Kenny in Ohio uses a Kimber Micro 9 as his daily carry. He says it’s what he considers his “work” carry rather than “dress” carry. Back when the Micro 9 was brand new I reviewed it and found it to be a reliable little gun. However, because it’s a micro and only 6.1 inches long and 4.07 tall, it is a snappy little thing.

A 9mm pistol is certainly a better choice than .380 ACP for a main carry – come on, it is – but you do need to be able to keep it on target. Of all the Kimbers I’ve reviewed or owned over the years, which is quite a few, the Micro 9 stands out as one of the better-made, more reliable models. If you can tame that muzzle flip and practice with it, more power to you.

Anyone else carry a micro-sized 9mm rather than a compact?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

30 COMMENTS

  1. I have a Kimber Micro 9 as my alternate carry piece when carrying my XDM is not possible or impractical. My wife has carried a Micro 9 for a while and I have had an opportunity to practice with them quite a bit. Very accurate for what it is with a little practice. Also allows us the option to share mags should the ultra rare occasion arise that such a need would be benificial. So there’s that too.

  2. Glock 43 w/ Overwatch Precision DAT trigger and Ghost Edge Connector. TruGlo TFO sights, best in the business for tactical weapons though I prefer the Gold Bead fronts with blackout rears for my 1911s.

    Trigger pull ~5lbs and crisp with short pre- and over-travel. Short reset.

    Carry Speer Gold Dot 115 gr LE +P+. Snappy at ~1200 fps from barrel but really manageable. Hit head size target from Concealed Carry Draw all day at 10 yds. and I don’t practice all that much.

    The G43 is the smallest gun that I believe that I can win a gunfight using.

    My Compact Carry is a G32. Similarly dressed.

      • Who cares how much it costs? That’s a question for the gentleman/lady. I have a lot of custom built and/or expensive firearms. Nobody’s but ours.

        • The point of Glock is that is reliable, durable and cheap. What is the point of turning it into a Sig, especially the G43. I know it’s a personal choice and that’s ok but people souped up Yugos back in the day too.

  3. I keep thinking about getting a Micro 9 on and off. In principle I should be more accurate with it because it’s a 1911 patterned pistol but is a 6.1″ pistol going to have the ergonomics of an actual 1911?

    • I own a Micro 9 Covert with the Lasergrips and I put Hogue rubber baseplates on the extended mags. The gun is tiny and easy to conceal in a Vedder Light Tuck with a Magtuck on the other side. I carry.. Semi-appendix I guess? Appendix but canted 30 degrees to my right so it doesn’t stab me or get in the way and has a smooth, quick, sub-second draw under loose clothes. It’s my favorite carry gun and it has ALL the ergo of a regular 1911 with those extended rubber baseplates. And yes, I do have meathooks, I’m a size 11 glove, which is XL, but I could easily fit in a 12.

      • Also, the trigger is absolutely amazing, and the tritium sights are great. Everything about the gun screams custom 1911. And It’s really really cheap for what it is. It’s on my hip as I write this 🙂

  4. I carry a micro 9 and consider it my summer gun. I prefer a cz compact carried on my belt with a shirt or jacket over it. Not practice in the summer.

  5. I guess HiPoint is out? …. That’s a nice looking pistol for sure, the Kimber.

  6. I carry the same Kimber Micro 9 as the author has. I also use the Sig P365 as an alternative. I’m a pocket carrier and love micro gunsfor that reason.

  7. There are not a whole lot of micro guns on the California market, the Sig 238 (but not the 938) being one, and any number of small revolvers. There are plenty of compacts, though, such as my Kahr CW9 and similar sized pistols, e.g Shield and LC9. My daughter in Ohio went out today with her EC9 for the first time, and found it pretty jumpy. Her companion was shooting a new Micro9 and had a hard time staying on target. Both had no difficulties out to 10′, but beyond that it was, so to speak, a crap shoot because of how snappy they are. I suggested that with practice their accuracy will improve. Both were using 124 gr fmj.

    • The LC9 has not been on California’s approved roster for a while now. The LC380 is still on the list.

  8. i just dont get it. You’re, in all likelyhood, NEVER going to need a gun. If you your going to carry one. Why NOT carry a nice gun. I do. I fully understand it will in all likehood never see anything but range practice and occasional training time.

    If you do need it, the range you’ll need it at will likely be just a hair over contact distances.

    I’d carry the dang coolest looking gun I could afford.

    I wouldn’t be caught dead (Pun intended) carrying a glock xx under any circumstances. I want a gun that has some character. Finding a gun that can punch 2-3″ groupings at the 7-15 yards is easy enough to do. Why limit yourself a souless glock.

    3….
    2…
    1…

    • I carry a Glock 26 because I shoot it well, it’s comfortable, it’s similar to my duty weapon (G22), and I can qualify with it and be issued free carry ammo. But I’m strongly of the opinion you should carry whatever you like/shoot well/are comfortable with. I don’t feel the need to carry a custom 1911, but then again I don’t feel the need to drive a sports car either. But if you choose to carry/drive that, then good for you. Such is the joy of living in the freest country on earth.

      • I carry a G27 and occasionally a G22 (also a former duty weapon).

        I am strongly of the opinion to carry whatever allows you to put the most grains of lead on target per second. Cute graphics and fine engraving won’t impress a criminal bent on your destruction.

    • Doesn’t really matter much to me what my carry gun looks like because it’s concealed. If it’s not concealed, there’s shit going on that will distract anyone from checking out engraving. If I open carried anywhere in public I’d probably still not want a gun that stands out. I just don’t see a carry gun as a conversation piece.

      Still… no hi-point.

    • All guns are soulless. They’re inanimate objects. Far more bizarre to me than so-called Glock “fanboys” are people who viscerally object to someone else’s choice of carry gun. Nobody is forcing you to carry a Glock, so who cares?

  10. I carry the Micro 9 stainless with Crimson Trace laser grips IWB 9 o’clock in a Vedder Light Tuck with a Magtuck on the other side. Feels/looks great and I am able to shoot it very well…..for me. I’m totally ambidextrous….write/throw/golf/shoot, but prefer left side concealed carry….others usually check out right side for a CC. Only dislike is the right hand safety (left side) only. Kimber won’t sell the ambi safety except for factory install which ends up costing about $175 plus shipping and 2-3 weeks turnaround. In my 45 year engineering world, Kimber’s “hand fitted” translates to “can’t machine shit.” I’ve trained to flick the safety with trigger finger during draw. And, yes I use the external safety. Train extensively with it….just as I do with bird guns; never know when the safety comes off or goes back on; never missed a bird because the safety didn’t come off. I figure in the unlikely event of a successful take away attempt, the taker will probably stumble with the external safety giving me an extra couple seconds to neutralize the threat. With a no safety gun, they immediately pull trigger, gun goes bang, I hurt. And, look how many LEOs shoot themselves in the leg/ass re-holstering no safety guns.

  11. “Anyone else carry a micro-sized 9mm rather than a compact?” I don’t know- what do you consider a Glock 43 to be?

  12. I REALLY wanted to like the micro 9, it’s a beautiful, well-made 1911 type gun with a really nice trigger. However, upon renting one at a LGS to try out I found that I actually hated it. It fit poorly in my hand (way too small) and combined with the snappiness, it was a chore to keep in target. I ran VERY few rounds through that thing before taking in back to the counter. I actually had a WAY easier time shooting a SW Shield in a .45 and was DRASTICALLY more accurate with it without any effort at all. I expected that .45 to be a hand full but it was quite easy to shoot, that micro 9, however, was not.

  13. If “snappiness” is an issue in a 9mm, try a .40/10mm sub-compact. THAT’s snappy.

    The problem with “snappy” pistols is that we may compensate by “pushing” the pistol just before firing. Very bad. Shoots low. And away from the holding side.

    I had a friend load my .40 G27 mag, including a designated dummy round (I reload) to see if I was “pushing” the pistol before firing. Bang. Bang. Then, “Click”, and THEN I pushed. GTG. “Snappy” pistols require a “push”, but only after pulling the trigger.

    Alternating with a .22LR pistol will also reveal “the push.” There’s no magic to controlling a snappy pistol for a follow-up. Just control “the push”.

    Be Safe, Be Accurate.

Comments are closed.