Alabama-based Kimber is donating 9mm pistols and .308 Winchester-caliber rifles to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The company announced on Wednesday it is inspired by the courage of the Ukrainian people in their struggle against an ongoing military invasion from neighboring Russia and is ready to help.
“The people of Ukraine are enduring tremendous hardships and are in need of support from around the world,” said Leslie Edelman, Kimber owner and CEO.
In terms of support, Edelman says Kimber is sending 200 R7 Mako 9mm subcompact pistols, 10 Advanced Tactical rifles in .308 Win., and 10 bolt-action rifles in .308 Win. Each rifle will include two magazines and a replacement firing pin assembly while the Makos will ship with 800 extra 13-round magazines.
Related: Review – We Went 500 Rounds With the Kimber R7 Micro Compact 9mm
While shipping such pistols to a modern European combat zone seems curious at first, handguns are in common use as sidearms for officers, specialists, pilots, and heavy weapons operators. Of note, the Mako is roughly comparable in size to the PM Makarov, long a standard pistol in Eastern European service, while offering a higher magazine capacity and a more effective cartridge.
Rifles
Kimber originally started off in the rifle business and has always had a good reputation for their bolt guns going back to the original Model 84. The Advanced Tactical series first debuted in 2014 and are full of match-grade features.
Kimber has also reached out to industry partners and Leupold has donated 20 Mark 4 LR/T 3.5-10×40 rifle scopes to be paired and installed on each of its rifles headed to Ukraine.
Going further, Mission First Tactical donated holsters for the Makos and Tactical Rifle Cases for the rifles. MFT is also tossing in 3,300 AR-15 magazines and 1,000 AR-10 magazines.
“Kimber is honored to play a part in providing this much-needed assistance with the donation of these firearms and accessories," said Edelman. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the courageous people who will be using them to defend their freedom and nation."
A supporter of the right to keep and bear arms, Kimber recently moved its headquarters and primary manufacturing facility from anti-gun New York to more pro-2A Alabama, a state where permitless carry was just adopted.
