I was very intrigued by the Solo when it first came out, but it was pretty pricey, and I wasn't really on the market for a "pocket 9" at the moment. However, it wasn't too long afterwards that I bought a used PM9 from a pawn shop in Balch Springs. At the time, first reports of the Solo's alleged unreliability were first coming out. I'm a Gun Tests Magazine subscriber, and they ran a May 2011 article comparing the Solo to the Kahr CW9, which I read avidly:
http://www.gun-tests.com/issues/23_5/fe ... 878-1.html, requires subscription to view whole article. Overall, they liked the gun, but they also had the following comments:
On the range we loaded the gun first with some heavy loads and tried a few shots one handed. With 147-grain FMJ Black Hills ammo there was no pain. The gun just shoved our hand upward. But we noticed a sharp rap on our third finger from the sharp front edge of the magazine. In extended shooting for accuracy, this sharp edge cut through the skin of our third finger. We don’t like it when a gun makes us bleed. The solution would be to soften that sharp edge. However, we also had a very hard time getting the magazine out when we had the first of two jams. There’s not enough magazine to grab. Maybe the eight-round magazine would be easier to get out, but we did not have one to test. If the lip were extended forward another eighth of an inch it would provide more of a ledge to pull on. That may or may not help the gouging of the third finger.
.....and.....
Kimber’s Solo is a smaller gun than the Kahr CW9, but we feel the average shooter will be happier with the Kahr unless he/she has a great need for the smaller package. If so, be prepared to wrestle with the hefty forces needed to retract the slide.
.....and.....
All in all, we liked the Solo, but we wonder about the extraordinary force needed to chamber a round or lock the slide back. As noted, we think Kimber needs to bevel or round the front edges of the magazines to prevent cutting the fingers.
.....and.....
We think more shooters will be comfortable with the Kahr than the Solo. Although it’s larger and perhaps not in the same exact category, the Kahr is easier to shoot, easier on the hand and pocketbook, and seems to be reliable. We are starting to think some guns are just too small, but we haven’t tried them all yet. A bit of roughness that we felt in the Kahr’s slide movement was somewhat abated by the end of our shooting. We suspect the Kahr will find lots of buyers, especially among those who lack the strength to force the Solo’s slide back by hand.
The PM9 is smaller than the CW9, and so it is a much better for comparison purposes to the Solo than the CW9 is. Perhaps if there was a Solo available to compare the Kahr PM9 against when I bought the Kahr, I might have stepped up to the Solo. I don't know. What I do know is that I found a lightly used and very well preserved PM9 Black with Night Sights ($958.00 MSRP for NIB at the time) for $500.00, and Solos were rare as hen's teeth and nobody was selling them for much of a discount.
In terms of the fit, finish, and impression of build quality, the Solo qualifies as a "fine" gun, while the Kahr PM9 is less so. But, the Kahr has proven to be both a reliable and accurate little pistol. Also, despite weighing 3 oz less than the Solo (the difference between polymer and alloy frames), the PM9 has a 3.1" barrel to the Solo's 2.9", and the PM9 barrel has polygonal rifling, which gives it slightly higher muzzle velocity than standard rifled CM9, and makes the barrel easier to clean. When you're talking about 3" class barrels, that extra .2" of barrel might make a little bit of difference in bullet performance.....or not.....but it
might.
And if you don't care about "fine" at all, you can have the CM9....essentially the same gun as the PM9....for half the price of the PM9. The PM9
also turns out to have a stiff recoil spring that makes racking the slide more difficult. Gee.....wouldn't you know it......that turns out to be a characteristic of tiny 9mm pistols, regardless of brand? Hindsight being 20/20, I have owned a 3" Kimber 1911 before, and it was a "fine" gun too, and if were to choose today between the Kahr PM9 with night sights and a Kimber Solo Carry DC with night sights, I'd buy the Kimber. They've been out long enough now for the bugs to be ironed out, I know how to follow ammo instructions, and it is by FAR the prettier gun. The Kahr undoubtedly functions just as well, and yes, guns are just tools, but I'll take a SNAP-ON over a Stanley tool any day of the week if the budget permits it.
What can I say? I like nice things.
Maybe some day, at the right price, a Solo will follow me home.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
). It IS a stiff spring to work, but since I did that, no failures that I know of. Also, nothing lighter than 124 gr ammo has been run through it.
