 

[dsdmmat]

I have a couple hundred on the new frame. The first ejector looked like a skinny squiggly inverted L the new ejector is quite beefier.

my original micro 9 was purchased shortly after they came out and the replacement was in 2019.

 

[That_FNG]

I had a micro 9 CSE. Put about 800-900 rounds thru it and then ended up selling it to a friend. Only issue I had was that it was very sensitive about brand of hollow point it would run. Mine did not like Speer gold or federal HST. It would run hornady XTP ok however. It ran FMJ range ammo just fine. I got rid of it because no ambi safety (right hand only safety which sucks as a lefty), I prefer to carry Speer gold dot and have quite a bit of it and did not want to try and source a bunch of it during a pandemic, and the black finish was starting to chip off it. I found it to be a well made gun for fit and finish (outside of the factory Kim pro black finish)

would I buy one again? Yes absolutely. I would get the raptor model as it has and ambi safety and does not have the horrid black Kim pro finish.

I also have owned a sig 938 a have handled and shot my buddys springfield 911 in 9mm. I would put the Micro9 in the middle of the 3. The Springfield 911 ran everything with no complaint and was the most reliable but the fit and finish was so so, the sig 938 had impeccable overall fit and finish but was picky about ammo including FMJ range ammo. The Micro9 had better fit and finish than the Springfield but was more reliable than the sig 938. At the end of the day all three are nice guns, but none have offered the reliability of my G43 (which eats every type and brand of 9mm without any complaint) as long as you understand the quirks of that type of platform and the limitations it may have then I’d say go for it.

I’d also like to say that if you look closely at the photo of mine you can see all the spots where the black Kim pro finish is wearing off after 9 months of everyday carrying in a kydex holster.

here is a photo of my sig 938 after the same amount of rounds and daily carry time

 

[ManualF150]

Gotcha. Was looking at a couple today and trying to make up my mind. Thanks for the info.

 

[dsdmmat]

View attachment 161667

I had a micro 9 CSE. Put about 800-900 rounds thru it and then ended up selling it to a friend. Only issue I had was that it was very sensitive about brand of hollow point it would run. Mine did not like Speer gold or federal HST. It would run hornady XTP ok however. It ran FMJ range ammo just fine. I got rid of it because no ambi safety (right hand only safety which sucks as a lefty), I prefer to carry Speer gold dot and have quite a bit of it and did not want to try and source a bunch of it during a pandemic, and the black finish was starting to chip off it. I found it to be a well made gun for fit and finish (outside of the factory Kim pro black finish)

would I buy one again? Yes absolutely. I would get the raptor model as it has and ambi safety and does not have the horrid black Kim pro finish.

I also have owned a sig 938 a have handled and shot my buddys springfield 911 in 9mm. I would put the Micro9 in the middle of the 3. The Springfield 911 ran everything with no complaint and was the most reliable but the fit and finish was so so, the sig 938 had impeccable overall fit and finish but was picky about ammo including FMJ range ammo. The Micro9 had better fit and finish than the Springfield but was more reliable than the sig 938. At the end of the day all three are nice guns, but none have offered the reliability of my G43 (which eats every type and brand of 9mm without any complaint) as long as you understand the quirks of that type of platform and the limitations it may have then I’d say go for it.

I’d also like to say that if you look closely at the photo of mine you can see all the spots where the black Kim pro finish is wearing off after 9 months of everyday carrying in a kydex holster.

here is a photo of my sig 938 after the same amount of rounds and daily carry time

View attachment 161669

I had Kimber put an Ambi safety on mine while they had it.

 

[Saltwater60]

Buy a sig 938 or 238.

 

[ManualF150]

I'll look at the 938 and the 238. Along with the G43.

I'm not in any hurry, I just want to buy something that works and is not too finicky with ammo.

Keep them comments coming. You all got my gears turning and got me pondering.

 

[That_FNG]

I'll look at the 938 and the 238. Along with the G43.

I'm not in any hurry, I just want to buy something that works and is not too finicky with ammo.

Keep them comments coming. You all got my gears turning and got me pondering.

The 938 is 9mm and 238 is 380. The G43 is the most reliable compared to the 938/Micro9/911 platform pistols. The G43 however is purely utilitarian and does not have a personality compared to the others. For me a self defense conceal carry pistol has to be reliable with all types of common ammo, hence why I ended up at the G43.

food for thought however, the Springfield armory hellcat and P365 are basically the same size as those pistols but offer increased capacity advantage. The Glock G43 and Sig P365 offer great customization options as well

 

[Xae289]

Yea, if you want a small 9mm, I really don't think you can beat the Sig 365, Springfield Hellcat, or S&W Shield Plus. I think all of them come with the option for a manual safety if that's what attracts you to the Micro9. All of those are more likely to be reliable, hold more ammo, are only marginally bigger, and have better triggers. They have the Micro9 beat in everything but pocket carry.

I can say that I find the Micro9 ok, but it's snappy without extended mags, and even though the trigger is a single-action, it's so heavy that it makes it suck. Add to that, it's picky about ammo. Most semi-auto Kimbers are. I wouldn't want a gun with picky ammo preferences these days when what it likes may be hard to find and expensive. Of course reliability is all in the individual gun. You might get a good one, or you might have to send it back to Kimber before it eats what you feed it.

Even if you want that particular mini-1911 style, I agree with Saltwater60 and say go with the Sig 938.

 

[Saltwater60]

I had a kimber solo and that’s essentially the gun you’re speaking of and it’s the only gun I’ve ever owned and sold. It was too big to pocket carry and too small to use in a holster. The micro9 does have some upgrades compared to that, mainly the trigger and the grip is bigger. I didn’t like that gun and truly wished I’d have went with the 938.
I agree the sig365 is nearly the same size as what you’re talking about and you can make it what you want it to be. I’m going to get one. I’m not a fan of how the hellcat looks or feels in the hand. It felt very unbalanced to me. The sig has great balance and feel in the hand.

 

[Phazer]

Our P938 has had a lot of issues with reloaded 9mm rounds. It appears that the hammer strikes a bit light. So, the harder primers (S&B and CCI) could be an issue. I've loaded a bunch of rounds with Winchester primers (which are supposedly softer). I need to test the pistol with those.

Our Glock 43 has no problems with any ammunition. I like the 43 so much that I had the slide milled to accept a Holosun 507k red dot. For a compact pistol, the 43 is very comfortable to use at an all-day course. That is, unless you have larger hands. It would be an excellent concealed carry pistol for someone that could not manage to conceal a 19. But, for me, that'll have to wait until I can get out of Westchester and move to The United States. (Unless...we get a favorable SCOTUS decision.)

 

[ManualF150]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I believe I will likely be going with the Glock 43.

I need it to feed all types of ammo, especially since I do reloading. 90% of the ammo will be reloads. I don't need to be fussing around with my dies....

I've had zero issues with Glock pistols.

While I'd like a fancy pistol, I'd rather one that just goes bang when I pull the trigger, as well as consistent cycling with all ammo.