Considering a .380 1911: Kimber, Colt, or Sig?

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FergusonTO35

Hunter
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This is the only Kimber, and in fact the only 1911 I have ever owned so I don't have anything to compare it to. When you go on brand specific forums you see people voicing the same complaints about these pistols from all three makes: Kimber, Sig, and Colt.

I fired the Micro some more yesterday and I think the mag drop problem is caused by my grip shifting when the pistol fires. It is definitely more common when you fire stout ammo such as Fiocchi or warm reloads. The mag release is quite close to the trigger guard, and if I put too much finger on the trigger I think the pistol can shift just enough to cause my finger to bump the mag release. I intentionally fired it with a firm grip and not as much finger on the trigger and the problem did not return yesterday so hopefully that is all it is.

Another thing I find is that the Micro likes ammo on the hot side. The most accurate load I have ever tried is 3.2 grains Bullseye with a 102 grain lead round nose. This is a pretty warm load, a little above the published max in most manuals, and not something you would put in a cheap pistol other than Hi-Point. The Micro makes neat cloverleafs at nearly perfect point of aim with this round, whereas with lesser charges it shoots a bit high with more spread. It also shoots the Fiocchi 95 grain FMJ quite well, which is what I use for carry in this pistol and my Glock 42. I have also put the Wolff 12 pound Colt Mustang recoil spring in the Micro. This spring is one or two pounds stronger than the rather squishy OEM Kimber spring and seems to absorb the impact of stout loads quite well, it also does a much better job of keeping the brass under control.
 

FergusonTO35

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The problems seem to belong to one particular mag which I have separated from the rest. With my other mags the pistol is 100%. I have settled on what I am going to feed the micro. Lee 356-102-1R sized to .357, 3.0 grains Bullseye, Federal primer at .963 OAL. Very accurate and easy to shoot, feeds and ejects slick as snot. It clocks 875 fps across my chrono which is faster than most factory FMJ out this pistol's short barrel.
 

Pat-inCO

Hawkeye
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One other thing for you to try is Slipstream.

EXPENSIVE ($15 for 2oz) but really makes a difference.
YES, there are many other lubricants that work well, but Slipstream is
flat out amazing. I've been using it on my 1911s for about eight years
and I'm still on the first bottle (you use a small amount each time).
I use two or three drops per, and I put it on the slide/frame.
 

dakota1911

Buckeye
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Mar 26, 2009
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Go to a well stocked gun store or more than one gun store and look at them and see how they feel in your hand.
 

FergusonTO35

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Unfortunately, I think the Micro is going back to Yonkers. I am experiencing the mag drop issue and fired round sticking in the chamber at least once every range session. Yesterday I put 25 rounds through it and the mag dropped three times and I had one empty shell stick in the chamber. This is not acceptable in a carry gun, obviously. It could simply have an out of spec mag catch and extractor. Hopefully I will get it back fixed right, as this pistol is accurate and carries great. If it's not fixed right then it will be sold or traded for a Sig.
 

Pat-inCO

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FergusonTO35 said:
Hopefully I will get it back fixed right, as this pistol is accurate
and carries great. If it's not fixed right then it will be sold or traded
for a Sig.
I have more than one Kimber and have had only one that went back,
and THEY called for it (I sent pictures and . . . asked . . . if there was
a problem). It went out on a Tuesday and was back the next Tuesday. 8)

The problems we previously heard of from Kimber, for the most part,
came down to someone TELLING Kimber how to fix a product. Based
on my personal experience (and the purchase of multiple extra parts),
you get excellent service when you ask them how it should be handled.
They get . . . very . . . friendly then, and will do everything they can. :D
 

FergusonTO35

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Now that I think about it, the mags on this pistol seem to have alot more slop in the mag well than my other pistols, even my Glocks. I wonder if the mag well on mine is a bit too open. When it comes back I may pick up a Colt mag to see if that changes anything.
 

FergusonTO35

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Got the Micro back today. They replaced the mag catch, mag catch spring, recoil spring, firing pin spring, extractor, and a few other things I don't remember. Everything feels a lot tighter now even compared to when the gun was new. I wonder if Kimber figured out that they had a bad run of small parts at some point and are just replacing them on every gun that comes in?
 

FergusonTO35

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Gave the Micro some exercise after work today. I am pleased to announce that it worked perfectly with both FMJ and boolits. I really like how the mag stays in place quite firmly now. I think Kimber is using a stronger recoil spring now as the empties land a lot closer than they did. Accuracy is still really good. I sure hope the Micro stays fixed 'cause it's a great little pistol!
 

dickn52

Bearcat
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Jul 3, 2017
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Never liked a .380 until I ran into a Remington RM 380. Nice little pocket pistol. This was a Rohrbaugh R380 that Remington bought out and modified. About 800.00 cheaper to boot.
 

SR1911SHOOTER

Blackhawk
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Blackmore said:
Don't forget the Rock Island Armory Baby Rock. "A" rated by Gun Tests and one of their 2016 Guns of the Year. Truly a miniature 1911 that doesn't omit some 1911 features like other pistols of its ilk.

Blackmore is right,
I have a Baby Rock also and love it. It is my secondary carry. They are hard to find now,
but can be had for around $320.00 or so.
Blackie
 

Leucoandro

Single-Sixer
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Jun 29, 2006
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Dededo, Guam
I have tried several 938's. The safety on the right side makes the pistol difficult to use.

If you use a standard high hold where the skin between the index finger and thumb touches the top curve of the back strap, your skin at the base of your index finger will get caught between the safety and grip panel when taking the safety off.

A lot of people have this issue. Sig's answer it to tell people to hold their hand lower on the gun.

The hogue grip model doesn't seem to have as much problems as the other models.

I don't have the problem with the single safety 238.


Charlie
 

seb1899

Bearcat
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Jun 24, 2008
Messages
18
Location
NC
I bought this wanting a 1911 style .380:
https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/se...4/media/33349457953/medium/1506102680/enhance

But I was not satisfied with it as it was 'like' my RI 1911 but it is a blow back not a locked breach mechanism so I sold it and bought this:
https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/se...4/media/33410178073/medium/1508186578/enhance

as it is a true 1911 which fires from a locked breech as shown below:
https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/se...4/media/33575864503/medium/1512683621/enhance

Both the Baby Rock and the 'new' Llamas are blow back and not locked breech and the blowback felt recoil is greater than locked breech
 

SR1911SHOOTER

Blackhawk
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Messages
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FergusonTO35 said:
Hey folks. I've decided that I want to add one of the small 1911 style .380 pistols to my arsenal. Looks like Sig, Colt, and Kimber are what I have to choose from. I know there are bigger 1911 .380's out there but I want to keep it at the size of these guns. I'm not looking for laser sights, fancy finishes, or anything like that. Just a basic black or silver 1911 from one of these three makes with standard sights. Is one superior to the others in any way? Do they have much parts interchangeability? I'm leaning towards Sig as I trust them more than the other two. Strangely enough, Kimber is the cheapest of the three. I don't want the ambidextrous safety as I am right handed and the other side of the safety is uncomfortable to me. Any experiences or opinions appreciated!

Ferguson,
My favorite .380 is the RIA "Baby Rock". It is all steel, and looks just like the 1911.
Shoots like a dream, and carries well. And their service support is awesome.
Blackie
 

toysoldier

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Hutchinson, KS USA
Heliman said:
Years ago I owned a Llama .380 Micro-Max 1911 style pistol. I liked it, but it stung the web of my shooting hand thumb with every shot. Good shooter, though.
Dave

Llama made a reduced-scale 1911-style pistol in .380, .32, and .22. The .380 was made in both locked-breech and blowback models. I have a blowback model. Grips are fragile plastic--I replaced mine with home-made micarta-type material. It's all-steel, shoots well with little recoil. They don't go cheap on the used-gun market, so you're probably better off buying one of the new guns.
 

FergusonTO35

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Update: I have since put around 300 rounds through the Micro since it came back from Yonkers and it works great. I had exactly one fail to eject from a very dirty extractor. Field stripped the slide and cleaned all the crud out, and it has been flawless since. This is a great little pistol and I would recommend it to anyone.
 

FergusonTO35

Hunter
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Still carrying and shooting the Micro. Had a single fail to feed the other day using the seven round extended mag. The slide tried to close on the round caught between the front of the mag and the feed ramp, the fired round ejected ok. I'm going to chalk that up to the extended mag, I have read that they are not as reliable as the original six round mags. I also detail stripped it afterwards for a thorough cleaning and lubrication. It is pretty easy, except the parts are pretty small and you don't have much space to work with!
 

jgt

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coleman texas
When I married my wife (1985), I let her pick from my guns for one she could carry. She didn't like any of them, so I took her shopping. To my surprise, she chose a Colt Government .380. I decided shortly that I would get one sense I was going to be loading for the one she had. I have small hands, but still found the grip too small. I added a set of Ajax sambar stag grips and it fit my hand as well as any gun I had ever tried. We have used these Colts for our carry guns and shoot Winchester white box for qualification and Remington Golden Saber to carry. I load some for mine also. We have never had a glitch in the ones we have and she is a great shot with hers. When they quit making them, it was hard to believe what people were asking for them. I was not interested in selling so it did not make much difference to me. I would not have paid that price for one though. Now I see they are making them again. I don't know if they are still the same gun as the ones we have. I shoot revolvers mainly so I can't say. I have never had a problem with either of the ones we own and feel well armed when I carry because it fits my hand so well, I seem to shoot it well ,and the wife surprises the instructors with hers when she goes for qualification. We have three magazines for each. The extra four were purchased from CDNN as Colt replacement magazines. They seem to work just fine.
 
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