Sig P238 or Colt Mustang Pocketlite

[FergusonTO35]

The sun came out today and I was able to take a break from unpacking to test drive the little Kimber. Distance was 18 feet, ammo was some cheapo Maxxtech FMJ (Combloc production, fairly accurate but dirty). I'm pleased to announce it did not disappoint. Function with this dirty ammo was 100% and within a few mags the Micro was shooting almost as well as my Glock 42. I tried a couple mags of Remington FMJ and accuracy was about the same but ejection and recoil were stronger with a small fireball coming out of the muzzle.


The only thing I might change is to go with a solid black rear sight was this would match my Glock 42, which has an OEM white dot front and Ameriglo flat black rear. So far very pleased with this little pistol and look forward to trying my reloads in it.

[Lefty Red]

Glad it's working out for you!
Held a Raptor Version today while looking for a Super Carry Pro and its a nice feeling little pistol.


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[Lefty Red]

Got a new model M&P 380 Bodyguard out to the range today and was impressed. No malfunctions in the 100 rounds of mix makers and brands of ammo. Also fed the Defender from WW and Critical Defense and shot point of aim.

It not completely broken in, feels a little gritty but smoothing out with with dry firing.

It's a non laser and non manual safety version. And since it's a DAO, doesn't need one. Has some heft and shoots good! Got about 500 round to put through it this weekend.

It's blacked out sights are nice, but in need of some contrast on the front sight. So some nail polish is in order.

And, it fits my Tagua 4in1 holster for my 938!






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[FergusonTO35]

Glad to see it's working out for you. A manual safety on a long double action pull is pretty silly indeed.

[FergusonTO35]

Shot the Micro some more last weekend and found that I am not used to three dot sights anymore. I shoot my Glock 42 quite well so I think the Kimber needs a similar sight picture. I found a used solid black front and rear sight set on Fleabay and bought it, installed it last night. The dovetails are super tight, the new/used sights required a fair amount of filing to go on. That accomplished, the front dot looks really conspicuous against the plain black rear which is what I like.


Also discovered that the firing pin safety spring is housed under the sight (never had a 1911 before), so I used the opportunity to learn how to disassemble the slide. It is as easy to do as a Glock. Push the firing pin inward with a small punch, which allows the rear cover plate to slide down. Then, the extractor and firing pin can be pulled out from the rear. Then, the firing pin safety and spring will fall out the bottom. Reassembly is simply the reverse. On my pistol, the bottom of the rear cover plate has a bevel where it contacts the hammer, this side should be facing towards the rear.

[FergusonTO35]

Pocket carry is my usual mode for the Micro and I bought a Desantis Nemesis with it. The Nemesis listed for the Mustang/Micro/P238 is a rather snug fit and seems print a little more than I like. I tried the Nemesis I use for my Glock 42 and it is a perfect fit. It covers more of the gun and stays upright in the pocket better.

[Lefty Red]

Pocket carry is my usual mode for the Micro and I bought a Desantis Nemesis with it. The Nemesis listed for the Mustang/Micro/P238 is a rather snug fit and seems print a little more than I like. I tried the Nemesis I use for my Glock 42 and it is a perfect fit. It covers more of the gun and stays upright in the pocket better.

I like the Super Fly, it's the Nemesis with the "flap". I thought it would be awkward, but the "flap" guides my hand to the grip and doesn't print.

Lefty


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[Lefty Red]

Shot the Micro some more last weekend and found that I am not used to three dot sights anymore. I shoot my Glock 42 quite well so I think the Kimber needs a similar sight picture. I found a used solid black front and rear sight set on Fleabay and bought it, installed it last night. The dovetails are super tight, the new/used sights required a fair amount of filing to go on. That accomplished, the front dot looks really conspicuous against the plain black rear which is what I like.


Also discovered that the firing pin safety spring is housed under the sight (never had a 1911 before), so I used the opportunity to learn how to disassemble the slide. It is as easy to do as a Glock. Push the firing pin inward with a small punch, which allows the rear cover plate to slide down. Then, the extractor and firing pin can be pulled out from the rear. Then, the firing pin safety and spring will fall out the bottom. Reassembly is simply the reverse. On my pistol, the bottom of the rear cover plate has a bevel where it contacts the hammer, this side should be facing towards the rear.

After I gave up on the Sig P938, I have been looking at the Kimber Mirco 9mm. Fell in love with the Raptor Model! Figure it's worth it for the sights and ambi safety. Buddy picked his up yesterday and we put 200ish rounds through it. Had some breaking in malfunctions, but now it is pretty slick and working great.

Compared it to my G43 and it's roughly the same size, with each sporting the 7 round extended magazine or finger extension by Pearce. The Mirco is a tad heavier but "sleeker". And the Kimber carries better I think.

Lefty, saving up box tops and bottle caps


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[FergusonTO35]

Ive always had good luck with Desantis holsters so I'll probably try the Superfly at some point. As much as I like my Micro I'd rather have the 43 for a small 9mm.

I've been saving pocket change since 2015 for a new Browning Hi-Power. Should be there this spring!

[Lefty Red]

Ive always had good luck with Desantis holsters so I'll probably try the Superfly at some point. As much as I like my Micro I'd rather have the 43 for a small 9mm.

I've been saving pocket change since 2015 for a new Browning Hi-Power. Should be there this spring!

I think you are right. My finger is getting RA in it and overworked from shooting and trying to use the mag release on my non leftie friendly pistols. My Gen4s I can reverse the mag release and it has helped. But not in any others.

Guess I will be getting that 43/42 combo after all.

Lefty


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[FergusonTO35]

Finally got all my reloading stuff unpacked and set up, so was able to try the Micro with boolits. Load was 3 grains Bullseye and a Federal primer under a Lee 356-102-2R sized to .357. The Micro did not disappoint! Feed and function was 100%, accuracy was at least as good as quality factory ammo. This particular load clocks around 920 fps out of my Glock 42 so hopefully I can chrono it out of the Micro soon.

[Paul5388]

I find the Kimber to be a less desirable gun than the SIG P238. I suppose that's why I have a SIG P238. I like the steel frame, night sights and grips that don't interfere with pocket carry. I picked mine up at Academy for $525 to replace the LCP I did carry, which replaced the NAA Guardian that was a little heavy for my liking.

[birch]

The 238 is the perfect .380 carry gun. I have put over 2000 out of my wife's. It eats anything. It cycles the action with little more than a primer and can handle plus p loads allay long. I am a big guy with big hands and it is comfortable, fun, accurate and above all else--reliable.

[FergusonTO35]

The Micro is now an essential part of my carry rotation. I got a Superfly for it, and this holster works great. It keeps the pistol upright and reduces the print to where it looks more like a wallet, phone, or other rectangular object.

Had my first ever malfunction with the Micro last weekend. I was shooting some boolit reloads and an empty case wedged itself between the inside of the slide and the next round in the mag. I also had two instances in which the mag seemed to release itself after the last round was fired. Unless this was just a fluke I'm thinking I might have a bad mag here. I marked this mag and next range session I will try a different one with the same ammo to see if it happens again. Otherwise the Micro is still doing great and lots of fun to shoot.

[deepwater]

Has anyone tried the "pink" 9mm Para ammo that is downloaded for recoil reduction? I believe 100 gr. bullets at reasonable speeds. It should be about in the middle of .380 and 9mm for energy. I am considering it for my 938 when the osteoarthritis gets too bad (2 years ago!). For others that may be having trouble hanging onto the small 9's,it could be a good alternative.

[FergusonTO35]

Never heard of it, however when I had my Kel-Tec PF9 I loaded it to hot .380 Auto/standard .38 Special power level. As I remember it was a Lee 356-120-TC over 3.4 grains Bullseye for around 940 fps.

[Lefty Red]

Has anyone tried the "pink" 9mm Para ammo that is downloaded for recoil reduction? I believe 100 gr. bullets at reasonable speeds. It should be about in the middle of .380 and 9mm for energy. I am considering it for my 938 when the osteoarthritis gets too bad (2 years ago!). For others that may be having trouble hanging onto the small 9's,it could be a good alternative.

The Hornady Critical Defense 90gr FXT loads is what I tried on my Sig P938 and they were pretty good. I didn't noticed much difference, but others have.


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[FergusonTO35]

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 Lee 356-102-2R. 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]

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. Today 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.

[Lefty Red]

I had to send my Ultra Carry 2 in last year for FTF just about everything. It came back in 10 days and eats everything!

Let's us know the status.....


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