kimber

[joshb]

Yeah that would suck. I had issues with my Kimber 1911 10mm jamming at first and the fix was a stronger slide spring. If something is wrong I usually just upgrade parts to make the gun better rather than send it back.

I just picked up a Glock 43x with 15 round mags to complete my compact carry collection. Now have Sig 365 SAS, Springfield Hellcat, Kimber R7 Mako, and Glock 43x. Will be shooting all 4 of them a lot together to compare them over the coming months. Hopefully there won’t be any issues with the Kimber

I’d like to hear what you think about the Glock 43. I was fogging up the glass looking at one at a local gunshop.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I’d like to hear what you think about the Glock 43. I was fogging up the glass looking at one at a local gunshop.

So there’s a big difference between the 43 and 43x.

Same size guns but the standard 43 only has a 6 round magazine.

The 43x comes with 10 round magazines but Shield Arms makes 15 round double stack magazines for the 43x and they don’t even have extensions. Same length as the Glock 10 round mags. The 15 round mags are metal so you need to upgrade the mag release button from plastic to metal or the 15 round metal mags will eat up the standard plastic release and eventually have seating slippage that causes feeding issues. New metal mag release is about $23 and easy to swap out so no big deal. 15 rounds is a ton of capacity in such a small compact sidearm. Pretty much makes full size frames obsolete as a carry option.

 

[joshb]

So there’s a big difference between the 43 and 43x.

Same size guns but the standard 43 only has a 6 round magazine and cannot be upgraded to my knowledge.

The 43x comes with 10 round magazines but Glock makes 15 round double stack magazines for the 43x and they don’t even have extensions. Same length as the 10 round mags. But the 15 round mags are metal so you need to upgrade the mag release button from plastic to metal or the 15 round metal mags will eat up the standard plastic release and eventually have seating slippage that causes feeding issues. New metal mag release is about $23 and easy to swap out so no big deal. 15 rounds is a ton of capacity in such a small compact sidearm. Pretty much makes full size frames obsolete as a carry option.

Thank you very much for that golden nugget!

 

[Enosiophobia]

I have an Ultra Carry II in .45 acp. Never had an issue with any ammo I fed it. No hand loads though. Maybe I just got lucky?

 

[tsyarnall]

Thank you very much for that golden nugget!

I have a Glock 43 and I have upgraded the magazines to 10 rounds and a couple are 12 rounds. Works just fine.

Also, I have a Pro Carry II and have fired at least 15,000 rounds without a hiccup. Maybe I got lucky, but it is by far my favorite pistol.

 

[Bc'z]

Also, I have a Pro Carry II and have fired at least 15,000 rounds without a hiccup. Maybe I got lucky, but it is by far my favorite pistol.

Sumbitch's are Accurate too!!

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Here you go @joshb
My compact carry quartet shown below for a visual comparison.

Hand ergonomics and fit are definitely best with the Glock 43x. Next would be the Hellcat, then Kimber and the Sig last (close call between the Kimber and Sig). None have a bad hand fit by any means but I personally love how the Glock feels. It’s one of those guns where you pick it up and you don’t want to put it down. Doesn’t feel like a compact in the hand like the others do and the slimmer frame is so much nicer feeling than a full frame Glock. As you can see, the Glock handle frame is longer than the others so you’re not needing a magazine installed for a good full fit in the hand.


Guns in photo from Top to Bottom:

1 - Springfield Hellcat, Optics Ready cut, 14 rd mag with custom extension installed.
2 - Glock 43x, no optics cut, Shield Arms 15 rd mag
3- Kimber R7 Mako, Optics Ready cut AND factory 3 dot tritium irons, 13 rd mag
4 - Sig Sauer P365 SAS, Integral tritium/fiber sight in slide (no optics cut), 12 rd mag.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Im a huge hellcat fan. Used to have a 43

 

[weeevr]

What does 'sized to length' mean? You mean full length sized? I referred to case length as measured from base to mouth of case. I assume you mean chamfered or deburred above, that's necessary to do as well.

yes, everything measured- factory- .744----- resized once fired -.747 oal on the case.
the length belies any reason for the firing pin not gettin' the primer as the case nose bottoms in the barrel.
theory would be the case being closer to the pin.


I'm gonna put this all to rest for now.

when I'm done I'll let you all know the end product. meanwhile the pmc or cci is functioning dependably.
& i still have a reliable carry. seems like there was some credibility to the 'break in period'.

 

[LCazador]

yes, everything measured- factory- .744----- resized once fired -.747 oal on the case.
the length belies any reason for the firing pin not gettin' the primer as the case nose bottoms in the barrel.
theory would be the case being closer to the pin.


I'm gonna put this all to rest for now.

when I'm done I'll let you all know the end product. meanwhile the pmc or cci is functioning dependably.
& i still have a reliable carry. seems like there was some credibility to the 'break in period'.

So at .747" you are .007" short of the end of the chamber. SAMMI dimension is .754" for case length. If you're seating primers below the case head that subtracts another .003-.004". That would be quite a bit of firing pin travel to reliably strike and ignite the primer. Add to that overcrimping and the case winds up even further into the chamber. You mention OAL, indication overall length of case with primer? Overall length is the sum length of more than one components. Case length would be just the length of the case itself. OAL is an often misused acronym. The case 'nose' bottoming out in the barrel actually moves the cartridge away from the firing pin. A reason for a light strike or no ignition.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Picture below of the new Kimber R7 Mako fired at 10 yards off-hand with 10 rounds. The orange color area around the white center ‘X’ is about 1” wide and 1.5” tall. She’s a keeper for sure!
Fired 100 rounds in total with 4 different types of ammo and no issues whatsoever. Accuracy remained consistent.

 

[Park ranger]

My Kimber Custom Target from 1995 is sweet. Accurate and reliable. Saw a 9mm Kimber that wouldn’t feed from day one. I think they chambered it as 380.

 

[Rook 6]

Im a huge hellcat fan. Used to have a 43

Used to have a 43, now have a P 365x. 43x, Hellcat, P 365x or XL are all good choices. My 365x came with a good set of night sights, good trigger for a striker gun, 12 +1 capacity with 15rd mags available and the top of the slide is removable to add an optic. It’s very accurate. Ridiculously so for such a small pistol. I used to carry a custom 1911 but the P365x is much more concealable and the capacity it has in such a small package really changed the game for me personally.

 

[muleman69]

I got rid of my Kimber for a Sig Ultra Compact and have never looked back. I will say Sig Customer Service leaves room for improvemeny, the gun is flawless.

A+ on the SIG