Kimber Mako Review - Kimber makes a strong debut in the largest and most competitive handgun market with this full-featured, optics-ready, striker-fired, micro-compact 9mm pistol.
At first blush, the Kimber R7 Mako might not catch your eye, but don't be fooled. Yes, it has a molded polymer frame. Yes, it was fired by the striker. Yes, it is a micro compact. Yes, it loads 9mm rounds into its double-stock magazines like a chipmunk stuffing its cheeks with seeds for the winter. And, yes, the Kimber R7 is optics-ready, with one model shipping from the factory with a Crimson Trace CTS-1500 reflex sight. Is this another "me too" pistol in an already crowded field? I was skeptical until I did the first round. I don't say this often, but I'm happy to report that I was wrong.
Kimber Mako Review
What surprised me most about the R7 Mako was how refined it was, which is a pretty strange way to describe a plastic micro-compact nine. In particular, the pistol's balance and handling elevate it above other handguns in its competitive set. Here are the bare bones of the R7:
Kimber R7 Mako Micro Compact 9mm Pistol: Full Review
The Kimber R7 Mako has two magazines—one with an extended base pad that holds 11 rounds and the other with 13. John B. Snow
Kimber's approach to building handguns followed a clear formula. Take a popular platform, enhance it by adding custom features that shooters want, and give them the complete package right out of the box—no add-ons required.
Kimber has done this well with their 1911s, offering amazing configurations for every conceivable use. Ambi-safeties, forward slide serrations, rounded grips, beveling removed from the edges, night sights, two-tone finishes—you name it—the Kimber 1911 is built to suit the shooter.
The Kimber Mako R7 takes a page from this playbook. Most of these upgrades come in the form of ergonomic improvements. The quality and quantity of stippling in the frame immediately jumped out at me. The medium-rough texturing strikes a smart balance between Kimber comfort and grip-ness. Even when wet, the pistol feels secure in the hand, while the shape is comfortable for long shooting. The pattern wraps 360 degrees around the grip and extends to the sides of the frame, creating a nice pad for the thumb of the support hand to bear, making the pistol shoot well for its size.
Kimber R7 Mako 9mm 3.37\
The pistol comes in two versions—one optics-ready and one with an optic installed, which I tested. A cutout for the optic is recessed in the frame so the shooter can see the pistol's normal profile iron sights through the reflex sight window. It is comfortable if reflex vision is reduced. The sights have tritium inserts and are mounted in a three-dot pattern, with two white dots on the rear and an orange circle on the front. The insert glows a single green color, so there's no way to distinguish between the front and back dots in the dark. The rear sight uses a Glock-style dovetail so you have plenty of options if you want to put different irons on the Macho.
The author is smiling after evaluating the Kimber R7 Macho. They have significantly refined the pistol and are easy to shoot for a micro-compact 9mm. John B. Snow
Kimber pairs its Macho with the Crimson Trace CTS-1500. It's a low-profile sight with a metal frame that protects the glass. The housing does not extend to the sides of the slide, keeping the profile smooth, which is what you want in an optics-equipped concealed-carry gun.
While I can't make definitive statements about the durability of such a sight without intentionally beating the hell out of it with a pistol, I've used it a little hard. It's not bad for wear. Specifically, I used the front edge of the sight to rock the pistol against tables, counter tops, and other hard surfaces. Although the housing rubbed a bit in the process—as concrete shooting benches do—the sight suffered no meaningful damage.
New Optics Ready Ccw
Establishing my zero with reflex sight is not easy. I shot a couple of magazines with iron sights at 15 yards, noted where the rounds impacted compared to the fixed sights setting, and then moved the red dot to match that location. The windage and height of the CTS-1500 can be adjusted with the included hex key wrench.
Getting the pistol with the sight is a $200 upgrade ($799 vs. $599) and if you don't have another sight to stick on the pistol, it's 100 percent worth it. (Any sight with a Shield-type RMSc footprint will fit the Mako. These include Leopold Delta Point Pro, Sig Sauer Romeo Zero, JP Enterprises JPoint, Vector Optics Frenz, and Shield sights.)
After dialing the zero, I got down to some serious shooting. I shot the Mako head-to-head with several other handguns—some micro-compacts and some large-frame guns.
From the first trigger presses, I could tell it was a macho shooter. The pistol handles recoil well for a sub-compact, with little muzzle flip and quick recovery times between shots. The grip design I mentioned above is a contributing factor but far from the only factor.
Kimber R7 Mako 9mm Everyday Carry Pistol: Full Review
A visually striking feature on the R7 Mako is the enclosed ejection port. I like the way it looks—it's reminiscent of some early Colt and Browning designs—but from an engineering standpoint it has a positive effect on how the gun shoots. Locking the barrel at the top of the slide reduces the angle of barrel bend under recoil, bringing the gun directly into the shooter's hand. A minimal bend helps feed rounds directly into the barrel, increasing reliability. (Speaking of reliability, I did zero work with the pistol during my evaluation. All told, I put about 300 rounds through the pistol and used a wide variety of 9mm ammo, from cheap practice stuff to top-shelf defensive loads.)
One consequence of the ejection port design is that it is somewhat difficult to visually determine whether a round is in the Macho chamber. There is no elevated extractor or port that provides a peek into the chamber. You will want to practice your press check to check the condition of this gun.
Like many striker-fired pistols, the Mako comes with a trigger safety tab. You can also see the pistol's magazine release and extensive stippling coverage. John B. Snow
The trigger on the R7 is very light and crisp, especially for a defensive pistol of this type. The trigger on my sample broke in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces and had minimal creep and a quick reset. The face of the trigger is flat and although it sits at a slight angle when the pistol is cocked, it springs back almost straight when the trigger is pressed and helps control the gun.
New For 2021: Kimber R7 Mako
Grip geometry is another important factor that dictates how a pistol fires. Macho's beavertail keeps the web of the hand closer to the axis of the bore, which is a good thing. And Kimber added slight palm bumps on either side of the stock that fill the shooter's hand and make the pistol easier to control. (Kimber sneaked in here. In Mako's published specs they say the grip is 1 inch wide, but the pistol actually measures 1.17 inches at its thickest point.)
The Mako has two magazines, one that holds 11 rounds and is almost flush in the grip, and an extended magazine that holds 13 rounds. The extended magazine only adds ¼ inch to the grip depth, but it makes a big difference. The pistol fires well with an 11-rounder, but with the extended magazine a little more reach for my pinky finger had a positive effect on the gun's shootability. It's hard to imagine a situation where the Mako would choose a smaller mag instead of a 13-rounder as the primary magazine.
Designing a magazine well is a complex business and more difficult than most people realize. But Kimber got it right. One indication of this is how easy it is to load magazines to capacity. Loading the last round into the magazine takes normal human effort rather than the thumb breaking strength required by a poorly designed magazine.
Metal magazines are ejected from the mag well without hesitation whether full or empty in the magazine release press. The Mako has mag-release controls on both sides of the frame for ambidextrous use, but due to the design the release on the right side of the frame (used by lefties like me) requires a bit of a deep push to activate.
Kimber R7 Mako Best Price: $549.99
The mag well on top of the Macho doesn't flash — it's intended for concealed carry — but
Sig p365 tulster holster, sig p365 iwb holster, sig holsters p365, sig p365 sas holster, sig p365 xl holster, sig p365 hybrid holster, appendix holster sig p365, safariland holster sig p365, sig p365 belt holster, sig p365 holster, sig p365 purse holster, sig sauer p365 holster
0 Comments