Tag Archives: Handguns

Weapons

I may have been wrong. Maybe.

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At SHOT Show took a look at the brand new and shiny Kimber Solo 9mm.  At for some reason that I can’t put my finger on… I disliked it.  No, let me be clear.  I hated it.  I wouldn’t have one.  Even if it was gifted to me, I’d sell to some unfortunate nitwit who would think it was nifty and then I’d go buy something I liked more and could get more use out of… like blister cream or 8 Track tapes.

And now here it is, six months later.  To be honest, it’s grown on me.  I no longer hate it.  For some reason I can’t put my finger on… I kinda like it, and I wouldn’t mind having it.  But I’d still never actually buy it.

It’s… hmm… I’m searching for the right word for it… “Nice”.  It’s a nice little gun.   And perhaps that’s its problem from the start.  You see, a universally accepted good gun like a 1911 Commander .45 is great looking gun… beautiful, in the eyes of fellows like me.   At the same time it feels just gorgeous in the hand.  It fits.   It also looks like what a Weapon should look like… it looks like it’s going to destroy something, it just hasn’t decided who yet.  It has a form that’s based on it’s function and that function is to put large bullets through bad guys.

And this is where the Kimber Solo Nine Millimeter fails.  Even in the name, just say the name a few times out loud… it even just sounds “Nice”.  Like something Julie Andrews might have in her purse… it’s just well mannered and nice.  Or like something you might spread on a piece of toast.  It’s nice… Pleasant, without being fun or too interesting.   Like having a Brunch with your Grandmother… nice…  And that’s what put me off of the Solo.  It is completely lacking in Sex and Violence.

Julie Andrews approves of the Kimber Solo.

Now, if Kimber was to scale the Solo up… to say .45… then all the sudden it would become very interesting.  Or even something slightly different, like .357 SIG.  But just a 9mm?  Sure, it works… perfectly serviceable.  Certainly better than a .380… it’s nice.   But I won’t buy Nice.  Not for the price.  The thing is retailing for about $630 and for that much salad you have a world of other options that are less “nice” with more Sex and Violence.

Can you imagine the Solo in .357 SIG?  Kind of like a young Julie Andrews playing a lead role in a remake of Bound.  Proper, but she’s a dirty dirty girl behind closed doors.

Alternatives would be perhaps a Kahr MK9, or if you can find one, a Colt Pocket 9 – which I am still wanting one day.  A Springfield EMP9 would also be pretty cool.  But the Solo 9?  It just leaves me feeling less than satisfied.

I think I just might be the first gun writer that has compared a handgun to the star of Sound of Music… Well, at least not to Captain Von Trapp.

Weapons

My name is Ogre, and I’m an addict.

9 Comments

We had a Kimber Desert Warrior that had come in on trade some time ago.  It’s been riding the shelf almost completely untouched for a couple months.   I remember selling the gun to the fellow years ago.   This was before Kimber took they QC Nose Dive.  I examined the gun carefully.  He carried the gun a lot, then let it ride his gun safe a lot.  But he didn’t shoot it very much.  There is only a little finish wear on the frame rails from cycling, which is nothing because we have new guns on the shelf with more.  The breach face still looks new.

My cost on it was real good.   So it went into the back on Layaway.   I’ll take my time getting it payed off… I’m in no rush to take it home.  It still has those weird yellow waffle-like grips.  I hate those things.   Those are going Bye-Bye as soon as I finish the 4473 on it.

 

Weapons

Respecting Kimber

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I’ve had some emails where people think that I am disrespecting Kimber.  Actually I feel that Kimber has disrespected the American Gun Culture.  Taking us for granted.

Personally I have great respect for Kimber.  They changed the 1911 Industry as a whole.  Before Kimber, it was common to buy a new Colt or other 1911… and take it straight to a gunsmith so that they could make the gun simply run.  Kimber comes out with the gun they called the “Custom”.  And it worked right out of the box.  They sold so well, that the other 1911 makers had to step up their games or they were out.  It really kicked Colt in the Sweets hard.

I’m critical of Kimber because in my opinion they have let themselves down.. accepting lower standards and just expecting customers to just take it because they are Kimber and they know better.  Well, that’s just not acceptable.  Kimber needs to get back to building guns instead of making pretty.  The need to take seriously the gun making responsibility.  Guns are for Competition, for Law Enforcement, for Self Defense… These guns can Save Lives.  They should take seriously a sacred responsibility to build guns right.

Weapons

S&W 745

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This is an older Smith & Wesson auto.  I’m not sure of the value as the blue book on it only showed the 745 IPSC model, which looks just like this, but has a fixed rear sight.  It’s Single Action Only.  The safety lever is only a firing pin blocker, and does nothing to prevent the trigger from dropping the hammer.
The grip is slim, giving it a feel much like a SIG P220 with factory synthetic grips.  The checkering on the front strap is a little rough, but it’s factory checkering.  Over all, I like the gun.

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