The Rohrbaugh Forum
Miscellaneous => Other Guns => Topic started by: MRC on October 31, 2011, 03:42:10 PM
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I bought a Kimber Solo about a month ago so I have been running tests on it the last couple of weeks. I was asked by one of the members here how I liked it so I thought I would post this. I got tired of waiting for the silver vesion to come out so I bought a black framed one when one came up at a somewhat reasonable price.
So far I have put the following brands of ammo through it with 100% reliability: 124 gr and 115 gr Gold Dots, 124gr and 147 gr Hydrashoks, and 115 gr Hornady Critical Defense.
As I stated, no failures of any kind.
On the second trip to the range I took my R9 and my PM9 along to compare accuracy and shoot ability. I used a slow fire off hand format at 30 feet to check accuracy. I really like shooting all three of these guns and they amaze me with their accuracy. In my hands the Kimber was the most accurate followed closely by the Kahr and then the Rohrbaugh. To be fair to the Rohrbbaugh, I am convinced it is as accurate as the other two but they have much better sights for my old eyes to use. All are plenty accurate for the intended use.
Next I moved to a rapid fire test on a sihouette at 21 feet and fired seven rounds as fast as I could accurately. Again the Kimber came in first followed by the Kahr and the Rohrbaugh. I was able to get shots off accurately much faster with the Kimber and Kahr than the Rohrbaugh. This is because I am 62 years old and my grip just isn't what it used to be. I believe 20 years ago iwould be able to handle the Rohrbaugh's recoil much better.
Now the other facts. To get better shoot ability you have to put up with a heavier gun. Here are the weights loaded with 7 rounds of 124 gr Hydrashok:
Solo 20.2 oz, PM9 19.5 oz, R9 18.2 oz
Slide thicknes just behind the muzzle:
Solo .92 in, PM9 .90 in, R9 .83 in
Because the R9 is so much thinner and because of the slide shape, the R9 vitually disappears in my pocket like a .380. I know the other two are there.
Weight of the slide without barrel and recoil springs:
Solo 7.9 oz, PM9 8.4 oz, R9 5.2 oz
This tells me that the slide velocity of the R9 is much higher than the other two leading to a much "snappier" recoil.
Barrel lengths measured from muzzle to the case head of a loaded round put into the chamber.
Solo 2.812 in, PM9 2.955 in, R9 2.900 in
These are somewhat different from the published numbers.
The Solo has large ambidextrous mag release buttons which worried me. With 6 rounds in the mag and the mag fully inserted into the gun, it takes a lot of force to release the mag. Empty the mag drops by its own weight. I do not worry about the mag releasing at all.
I really like the Solo. It points naturally for me, has nice sights, looks very good and has outstanding workmanship and accuracy. I personally prefer the conventional mag release. I have pocket carried it for the past two weeks and it woks fine for me. I can't tell the difference between it and the PM9 when pocket carried. If the 8 round mags were available, that is what I think I would be carrying.
If you can't pocket carry a PM9, you will not be able to pocket the Solo. I urge everyone to try to pocket carry before you say you can't. I have found it takes a couple of hours to get used to, and then you don't know it is there. It still would be a very good IWB choice, but that does not work for me.
If anyone has any questions, I would try to answer them.
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Excellent report, MRC; much obliged!
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Thanks for the report MRC, I've been doing some reading on these and I appreciate the time you took in writing that. Thanks!
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Very good review. I admit to looking hard at one of these, but so far I've resisted.
On the triggers, how would you rate the 3 guns from lightest pull to heaviest pull?
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Ljutic
All three have very good triggers for that type of gun in my opinion. If I were only going to buy one, the trigger would not be the deciding factor for me. I know you have both a Rohrbaugh and a PM9 like I do and of those two I perfer the PM9 trigger maybe a little. How about you?
Of the three I prefer the Kimber's trigger but I think it is because the pistol fits my hand the best and not because it is the lightest. I do prefer striker fired pistols over hammer fired just because of the trigger and reliability of them.
That said, my Rohrbaugh has the smoothest lightest trigger of any hammer fired DAO pistol I have ever shot. I worry about light hits but it has been 100% reliable for me.
I hope that helps.
PS: How the Seecamp I helped you with?
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Seecamp is great. Shot it once and have carried it a bunch. Got carbon fiber grips from designer grips which I really like.
It's a gun in a different class, but I really like my diamondback DB9. Don't carry the PM9 much anymore. I like how I can shoot the DB9 and the fact that it's smaller is a bonus.
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I have been waiting for the silver model Solo to come out also, I don't think I will go with the two tone but just continue to wait.
Thanks for the great detailed report. :D
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Yankee
Before I bought the two-tone I called up a Dealer friend of mine who is a Top 300 Kimber dealer and the largest Kimber dealer in Iowa. I asked him about the silver framed guns and Kimber is not projecting when they will be out. Everyone is asking for them. I also asked him when he could get me a black one. He has a wait list with 40 names on it and has received 8 guns so far.
I watched Gunbroker for used Solo's but they all went way high in my opinion. I did notice a lot of them had "Nicks" in the black coating on the frame, I don't know if it is carelessness or a soft coating. I guess I will find out.
Another item to pass along. I went to the range on Thursday to shoot the Solo. On the first shot the slide locked back on me. I released it and fired again with the same results. I took the pistol apart and I really couldn't see anything wrong, as the gun had just been cleaned. I had the manual with me and it mentioned that the slide catch lever must be installed under the slide lever spring. I made sure I did this and the gun functioned fine. I guess it is my own fault, but I have never seen a gun where the lever could be installed without the spring working. Glad it happened when it did.
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Good to hear you are having luck with your SOLO. I had one, worked perfect till I had ~600 or so rounds through it, then I started getting FTF issues and slide not locking back on last round. I wondered if the recoil sping had gotten weak. Anyway, I liked everything else about the gun. Sold though....just wasn't as confident in it as I wanted to be after I started having issues with it. Please keep us posted as to how it performs as you get more rounds through it.
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Toad
I am still carrying the Solo and I have shot it twice more at the range and still 100% reliable. I am going to start putting some of my reloads through it shortly.
I am no wheres close to 600 rounds. The manual does say to change the complete spring assembly at 1000 rounds though I would try that.
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Nice to hear a good report MRC....hope it continues to perform for you. They are very nice looking weapons and I found mine to be a very nice handling pistol.
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The Solo really does feel good in my hand and seems to point naturally for me. The slide lock, mag release, real sights, and 1911 type safety give it a real "Big Gun" feel in a fairly small package.
I have to admit that I think I like it better than the PM9 and I never thought I would say that.