The absolute surprise of the day was Kimber’s R7 Mako that just came out of left field. You know that look family members give each other when the drunk, off-tune aunt wants to sing Karaoke? That’s the look the guys gave each other when I brought out the R7 Mako, but it didn’t take long to make each of them a believer.
The R7 Mako looks and feels quite a bit like a smaller Glock 26 with its stubby grip and chonky slide. But that’s where the similarities end. It ships with an 11-round magazine as well as an extended 13-round magazine for a slightly longer grip and better purchase for recoil control. The R7 is available either with an optics-ready slide for Shield-pattern red dots or it can be had with a Crimson Trace CT-1500 already installed. It also includes a fantastic set of Truglo Tritium Pro sights that have an orange sight up front with white sights at the rear for a terrific contrast. These sights will co-witness with the Shield-pattern red dots.
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The R7 Mako includes a couple of unique features including a rear-mounted lug on the barrel that minimizes the unlock angle to improve reliability and to assist with recoil mitigation. It also has a shrouded ejection port that’s intended to protect a mounted optic as well as minimize the amount of debris that can enter. If that’s not enough goodness for you, the R7 Mako also incorporates fully ambidextrous controls including the magazine release and the slide stop/release. And Kimber tops that off with very grippy texturing that covers almost the entire frame.
The R7 Mako was an absolute hit with everyone. It had the least amount of felt recoil of all the micro-compacts we shot and the trigger was exceptional. Kimber specifies the trigger at between 5 and 6.75 pounds, but the model we had broke consistently at an average of 3.75 pounds. It felt different than the PDP Compact’s trigger pull but was every bit as good, if not better. Addison even said, “That trigger really sneaks up on you.” There’s barely a millimeter of pre-travel and then the best break I’ve felt on a striker-fired pistol.
For a company that specializes in 1911s, I’m amazed by what Kimber was able to achieve with the R7 Mako. From the capacity to the sights to the texturing to the ambi controls and the handling during fire, Kimber just did everything right with this pistol including the price. Without the optic, the R7 Mako has an MSRP of $599. Considering the street price will be even cheaper than that, it’s chock full of value. Kimber knocked it out of the part with this at-bat, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
