Sorry for not posting this last night, I had it all typed up then my “free high speed internet” crapped out on me and I lost it all. So, here goes some more observations:
Sig:
-P290: size and weight are decent, good sights, feels good in the hand. The trigger is nothing to write home about - I’m guessing it runs about 8-9 pounds (probably towards the upper end of that), so even though it’s smooth, I’m worried about being able to hold the sights steady through a quick pull on such a light gun. There’s also an odd “false reset” about 1/3 of the way forward - an audible and tactile “click” that, for the life of me, feels just like the first DAK reset. Unfortunately, it’s just there to mind-f*** you, if you pull the trigger again from that point, nothing happens. You have to release the trigger all the way out to get it to reset. Even more interesting, there’s no double strike capability - the action of the reciprocating slide “precocks” the hammer slightly - without this precocking, the trigger is dead. So, Sig has managed to design a long-pull, external-hammer fired DAO without second strike capability. BRAVO! Last observation is that Sig molded a “positioning ramp” on the inside of the trigger guard, to keep “novice” shooters from placing their fingers too low on the trigger. While this sounds like a great idea in a sales pitch, I can tell you that my size “L” gloved finger would NEVER fit into that trigger guard with that “ramp” in place…
-P226/P229 Enhanced Elites - these pistols give me some hope that Sig isn’t a completely dead entity in the serious firearms game. If you haven’t seen them, these pistols mate the “Elite” beavertail frame with the “E2” grip and the SRT DA/SA trigger. Ergonomics are exceptional! I prefer the balance and “feel” of the P226, but the P229 uses the “E2” series slide - which is stainless but contoured like a P228s - and really improves the overall feel of the smaller pistol in the hand. The double action triggers on all the “Enhanced Elite” models I tried (which, I’m pretty sure, was every “enhanced elite” on the floor) was significantly improved from recent Sig production - I’d guess somewhere around 10-12 pounds, but smooth with no catches or creep, and a clean, crisp break. The SRT’s reset is fantastic, and SA is very nice. All in all, if I had to carry a Sig, this is the model I’d want, and I wouldn’t feel at all under-equipped.
-P210 - yep, it’s back, and it’s still awesome. If you’ve got a LOT of money to spend on a single stack, single action 9mm, and you don’t want a 1911, this could be for you. I don’t fall in either category, so I didn’t spend a lot of time with this…
-Rainbow titanium special unobtanium editions - hells yes, there were plenty. This is still, after all, Sig…
Ruger LC9 - or, as I like to call it “the next pistol I’ll never buy…”
-Size - about the same as a Keltec P11, only slimmer (I’m not familiar with the PF9, so I can’t make a direct comparison)
-Trigger - about 8#, a little gritty, long. Same problem with the P290 - has a false reset point (though it’s a lot less pronounced). With the LC9, if you catch this false reset, the trigger jams solid, no amount of yanking will move it rearward. I imagine that could be disconcerting in a gunfight…
-Sights - nominally OK, but they look easy enough to replace if/when you want night sights
-Safety - small, sharp and stiff - not a great combination…
-Grip - possible contender for worst grip ever designed, IMHO. The backstrap is nicely rounded and slim - a good start. Then, about 1/2" forward of the backstrap, there’s a concave scallop, and the forward 3/4" of the grip is barely wider than a single stack 9mm magazine. The result - instead of swelling nicely into the curve of your hand, like a 1911 grip, or being a slab-side contact point in the palm of your hand, like the PM9, you have air between your palm and the gun. That’s right - no contact between the gun and your hand except the immediate vicinity of the backstrap and frontstrap. I’m sure someone will tell me how this increases the aerodynamics of the grip and makes it harder to detect in your pocket, but, for me, I say yech.
Kimber: I didn’t even start trying to work through the 1,001 versions of the 1911 that Kimber has, we all know them and love them or hate them, based on past experience. I really gravitated to the Solo 9mm instead:
-Size - pretty darned close to the PM9, though, obviously heavier given the alloy frame (vice polymer).
-Sights - decent three-dot sights that look like they’d be easy to drift off and replace with NS when those become available
-Trigger - pretty nice - about 6-7 pounds, VERY smooth, no stacking, clean break. Pull is medium-long, and reset is all the way out at the start of the pull. There is no appreciable “reset” point - no tactile or audible indication that the trigger is reset, so you really just have to release the trigger the whole way
-Safety - ambidextrous and nicely contoured, very positive in engagement/disengagement, and just about right in the amount of force required to disengage. If I felt like I had to have a compact pistol with a safety, I’d want one very much like this.
-Magazine release - shaped like a traditional 1911 release, but mirrored on both sides of the pistol for ambidextrous use. There’s no serration to either side, and the part is “melted” so it’s very smooth. My concern would be that the spring seemed fairly “soft” from either direction, so I’m not sure there won’t be issues with magazines inadvertently dropping, especially in tight pocket holsters or IWB carry.
-Grip - felt very good in the hand, very nicely contoured and comfortable. Unfortunately, for some reason, Kimber decided to put NO texture of any kind on the front of back straps of this pistol, so I can’t help but think that it’s going to be VERY slick in sweaty hands.
-Overall I think this is the “nicest” of the pocket pistols revealed this year, but, due to the weight and the slick grip, I don’t think my PM9 has anything to worry about…
Regards,
Kevin
that they are working on one.