What's the old song, That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
I realize this is purely subjective, but my experience with Kimbers is kinda like a roll of the dice. Don't always know what your gonna get. With Sakos and Coopers, I've not had that problem.
When Kimber first came out with the short mags, 300 WSM was first.
I picked out an absolutely exquisite Classic in 300 WSM. Did my standard barrel break in. It was finicky from the start.IIRC the only bullet I could get to group consistently was the 180 gr. Nosler Partiton, which was no problem as I like Nosler. Even with the partitions, it was an 1.5" at 100 yd. rifle. I took it with me on a hunt at the lease I was on at the time. Spent the weekend there by myself. Would go up on Thursday and stay through Tuesday. Monday morning that trip I was sitting in a ground blind. It was approaching 11 AM as I recall. I was getting antsy as I'd been there since about an hour before daybreak. I'm getting ready to pack up when I see motion in the foreground. I immediately bring up the binocs and lay eyes on the best deer I've ever seen in my life strolling straight toward me. He's probably 200 yds, moving through the trees my way. I get ready and watch him to about 120 yds. I whistle and he stops. I fire. He stands there. I eject the empty and fire again. He's still standing but getting antsy. So I fire again. This time he turns and trots off. Mind you I hear no whop of the bullet, don't see him flinch. Nothing. So I look for blood for about two hours and don't see a drop. Bummer.
Later that afternoon I'm heading to a spot at the back of the ranch about two miles away. I'm on my four wheeler and go down in to a draw and back up. After I top the draw I come face to face with a fine mature 8 point buck. He don't spook, he just keeps walking toward an opening in the brush 30 yds. or so away. I have the rifle slung on my back. I never carry a rifle with a round in the chamber. I unsling the rifle, go to chamber a round and it pops out and falls o the dirt. I try a second time and this time the two remaining cartridges pop up and out. Meantime the buck slips into the Juniper. Two fine shooters missed in one day. If I hadn't paid $1300 for the rifle and about $500 for the scope I'd have wrapped it around the nearest tree I was so pissed. When I got back to town I traded in on a Remington 700 C grade in 270 Win. Not only had I missed 3 shots off a rest at 120 yds, but it had misfed or I had short stroked. Whatever, I figured the rifle had bad JuJu.
Classic #2. About two months after I bought Classic number 1 I purchased a Kimber in 270 WSM. It had pretter wood than the first. I figured what the hey, the problem with the first shouldn't keep me from enjoying this Kimber. Well once again I was sitting in a 4'x 4' enclosed blind at the junction of two power line right of ways. I had a shot on a buck about 120 yds. I drew a bead and squeezed. Click, but no boom. I thought what the heck. I know I put a shell in the chamber. I pull the rifle inside the blind, set the stock on the floor, hold it out almost at arms lenght to cycle the bolt. When I got to lift the bolt handle, the rifle fires, putting a hole in the roof and almost knocking me out with the blast, concussion and decibels. Freaked me smooth out. The deer ran off and I went back to camp once I cleaned out my shorts and regained my composure. When I got back I tried firing it off the bench and the same thing happened. So I took it back to where I'd bought it and asked them to send it back to the manufacturer. I sure didn't want some unsuspecting person to own that rifle.
The other classics and Montanas I liked, and had no mechanical problems with. I don't remember any of them being sub inch at 100 shooters though.
I had the Montanas in 260 Rem, 308 Win. and 325 WSM.
The 260 I bought new and loved it. However I had a fellow that I knew that had one and wanted to have its match for his son. He made me an offer I could not refuse. The others were pretty much the same. I bought them at a price where I could develop loads, shoot and take game with them and turn for a profit. I figure its hard to lose by making a profit.
The 325 WSM Montana was a fine shooter also, but when Nosler came out with their Model 48 in the Custom Sporter I grabbed that and have not looked back. I've an illuminated Leupold on it and it has become my favorite dark-thirty hog thumper.
I sold the Montana.
I had owned numerous Sakos before I purchased my first Kimber. About this same time I became serious about collecting Coopers. Coopers were mainly single shot models 21, 22 and 38 at the time.However, for the type of hunting I do, a repeater is not necessary. I could buy the Coopers at about 60% of MSRP, enjoy them and get out with a profit if I so desired. I could not do that with Kimbers, and for my money the Coopers had better fit, finish, triggers, were a ton more accurate, and were consistently good to go. I'd say out of 40 rifles between Cooper and Sako I've had one bad Sako, and it was a manufacturing defect peculiar to that run of chambers.
Best,
GWB
GW Where are you purchasing the Coopers for 60% of MSRP?
