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.380 Kimber and Sig

11K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  Chuck43 
#1 · (Edited)
Picked up a new Sig P238 HD about 2 weeks ago. Very nice gun. My wife wanted to shoot the gun so she went with me to the range. She loves the gun and pretty much took possession of it. This was our fist experience with a pocket .380 and I was so impressed, I knew I wanted another one for myself. I always liked the way the Kimber Micro's looked, so as soon as I got home from the range, I ordered a Micro Raptor in black. I though it would be cool to have a different brand to compare against the Sig P238.

The Raptor recently showed up. Very beautiful handgun, just looks great. Out of the box, the trigger pull was heavy, but not bad. The trigger is a bit better on the Sig. It is a few pounds lighter, as I have changed the hammer spring to a low power one. Also it is a bit more broke in. The Kimber Micro trigger is about the same as the Sig when it was bone stock brand new, but maybe a pound heavier. It would only sometimes register on my trigger pull tool, which reads to a max of 8.5 lbs. I pulled the Kimber apart to see about putting the original hammer spring from the P238, only to find there is no hammer spring! Seems Kimber has a slightly different design than the Colt Mustang. The reset is better/shorter on the Kimber Micro.

I stripped, cleaned, and oiled the Kimber and headed to the range with both pocket 380's. I put about 185 maiden rounds through the Kimber. The Kimber actually failed to eject the first round lol. However, the next 184 were no issue. A few times, the slide didn't hold open after the last round, but this also happened with the Sig during its first 150 rounds. Both guns shoot great. The recoil is noticeably different between the two. The heavier Sig (weighs 6.5 oz more than the Kimber) has less recoil. This did not bother me one bit, but to my wife it did. She did not like the Kimber. The recoil and front stippling bothered her hand just after a few rounds. I love the stippling and it doesn't bother me, it really helps with keeping a tight grip. The tritium sights on both are great.

The Kimber trigger has improved a bit after the first range visit and second cleaning. Later that night I stripped down the Kimber, removed the grips, and cleaned/oiled it up good. After reassembling, I checked the trigger pull again and it has dropped about a pound to around 7-7.5 lbs.

All in all, I do like the Kimber Micro. I put the 185 rounds through it pretty fast. The accuracy is as good as the P238. I was getting decent 3-4" groups at 7 yards with both guns. I like the way the Kimber looks too. It is a fine looking handgun. Just looks old school 1911. The Sig HD with the extra weight feels better in the hand though. Also, the slide is smoother than the Kimber and a bit easier to pull back. The Kimber looks like a nicer gun with all the serrations and detailed stippling, but the Sig P238HD, with the nicer trigger, smoother and easier slide, and slightly heavier weight, just feels a bit better built. The 20 oz. weight of the P238HD may be an issue for pocket carry for some people, so there is kind of a trade off. The Kimber already has an aluminum trigger, but this did not make it any better than the plastic one on the P238. Also, I can get an aftermarket aluminum trigger for the P238 and get the trigger feel even better. Not sure what the options are for improving the one on the Kimber Micro.

I will continue to shoot these sweet little pocket .380's and update this post as I go. So far I am enjoying my first foray into these pocket guns! I am even considering getting a Glock 42, just because lol.
I would post some pics, but the photobucket sight won't let me login right now.
 
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#4 ·
Welcome to the forum from northern Illinois ROMM, nice report on the Micro Carry and P238. You wife not liking your Kimber Raptor could be a blessing in disguise. :D
 
#6 ·
I think the Kimber Micro is a nicer pistol than the 238. Now if Kimber could get their shit together and offer parts and reasonable repair times they would get a lot less negative reviews on the forums. Kimber should also get rid of their shitty KimPro finish for something better. I'm actually going to Black-T or NP3 my Micro Raptor when I get time.

The Kimber uses a traditional 1911 style mainspring assembly (see photo). Sig and Colt hammer springs are not going to work. My trigger has smoothed up and lightened a fair amount just by shooting and dry firing it. If you go with an aftermarket aluminum trigger for your 238, be aware that the trigger pin can be a bear to remove. You might want to get an extra pin when you make the change.

Photobucket blows! You can upload pics my clicking "manage attachments" when replying to a post.
 

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#11 ·
If you go with an aftermarket aluminum trigger for your 238, be aware that the trigger pin can be a bear to remove. You might want to get an extra pin when you make the change.
I replaced the triggers on both my P238 SAS and P938 SAS and had no problem getting the pin out, just make sure you have the proper size punch.


 
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#7 ·
ROMM, welcome to the site from Tennessee. A lot of members here have both Micro and Sig 380's. I don't own a 380 but I can see good and bad things about both. Like many others I would probably own at least one of each.
I agree with Chuck, your wife not liking the Micro is probably a good thing.
 
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#9 ·
ROMM That is a nice review and comparison of the formentioned firearms. It is almost impossible to find a Kimber micro in So.Cal. I have contemplated buying the sig HD myself the only thing is I think I would prefer the 938. I do own a blued series 80 Colt Mustang. Beautiful little pistol!
 
#10 ·
ROMM That is a nice review and comparison of the formentioned firearms. It is almost impossible to find a Kimber micro in So.Cal. I have contemplated buying the sig HD myself the only thing is I think I would prefer the 938. I do own a blued series 80 Colt Mustang. Beautiful little pistol!
I like the 238 HD and a 938 HD would 'get my attention'...on the 'lgs' spot!
 
#13 ·
OK fellas thanks for the comments and insight. Yes I don't mind that the wife isn't crazy about the Kimber Micro. I think it is great, especially considering the weight. An all stainless Kimber .380 micro that had just a bit more weight would be sweet and I would have to have one. The Micros weight about 13.6 oz (aluminum frame), the P238 HD (heavy duty all stainless) weights 20 oz, and the normal P238 weighs 15 oz. (alloy frame).

Here are a bunch of pics!

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#14 ·
I would also like to add that I picked up the Kimber Micro Raptor from Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore for $688 shipped. Pretty good deal. Hadn't come across anything as good on Gunbroker. Well I found recently that they have a brand new black Micro Raptor for $625 shipped, no reserve! Excellent deal for someone. No bidders yet either. The MSRP on these is $815.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/628773215
 
#15 ·
So I've put another 200 rds through my Kimber Micro Raptor. Still working great. Half the time the slide doesn't hold open on an empty mag. Not an issue for me, but I may follow some of the advice on the "make your micro reliable" thread. The trigger seems to be improving, and the slide is getting smoother and a little easier to rack. So far it's been a great little gun. I recently bought a box of RNFP (round nose, flat point) bullets to see if they will feed correctly. I can get these type bullets for a few cents cheaper than the normal round nose.
 
#17 ·
OK so I finally had a chance to "fix" one of the magazines. I did just like your thread and used a punch. I only did one and used that one magazine during my last trip to the range. The first 3 times I used the magazine, the slide locked back. But after that, no more. Not sure what is up with that. Also, to be clear, the slide will lock back anytime you stick an empty mag in the gun and pull the slide back. It only doesn't lock back when actually firing.

Anyway, about 600 rounds through the Micro and it's working fine. Only failure was round No. 1 lol.
 
#18 ·
Kimber has gotten a deserved bad rap for letting bad 380s leave the plant. This has been mentioned here and on other forums.

The Springfield 911 380 had serious issues on this video.



I have had two Sig P238s. Nice to look at but neither were reliable. I sold both.

It would be better if Kimber or Sig or Springfield cleaned up the engineering and QA in the factories. All three should function reliably and accurately with any good factory ammo. However they don't without warranty or user work.

This is not good.
 
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