Loving my new Kimber Solo... 1700 rounds and counting.

[tracker]

The main potential problem that I see with a "safety off" carry is that it could inadvertently be engaged in the pocket to the "on" position, particularly with a good sized safety such as the Solo. I don't own a Solo but a lot of owners are happy with it on the range, at least.

[MRC]

The main potential problem that I see with a "safety off" carry is that it could inadvertently be engaged in the pocket to the "on" position, particularly with a good sized safety such as the Solo. I don't own a Solo but a lot of owners are happy with it on the range, at least.

That is a potential problem I guess, but one that has never happened to me.  The safety engages  and disengages with a very positive click.  I really do not see it as a problem.

When i purchased the Solo, one concern I had was the ambidextrous mag release.  Again it takes considerable force to release the magazine when the mag is full.  It has proven so far to be of no concern, but I still do not like it and have considered having it altered.  I do not carry a second magazine anymore so fast reloads are of no concern.  If i feel the need for more firepower, I switch to my 229.

[JoshA]

I have found it as a training issue I have trained around FOR ME. Granted I have out 1000+ rounds through the weapon and there is no guarantee that I will get the safety off in the event of a situation. That being said you have to weigh what is right for you and so do I. There is a part of me that actually likes the safety. There is another part of me that wished Glock made the single stack 9 in a size comparable to the solo. Since the G 42 .380 is bigger than the solo you are gonna have to look at a Kahr if the safety is an issue.

I have read and talked to a lot of Glock guys who have found that the cm9 is the suitable answer for the lack of that pocketable single stack 9 in the lineup. It does share most of the functional qualities of a Glock.

I am just concerned with reliability at this point. I have thus far experienced mixed reliability from my cw380, but like a lot of niche pistols I think it liked premium stuff, so I have to prove it still but if I'm right it is a great little gun with real sights and +p and that sweet Kahr trigger.

I like the solo a lot and have made it my EDC when it's warmer out and the clothes are thinning up.

[tracker]

We can certainly agree on the Colt Gold Cups and Sig 229s; and German mfg. 228s, I might add.

[C0untZer0]

My favorite pistol design is the HK P7.

For decades it was the only pistol I trained with.

When I bought my P7M8 in 1985 I passed up the 3rd Gen Smiths that you hear people rave about today as being such wonderful pistols, I also passed on the Beretta 92, because I made a personal decision for myself that slide mounted safeties that flipped up were not optimal for me.  Could I have learned to use them and developed muscle memory and reflexes to bring the guns into action in an emergency - probably, although there was no guarantee I would be able to, and the P7M8 was just much much easier to use.

When I read gun forums and people create these "what gun should I get" threads, I consistency see people underestimating the importance of controls, control placement and whether or not the owner can readily and easily manipulate the controls.

And it is not just a simple matter of flip up / flip down.  I tried the safety on the Kahr PM9.  I thought it looked like a good idea because I've never had a problem with the flip-down safeties on the 1911 or BHP, but it wasn't until I actually tried to manipulate the safety on the PM9 that I realized it would not work for me.

Just the way it is positioned means I could not do a simple thumb sweep of it to disengage it.   I have to bend my thumb and actually place my thumb against it like it is a button - not a lever and then instead of sweeping it down, it is more like dialing a knob. 

So if you can imagine dialing a safety down instead of flipping a lever down maybe you get the idea of what the PM9 safety was like.

Anyway I was pretty convinced I wouldn't be able to deploy it in a crunch.

[MRC]

Putting a safety on a PM9 makes about as much sense as putting a safety on a double action revolver in my opinion.

[C0untZer0]

I'm not sure if it was a marketing move to appeal to shooters as much as to make it compliant in some state.

[tracker]

My guess would be compliance like Massachusetts; the bassackwards deign certainly has no appeal to me.

[C0untZer0]

http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-PM9-w-External-Safety-and-LCI.asp

Yep

You were right.  i checked Kahr's site and in big bold red letters:

MA Approved

[JoshA]

Is the safety a new thing or is it just on mass and CA guns? I didn't think the cm/pm 9's had safety's.

[tracker]

It is new and called the "Enhanced Series" whereas the original without the thumb safety is called the "Value Series." Both are available but the external safety version was designed for CA and MA and expanded as a newer model because of the alleged increased demand. The "Enhanced " or so called "Premium" series  in the PM model both sell for a higher price.

[JoshA]

So there ya go. If you don't like the safety of the solo, roll with the Kahr. Same size, 1/2 the money for CM and  it has a good rep. for dependability.

Probably can't go wrong for $320-$350 for a CM. I guess if you are weighing between a PM or Solo you have a bit more weighing to do IMO.

I'm sure they are both good guns. I look at how many guns all of us have collectively and we are all looking for the perfect carry weapon so we all end up with scores of pistols. Well if one person can't figure out what's best for him how can a group of people figure out the one perfect gun. Impossible.
It's an individual thing,

BUT IF I WERE TO DAYDREAM (imagine a dreamy harp sound here) I WOULD FUSE 2 GUNS INTO ONE FOR MY EDC. THE RELIABILITY AND FUNCTIONALITY OF A GLOCK. THE SIZE AND LOOKS OF AN R9. THERE YA GO. THAT WAS VALUABLE WASNT IT? But it would suit my needs well.

Back to reality... Ok I do wish the solo didn't have a safety, but other than that it's been pretty close to perfect IMO for whatever that's worth. : ) it's probably worth about as much as you paid to read this forum : ) or less.

[MRC]

JoshA said

"Back to reality... Ok I do wish the solo didn't have a safety, but other than that it's been pretty close to perfect IMO for whatever that's worth. : ) it's probably worth about as much as you paid to read this forum : ) or less."

I have been carrying a Solo now for over three years and the safety has never been a problem or a worry.

Now the right side mag release has been a longtime worry of mine and it too has never been a problem.

Nothing's going to be perfect for every one.

[tracker]

The thing that I like about the Solo thumb safety is that it is not upside down like the Kahr; "up" for the firing position is very counterintuitive. I can see someone who was trained with the 1911 "cocked and locked" carrying the Kahr Enhanced with the thumb safety in the up or firing position and inadvertently lowering it to the safe position after drawing the weapon.

[tracker]

Take it or leave it but my best and friendly advice is to not pursue that one because it is irrelevant; your choice on the deletion. Kahr's corporate HQ is at Blauvelt, NY and they have a factory in Worcester, MA which may explain the MA compliant model. Justin Moon was born in Korea in 1970 and was raised in Tarrytown, NY. He has had a gun license since he was 18 and has a passion for designing carry weapons. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard and also has an MBA. I observed him at an NRA show for about 5 minutes and was very impressed with his bearing, demeanor, and hands on interest with his products. In short, he is the real deal, IMO.

As to why he would design a thumb safety this way you would have to ask him. The only rational explanation is that up is on for some wall mounted light switches and in old airplanes where there were up and down switches for on and off. This doesn't make any sense in a pistol thumb safety.