A Tale of 2 9mm Sub Compacts: Kimber vs. Sig

[Dusty Harry]

In my quest for something more substantial power-wise than my Kahr P380 for the summer but almost as diminutive, I fell in love with the feel of the Kimber Solo Carry the first time I got to hold one back in the Spring and got on three waiting lists. Finally bought one about 3 weeks ago, but it was a short-lived affair. Went to the range the day I picked it up and the sear spring failed on shot # 92. Sent it back to Kimber via my dealer for repair. Last week, got the gun back and this time it made it just over 100 rounds before it broke - same failure! At that point I invoked the "cheatin' spouse" rule; do it once and I might forgive you - do it twice and I definitely want a divorce. It's a shame, she was beautiful, but then again, those are the one's that also seem to be high maintenance too. Bottom line, such guns are built for one purpose and you have to be able to trust it with your life. Would it wait to fail on round 400 next, when I needed it the most? No thanks.

Now I am a few days into a Sig P290. Not as sexy as the Solo, but it seems to be working well. So, how do these two stack up? Well, as I said, the feel of the Kimber is much better to me, but then I am a huge 1911 fan too. They did a masterful job rounding the edges, and the ergonomics are great. It is also thinner; the felt effects of all this are greater than the actual measurement differences. Better trigger too. All that added up to slightly better groups. But, I don't get the need for a thumb safety on the Kimber. Besides not working (!), negatives on the Solo include that it will not reliably function with standard 115 gr. ball ammo - creates a nasty little jam with the half-extracted case still in the barrel and the next round tight up against it. Also, forget about 6+1; with six rounds in the teeny little mag, the Solo won't reliably seat up against a closed slide. Not a problem with the P290. Finally, with +P loads, the front lip of the magazine on the Solo juts out just enough to become painfully noticable; it will just about draw blood on your ring finger after 20 rounds.

As for the P290, my next priority (besides finding a proper southpaw holster - a problem for both models right now) will be to fashion a smooth grip panel on the side where it contacts the body; the 50 grit polymer stippling on the panels that come with it will wear a hole in your side quickly. It seems to eat anything I stack in a mag. No failures to feed whatsoever. To be fair, the Solo did too as long as you stuck to the recommended 124 or heavier personal defense loads. The Sig also came with tritium sights and a cute little laser for the same price. Both these items are available for the Solo at extra cost. In addition to the standard 6 round mag, the Sig came with an extended 8 rd. magazine that gives your pinky finger a place which helps considerably with control. The Solo - perhaps they named it that because it only comes with one mag. Really?!

Both guns fired surprisingly well accuracy-wise. Either would produce clover leaf groups at 21 ft when I did my part. More than adequate for the intended purpose. Both are a handful with stout loads, as you might imagine.

So, what does it all mean? In the final analysis, I really wish the Kimber hadn't let me down - there is a lot to love there. But, the Sig makes for a great Miss Congeniality and seems more promising as a long term mate, if for no other reason than the cost of practice ammo. I am of a mind that any autoloader should pretty much run on any mainstream factory ammo - the Sig does, the Solo doesn't. However, in terms of real-world 'feel' and bulk when carrying, the blocky Sig doesn't offer a huge advantage over my Kahr K40, is harder to shoot well and down almost 100 ft-lbs in energy. Hope you all find this helpful if you are considering either model or pondering a micro 9mm in general.

[karder]

Thanks for the write up. It is a shame to hear that the Kimber let you down. Those look great, but if yours won't shoot reliably, I don't blame you for chucking it. The Sig is no slouch though, congrats on getting a great gun.

[TLE2]

I am in mourning... Kimber!

[74novaman]

It seems I hear more bad stories about Kimber these days than any other brand. Has their QC been slipping, or have they always been hit or miss and made up for it with great marketing I wonder?

[Rugerboy50]

It seems I hear more bad stories about Kimber these days than any other brand. Has their QC been slipping, or have they always been hit or miss and made up for it with great marketing I wonder?

My understanding is that Kimber is very backordered.

Could be a major contributing factor to quality issues.

I purchased a pro carry II 9mm about 9 months ago. 400 + rounds and no major problems. I think part of the key with Kimber's is breaking them in with heavy loads. They are built to such tight specs.

[The Annoyed Man]

Gun Tests magazine did a comparison of the Solo against a Kahr CW9, and found the Kimber deficient for a number of reasons. You have to be a subscriber (well worth it) to read the entire article, but it can be found here: http://www.gun-tests.com/issues/23_5/fe ... 878-1.html

[Chemist45]

I generally try not to buy a gun the first year it is out.
One, you usually pay a premium for the privilege.
Two, they usually haven't worked out all of the bugs yet.

Sounds like the Kimber needs a year of troubleshooting.

[Tallinthesaddle]

Thanks for taking the time to write up this comparison and spending the money, since both of these two pistols are not cheap. It is hard to find a comparison on two or more firearms without a sales job. I have been thinking about the Sig P290 and all I have seen are two-tone versions. I compared it to a Sig P250 9mm subcompact for size (since I felt they woud be about the same) and was surprised to see that the P290 was smaller. With a gun show coming up, I am going to be looking for one.

[Dusty Harry]

It seems I hear more bad stories about Kimber these days than any other brand. Has their QC been slipping, or have they always been hit or miss and made up for it with great marketing I wonder?

My understanding is that Kimber is very backordered.

Could be a major contributing factor to quality issues.

I purchased a pro carry II 9mm about 9 months ago. 400 + rounds and no major problems. I think part of the key with Kimber's is breaking them in with heavy loads. They are built to such tight specs.

As a follow-up, my Kimber dealer told me that they were having problems with small parts manufacturing for the Solo, and they probably wouldn't be shipping any more the rest of this year. I didn't mention it in the lengthy opening article, but they also had to replace the rear sight; the white plastic insert for one of the dots broke and fell out during the initial range session. I hadn't heard of any issues with their 1911's and my CDP II is my primary carry in the winter when I can wear a sweatshirt or jecket. I really do hope they get everything worked out with the Solo - I imagine they have sunk a grunch of $ into its development, and for sure, its marketing. If I could be assured of its reliability, I would be tempted to give it another try later down the road - I liked it that much, even with the faults mentioned.

One thing I have always wondered about though -- let's face it, 1911's are what they do, and do them sweetly. Why didn't they just scale that proven design down for a 9mm instead of going the striker route? I'm sure there is a backstory there.