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.
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.