Is Kimber a gamble?

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This is not designed to be a bashing thread at all... I have the opportunity to buy a Kimber at a marked discount (any model)...
But to fund this... I would likely have to move a couple rifles that I have a like... but the thought of dropping 3ish lbs sounds appealing...

My question is that, are current Kimber rifles pretty safe, or is their a larger then average amount of risk in getting a lemon?

Thinking of possibly a Montana or Mountain Ascent in either 30-06 or 280ai... I have a couple 06s and a 6.5 for reference...
 

LaGriz

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rileybassman,
I would not be overly concerned about getting a lemon. I have a Montana in .325 WSM and it is a fine weapon and a good shooter. It may have been one of the 1st .325's sold (50th birthday present.. now I'm 62) and mine likes the 220 grain power points. I 'm not a fan of the blind magazine. Recoil was an issue for me, so I added a muzzle brake and had cerakote job done to the barrel, action, and rings. Fine light weight rig.

Today while at lunch I put hands on a new model Kimber with a heavier couture fluted barrel, equipped with a floor plate chambered in 6.5 CR. The stock was synthetic in camo with two sling swivel studs and a flat forend. Barrel was full length, balance is awesome, and the weight was not bad at all. My guess to be around 7-7 1/4 #. If you don't need/want an ultra-lite rifle, this model in .280AI would be a sweet rig indeed! Anyone have a chance to shoot one yet?

LaGriz
 

jack88

Lil-Rokslider
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Jan 5, 2014
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I bought a 7-08 Montana this summer. It needed $50 worth at the gunsmith to "clean up" the lumps and bumps when you would cycle the action.

The bolt follower was also loose and rattled when I first took it out of the box. He also told me it had some headspacing issues so he touched up the bolt face.

Now it's smooth as butter and I enjoy shooting it but it's a pain in the ass when you get it in the mail and have to send it off to get it touched up like that.
 
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wapitibob

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Not a gamble if $1,100 for a 1"+ rifle will work. If I "had" to buy another light rifle I would walk right past the Kimber and grab a Tikka. I should have done that the first time.
 
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Sep 23, 2016
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It's not a gamble. If it's new I thought Kimber was now even offering a accuracy guarantee but could be dreaming....

some of the really early 8400 models had some legitimate qa/qc issues, mostly if I remember right with the wsm rounds. POsiibly spewed into the 84 series but can't remember. It's been a while since I've seen or heard of a new one having big issues. Of course with any brand you can always have that possibility of a lemon but overall I believe kimber are producing some of, if not the best rifles for the money.

What I found with mine is it's finicky with it's ammo. When I first bought it it was toward the tail end of the "lemons" and initially I was pretty worried about it not liking the first few rounds I put through it. Rather than forcing it to like something, I moved on at it loves heavier accubonds at just about every speed I put through it. It may take some messing with loads but virtually every kimber I"ve shot and the one I own have been shooters with a little bit of experimenting.

They're a dream to carry, extremely well made and accurate enough for hunting. They probably won't perform side-by-side with a 12'lb heavy barreled 6-18X50 tacticool whatever but weren't designed to either.

If you buy one, buy one for what it is, a lightweight mountain gun.

If accuracy is your sole destiny, look no further than a ruger american, savage or tikka. There's no reason anymore to spend more than a couple hundred on a gun to get 1". However the kimber's I've shot and own are smooth crisp actions, exceptionally light, very well built rifles on a wonderful stock. Plenty accurate for most hunting situations.
 

luke moffat

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Feb 24, 2012
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Being a big Kimber fan (I have owned 7 and still own 4) I have to say that I am really liking what the Barrett Fieldcraft has to offer. Still right at 7 pounds all up even with 2 pounds nearly of scope, rail, and mounts on it. Yes its more expensive than a Kimber Montana but less expensive than the Ascent. If you reload then you'll really enjoy the extra mag box room the Barrett has rather than being mag box limited like the Kimbers are. I still fully intend to keep atleast 2 of my 4 Kimbers long term, but the other two meh...I can see them going down the road in favor of using the Barrett.
 

Boreal

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I’ve got a Montana in 6.5 Creed our and a Mountain Ascent in 280AI. Both are great shooters with my hand loads. The 6.5 also did great with Hornady Whitetail factory ammo. I did float the barrel and trimmed the blind box on the Montana, but did not have to on the MA. I’m getting 0.5” at 100 yards with both rifles. They are both great to carry, and in those calibers don’t have any issue with recoil. I wouldn’t hesitate to get another.


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Being a big Kimber fan (I have owned 7 and still own 4) I have to say that I am really liking what the Barrett Fieldcraft has to offer. Still right at 7 pounds all up even with 2 pounds nearly of scope, rail, and mounts on it. Yes its more expensive than a Kimber Montana but less expensive than the Ascent. If you reload then you'll really enjoy the extra mag box room the Barrett has rather than being mag box limited like the Kimbers are. I still fully intend to keep atleast 2 of my 4 Kimbers long term, but the other two meh...I can see them going down the road in favor of using the Barrett.

Luke, what's your fieldcraft chambered in?

I really like the build and materiels in the fieldcraft, and no doubt barrett is a reputable rifle builder.... my only concern or reason I've avoided getting one in a 308 so far is the barrel is bedded out to the end of the forearm so I've wondered how accuracy would be... care to weigh in?

sorry for the highjack
 
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I have owned 3 Kimber’s, two Montana’s (.300wsm & .280ai), and a MA (.270win). They all easily shot sub MOA. I currently just have the .300, purchased in 2005, and the MA. I sold the .280 because the .270 did everything that the .280 could do (for my purposes), and I really like the MA. I’m also a big Kimber fan and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one, especially if getting a good deal.


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I have a Kimber Mountain Ascent in 308 They guarantee sub moa. I love mine. It was great hunting up and down the mountain. After I got back in noticed a problem with some of the open country finish coming off. I contacted Kimber and they paid for the shipping back to them and they put a new stock on with no questions asked. This was obviously just a cosmetic issue. I researched ammo to use in it since I do not do hand loads, and mine shoots the Barnes ttsx great. I put on a Nikon scope with a custom turret and when we got to Colorado we went to a range and it was dead on out to 400 yards. Being from Northern Michigan I had never shot that far.
 
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rileybassman
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This is all good conversation... glad hearing that most of them are going to be good investments... I know shooting a lightweight gun is a whole different experience then a heavy gun - and sometimes wonder if this is what accounts for some of the bashing on groups etc... not saying that's everyone by any stretch... but it took a couple sessions with my savage LWH to get dialed in to shooting a light gun...

So what action/model should I be considering? Wanting kind of a "do it all" light (but I don't think I wan't the adirondack) hunting/mountain rifle.

Mountain Ascent vs Montana? Compromise with durability, weight, and accuracy?
 
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I love my Mountain Ascent and the 308 has been a great caliber for me. I actually decided on the 308 after watching many videos and listening to many podcasts from Randy Newberg. 308 is the caliber he uses and he certainly hunts a lot more than I do. I cant go over drops, ballistics, velocities, or any of that, but mine is real accurate, and is a joy to carry.
 
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This is all good conversation... glad hearing that most of them are going to be good investments... I know shooting a lightweight gun is a whole different experience then a heavy gun - and sometimes wonder if this is what accounts for some of the bashing on groups etc... not saying that's everyone by any stretch... but it took a couple sessions with my savage LWH to get dialed in to shooting a light gun...

So what action/model should I be considering? Wanting kind of a "do it all" light (but I don't think I wan't the adirondack) hunting/mountain rifle.

Mountain Ascent vs Montana? Compromise with durability, weight, and accuracy?

There's alot of truth to your perception of this gun shooting differently. It took some getting used to on my end to shoot it accurately. I have tikkas that are 6 1/2 dry and my kimber was 6.3 but had an entirely different feel that I had to get used to. Many, many people have sworn off kimbers (and other manufacturers) for building a rifle with luke-warm accuracy that never really took the time to find a round it liked. I have friends that sold or were ready to sell their guns because after 10 rounds of rem-core lokts it wouldn't print paper well. There are people out there (and on this forum) that had legitmate, real world problems with their kimbers but there's way more people that dumped theirs after 1 box of rounds weren't giving them acceptable results. When I was trying to decipher between fact and fiction while making a decision to buy mine, about 1 in 20 people with bad testimonial had factual evidence that they had a legitimate kimber lemon. There's a few, but not as many as some think... I do get fliers at the range if I'm not smart about letting the barrel cool (barrel is paper thin), but once I figured out how to shoot it that's been the only time it hasn't hit exactly where it's pointed.

As far as model and caliber nobody can answer that but you.... My personal draw to kimber was that it was one, if not the only manufacturer at the time building a seperate action specifically designed around the WSM rounds. I am a firm believer in that the 300wsm is possibly the best do-all cartridge of all time (other than maybe the 30-06, regardless the 300wsm is severely underated) but that's a debatable opinion of mine and I've been wrong more than I've been right. That said my heart was set on a 300wsm and since kimber was building a platform specific to the wsm rounds and building it well it only made sense to get one. At that time, they were only offering the ascent in 84M and 84L models so if I was getting a 8400wsm it would be in the Montana or wood. The choice was obvious as the gun was only for function and not looks. My montana comes in at 6lb3oz and I don't think (now that they offer the ascent in 8400wsm) I would want the lighter model with bells and whistles. The current recoil on my montana is very tolerable, the fluting on the ascent is, from what I can tell, there for aesthetics, not function...the action is the same, the stock is the same (hightech specialties I believe builds kimber's stocks) minus the nifty sitka graphics, etc... If you're really counting ounces, then the ascent would be a treat to carry. With the magnum loading I went with, the extra weight is welcomed. Since my kimber was going to be a true extended trip into the backcountry gun, the blind mag made the utmost sense.... if you're doing the truck/hotel/trailhead camping thing it might be a little annoying though. I don't think you'll compromise any durabilityu or accuracy between the MA and Montana, weight you'll obviously shed some with the MA. It's up to you if shaving the weight is worth the couple hundered $$$
 
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^^^ Well said. And actually, shaving a little weight off the Montana and getting it down to the same weight as the MA, is neither difficult or expensive. It’s as simple as changing out the bolt handle and trigger guard. My .270 Win. Mountain Ascent weighs exactly the same as my old .280 AI Montana weighed, with the same scope and lightweight Tally’s. The only thing I did to the Montana was put a MA style bolt handle and aluminum trigger guard on it, total cost $125.
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rileybassman
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^^^ Well said. And actually, shaving a little weight off the Montana and getting it down to the same weight as the MA, is neither difficult or expensive. It’s as simple as changing out the bolt handle and trigger guard. My .270 Win. Mountain Ascent weighs exactly the same as my old .280 AI Montana weighed, with the same scope and lightweight Tally’s. The only thing I did to the Montana was put a MA style bolt handle and aluminum trigger guard on it, total cost $125.
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Nice! That makes it easier to decide... where do you get those bolt handles? Kimber directly?
 

lewy

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Ive got a Montana 280ai, its a great feeling and looking rifle, the trigger is sweet, the rifle is a pleasure to carry. On the down side I did have several issues that should have been taken care of before it left the factory
 

Boreal

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Having both the Montana and MA, if I were to buy another it would be the Montana. Less cost with nearly negligible weight penalty. Is also get either the 84M or 84L action. The magnum and wsm actions make the stock thicker and it doesn’t fit nearly as well in my hand. If you reload, it’s hard to beat a 280AI with Hammer bullets. If you use factory ammo, the 270 or 7mm08 would be nice to consider to complement your 30-06.


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flashgordon

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I own a Montana in 270wsm. It's a very honest 1/2 MOA rifle with hand loads. It shoots about 1 to 1.5 moa with most factory ammo but really alive with 130gr Accubonds and 150 Partitions over 4831sc. With a Leupold 6-18x40 mounted with Talley LW one piece it weight about 7.25 ish lbs. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another will likely add a MA is 308 at some point.
 
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