Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber Montana 7mm-08

Same RL15 load:

I can't complain about the BG/Norma load though. It treated me well. I guess I won the Kimber Roulette?!

4th,

Nice shooting! Laughing at the "4-9x MQ" reference

Not bedded, except from the factory.

I bought mine, new, in approx 2003. Initial accuracy was 'adequate' until I added a pressure point towards the tip of the stock (as per a suggestion here at the Fire - small strip of bicycle inner tube) and accuracy improved substantially - regularly/consistently less than MOA at 100m.

I have used 140gr and 150gr factory loads but generally handload 120gr Nosler BT's, Sierras or Hornady Vmax's.

As is often stated, there does seem to be a knack to shooting these light rifles well - any user error certainly seems to be magnified.

Now if only the bolt handle was on the 'correct' side for me...!

My 1 1/2" .308 Kimber shot 3/8" after installing a Broughton 5C...

DF

Looks like you did!

My last one, the action was literally bedded on top of the magazine box...not as in "the box was binding", but, the box was the bedding surface(!)

Remove the box, the action dropped so deeply into the stock the barrel was now full contact in the fore end.

Of course it shot like crap. I knew what the fix was but couldn't be bothered. I wondered how stuff like that makes it out of a factory. Nice rifle, quality components and shidt QC/Final Assembly. No wonder some shoot and some don't.

That will always help.

Sure helped this one. Factory barrel was bad, had a constriction around 2" from muzzle that I could see with the Hawkeye and feel with a tight patch. Kimber tech said 1 1/2" was Kosher. Well, maybe for him, not for me...

This gun is now a keeper; pre Broughton, it was just a trader.

DF

4th Point,

What velocity are you getting with those loads, if you don't mind me asking?

4th,
In my experience with 7mm-08s, you can't go wrong with RL-15.

~2600 fps with 43gr Big Game, 215, and Norma case.

~2628 fps with 40gr RL15, 215, and Lapua case.

Velocities are really consistent with both loads. Pretty good ES and SD. Below are 5 rounds from the RL15 load, but I actually have a bunch more data thru the chrono.



The Lapua case has less capacity as you'd expect, but there's a tiny bit of room left to go higher than 40gr without compressing. I've seen good things from this rifle at ~2600 and with ES & SD pretty low I don't have much interest in chasing more velocity.

Doug,

So far I'm liking it. Throws nearly as well as Big Game... +/- 0.1 grain vs deadnutz. I also did a quick cold test and all was well regarding POI vs POA out to 500 yards, but I need to do a more thorough test.

Jason

RL 15 is one of the Reloader series of powders that are NOT sensitive to temperature change. This according to Mule Deer and others who have tested many powders in heat and extreme cold.

H4350 works great with the 162's in my 22" 7-08. Over 2700 fps and accurate.

Not sure where you came up with any of this.

ALL powders are sensitive to temperature change, including RL15.

I've actually never seen MD say he's tested RL15 extensively either, though I have seen him comment on its use by the military for the 7.62x51 because of its relative stability over a wide range of temps.

Personally I did test RL15. What I found was between about 90*F and -20F it lost right at 100 fps. What surprised me was Varget lost right at 50 fps with the same bullets in the same rifle. That's when I switched from RL15 to Varget.

100 fps is not a big deal for most of us, but since Varget usually shoots as well as RL15, I figured I might as well have a more temp stable powder for the same money, especially since summer range time is one thing, but hunting here is sometimes well below zero.

The more I use Varget, the more I like it. It gives outstanding accuracy and 3,050 fps in my 22" barreled Montana with 120 BTs. It's also a favorite in my .223 with 75 grain bullets and .308 with 155s.

SmokeP,

You going to make me rethink Varget, aren't you?

It just so happens that those three rifles/loads are among my most accurate, if you can get the same results I'm sure it'll give you the same warm/fuzzy.

Brad,
Perhaps I miss-spoke. Maybe I should have said that RL 15 is not TOO sensitive to temperature change; I was referring to use in the 7mm-08 and have not found any great variation in point of impact or velocity. That said, my use and testing is normally done in temperature changes of maybe 60 to 70 degrees at the most, (from say 85 degrees down to maybe 20 degrees). And I will do some research of some older material: if I have misquoted Mule Deer, I will make that correction. However, I will continue to use and recommend RL-15 for use in the cartridge mentioned. It may not be the very best available, but it sure has worked for me in five different rifles.


A little research shows that on page 278 in Mule Deer's book "Rifle Trouble-Shooting and Handloading" he shows a list of powders tested which includes RL 15. In the caliber tested, a 338 WM, at a range of 100 yds. and a temperature change of 70 degrees, he found a 36 fps. decrease in velocity (70 to 0 degrees) and no shift in POI. So with all due respect, this is part of "where I came up with this"....