Kimber Solo Carry problems

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Ocraknife

New member
My sister-in-law bought a Kimber solo carry and she's not happy with it. I'm not sure how much research she did before she bought it but had she done any she would have seen that some of the issues she has were documented.

She's had issues with FTF, FTE, failure to go into battery and failure to have the slide lock back after the last round has fired. She has these issues even on the premium rounds that Kimber asks for.

My question is, has anyone heard of getting an armorer to work on these guns to improve some of these problems? Is there anything that can be done to make the gun less picky about the ammo it needs?



Thanks.
 
I forget whether it's Kimber and/or Kahr that requires a break-in period of hundreds of rounds. How many rounds have been shot?
 
The Kimber SOLO operates very close to the wire in terms of function. Even with premium ammo in the 124 and 147 grain class any limp wristing will likely cause some of the problems you list. It may be that the SOLO is not the ladies best choice.
 
Was the gun bought new or used?

Exactly what ammo was used?

Problems with all magazines, or just one?

Has anyone else shot it?

How much experience with handguns does the owner have?

It seems like you have listed every possible failure that could happen. Is there any pattern to the malfunctions? Does it run at all?

Was it cleaned and reassembled correctly?
 
The Gun was bought new. The shooter doesn't have as much experience as most of us do but my brother does and he's experienced the same problems.

They've used lots of different ammo, ball, frangible, different sizes of reloads and they all have the same issues. Of course heavy premium ammo performs best but even it isn't consistent enough to have confidence in the pistol as a carry piece.

Right now they've got the thing collecting dust in the safe so I was wondering if anyone here had the same issues and maybe shined up the feed ramp and changed out the recoil and mag springs and got better results.
 
I've been carrying mine for over a year. I don't recall what the factory says about "break-in". Somewhere in the gun literature/forums, a comment was made that after 300 rounds the SOLO will handle RN ammo without a problem. I have more than 300 rounds thru mine and it shoots/handles everything, RN,HP, 115gr, 124gr and 147gr.

It is finicky about procedure. Without mag in gun, lock slide back, insert loaded mag (make sure mag is seated), pull slide aft and release. Remove mag, insert additional round, insert mag and make sure it's seated. Set safety.
 
Okra, you nearby maybie give the gun a run and tell us how it works.
I've found new shooters can screw up an ak47.
 
Polishing the feed ramp and changing out springs is exactly what you should not do with a SOLO. It is virtually a straight shot into the chamber from the mag with a SOLO and anything that needs polish already is. The mag spring absolutely has to be heavy because the next round needs to be up right now. The recoil spring will weaken slightly with use and reliability usually improves with less than optimal ammo. If it is not reliable in the hands of an experienced shooter then send it back to Kimber and they will fix it.
 
Thanks everyone. I'll be there in a week or so. I'll run a 2 or 3 hundred rounds of mixed brand ammo through it and see if that helps.

She said she'd sell it to me for $500 if I wanted it. If I can make work I'd be tempted to buy it. Is that a good price?
 
That is a very good price if it works. Just a suggestion but i would run a couple hundred rounds of Speer Lawman 124gr Ball through it. That is loaded to the same specs as their premium ammo. If it functions well with that you are good to go. I don't see the purpose in running mixed brands of ammo through a SOLO.
 
The Solo likes heavier bullet weights and is prone to limp wristing causing malfunctions.
 
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I agree with NOT changing springs and NOT polishing. I also agree with the heavier bullet recommendation. I first ran several hundred (200+) rounds of factory recommended ammo. THEN, I tried different weights and different mfgs, and finally RN vs. HP rounds. The SOLO is precision equipment, but I wanted to know it's ammo capability.

I've got several handguns that I can easily carry. Most of them I don't carry frequently, such as a SIG p239, a Sphinx SDP ALPHA and a DW Guardian. I tend to favor a HK p7m8, a SIG p232 and, of course, the SOLO. The main feature of the SOLO, IMO, is its size; it seems to fit anywhere. And, it is accurate!
 
I have two Kimbers, a Super Match and a target II. Both have had problems the biggest of which is their customer service. Will never purchase another one.
 
Sounds just like my Solo. :( Also purchased new. I've tried different magazines and a new recoil spring - no difference. I've tried a dozen or more different ammo types, including the two or three recommended by Kimber. Remington Golden Sabers work the best, but it's still rare that it makes it through a complete magazine without a malfunction.

I bought a new Kahr CM9 for almost half the price ($340 vs $630), and it shoots anything I put in it, from 115 grain steel cased lacquered Russian crap to 147 grain WWB and everything in between. Same size as the Solo, but it works, and the barrel is 3/8" longer. :)

 
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