My Kimber Montana Tinkering

[Cahunter805]

Great job on the stock work!! Looks awesome.
Just a tip on your bedding. Be sure to clean up/drill out the action screw holes so they have a little clearance.

 

[Marbles]

I must have added more weight with bedding and paint than I though because even without the over 8 ounces of the stock pack and duck tape comb riser the weight is about the same.

7 lb 2 and 1/4 oz

7 lb 0 and 3/8th oz


Now to go see how she shoots.

 

[stvnshnn]

Thanks for keeping track of your progress. I bought a used Kimber Hunter and have been "tinkering" just here at the start of it all. Finding this thread has been a great way to find what I think I want to do--and what I know I won't be able to do myself.
Good luck shooting it!

 

[Marbles]

Thanks for keeping track of your progress. I bought a used Kimber Hunter and have been "tinkering" just here at the start of it all. Finding this thread has been a great way to find what I think I want to do--and what I know I won't be able to do myself.
Good luck shooting it!

The Kimber Hunters are nice. I need to get a rifle for my wife and a 7-08 Hunter is on the list of rifles I'm considering.

If you have not already read it, take a look at this thread as it is Hunter specific. https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/kimber-hunter-in-6-5-creedmoor-let-the-project-begin.847

 

[stvnshnn]

The Kimber Hunters are nice. I need to get a rifle for my wife and a 7-08 Hunter is on the list of rifles I'm considering.

If you have not already read it, take a look at this thread as it is Hunter specific. https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/kimber-hunter-in-6-5-creedmoor-let-the-project-begin.847

Thanks! I'll take a look. What caught my eye in your thread at first was the blue clay mug with the halibut hook. I have the same one after visiting a friend in Ketchikan last summer.

 

[Marbles]

Thanks! I'll take a look. What caught my eye in your thread at first was the blue clay mug with the halibut hook. I have the same one after visiting a friend in Ketchikan last summer.

Ketchikan is a pretty awesome place, especially if you have a boat. Hopefully you got some good fishing in.

 

[Marbles]

Well, the verdict is that I still cannot shoot. The bedding job might have tightened up 10 round groups a little as they where holding at about 6 inches if I remember correctly. However I took no pictures of them and don't recall with certainty. Seeing as I feel my personal limit on game is 200 yards, this is probably consistent with what this shooter, bullet, rifle, scope combination is capable of right now. Some other range trip I will give a pressure point about a 1/3rd down the barrel a try. I have a feeling the real solution is going to be practice, though I would like to hand the rifle to someone who shoots sub 7 pound guns well and see what they think.

All shots where fired prone off a pack using a double wrap sling technique at 100 yards. The raised comb is really nice.

I only shot 60 rounds total, so not enough to definitively say the Wolff spring fixed the failure to fire issues, but so far so good. I have no objective measurement, but subjectively the primer strikes look to be more consistent.

10 shot group with Winchester Supper X 180 grains. It was cheap and has brass worth saving. I can say for certain that I did not execute every shot perfectly.


11 shot group with Winchester Expedition Big Game 180 grain AccuBonds. I called a pull to the left and a pull to the right on this one. However, I did not look at the target between each shot, so I cannot say with certainty that these are the two further from center. I did look after the first three shots and can say with certainty that they were not nice and tight, as much as I wish I could say the three rounds touching each other were the first three.

 

[Jbehredt]

Have you lightened your trigger yet? Mine was nearly 5 lbs from the factory. Considerably lighter now.

 

[Marbles]

Have you lightened your trigger yet? Mine was nearly 5 lbs from the factory. Considerably lighter now.

I have not as I don't have a scale. Subjectively it is lighter than the Geissele SSA I have in another rifle, but even if that is correct it only means less than 4.25-4.75 lb. Guess it might be time to get a trigger scale.

 

[Jbehredt]

I bought one shortly after shooting my Montana the first time. The math with a trigger nearly as heavy as the rifle didn’t add up. I can be flinchy anyway so it was a recipe for disaster.

 

[Marbles]

I bought one shortly after shooting my Montana the first time. The math with a trigger nearly as heavy as the rifle didn’t add up. I can be flinchy anyway so it was a recipe for disaster.

You win, just ordered one.

 

[Marbles]

I bought one shortly after shooting my Montana the first time. The math with a trigger nearly as heavy as the rifle didn’t add up. I can be flinchy anyway so it was a recipe for disaster.

Average of 5 pulls gives me 3 lb 9.8 oz for the trigger pull. This is the lightest trigger on anything I own, so I'm not sure how much lighter to make it. Perhaps 2 lb 8 oz?

Any specific function checks that should be performed after adjusting it?

 

[Jbehredt]

Average of 5 pulls gives me 3 lb 9.8 oz for the trigger pull. This is the lightest trigger on anything I own, so I'm not sure how much lighter to make it. Perhaps 2 lb 8 oz?

Any specific function checks that should be performed after adjusting it?

After cross referencing several online “opinions” I was comfortable going ever so slightly lighter than your guess. The firing pin falling with a firm drop on the butt stock or forceful running of the bolt will tell you if you’ve gone too light. Obviously you’d want to back off sufficiently from that point. Mine didn’t fail either test and I was dropping it hard enough on the carpeted basement floor to worry about the stock. I perhaps could have gone even lighter but I got the desired results of tighter groups so I stopped while I was ahead.

 

[ProAlpine]

Nice dude! It's looking good.

I like the touring skis in the corner... I'm a mountain guide, so I spotted those right away.

 

[ProAlpine]

I reduced the pull weight on my Mtn Ascent to just about 2.3 lbs. it's pretty sweet... New springs arriving soon so'll swap out the old for the new.

Keep the pics coming

 

[Cahunter805]

I would recommend a trigger pull weight of between 2.5-3lbs and practice with that a bit first. I prefer lighter than that personally but 2.5 is a good start and you can always go a little lighter after becoming comfortable there. I would order a trigger spring for it also.
Also have you tried any other factory ammo or are you going to handload? Those groups aren’t bad for factory Winchester ammo.

 

[Marbles]

Final got around to adjusting the trigger pull. Still need to make it back to the range, though during dryfire it is easier to keep the reticle on target.

After reading on some other forums, I ended up trying to adjust with the overtravel screw, thinking it was the trigger pressure spring screw. I quickly found that it did not do what I wanted and moved on to the only other option. I should have just referenced schematics to start with.

I returned the overtravel screw to its original position. I did not touch the sear contact adjustment. I backed the trigger pressure spring screw out 1.5 turns. This gave me an average (out of 10) pull weight of 2 lb 5 oz (range of 1 lb 14 oz to 2 lb 9 oz). I then conducted a function check as described by @Jbehredt and was not able to induce a a firing pin drop. This included a 5 foot drop butt first onto concrete with scope attached. I decided to leave it at 2 lb 5 oz and painted the screws with orange nail polish.

The screws turned without breaking the nuts loose, so I just left them alone.

 

[Jbehredt]

1, 14 to 2, 9 is a huge variance. Should be with and oz or 3. Have to watch where you’re grabbing the trigger, especially if your gauge doesn’t have a roller. Also have the rifle secured when measuring, not hand held. You’ll HAVE to break that lock nut loose and re glue it. If it spun with the shaft your adjustment is free to walk out indefinitely or back to where it began.

 

[Marbles]

1, 14 to 2, 9 is a huge variance. Should be with and oz or 3. Have to watch where you’re grabbing the trigger, especially if your gauge doesn’t have a roller. Also have the rifle secured when measuring, not hand held. You’ll HAVE to break that lock nut loose and re glue it. If it spun with the shaft your adjustment is free to walk out indefinitely or back to where it began.

Ok, I'll give it a try in a rest as I was hand holding. The nuts did not move when I turned the screws. The factory locking compound provide an index mark and did not crack between trigger housing and nut, but broke free between nut and screw. Though I should tighten them on principal as they clearly are not (and were not) doing their job.

 

[Marbles]

It is a Lyman gauge with a roller. I was also careful to pull parallel with the bore.

Pulling faster produces lower numbers. If I take about 2 seconds to gently pull I'm getting a range of 2 lbs 7.0 oz to 2 lbs 10.1 oz with most being 2 lbs 7.5-9.5 oz.

I checked, and after over 100 cycles of the action the screws have not moved.