Kimber Micro 9 Review

[jbmac]

1. At less than 16 ounces the KM9 is snappy with pronounced muzzle flip. It is manageable for an experienced shooter with good grip strength but so small it is difficult to grip firmly. The smooth front strap doesn't help. With SD ammo it is very snappy. Side by side the Sig 938 and Kahr PM9 are more shooter friendly. My Walther PPS M2 is far superior. (Acknowledging it is a larger and heavier gun. I am an experienced shooter and own or have owned dozens of handguns from a Sig 238 Kahr PM9 to Wilson Combat and HK USP Tactical 45s. I ran the Kimber in some IDPA and USPSA practice drills. The kimber is so snappy it is difficult to shoot well. After training into it I was getting -0 and A zone hits at 7-10 yds with respectable draw times and splits but The best way to describe it is it is a bit of a struggle.
2. The sights are poor. I painted the front sight with white fingernail polish and it is OK. If I planned to keep it I would replace the sights.by comparison the Sig 938 comes standars with A good set of night sights.
3. The KM9 comes with one flush fit 6 round mag. Kimber offers additional 6 round and an extended 7 round mag. But as of yesterday Kimber says they will actually be in stock mid Nov.
4. CAUTION I read on the web (always a reliable source if info) that the Sig 938 6 round mags run on the Kimber and the extended mag can be modified to fit. I bought a Sig 6 round. It appears to be identical but the Kimber 6 round runs 100 % with a variety of ammo including mu IDPA/USPSA reloads which just make PF. I have experienced 10% failures with the sig mag running the same ammo, mostly double feeds and failure to feed (rounds nose diving and jamming in mag. Could be the mag i bought or unique to this gun. You will recall internet experts claimed Colt and Sig 380 mags interchanged...
5. The KM9 is small and conceals well. If i were going to keep it I would probably carry it with the extended mag. I puchases a Desantis Soft Tuck IWB holster for $20 that works great. My Sig 938 holsters fit the KM9.
Bottom Line - in the race to make the smallest lightest 9mm carry gun it may be too light and too small. I probably sell it.

[StraitR]

1. At less than 16 ounces the KM9 is snappy with pronounced muzzle flip. It is manageable for an experienced shooter with good grip strength but so small it is difficult to grip firmly. The smooth front strap doesn't help. With SD ammo it is very snappy. Side by side the Sig 938 and Kahr PM9 are more shooter friendly. My Walther PPS M2 is far superior. (Acknowledging it is a larger and heavier gun. I am an experienced shooter and own or have owned dozens of handguns from a Sig 238 Kahr PM9 to Wilson Combat and HK USP Tactical 45s. I ran the Kimber in some IDPA and USPSA practice drills. The kimber is so snappy it is difficult to shoot well. After training into it I was getting -0 and A zone hits at 7-10 yds with respectable draw times and splits but The best way to describe it is it is a bit of a struggle.

2. The sights are poor. I painted the front sight with white fingernail polish and it is OK. If I planned to keep it I would replace the sights.by comparison the Sig 938 comes standars with A good set of night sights.

3. The KM9 comes with one flush fit 6 round mag. Kimber offers additional 6 round and an extended 7 round mag. But as of yesterday Kimber says they will actually be in stock mid Nov.

4. CAUTION I read on the web (always a reliable source if info) that the Sig 938 6 round mags run on the Kimber and the extended mag can be modified to fit. I bought a Sig 6 round. It appears to be identical but the Kimber 6 round runs 100 % with a variety of ammo including mu IDPA/USPSA reloads which just make PF. I have experienced 10% failures with the sig mag running the same ammo, mostly double feeds and failure to feed (rounds nose diving and jamming in mag. Could be the mag i bought or unique to this gun. You will recall internet experts claimed Colt and Sig 380 mags interchanged...

5. The KM9 is small and conceals well. If i were going to keep it I would probably carry it with the extended mag. I puchases a Desantis Soft Tuck IWB holster for $20 that works great. My Sig 938 holsters fit the KM9.
Bottom Line - in the race to make the smallest lightest 9mm carry gun it may be too light and too small. I probably sell it.

Welcome to the forum JB.



Adding some whitespace between the items of your enumerated list will enhance readability dramatically. You're still in the edit window. :)

Agreed.

[vcdgrips]

OP said ...."I was getting -0 and A zone hits at 7-10 yds with respectable draw times and splits but The best way to describe it is it is a bit of a struggle."

What times at what distances with what gear carried in what manner would greatly enhance your observations.

[BillSWPA]

There is a definite lower limit for the size and weight of a 9mm, imposed by pressure, the need to control recoil, and the feed path necessitated by the overall length of the cartridge.

I would not want the absolute smallest and lightest. I would want the smallest and lightest size that remains reliable, durable, and controllable.

[Kyle Reese]

TLDR version- skip the Kimber Micro 9, carry the Walther PPS M2 instead?

[jbmac]

OP said ...."I was getting -0 and A zone hits at 7-10 yds with respectable draw times and splits but The best way to describe it is it is a bit of a struggle."

What times at what distances with what gear carried in what manner would greatly enhance your observations.

Gentlemen, Thank you for the advice and feedback. We practice both IDPA and USPSA format at our practice sessions. I tried out the Micro 9 on IDPA and USPSA targets at 7 to 10 yds. Draw times of 1.65 (7 yds) to 2.00 (10 yds) drawing from IWB Desantis SoftTuck under an Filson cotton vest with consistent -0 and A zone hits.

I also stepped up to contact distance. Splits of .30 at contact distance to .5 at 10 yds. Transitions of around .5 at 5 yds and .75 at 10 yds. I also posted some 2.75 Mozambiques at contact distance. The times are respectable for a toy gun. The gun will perform but the best way to describe it is I am struggling to get a good grip coming out of the holster and to maintain a good grip and keep the sights on target while shooting. I have noticed that due to recoil, my trigger finger is sore after 50 rounds or so.

I took it to practice again and ran another 70 rounds through the Kimber mag only. I had 2 failures to feed, both with my IDPA USPSA reloads (147 grain Extreme plated bullets over 4.2 gr WSF, OAL of 1.160, which chrono at around 950 fps. These loads run 100 % in all my other 9mm handguns.) the Micro 9 does not like light 9mm loads. Zero malfunctions with 20 rounds 124 grain Fed HST SD ammo (look at the Shooting the bull - Ammo Quest test on Fed HST 124).

After three range sessions I am already seeing some holster wear on the slide. I have not carried the gun. It is not a big deal but some people are sensitive about this. By comparison I have several thousand rounds through my Sig Legion including occasional carry and a half a dozen 100 round IDPA matches and the finish is like new. Also on the Micro 9 the finish is coming off the cutaway at the rear of the ejection port. I appears as if the spent cases are hitting the slide at the cut-out during ejection. I have not experienced cased hitting me in the face as some shooters have reported.

The point I wanted to impart is contrary to the manufacturers claims that the Micro 9 recoil is "mild"; Newton's third law applies to Kimber just like every other handgun manufacturer. If you fire a 124 grain round at 1150 fps from a 17 ounce gun you will have substantial recoil. The laws of physics dictate that the only way to reduce recoil is reduce bullet weight and/or reduce velocity and/or increase the weight of the gun. I really don't want to get into an argument about recoil curves, perceived recoil or the hype about recoil spring design. If you shoot SD ammo through a Mico 9 you will definitely perceive the recoil. Ergonomics do make a difference and for me personally the Micro 9 doesn't have it.

I would NOT recommend this handgun for inexperienced shooters or experienced shooters lacking good grip strength. This is NOT the gun for your husband/wife/girlfriend who is new to shooting with a new concealed handgun permit. For experienced shooters with good grip strength, it is still a handful but is manageable. I imagine it will be somewhat easier to manage if and when Kimber offers the extended mags.

And yes the PPS M2 is my EDC, occasionally my Sig 225 A-1, Sig Legion 229, Wilson Combat 9mm Lightweight Professional or the Sig P238, 380 (Yes a .380 - check out the Precision One .380 ammo test on Shooting the Bull - Ammo Quest). These are my personal observations and my personal opinion. I rarely post anything on forums. I posted this because I am concerned new or inexperienced shooters will spend $700 on a Kimber Micro 9 and find is unsuitable. I am an experienced competitive shooter and I find it unsuitable.

[45dotACP]

Welcome to the forum JB

[Buckshot]

Worked on my 1st Micro 9 this week. As I suspected, its a Sig 938 knockoff, but there a few improvements inside compared to the Sig.