The handgun market sometimes seems overwhelmed by new entries, many of which are simply minor variations on existing models. It’s not that often an entirely new model of handgun hits the gun world, but it happened with the Anderson Manufacturing Kiger 9c. This pistol is their first entry into the world of handguns, and it’s been met with significant interest.
So, is the Kiger 9c worth getting your gun-loving hands on? We did the trigger time and checked it out so we can pass that information on to you. Here’s what we learned about the Anderson Kiger 9c.
Who is Anderson Manufacturing?
Because this is the company’s first leap into handguns, there are people who aren’t entirely familiar with the gun maker. Anderson Manufacturing has actually been around for decades and is well known in AR platform circles. The manufacturer was founded in 1976, giving them more than five decades of experience designing and manufacturing firearms, so they’re by no means new to this. Anderson makes their guns in Hebron, Kentucky, and while they continue to bill themselves as a leading rifle manufacturer, the existence of the Kiger 9c makes it clear they’ve decided to branch out.
What does that mean for the production of their first handgun? Let’s find out.
What’s the Anderson Kiger 9c?
The Anderson Kiger 9c is a pistol designed with defensive use in mind. It’s a compact gun, which makes it easier to conceal, and it’s chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum (which is currently the most popular defensive caliber). Of course, it has other features meant to improve its use for defensive applications, too.
According to Anderson, the pistol’s polymer frame is an original design. It’s a striker-fired gun and does not have an external thumb safety, but it does have internal safety mechanisms. And while it’s the company’s first handgun it isn’t their last (there’s already a Pro version available).
What are the Kiger 9c specifications?
The gun’s compact polymer frame has overmolded slide rails, which means it offers greater strength and stress resistance in that area than some handguns. As for the slide itself, it’s machined from 416R stainless steel. This particular steel is a chromium stainless steel frequently used in firearms due to its known machineability and the close control of its overall chemistry during production.
The barrel of the gun is made from the same metal and both the slide and barrel are DLC (diamond like carbon) coated. DLC coating is great for resistance to wear and tear and because it delivers high hardness and low friction.
Rough texturing on either side of the grip facilitates a solid grip while ridges on the backstrap and frontstrap are meant to offer an improved gripping surface as well. The trigger guard is aesthetically cut with an undercut space at the grip meant to help secure the top finger of your support hand. Whether or not the fit is correct will depend on your hand size, but it should fit a wide range of hands. Narrow ridges are also present on the exterior surface of the trigger guard.
Other frame features include a slightly flared magwell with side cuts intended to make it easier to grab the base of the magazine for reloads. There’s also an accessory rail in front of the trigger guard and deep grooves at the muzzle end of the frame to make it easier to clamp aftermarket accessories like lights onto the gun.
Broad, angled serrations are placed at the front and back of the slide. The edges of the serrations are not sharp and have been blunted so they provide a nice firm grip without cutting into your hands when you rack the slide. A black U-cut, drift adjustable rear sight and white dot front sight come standard. The trigger is the expected safety blade design and is listed as having a 5.5-pound trigger pull weight. Anderson’s recognizable horse logo and the gun model name are engraved on the left side of the slide.
The gun has an overall length of 7.35 inches, overall width of 1.26 inches, and an overall height of 5.175 inches. It weighs 1.25 pounds, empty.
The Kiger 9c at the Range
For the purposes of this review, the Kiger 9c was run with a few different loads including Sinterfire 9mm 100-grain HP Frangible, Winchester Silvertip 9mm 147-grain JHP, and Federal 9mm 115-grain FMJ. The gun didn’t experience any failures during testing. Regarding accuracy, the gun proved itself capable of basic accuracy out to 10 yards and broad yet decent groups at 25 yards. This isn’t a precision pistol, it’s meant more for up-close defensive use, and it’s capable of providing close-range accuracy.
Although the gun is compact, it’s not so compact as to be difficult to grip. Anderson describes the frame as having an extended beavertail, but it isn’t quite as extended as you might expect. If you have very large hands you’re going to overflow the beavertail. The grip’s texturing and ridges are sufficient for a good grip, even with sweaty hands, and not so aggressive as to make shooting uncomfortable. My hands are relatively large, and it’s worth noting the raised areas on the upper portion of the slide negatively affected my grip. This occurred because the shape of the raised portion pushes against my trigger finger when my finger is indexed. In a firing grip, with my finger on the trigger, it’s not an issue. Your experience is going to depend on your hand size and shape.
There is some resistance and stacking in the trigger pull. Using my Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge I found an average pull weight of 5 pounds, 11 ounces. Now, Anderson does state the guns are compatible with aftermarket accessories, so it should be possible to swap out the trigger just as most of us change triggers on our Glocks. That said, the factory trigger performs about as expected for the price point.
The bulk of the gun’s weight is in its slide and barrel, which does help mitigate felt recoil and muzzle rise. That’s great for gun owners looking for a carry gun that isn’t snappy to shoot. Thanks to the Picatinny accessory rail, it’s easy to add lights and lasers to the gun, and those products do fit securely.
The gun ships with a Magpul Glock PMAG. Seating the magazine is straightforward and grabbing them by the base is also easy thanks to the design of both the magwell and the mags themselves. Magazines drop smoothly and don’t stick, but I did run into an issue with mag changes. The design of the mag release button requires the opposite side of the release to extend further from the frame of the gun than you find on most pistols. This required me to mindfully move my strong side hand away from the frame of the gun to allow space for the mag release button to operate. So while the controls are easy to reach without adjusting your grip, the design of the mag release requires your hand to move away, so, shifting your grip. If you’re shooting with your left hand as your strong side hand, it isn’t nearly such an issue, but for right-handed shooters, it does present an issue.
Should you get an Anderson Kiger 9c?
Overall, the Kiger 9c performs within its price point. It’s a decent entry-level pistol and with its reliable cycling and general accuracy, it’s certainly a candidate for use by many gun owners. This is an interesting foray into pistols by Anderson and, as with all handguns, how well it fits your needs will depend on your hand size and specific use.
MSRP for the Anderson Manufacturing Kiger 9c is set at $429.00.
