2011 in Review, 2012 Predictions, and My Brief Wish List for the New Year

Trends in 2011

Small kept getting smaller.  A few short years ago the trend was to make a .380 pistol in the size of a .25 ACP handgun.  Kel-tech did it followed by Ruger, Magnum Research, Taurus, Diamondback and others. 2011 saw gun makes try to take this one step further and shrink the 9mm pistol down to true pocket pistol size.  Kimber came out with the Solo which did not work for me even though the pistol went back to the factory a couple of time.  

I get people who write me telling me that their Solo works just fine but I still get just as many who contact me and say that their Solo doesn’t work.  On the one hand I feel like a cheating husband writing this because I love Kimber’s 1911 pistols, but on the other hand I kind of feel like they are the beloved wife that doesn’t listen when you have a real problem.  What I find amazing is that the mainstream firearms press ignores the fact that a good deal of the people who purchased a Solo are reporting problems that can’t seem to be fixed.  It would be great it they reported on this, Kimber acknowledged it, and the magazines later gave us the "all clear" when the issues were corrected.  I would love to have one of these but I can't see spending that much money to risk getting one that doesn't work.  Although it doesn’t take much to understand that the magazine writers and editors reluctance is probably based upon the fact that Kimber is a prime advertiser in most gun magazines buying prime real estate on either the back or inside front cover in most magazines.  Another thing that baffles me is the number of gun magazine writers who talk about the similarities between the Solo and the 1911.  What?  It's striker-fired and has a hinged trigger...those are pretty major differences from the 1911.    

Sub-compact pocket 9mm’s were successfully fielded by Diamondback with their DB9, Ruger and their LC9, Beretta’s Nano, and SIG’s P290.

Smith & Wesson continued their string of coming late to the party (they followed Ruger into the polymer small-framed revolver market and just as every other manufacturer was designing a pocket 9mm Smith & Wesson brings out their pocket .380).   Six years after Taurus introduced their .410/45 Colt revolver, which continues to be the sales leader for Taurus, Smith realized that it wasn’t going to be just a passing fad, jumped on the bandwagon and introduced their near look-a-like revolver calling it the Governor.  

The median price on Guns America for the Judge is $450 while the Governor is averaging $664.  I know that the Governor will also take the .45 ACP but I am not sure that feature will drive people away from the established Taurus Judge so that they can spend an extra $214 on the Governor.


Smith & Wesson has gone from being a leader in the firearms industry to a follower.  My suggestion?  They should talk to their customers and find out what they want.   Ruger listened and came out with the compact SR9C.  SIG listened and came out with the P238 which appealed to the customer base that wanted a small pocket .380 and wanted one with "class".

2012

Here’s what my crystal ball tells me is in store for 2012.   While the 100 year anniversary of the 1911 is over this will not stop Kimber, Springfield, Wilson, and NightHawk from introducing new pistols to excite the 1911 shooter.

The rush to miniaturize will continue as manufacturers push the point of diminishing returns and try to stuff .40 caliber cartridges in pistols whose size was once reserved for .25 or .32 ACP handguns.  I am eagerly awaiting to see what is going to be done to produce the pocket .45.   The opening salvo had been fired by Heizer Defense with their Double Tap 2 shot .45 ACP pistol.

Taurus and Kel-Tec will continue to introduce firearms that only the mainstream gun writers will ever see.  Has anyone seen the Taurus DT Hybrid or DT Integral?

Has anyone seen the Taurus 9mm Carbine?

Kel-Tech probably holds the record for introducing firearms at the SHOT show that no one will ever see.  Maybe we should put the some of the Kel-Tec firearms on milk cartons and amber alerts so find out if anyone has ever seen the PMR .22 Magnum, 

the KSG Shotgun, 

The SU 22 Carbine 

or the RFB (Rifle, Front Ejecting Bullpup) in 7.62MM Nato?

And where are the Boberg 9mm pistols that used to be all the buzz when other gun companies were still trying to figure out who could make a small .380?  

My fear is that Boberg, which is a very intelligent design, will be left behind as customers can actually find the DB 9mm and Ruger LC9’s.


And I eagerly await Charter Arms 9mm and .45 ACP revolvers.  Oh, please let the .45 ACP have a three inch barrel!  Please!  Please!

My Want List

For any manufacturer who cares here’s my wish list:

I would like for Kimber to get the Solo to work and to actually enlarge it to the size of the Colt Pocket Hammerless 

(Can you make me one of these in a 9mm?)

and I would like for Glock to make a single stack 9mm on both the compact and baby frames but I want them to start with a fresh sheet of paper and really re-design the frames around the size of the cartridge.  I want thinner.  And I would also like them with a stainless slide treated with Tennifer but otherwise left the color of the bare steel.

So, there you have it; my take on 2011, my predictions for 2012, and my wishes for 2012.  I wish all of you a healthy and prosperous new year.

Kimber Super Carry Pro .45 ACP

In my realm of shooting handguns and writing about shooting handguns there are seasons of the monsoon and seasons of drought.  By that I mean there are times when I have the opportunity to shoot more new handguns than I have time to write about, this would be the monsoon.  But there are also long periods of drought when there is nothing new that I can afford, nothing new in the rental case at the range, nothing new that my friends have acquired, and just simply nothing new coming into the guns shops.  During the monsoon season I try to at least photograph the handguns and targets that I don't have time to write about and save them for the drought season.  The only problem is that much of the time when the drought hits I go back and look at the cataloged photos and cannot remember what I liked and disliked about those firearms or at least I can't remember enough to write anything interesting. 

Knowing that I wanted to hold something back to write about while recovering from shoulder surgery I selected the one pistol that I knew I could never forget about, the Kimber Super Carry Pro.  Now, before I go any further I know, from reading their comments on various handgun forums, that there is a contingent of the population who strongly dislikes Kimber and their pistols.  With a broad brush they paint a picture of extreme reliability issues.  To them I would say: "Don't bother to write me because I am not going to post your comments".  Since 2003 I have owned 7 other Kimber pistols in a wide variety of lengths (2 Ultra length, 3 Pro length, and 2 full-sized pistols) and have never had a moment of problem with them.  Because of the tight tolerances on which they are built the Kimber 1911's require a lengthy break-in period.  I believe that the Kimber manual on most of mine have stated that 700 need to be fired to consider it properly broken in.  I know that's a lot, but it's the price you pay for Kimber level accuracy and the tight tolerance required break-in period is standard for just about every premium 1911 on the market.  That being said I have never had to hit the 700 round mark to gain full reliability.  I think many of the nay-sayers just haven't given their Kimber the full number of break-in rounds before throwing in the towel.  

But let's get back to this marvelous pistol.  The Kimber Super Carry is an attractive pistol with a black Kim Pro II finish on the stainless steel slide which is masterfully married to the matte silver Aluminum frame.  However, the first thing you'll likely notice is the rounded mainspring housing at the heel of the pistol grip.

This drew me to the pistol like a moth to a light bulb.  This is the perfect evolution of the Bobtail Cut that Ed Brown pioneered about a decade ago.  The angular Bobtail Cut was then licensed to other manufacturers and began to show up on NightHawk and Dan Wesson pistols.  Even Wilson licensed the design for a year or so.   The rounded grip profile on the Super Carry is less likely to print through your cover garment and  is also less likely to catch on your outer garment when drawing the pistol from concealment. It also makes the already ergonomically friendly 1911 grips feel even better in your hand and, as Mike Meyer's alter ego "Fat Bastard" says in the "Austin Powers" films, it's "dead sexy".

The grips are made of a wood and Micarta laminate and although I don't completely understand their construction, the execution is magnificent.  Frequently I will determine that I need to make an upgrade on the grips of a newly acquired 1911 but I would not touch the grips on the Super Carry.  The wood and Micarta laminate look fantastic, they feel terrific, and they helped keep the pistol anchored in hand during shooting.

Along with the contoured grip frame Kimber has also performed a "carry melt" treatment to round off any squared or sharp edges on the pistol to enhance the concealment, drawing, and handling capabilities of the pistol.

 (Note the rounded contours along where the top strap meets the side of the frame.  The rear sights also show that the sharp edges have been rounded off)

As seen in the third photo (above) the standard slide serrations have been replaced with an attractive fish scale or snake skin pattern.  This unusual pattern has also been adapted for the back strap:

The front strap

And Top Strap

Also atop the slide are a set of Meprolight night sights.  Although nicely rounded the rear sight does sport the cocking shelf (see third photo from the top) that Kimber first began putting on their now discontinued SIS model.

Checking under the hood found a match-grade 4 inch bushingless barrel hand-fitted to the slide.  The traditional "Commander length" pistol has a barrel of 4.25 inch to which I say "why"?  I have no idea of Colt's reasoning when they decided to make a smaller, easier to carry 1911, and determined the correct way to do it was to lop 3/4 of an inch off the barrel of their 5 inch barreled 1911 Government model.  I have always wondered why not just take an inch off and make it that much more easier to conceal and carry.  Regardless, Kimber has remedied my concern by putting a 4 inch barrel on their "Commander Length" Pro Series pistols. Also looking under the hood revealed my one and only complaint; the full length guide rod.  There is no evidence around that indicates that a full length guide rod provides greater reliability or accuracy.  There is however, plenty of anecdotal evidence that indicates that the full length guide rod makes it more difficult to take apart.

Time for Targets

If you like to shoot one ragged holes in your targets a quality 1911 like the Kimber Super Carry is the answer to your desires.

This is the first 5 rounds fired through the Super Carry. The load is MagTech 230 grain ball ammo fired at 21 feet:

Next I loaded up two magazines and let 16 rounds fly at the same distance:

I only had one brand of defensive ammo with me that day and it was a good one: Hornady TAP 230 grain +P JHP ammo and it was so much fun I parted with a full box of 25 rounds

Not having an extended time to spend with the Super Carry I wanted to move straight out to 25 yards and see how I fared with it.  I am not a good shot beyond 45 feet so 75 is always a stretch.

So here's 25 rounds of MagTech ammo at 75 feet:

And another 75 foot target shot at with 33 rounds:

The pistol is competition capable, the shooter (me) is not.  However man sized targets would be in danger.

Every shooter ought to have a really nice 1911 in their battery.  The Kimber Super Carry (which will set you back anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500 bucks) is about as nice as you can get without going to the boutique production houses and paying a minimum of $2,200 to $3,000 for a similar pistol.  I wish that you all would find a really nice 1911 in your Christmas stocking this year.