Range Report Micro 380 Micro 9

starnovi · 09-26-2016, 02:41 PM

***3rd time out with the Micro 9 CT.

50 rounds Magtech 115 gr FMJ
70 rounds Blazer Brass 124 gr FMJ

Happy to report zero failures! Really like shooting this pistol. Definitely has a little more kick to it than the 380 but with and without the laser it's very accurate. I still haven't lined up the red dot with my front sight, will do that now.

***Not so great with the Micro 380, still having some failures. After shooting the 9mm the 380 feels like a toy pistol, light and easy to control.

50 rounds Atlanta Ammo 100 gr. TCJ 3 failures to chamber
50 rounds Blazer Brass 95 gr FMJ also 3 failures to chamber

Had another weird thing happen to me today with the 380, 3 times after the cartridge ejected, next round (which happened to be the last round in mag) fell out of the ejection port. The slide did not lock open even though mag was empty. NO problems with the slide not locking any other times, just when the round fell out. Aghhhh....what's that about? Any ideas?

So overall, 6/100 failures + 3 rounds falling out, which does not sound good to me. The pistol has already been to Kimber and now has over 750 rounds through it. I'll clean it up and take it back out in the next couple of days and let you know how it performs, hopefully that round falling out won't happen again. I think if I continue to have problems next time out I will make the call to The Wizard!

Bobtuba · 09-26-2016, 04:27 PM

Starnovi, I wouldn't be happy with those .380 results either. Are you using a Kimber mag or some other type? And when you say failure to chamber, do you mean way back hanging up on the feed ramp, or do you mean that last 1/16" to return to battery?

starnovi · 09-26-2016, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Bobtuba

Starnovi, I wouldn't be happy with those .380 results either. Are you using a Kimber mag or some other type? And when you say failure to chamber, do you mean way back hanging up on the feed ramp, or do you mean that last 1/16" to return to battery?

Yes, I am using Kimber mags, came with the 7 round mag and I bought 2 others. 1 mag I don't even use since it had more failures than the other 2. Just double checked, apparently I had no failures with the 6 round Sig mag though. Maybe I should just stick to the Sigs and see if that fixes my problems.

What I am calling failure to chamber is the round has moved out of mag, but not into the chamber, it is pointed upward with tip of the round under the upper lip on the barrel (?). I'm probably not explaining it that well, and using wrong terminology. Next time I will take a photo.

DaVinci · 09-26-2016, 05:04 PM

A tale of two pistols. One flawless the other less. Sorry to hear about the 380. Sounds like it needs to be yonkered.

starnovi · 09-26-2016, 05:14 PM

Found this photo online....this is what the round looks like when it doesn't chamber. I guess it would be the same thing as failure to feed?

Tejun · 09-26-2016, 05:25 PM

Starnovi,

You and I are experiencing very similar results with respect to the performance of our M9 vs M380.

I cleaned my 380 after my not so favorable range trip last week. Since my order of the Breakthrough Technology oil another KT member recommended, had not arrived yet, I used RemOil to reassemble it.

Took it with me to lake this past weekend and stopped along the way at a practice area. I did not use the Sig mag this time. loaded up the Kimber 7 rnd and 6 round mags with American Eagle FMJ. Quickly went through both those magazines firing rapidly as I could.... with no issues. Reloaded with Winchester FMJ and did the same rapid fire method and went through both mags with no hiccups at all.

The Breakthrough Technology cleaning kit arrived today so I'm gonna clean it up tonight and head back to the range one day this week. I will focus on using just the Kimber mags and if all goes well, will then switch to the Sig mag. If I begin having issues, I will have narrowed it down to that mag once and for all (I hope).

Tinman · 09-26-2016, 05:53 PM

Sometimes rail/frame fit is not so great.
imo.....I really don't think yonkers inspects this fit as they should prior to shipping since 'they state' rail/frames are matched early for final assembly.

Marshall · 09-26-2016, 06:09 PM

Congrats on the success of the Micro 9 and best of luck trying to figure out it's little sibling....

Bobtuba · 09-26-2016, 06:50 PM

Starnovi, thanks for the illustrative photo. To me, that kind of FTF just screams, "Magazine!" That's why I was asking about the mags. Two different mag problems come to mind: If the mag is not sufficiently "broken in" then sometimes the new spring can be too strong and stiff, such that the top round does not come sufficiently clean or easy out of the mag. If you noticed this happening especially on the first rounds, it might be the issue. Otherwise, the presentation angle may be screwy, either too high or too low, both could end with an FTF that looks like that. You may want to keep close track of which mag(s) and when in the cycle your FTFs are occurring. If that's happening with original Kimber mags that is certainly not a good sign. And just for the record, which recoil spring is installed? Good luck getting to the bottom of this.

starnovi · 09-26-2016, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by Bobtuba

Starnovi, thanks for the illustrative photo. To me, that kind of FTF just screams, "Magazine!" That's why I was asking about the mags. Two different mag problems come to mind: If the mag is not sufficiently "broken in" then sometimes the new spring can be too strong and stiff, such that the top round does not come sufficiently clean or easy out of the mag. If you noticed this happening especially on the first rounds, it might be the issue. Otherwise, the presentation angle may be screwy, either too high or too low, both could end with an FTF that looks like that. You may want to keep close track of which mag(s) and when in the cycle your FTFs are occurring. If that's happening with original Kimber mags that is certainly not a good sign. And just for the record, which recoil spring is installed? Good luck getting to the bottom of this.

Yes, I do keep track. I keep a pen and pad on the deck with me, and write down by mag# if I had failures, what they were, which round failed, and how it failed. I have not had any failures on the 1st round, it's almost always the 5th or 6th round, occasionally the 4th. The 6 failures today had 3 failures in 5th round, 3 in 6th round.

The recoil spring and rod were replaced by Kimber, it is flat spring. I have 3 Kimber 7 round mags, 1 I don't use at all, and now I am considering not using the other 2 but just testing with the Sig mags to see if there is improvement. Hoping it is the mags and not the pistol.