Originally Posted by Jeff_O
Originally Posted by DLSguide
Sounds good, if you get one that shoots. Lots of bad reports on Kimber rifles.. Seems like there are more bad ones than good. Good luck.


Here's a couple groups from my 7 WSM Kimber from a couple weeks ago. 100 yards, prone w/Harris and a beanbag. 162 Amax's, the melty ones <grin>:

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

But with that having been said, here's my thoughts on the matter.

Shooting ultralight rifles that well is HARD. Anyone who wants to do so had better either have already put in the work to get good that way, or be prepared to put in the work. It will likely take many hundreds of rounds minimum just getting your technique figured out. In particular, horizontal stringing is a bear with ultralights. The cure is a REALLY light trigger and consistent right hand position and trigger pull. The trigger on my Kimber is under a pound pull. Beyond that is just the need to build a good position; the crosshairs should "want" to be on the target, don't be using muscle tension to pull or push the crosshairs onto the bullseye or upon recoil that stored muscle energy will throw a flyer.

Those things are all true with any rifle, but an ultralight will really show you your ass so to speak. smile

A sub-6 lb .280AI shooting long range bullets (heavies) will be a handful. Just go into it knowing there's likely gonna be some personal work to do. Don't expect things to be real consistent at first.

Edit: 3-9 is PLENTY of X's to get to the OP's max range. I'm about to put a scope with a 10x top end onto a high-end rifle build I intend to shoot out to TWICE the OP's max range. No experience with them but by all accounts the SWFA is a great choice.


I agree. I have a new 6.5 Montana I'm working on, and while it is delivering pretty solid results, it is definitely more work to shoot 5 shot groups well than other heavier hunting rifles I've had, and far more work than dedicated range guns. The trigger is down to 2.75lb from the factory 4.5lb, but I don't imagine I'll go much below that.

I have 3 SWFA's, a 3-15 on my RPR, a fixed 12x on my CTR, and the 3-9 that the OP is asking about, sitting in my safe, but formerly on a M70 EW, all mil/mil. The SWFA's aren't going to match the more expensive scopes for clarity, but they are more than clear enough for most uses, and are very repeatable, which is what's most important if you're twisting turrets. The SWFA's are chunky compared to lighter purpose built hunting scopes, but on the other hand are just under half the weight of a Razor II, all about perspective I guess.