Gunner Quinn
Kimber jumped into the micro-compact handgun market in 2021 with its R7 Mako, a polymer-frame, striker-fired 9 mm Luger pistol. New for 2024, the company is giving the Mako its most extensive makeover to date, with the R7 Mako Compact Carbon.
The Mako Carbon Compact features an all-new frame made of a carbon-fiber infused matrix.
The most obvious area in which the Mako Compact Carbon stands apart from previous versions is in its frame design. Its profile has been re-designed, with an extended frame beavertail, high undercut on the grip, squared-off and textured trigger guard, three-slot Picatinny accessory rail on its dustcover and more aggressive molded-in stippling.
An interchangeable backstrap system allows for the grip size to be customized, with four sizes provided. While previous Mako models used an 11-round magazine, with extended capacity magazines available, the Compact Carbon has a longer grip with an enlarged magwell that accommodates a flush-fit magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds.
This new frame design is more than on the surface. Kimber makes the Compact Carbon’s frame out of a carbon-fiber infused matrix that the company claims “delivers superior durability featuring up to a 60,000 lb p.s.i. tensile strength.”
The Mako Compact Carbon uses the extended slide of the previously introduced Mako TFS and an extended grip that houses a flush-fit 15-round magazine.
Other features remain the same as previous Mako models. Slide release and magazine release are bilateral for completely ambidextrous use. The slide has the longer length of Kimber’s previously introduced TFS Mako models. It features an optics cut with a Shield RMSc footprint. Both slide and barrel are made of stainless steel and have Kimber’s ferritic nitro carburizing (FNC) finish. Sights are TruGlo Tritium Pro night sights.
The Mako Carbon Compact is available in Optics Ready (OR), Optics Installed (OI) and Threaded for Suppression (TFS) models (OI model pictured).
The R7 Mako Compact Carbon is available in either a standard model 3.92” or a “Threaded for Suppression” (TFS) model that features an extended 4.42” barrel with its muzzle threaded 1/2 x 28 TPI. Each of the models are available in either optics ready (OR) or with a Holosun HS407K X2 installed from the factory (OI) formats.
- Mako Compact Carbon (OR): $735
- Mako Compact Carbon (OI): $995
- Mako Compact Carbon (OR)(TFS): $795
- Mako Compact Carbon (OI)(TFS): $1,080
For more information, visit the company’s website.
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