Kimber Micro 9 Desert Night

To say that there is a gun for everyone is not a stretch of the imagination. I would go so far as to say that there may be at least a couple of guns that would fit everyone. Growth in the number of people interested in the firearms world has driven the market to meet those needs. People are looking for guns that strike a balance between size, power, and concealability. The idea of carrying a full-size gun on their hip each day simply is not an option for some. While many companies have brought a spectrum of firearms to market, few have done it with the variety of options as the folks over at Kimber. Their latest addition to the small pistol line is the Kimber Micro 9 Desert Night.

Kimber Micro 9 Desert Night

The Micro 9 Desert Night is a great-looking pistol that follows the success of its’ .380 cousin. The biggest difference is that it brings the 9mm round into the equation. Kimber understood that their original design would be well received when chambered in the popular 9mm round. The Micro 9 Desert Night stands out in the market because it offers a pocket pistol for those who prefer 1911-style controls. The gun varies slightly from Mr. Browning’s design, lacking grip safety or barrel bushing. It retains the thumb safety, traditional magazine release, and its exposed hammer fire function.

With most pocket pistols today being either double action or striker-fired, the Micro 9 Desert Night’s classic 1911 design is refreshing. A slender, petite single stack, the gun is just over six inches long and a breath over four inches in height. It fits well in a pocket or inside the waistband holster. The gun is only 15.6 ounces unloaded, making it a comfortable everyday carry. While it is a perfect size for a small IWB carry, it is also small enough for a good pocket holster and carry.

Kimber Micro 9 Desert Night – Small Gun with Full Power

The gun is made with the traditional Kimber’s attention to detail. The barrel and slide are machined from stainless steel. The major benefit of this is resistance to moisture. If you are a dedicated EDC disciple, you know the effect of moisture, be it humidity or sweat, on your gun. A damp gun quickly turns into a rusty gun. Yes, it can happen. The frame is aluminum, which gives it strength and integrity while keeping the overall weight down. As a 1911 design, the Micro 9 Desert Night has a traditional single-action trigger that people enjoyed so much in 1911.

Coming in at a seven-pound pull, it is slightly heavier than a full-size Kimber 1911. The trigger has a short, smooth pull with a clean break. Reset is pleasantly short as well. The thumb safety and magazine release are classic 1911 and easy to manipulate. One noticeable difference is that the safety selector is engaged when it is up and horizontal with the slide, unlike full-size guns that see the safety actually move up at an angle to the slide. For ease of carry, the gun comes with a bobbed hammer to help reduce snagging. It sports a full-length guide rod and a 16-pound recoil spring.

Great Sights

The gun comes with a Kimber seven-round magazine with a bumper base. A few other features Kimber has considered “standard” are excellent additions to an already good gun. The pistol is designed with a lowered and flared ejection port to ensure consistent ejection. They have also beveled the magazine well to help the shooter seat magazines smoothly and quickly. Lastly, they include great sights. The Micro 9 Desert Night comes standard with TRUGLO TFX Pro Day/Night Sights. These are very quick to acquire and easy to run. Wrap it all up with a Kimber-branded Hogue wrap-around grip; the gun is as good-looking as it is functional.

The Micro 9 Desert Night comes standard with TRUGLO TFX Pro Day/Night Sights.

Test Time

To really test the gun, I broke out my handy holster and carried the Micro 9 Desert Night for over a week. Its small size, combined with Kimber’s focus on taking edges off for comfort, paid off. I barely noticed the gun and believed it would be an exceptional carry for someone needing a small-sized blaster for their EDC. Performance-wise, it was a shooter. I found the Desert Night easy to run. The small concealed carry and pocket guns of the world have a reputation for being less than friendly when shooting. The price for shrinking a gun for ease of carry is increased recoil and snap. Physics is real, and in smaller guns, there is simply less weight and surface area on the gun to help the shooter manage the shots. Kimber has found a good balance here.

Great Weight Ballance

While not hefty, it is not a featherlight wrist breaker either. It did indeed produce a little more recoil than its full-size counterparts but was still easy to manage and run. The pistol’s sights are well thought out and refreshing. In a time when most companies just pay lip service to sights, Kimber has given us real sights to work with right out of the box.

While the gun will not be featured in any upcoming 50-yard bullseye competitions, it was very accurate for its size. Like other Micro 9s I have run, it shot a respectable 1½ inch five-round group at seven yards. I also ran function tests using hollow point ammunition. It is a defensive carry gun, so it will need to run a variety of HP ammo. While it ate everything I fed it, it seemed to prefer the Federal HST. It produced better groups and had a better overall feel in recoil. This is what we call a “bad breath distance” gun. It is intended for personal protection, usually in close quarters. With that in mind, I ran most of my drills in a close-quarter setting. The gun ran well, especially after acclimating to its small size.

It’s a Shooter

My everyday carry pistol is a full-size gun, so it took a minute to get settled into the Desert Night. For people with smaller hands, the Micro 9 will fit like a glove. For people with larger paws, it will take just a short time to get comfortable with it. I shot the gun in a variety of situations, but its best performance was in the zero to seven-yard range, as it gave me good shot groups even when shooting at pace.

As expected, the further back I went, the more the groups opened. I ran 400 rounds of ammunition and experienced only three malfunctions. Granted, this was a brand-new gun with no additional oil applied. My range diagnosis was simply a matter of it getting dry. Unlike some other pistols, you must keep any 1911-style pistol well lubricated. It is just the nature of the beast. Take care of your gun, and it will take care of you. A follow-up session saw no malfunctions after I had done a wipe-down and professional lube job on the small blaster.

Kimber Micro 9 Desert Night – EDC Power

The beveled magazine is well-made and reloads quickly and easily. On a side note, running this Micro 9 reminds me just how important it is to carry an extra magazine. With one in the chamber, the Micro 9 holds eight rounds with their standard magazine. While we carry a 9mm pistol in this pistol, it can get to slide lock pretty quickly in a bad situation. This is the balance everyone must face with pocket pistols. We like the ease of carrying, but we cannot forget that an extra mag is important. It is equally small and easy to add to your EDC.

The Kimber Micro 9 Desert Night brings a solid pistol to the pocket carry realm. While difficult to quantify, the gun simply feels good in my hands. It is a smooth-shooting 9mm that will serve as a primary or backup carry for just about anyone. It doesn’t hurt that it is as good-looking as it is functional.

For more information, Visit: https://www.kimberamerica.com/

Specs

Caliber: 9mm

Height: 4.07”

Weight: 15.6 oz. with empty magazine

Length: 6.1”

Magazine capacity: 7

Full-length guide rod

Frame material: Aluminum

Width: 1.08”

Slide material: Stainless Steel

Finish: Desert tan