By: Friedrich Seiltgen

Kimber is well-known for their line of 1911 style pistols used by many Special Operations Forces and Law Enforcement Swat Teams. Now they’ve got into the 9mm, polymer framed, striker fired, concealed carry market!

Kimber wanted a grand slam with their new R7 Mako, and it appears as though they knocked it out of the park! Since the R7 Mako would be the first polymer framed pistol, Kimber listened to shooters about what they did, and did not want in a polymer framed concealed carry pistol. What a concept!

The Frame

The Mako is Kimber’s first polymer framed pistol, and they wanted a sound base to start with. The Mako uses a glass-filled, nylon grip frame with a stainless-steel central block. The trigger guard is undercut, and the grip has nearly full wrap texturing. It features ambidextrous controls, and the Kimber performance carry trigger gives a smooth, consistent pull with every shot.

The Slide

The stainless steel slide is also FNC coated and features a deep cut muzzle crown. The sights are TruGlo Tritium Pro Night Sights with an orange front ring and white rear dots. The slide is cut for Glock Type sights, and the Mako comes optics ready, as it’s milled for Micro Red Dot optics. You can add your favorite optics, or get the optics installed, model equipped with a Crimson Trace CTS-1500 optic.

The Barrel

The FNC hard-coated, stainless steel barrel has been designed with a reduced unlock angle that gives the pistol a consistent round presentation and low recoil.

The Magazine

Kimber delivers your new Mako with 11 and 13-round magazines, giving you 12 rounds total with the flush model, and 14 rounds with the extended magazine. I personally like extended magazines, as you get a better grip on the pistol, which helps prevent stove piping.

SPECIFICATIONS

Action Type: Striker Fired Semi-Automatic.

Caliber: 9mm.

Magazine capacity: 11 or 13.

Sights: TruGlo Tritium pro night sights with orange front ring and white rear dots.

Barrel Length: 3.37” Stainless Steel.

Overall Length: 6.2”

Width: 1”

Height: 4.3”

Weight: 19.5 oz.

MSRP: $599 Optics Ready, $799 Optics Installed.

URL: www.r7mako.com

The New Kimber R7 Mako is a great addition to the Sub Compact Pistol World. It’s a great out of the box pistol that’s been designed from the ground up with a lot of features desired by shooters.

I am really enjoying the competition among firearms manufacturers, as it brings out lots of choices for gun owners. I know that makes for tough decisions, but wouldn’t you rather have a lot of choices instead of just a couple?

That’s all for now folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s be careful out there.”

Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism, Firearms, First Aid, Active Shooter Response, and Law Enforcement Vehicle Operations in Florida. His writing has appeared in RECOIL, The Counter Terrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Homeland Security Today, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. Contact him at [email protected].