As follow up... I talked with Kimber customer service on the telephone today to confirm that they received my rifle via UPS for repair, and I reminded them that I'm leaving for Namibia on September 7 and would like my rifle back several days in advance of that date. The customer service representative (I won't mention her name) berated me for not sending them the rifle sooner and avoiding the need to rush the repairs. I just about came unglued. I reminded her that this was the second time my rifle has had to be returned to Yonkers, New York to fix flaws that never should have left the factory. She did acknowledge that the barrel had been replaced when they fixed the barrel band the first time around; whoever did that obviously didn't check the headspace in the chamber appropriately before sending the rifle back to me. I've been struggling for months, trying out different ammunition, changing to different primers in my handloads, changing from a quick detach scope mount to a fixed scope mount, floating the barrel, all to fix the accuracy and misfire issues, only to find out the headspace is wrong after having two gunsmiths look at it. And Kimber has the right to criticize me for not being more timely about my return? How about Kimber apologize for screwing up my rifle when they initially fixed the barrel band? Yeah, I'd love an apology from Kimber.
No worries... I do have a very nice Sako .338 Win Mag that I will borrow from my Dad and take to Africa in place of the Kimber if they don't come through. The Sako is tried and true, having taken sheep, elk, and moose. I suspect it will do just fine on kudu and gemsbok.
