I handled one of these and was impressed with the trigger. However your point on customer service makes me shake my head. Don't know how the R7 is going to do in a crowded micro striker fired market. Great review as always.
I don’t know if it’s gonna get a lot of legs in the market, but in my opinion it should. I took it again to the range yesterday and it is very accurate in my hands. I’m still looking for a holster though. As always, thank you very much for watching.
My Kimber has been flawless with any ammo on the other hand my shadow systems cr 920 has been nothing but problems and I’m waiting for there customer service to get back to me
@Troy Reinke Disappointing to hear about the CR920. Not the first I hear of those problems. What I have heard is the customer service at Shadow Systems is supposed to be fantastic. If they don’t respond to Web email, perhaps call them? Please let me know how this turns out.
I am so glad you put "purchase" in air quotes because I always found it both odd and corny that such trendy word is used by Gun Tubers to replace "grip" when describing grabbing the gun. Good review 👍
Nice review and good comparison with the "Wilson" P265XL. I do like my Mako, though I'll reserve any opinion on the Crimson Trace red-dot that it came with. So far, so good, though time will tell. (I'm sure you'll like your Sentinel and Swampfox has been great to work with.) My Mako is very accurate and the trigger is great - almost TOO light for a carry gun. (I was fortunate to "purchase" it (grip it??) from a local dealer at the old MSRP about the same time Kimber bumped the new MSRP up an additional $100.) The R7 Mako is Kimber's third entry into the striker-fired market, following the EVO (2019?) and the oft-maligned Solo (2011?). Both the EVO and the Solo were metal-frame guns (I have both and they run just fine), so the Mako is the first polymer-frame striker-fired entry into their lineup. The only time I had to deal with Kimber's Customer "Service" was on the recall for the optic mounting plates for their early optics ready/optics installed Pro-series pistols a couple years ago. Turnaround time was quick, but communication was non-existent. However, I've heard and read things that are not so good. The lack of knowledge about mounting screws for the few micro red-dots may be telling about their current state of affairs.
I took it to the range again yesterday and it ran flawlessly. Very accurate in my hands. Still trying to get a holster for it. Regarding the customer service, I even called back a few more times hoping that I would get lucky and find someone that knew how to help me. No such luck. On my last phone call I asked to speak to a supervisor and the answer was “they’re not going to give you any information that is different than I can give you.“. So I contacted Swampfox and he didn’t know offhand because they didn’t have a Meiko, but he reached out to his client base and found somebody that had installed one and got back to me with a correct screw size to mount their optic. I’m very impressed with Swampfox. Anyway as always, thank you very much for watching and for sharing your knowledge with us.
Nice video. I’ve had my hands on this gun, but never fired one. Seems like a pretty decent gun, and I might recommend it as an alternative to the Sig P365 XL. I have that swamp fox screw kit. It has definitely come in handy for mounting optics to guns when the included screws don’t work. Worked for the Romeo Zero twice; on the Springfield Hellcat and the Canik Mete SFX. Highly recommended.
Everything I know about the Kimber R7 Mako I just learned from your review. Thanks for another excellent review of an interesting pistol! They don't make them for this pistol, but you might like theTrijicon HD XR night sights on some of your others. I put them on my pistols whenever possible. I like shooting longer distances and those sights with the thin front sight post are perfect for that.
I am actually a G26 guy however the lack of the MOS version in America caused me to investigate this which in my opinion is very very close to a 26 that has been refined. The back of the grip is very close in shape, weight is very close, recoil very close, but it’s like someone refined the internals, gave it a substantially better trigger in a gigantic way, made the grip better with texture, Way easier to operate slide as far as grip and cycling, and it’s about the same size as a 26 that’s 12+ one but this is actually 13+ one with a little thinner grip. Also controls seem better. And in the holster department, I have an urban carry G3, I actually chose to size up with a captain which is actually a G 19 size, but that combination has worked phenomenally for me. I don’t generally have troubles with my Glocks using an Urban Carry G2, but when I had a 43X with the 15 round shield arms magazines, the magazine release would get pushed with the shield arms release on occasion. That’s why I appreciate the magazine release design of the R7 mako. I can wear this outfit literally every day all day. Fits wonderfully with the Crimson Trace red dot. With the MantisX timing system I can reliably have first shot on target 5 yards with this combination and red dot in 1.8 seconds. I really really like this gun and combination. Thank you for the review! As someone who owns one I’d say you did a great job reviewing this. Currently, my G 26 is in the safe and May be there for a while.
As a lefty i thought this would be great because there are no striker fired optic ready micro 9's on the market which are fully ambi. But because of the ejection port being cut the way it is, a lefty's thumb rides on the right side of the slide and frame and ejected shells hit the thumb causing spent shells to go back into the breech causing malfunctions.
Nice one! I'd love to try one. They listened with the texture, the trigger, OR...I'd just wish for a bit longer grip extension. I hope they make a slightly bigger grip version. If you make another formable holster, I'd like to see a video of it. If you had a potential malfunction and pull the tabs, can you lift the slide directly up?
Ye the Mako uses the shield RMSc footprint, the Mako's not really a micro anything its more similar in size to the Glock26 with a far better trigger but being much larger than say P365 which is the main reason for less felt recoil. Great sub compact gun for what its worth but dont be confused thinking this is a micro...
Holosun EPS carry optic comes with the screws you need and the adapter plate, making the extra cost for a enclosed emitter worth it with the included hardware. I almost went with the 507k but it did not have the screws i needed or the adapter plate, I am glad they dropped the ball on that model because the EPS Carry is far superior.
Hello, I’m looking into a new deep carry gun. I’m just a little bored with my 365. I have it set up with the Wilson grip module and tungsten weights. Just want to see if I can find something similar size that shoots a little flatter. I have a bunch of nice stuff in the compact size but the 365 and sig 938 are my only micros. Do you think this is a better shooter or recommend something else similar size?
Such a personal choice. It is very accurate for me, but it is snappy. At least in my hands. Best thing would be to find a range that rents it and try it for yourself. Have you tried the Shield Plus or the P355XL?
@@MDpolo I’ve not tried the 365xl but my deep carry is a 365, I’ve tried the original shield, 43, 43x. Not the biggest fan of any of those although the 365 is the one I’ve kept. I guess micro sized guns are usually not “fun” to shoot. I also have a 938 and I do like that but trying to find a striker micro I can fall in love with. I have plenty of mid size compact/carry guns but at work I need deep concealment.
Well the Mako is certainly not the smallest or thinnest of the bunch. I like it a lot, but it’s gonna be quite a bit larger than your 365. I recently picked up an M & P Shield in 45 ACP. I’m seriously thinking about it becoming my EDC. The other contender at this time for my EDC is a Colt Defender micro 1911.
@@MDpolo I just ordered a Bul Ultra 1911 that might become my work edc if the grip doesn’t protrude too much. I loved the way the Bul edc 4.25 shoots so much I had to get the ultra. I’m selling my Staccato C2 to get a Wilson SFX9 for my edc outside of work. I hope I like it for the price lol. Can’t find one locally to even hold let along shoot.
I did. Range USA. Having said that, I know that Marksman Shooting Sports in Westfield Indiana has one in there used gun cabinet right now that looks like now. Thank you for stopping by.
I found the correct screws to mount it only a few days ago. Will work on that video shortly but let me tell you that it looks sweet! Thank you very much for watching.
@@MDpolo Thanks for the reply- didn't know about the YT police. I just purchased one yesterday and so far, so good- thanks for your review- I apologize for the unwarranted criticism.
Dude, UA-cam doesn't care if you take apart guns or if you put accessories on them haha.. you're way over paranoid. They just don't want videos of you modifying guns or building them.
You are misinformed.. I’ve spoken directly to UA-cam (several times) regarding some of my videos that were demonetized and they told me exactly why they were demonetized.
@@MDpolo I mean so have I.. they don't care. They will not do anything if you field strip or clean a gun or put an accessory on it. If they did you could appeal it and win.
@@MDpolo sounds like you need to get a better contact because it's factually not against the rules to field strip a gun or add an accessory like an optic. They can't debate that with you
I’m not saying that you are wrong. I’m sharing my experience and every manual review has been with a different UA-cam employee so I’m not talking to the same person all the time.
My brother picked up a mako last week and really enjoyed shooting it . Another top notch review 👌 God bless
Thank you very much for watching Bubba. I really appreciate it.
Your reviews, camera focus and quality are excellent!
That’s very kind of you. Thank you very much for your kind words and for taking the time to stop by.
I handled one of these and was impressed with the trigger. However your point on customer service makes me shake my head. Don't know how the R7 is going to do in a crowded micro striker fired market. Great review as always.
I don’t know if it’s gonna get a lot of legs in the market, but in my opinion it should. I took it again to the range yesterday and it is very accurate in my hands. I’m still looking for a holster though. As always, thank you very much for watching.
@@MDpolo Now there is a recall on this firearm.
Yes, I saw that. Growing pains I guess.
My Kimber has been flawless with any ammo on the other hand my shadow systems cr 920 has been nothing but problems and I’m waiting for there customer service to get back to me
@Troy Reinke Disappointing to hear about the CR920. Not the first I hear of those problems. What I have heard is the customer service at Shadow Systems is supposed to be fantastic. If they don’t respond to Web email, perhaps call them? Please let me know how this turns out.
I am so glad you put "purchase" in air quotes because I always found it both odd and corny that such trendy word is used by Gun Tubers to replace "grip" when describing grabbing the gun. Good review 👍
I know, drives me nuts. Thank you very much for watching!
Nice review and good comparison with the "Wilson" P265XL. I do like my Mako, though I'll reserve any opinion on the Crimson Trace red-dot that it came with. So far, so good, though time will tell. (I'm sure you'll like your Sentinel and Swampfox has been great to work with.) My Mako is very accurate and the trigger is great - almost TOO light for a carry gun. (I was fortunate to "purchase" it (grip it??) from a local dealer at the old MSRP about the same time Kimber bumped the new MSRP up an additional $100.) The R7 Mako is Kimber's third entry into the striker-fired market, following the EVO (2019?) and the oft-maligned Solo (2011?). Both the EVO and the Solo were metal-frame guns (I have both and they run just fine), so the Mako is the first polymer-frame striker-fired entry into their lineup.
The only time I had to deal with Kimber's Customer "Service" was on the recall for the optic mounting plates for their early optics ready/optics installed Pro-series pistols a couple years ago. Turnaround time was quick, but communication was non-existent. However, I've heard and read things that are not so good. The lack of knowledge about mounting screws for the few micro red-dots may be telling about their current state of affairs.
I took it to the range again yesterday and it ran flawlessly. Very accurate in my hands. Still trying to get a holster for it. Regarding the customer service, I even called back a few more times hoping that I would get lucky and find someone that knew how to help me. No such luck. On my last phone call I asked to speak to a supervisor and the answer was “they’re not going to give you any information that is different than I can give you.“. So I contacted Swampfox and he didn’t know offhand because they didn’t have a Meiko, but he reached out to his client base and found somebody that had installed one and got back to me with a correct screw size to mount their optic. I’m very impressed with Swampfox. Anyway as always, thank you very much for watching and for sharing your knowledge with us.
Nice review, how do you like the Wilson Combat grip module on the P365XL? Have you noticed a difference when firing with the new grip?
I like the Wilson Combat grip module quite a bit. To me and made a big difference. Thank you for watching.
Nice video. I’ve had my hands on this gun, but never fired one. Seems like a pretty decent gun, and I might recommend it as an alternative to the Sig P365 XL.
I have that swamp fox screw kit. It has definitely come in handy for mounting optics to guns when the included screws don’t work. Worked for the Romeo Zero twice; on the Springfield Hellcat and the Canik Mete SFX. Highly recommended.
Thank you very much for watching. As always, I appreciate your comment and insight.
Everything I know about the Kimber R7 Mako I just learned from your review. Thanks for another excellent review of an interesting pistol! They don't make them for this pistol, but you might like theTrijicon HD XR night sights on some of your others. I put them on my pistols whenever possible. I like shooting longer distances and those sights with the thin front sight post are perfect for that.
Thank you very much for your kind words and for watching. I appreciate it very much.
@@MDpolo You're welcome. My pleasure.
I am actually a G26 guy however the lack of the MOS version in America caused me to investigate this which in my opinion is very very close to a 26 that has been refined. The back of the grip is very close in shape, weight is very close, recoil very close, but it’s like someone refined the internals, gave it a substantially better trigger in a gigantic way, made the grip better with texture, Way easier to operate slide as far as grip and cycling, and it’s about the same size as a 26 that’s 12+ one but this is actually 13+ one with a little thinner grip. Also controls seem better.
And in the holster department, I have an urban carry G3, I actually chose to size up with a captain which is actually a G 19 size, but that combination has worked phenomenally for me. I don’t generally have troubles with my Glocks using an Urban Carry G2, but when I had a 43X with the 15 round shield arms magazines, the magazine release would get pushed with the shield arms release on occasion. That’s why I appreciate the magazine release design of the R7 mako. I can wear this outfit literally every day all day. Fits wonderfully with the Crimson Trace red dot. With the MantisX timing system I can reliably have first shot on target 5 yards with this combination and red dot in 1.8 seconds. I really really like this gun and combination.
Thank you for the review! As someone who owns one I’d say you did a great job reviewing this. Currently, my G 26 is in the safe and May be there for a while.
Thank you very much for watching and for sharing all that information. I really appreciate it as well as your kind words.
As a lefty i thought this would be great because there are no striker fired optic ready micro 9's on the market which are fully ambi. But because of the ejection port being cut the way it is, a lefty's thumb rides on the right side of the slide and frame and ejected shells hit the thumb causing spent shells to go back into the breech causing malfunctions.
Yeah, as a lefty you would have to use a revolver grip. Thank you very much for watching.
Nice one! I'd love to try one. They listened with the texture, the trigger, OR...I'd just wish for a bit longer grip extension. I hope they make a slightly bigger grip version. If you make another formable holster, I'd like to see a video of it.
If you had a potential malfunction and pull the tabs, can you lift the slide directly up?
I purchased a Mako for carry, and damn it's perfect in my hand. Of all the smaller handguns I've tried the Mako feels more natural and comfortable.
I agree. A sleeper by Kimber.
@@MDpolo 15 round magazines are finally in stock a lot of places too.......
My favorite range. Tested and bought mine there as well.
Awesome! Thank you very much for watching.
Ye the Mako uses the shield RMSc footprint, the Mako's not really a micro anything its more similar in size to the Glock26 with a far better trigger but being much larger than say P365 which is the main reason for less felt recoil. Great sub compact gun for what its worth but dont be confused thinking this is a micro...
Just put holosun 507k on mine, perfect match
Holosun EPS carry optic comes with the screws you need and the adapter plate, making the extra cost for a enclosed emitter worth it with the included hardware.
I almost went with the 507k but it did not have the screws i needed or the adapter plate, I am glad they dropped the ball on that model because the EPS Carry is far superior.
Hello, I’m looking into a new deep carry gun. I’m just a little bored with my 365. I have it set up with the Wilson grip module and tungsten weights. Just want to see if I can find something similar size that shoots a little flatter. I have a bunch of nice stuff in the compact size but the 365 and sig 938 are my only micros. Do you think this is a better shooter or recommend something else similar size?
Such a personal choice. It is very accurate for me, but it is snappy. At least in my hands. Best thing would be to find a range that rents it and try it for yourself. Have you tried the Shield Plus or the P355XL?
@@MDpolo I’ve not tried the 365xl but my deep carry is a 365, I’ve tried the original shield, 43, 43x. Not the biggest fan of any of those although the 365 is the one I’ve kept. I guess micro sized guns are usually not “fun” to shoot. I also have a 938 and I do like that but trying to find a striker micro I can fall in love with. I have plenty of mid size compact/carry guns but at work I need deep concealment.
Well the Mako is certainly not the smallest or thinnest of the bunch. I like it a lot, but it’s gonna be quite a bit larger than your 365. I recently picked up an M & P Shield in 45 ACP. I’m seriously thinking about it becoming my EDC. The other contender at this time for my EDC is a Colt Defender micro 1911.
@@MDpolo I just ordered a Bul Ultra 1911 that might become my work edc if the grip doesn’t protrude too much. I loved the way the Bul edc 4.25 shoots so much I had to get the ultra. I’m selling my Staccato C2 to get a Wilson SFX9 for my edc outside of work. I hope I like it for the price lol. Can’t find one locally to even hold let along shoot.
Let me know how you like it once you shoot it. I’m curious about the Bul 1911. Why do you want to get rid of your Staccato C2 if I may ask?
I was considering this gun. Which size screw for the optic did you end up using?
I don’t want to give you incorrect information. To be perfectly honest with you I made this video quite some time ago and I can’t remember.
I put a holosun 507 k on mine. It did need a plate
Oh no. That Sig has a Wilson Combat grip module. UA-cam is going to go nuts.
Did you find this gun locally here in Indiana?
I did. Range USA. Having said that, I know that Marksman Shooting Sports in Westfield Indiana has one in there used gun cabinet right now that looks like now. Thank you for stopping by.
Would love to see the swampfox sentinel installed on this, I've been dreaming about putting them together
I found the correct screws to mount it only a few days ago. Will work on that video shortly but let me tell you that it looks sweet! Thank you very much for watching.
Looking forward to seeing this uocoming video as well.
Did you check kimber for recall
Yes. Mine was not part of the recall.
👍
Pay attention to the recall
Yes, I’m aware of it. Thank you very much for watching.
Review? No field strip?
Not until UA-cam stops demonetizing the videos when we do field strip a firearm. Thank you for stopping by!
@@MDpolo Thanks for the reply- didn't know about the YT police. I just purchased one yesterday and so far, so good- thanks for your review- I apologize for the unwarranted criticism.
@@davidbarnes7711 no worries!
"Purchase" lol
Nope, it's kimber 2nd attempt at the striker fired pistol 🔫
Which was the first?
Solo
Evo
Mako R7
It’s just a goofy looking gun. Like a hellcat and a G26 had a baby.
Dude, UA-cam doesn't care if you take apart guns or if you put accessories on them haha.. you're way over paranoid. They just don't want videos of you modifying guns or building them.
You are misinformed.. I’ve spoken directly to UA-cam (several times) regarding some of my videos that were demonetized and they told me exactly why they were demonetized.
@@MDpolo I mean so have I.. they don't care. They will not do anything if you field strip or clean a gun or put an accessory on it.
If they did you could appeal it and win.
@@maximusjoseppi5904 90% of my appeals have been denied without further explanation.
@@MDpolo sounds like you need to get a better contact because it's factually not against the rules to field strip a gun or add an accessory like an optic.
They can't debate that with you
I’m not saying that you are wrong. I’m sharing my experience and every manual review has been with a different UA-cam employee so I’m not talking to the same person all the time.