concealed carry

[right_to_bear_arms]

New to the forum and wanted to say hello to all.Thinking about getting Kimber Solo and was wondering about experiences people have had with them.Are they worth getting?

[Sensei]

You are probably not going to find a lot of love for Kimber around here. There are less expensive / more reliable alternatives such as the Glock 26 and M&P9c.

[Nephrology]

Agreed. Do not buy something unproven from a company with a spotty record. Either of the subcompact 9mms listed above would be a better choice.

the walther PPS is another good compact 9mm. single stack, so it is very slim.

[sammage]

Would definitely echo the others and recommend a pistol with a proven track record.

[oldtexan]

New to the forum and wanted to say hello to all.Thinking about getting Kimber Solo and was wondering about experiences people have had with them.Are they worth getting?

My experience with Kimber (three .45 1911s bought new about 7 years ago) has convinced me to never give them any more of my money. Those 3 guns had too many reliability and durability issues for me to trust a Kimber product again.

Because of Kimber's spotty reputation, my advice would be to wait until the Solo proves itself (if it ever does) or get a gun that is already proven.

There are many proven good single stack 9mm guns on the market. We have two 9mm PPS and three Kahr 9mm (PM9, K9, and TP9). The PPS each have about 1100 rds through them, the K9 and TP9 each about 800 rds, and the PM9 about 2100 rds. The PPS are my slight favorites but the Kahrs are IMO good guns as well. The Walther is bigger than the Solo IIRC, but would conceal very well as an IWB gun. IMO the PPS is too big and shaped wrong (square profile on rear of slide) to serve as a good pocket gun.

I do believe that the PM9-size Kahrs are on the ragged edge of how small a 9mm can be built and still be more or less reliable. Mine has had numerous issues with failure to return to battery. It developed a serious barrel peening problem at about 1800 rds and had to go back to Kahr to have its whole top half replaced. It seems pretty reliable now, but I don't recommend the PM9-size guns. Our K9 and TP9 have been noticeably more reliable than the PM9, and about as reliable as our two PPS. From experience with the K9 and PM9, I believe that Kahrs need new recoil springs about every 800 rds or so. Any of the Kahrs would be good as IWB carry guns, and all, IMO, even the PM9, are too big for most pockets.

[right_to_bear_arms]

Glock 26 is one that I am concedering for my cc but at the same time I like the whole single stack slimness on some of these 9mm.Walther PPS was another one I was going to ask about and I see it must be a pretty reliable one.Thanks for the info.Please keep it coming.

[Nephrology]

Glock 26 is one that I am concedering for my cc but at the same time I like the whole single stack slimness on some of these 9mm.Walther PPS was another one I was going to ask about and I see it must be a pretty reliable one.Thanks for the info.Please keep it coming.

Of all the guns listed so far, the G26 and the PPS are my 2 favorite. Very similar 'safe action' triggers, both very light, both very concealable with fairly similar magazine capacity. Just gotta decide if you like short and squat vs tall and thin. I would have a hard time deciding between the two - see if you can't rent them both and put a box or 2 through them to help you decide.

[John_Wayne777]

I would have reservations about the "solo" not really because of the brand name, but because it's a new gun. That means not many people have them, not many people have run them hard...so it's a higher risk purchase than something like a Glock 26. It's not a cheap purchase, either.

Getting an expensive paperweight isn't really anyone's cup of tea.

[porider]

OK, I might get flamed for this but I've never had any issues with reliability with my Kimbers. Yup I said it. Did not matter if it was a Series II or Series I, Ultra, Compact or Govt models, all of them kept on shooting. Ammo Used where Fed 45 auto from wally world and Hornady XTP handloads as well as Winchester 45 HPs. All of them functioned like a champ. Maybe my secret to success was to never use the factory mags? I've always put Wilson mags in all my 1911s both officer and govt.

Now the Kimber "customer service" is another thing! They Suck! The only other customer service worse is the USPS.

Now for the Kimber Solo in question. I would not get it. why? It's a new nomenclature and I would not want to talk to "customer service" if I had any issues with this new platform.

Solution! Get an STI 1911 in 9mm. The pistols are Very Well Built and the customer service is TOP notch.

Just my 2cents!

[DeusExMachina]

I disagree about M&Pc and G26/27/etc. Magazine changes are difficult while holding a grip extension, and without a grip extension you're holding on without a full hand.

I recently made the choice to a G19 and it's perfect. I can shoot it all day and conceal it better than the PM9 I had bought to pocket carry.

Unfortunately S&W doesn't make anything in a similar size, but the Glock has a better trigger anyway.

When looking for a PM9, I was looking at the Solo and the Sig P290 and decided if I was going to trust my life on something, it wasn't going to be a first-run gun.