Post by kingrat on Feb 1, 2011 15:01:15 GMT -5
Pocket Pistols, aka deep concealment or BUG (back-up gun), seem to be the focus of most manufacturers and consumers these days. Among the higher quality builders, Ruger, Kahr, Sig, and now Kimber have entered the field. Last year it was the pocket 380 and this year - meeting the demand of those who believe 380 is just not quite enough power - is the year of the pocket 9.
Ruger, Sig, and Kimber all showed new models at SHOT Show this year but the first to arrive at the AR Bunker was the Kimber. It is called the Solo Carry and is a DAO work of art. Kimber shipped a few of these guns (one each) to its premier dealers with the restriction that they could not be sold but were to be used to show customers the gun while we wait for the supply chain to get filled. A waiting list has been established and AR Bunker has a large supply on order to fulfill the demand. We expect to sell a bunch of these beauties when Kimber gets around to shipping them.
We took the display model out to our test chamber to give it a workout and see if its operation matched the superior ergonomics we had already noticed from handling the display piece. This gun simply reeks of elegance in comparison to everything else in its category. If its reliability and durability equal its fit, finish, and ergonomics, it will be the king of the hill in the pocket 9 category. We could not find a single fault in the build quality, going through the gun with an armorer's view on finding obvious design flaws we have seen in guns from other manufacturers.
The first thing we noticed - on the very first time the gun went BANG - is that it is easy to be accurate with this piece. Most of us know our way around handgun operation and we didn't expect to be peppering the surrounding area with shots gone wild, but take a look at this first shot out of the Solo from 21 feet! IMPRESSIVE. Regrettably, I can't take credit for that shot. I cannot tell a lie. It was Lee who did it.
That shot was not an accident either, like beginner's luck most of the time when I take a new gun out to the range. Here's a pick of the first 5 shots Lee fired out of the gun. Disregard all those holes outside the black area of the target - they were from a previous range session. The Kimber put nothing outside the "9-ring" in our test.
Altogether, four of us tried the gun and everyone liked it a lot. Aside from being easy to shoot accurately, recoil is very manageable - lighter than you might think from a gun that weighs as little as this one does. The overall size and shape will make it easy to carry in a pocket, purse or very small holster for easy concealment with a variety of wardrobe options.
The only downside we found - well one of us did - is that if you grip the gun high in the rear, the slide can catch the web of your hand with a noticeable "bite." Only one of us noticed this "feature" and his grip method produces the same results with other guns that don't have a full beavertail.
If you want a pocket gun and want something more stout than .380, you need to consider the Kimber Solo Carry! Being a "dyed in the wool" Sig-man myself, I'm going to wait until I've tried the P290 coming out soon, but this Kimber is certainly impressive.
Edited 2/1/2011 to add:
Reflecting on our shooting session of yesterday; a couple of additional thoughts came to mind.
The gun will require a small amount of break-in. I'm thinking 50 or 100 rounds should be sufficient. We had a couple of failures to go into battery in the first 20 rounds or so, even though we were using quality ammo of the type recommended by Kimber. That didn't happen with the shooters who came later - near the end of our session. We'll get around to trying the gun with some more ammo brands and types to see what it does with them and report on that later.
I was not impressed that the gun came in a rather plain cardboard box, until we opened it to find a very nice, embroidered and padded soft case that will be provided in lieu of the plastic hard case other Kimbers and other brands usually come in.
This piece was field-stripped several times before we shot it for examination of the procedure and familiarization with the parts. Apparently, the re-assembly just prior to our shoot resulted in getting the slide catch lever installed improperly, which lead to some problems. Once we identified our error and installed the lever correctly, the gun performed normally in this regard. Owners will need to be careful when re-installing the slide catch lever to get its spring in the proper place. This ain't brain surgery, but does require you to pay attention.
As with many 1911's, there's a way to install an "idiot mark" on the frame just under the slide catch lever - so owners need to be mindful of this "feature" as well.
Ruger, Sig, and Kimber all showed new models at SHOT Show this year but the first to arrive at the AR Bunker was the Kimber. It is called the Solo Carry and is a DAO work of art. Kimber shipped a few of these guns (one each) to its premier dealers with the restriction that they could not be sold but were to be used to show customers the gun while we wait for the supply chain to get filled. A waiting list has been established and AR Bunker has a large supply on order to fulfill the demand. We expect to sell a bunch of these beauties when Kimber gets around to shipping them.
We took the display model out to our test chamber to give it a workout and see if its operation matched the superior ergonomics we had already noticed from handling the display piece. This gun simply reeks of elegance in comparison to everything else in its category. If its reliability and durability equal its fit, finish, and ergonomics, it will be the king of the hill in the pocket 9 category. We could not find a single fault in the build quality, going through the gun with an armorer's view on finding obvious design flaws we have seen in guns from other manufacturers.
The first thing we noticed - on the very first time the gun went BANG - is that it is easy to be accurate with this piece. Most of us know our way around handgun operation and we didn't expect to be peppering the surrounding area with shots gone wild, but take a look at this first shot out of the Solo from 21 feet! IMPRESSIVE. Regrettably, I can't take credit for that shot. I cannot tell a lie. It was Lee who did it.
That shot was not an accident either, like beginner's luck most of the time when I take a new gun out to the range. Here's a pick of the first 5 shots Lee fired out of the gun. Disregard all those holes outside the black area of the target - they were from a previous range session. The Kimber put nothing outside the "9-ring" in our test.
Altogether, four of us tried the gun and everyone liked it a lot. Aside from being easy to shoot accurately, recoil is very manageable - lighter than you might think from a gun that weighs as little as this one does. The overall size and shape will make it easy to carry in a pocket, purse or very small holster for easy concealment with a variety of wardrobe options.
The only downside we found - well one of us did - is that if you grip the gun high in the rear, the slide can catch the web of your hand with a noticeable "bite." Only one of us noticed this "feature" and his grip method produces the same results with other guns that don't have a full beavertail.
If you want a pocket gun and want something more stout than .380, you need to consider the Kimber Solo Carry! Being a "dyed in the wool" Sig-man myself, I'm going to wait until I've tried the P290 coming out soon, but this Kimber is certainly impressive.
Edited 2/1/2011 to add:
Reflecting on our shooting session of yesterday; a couple of additional thoughts came to mind.
The gun will require a small amount of break-in. I'm thinking 50 or 100 rounds should be sufficient. We had a couple of failures to go into battery in the first 20 rounds or so, even though we were using quality ammo of the type recommended by Kimber. That didn't happen with the shooters who came later - near the end of our session. We'll get around to trying the gun with some more ammo brands and types to see what it does with them and report on that later.
I was not impressed that the gun came in a rather plain cardboard box, until we opened it to find a very nice, embroidered and padded soft case that will be provided in lieu of the plastic hard case other Kimbers and other brands usually come in.
This piece was field-stripped several times before we shot it for examination of the procedure and familiarization with the parts. Apparently, the re-assembly just prior to our shoot resulted in getting the slide catch lever installed improperly, which lead to some problems. Once we identified our error and installed the lever correctly, the gun performed normally in this regard. Owners will need to be careful when re-installing the slide catch lever to get its spring in the proper place. This ain't brain surgery, but does require you to pay attention.
As with many 1911's, there's a way to install an "idiot mark" on the frame just under the slide catch lever - so owners need to be mindful of this "feature" as well.
