Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Current Montana 30 06 owner

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I own a Montana 84L in 30 06. Looking for a change! Thinking about selling this and buying a Adirondak or acsent in 7mm 08. Rifle will be used mostly for white tails here in MN. Help me choose! Plus/minus. Thanks for your time!

Minus - you'll probably take it in the shorts if you trade the 30-06 Montana . . .

Minus - The Ascent and/or Adirondack are gonna hurt your wallet, to the tune of probably 2x what you get for a trade-in - if you trade.

JMHO, I'd stand with the 84L Montana in 30-06.

I will probably sell the 06 outright not trade it in. It also has a 2x8 leupold with tallys on it. Is asking $1200 for that rig to much? It has been hunted so normal wear on it.

I personally don't get the Ascent/Adirondack thing. I find the stocks ugly and "sticky", and the additional metal carving superfluous (and ugly).

Get a MT, and cut the barrel if you must. They're already light enough and you'll be dollars ahead.

I'd stick with what you have, and perhaps reload some newer bullets to breath some life into it if you are that bored.

I am looking for a used Montana but not for a scope.
Send PM if you want to sell. How old is your rifle?

If the 84L shoots good I would hang on to it. Kimbers do have an accuracy history. Those that do shoot get the forum coverage. Those that don't, not so much.

Geo

Frankly, I don't like the other rifles you mentioned. I'd stick with what brung me.

There are no flies on the decrepit old .30/06.

KEEP the 06.
ADD a hunter or Montana in 6.5 creed.
😈

Nothing wrong with wanting a different rifle but your 30/06 can be loaded to 7-08 recoil levels if recoil is an issue.

Dock Boy,

For whitetails I'd look at a plain Montana 84M (short action) in .243, 6.5 Creed, 7-08 or .308.

The .308 is very close to your -06, just in a shorter lighter package.

Cut the barrel if you want a shorter barrel, less expensive way to go than an adirondack.

Unless You absolutely need the money for the change hold on to the 30-06 for awhile to insure you have no regrets.

Jerry

Apart from reduced handloads, I wonder if anyone encouraging him to keep the 30-06 MT has personally used one with full-house loads? Having owned it, I find it a caustic biitch, especially with 180's. Not as bad with 165's, but still not my idea of fun. The 270/150 is the end of my fun with an 84L MT. The OP may feel differently however. Me, I'd rather run a 7-08 MT than a 30-06 MT, all day, every day, including on elk, let alone fragile WT deer. YMMV

First off I don't consider myself a rifleman by any means. I go on a handful of hunting trips a year. I don't personally enjoy shooting this rifle. I love it but I think I might sell it and buy a 7-08. I maybe have 75 rounds through this rifle. What should I ask for it? It does have a 2-8 Leopoldo on it with Talleys. Does have some hunting wear on stock nothing crazy though. Thanks for all the response!

My Rem Ti in 30-06 would rattle your fillings loose with hot 180 loads so I am sure it is too much of a good thing!

My .308 is only 100fps behind what I was getting and kills just as efficient.

I have and will agree that the 180's aren't exactly pleasant at the bench.
$900 gun or $1150 package would likely move it here without too much delay.

I would price the gun at $900-$1000 and sell the scope separately for $300 if it's a VX3. I don't know because Leupold doesn't make a 2-8. It's either a VX2 2-7 or a VX3 2.5-8.

My 7mm-08 Montana is a pussycat to shoot.I would either buy the 7mm-08 or if you don't reload the 6.5 Creedmoor if you don't reload. The 6.5 CM will have even less recoil than the 7mm-08 and has the advantage of excellent factory ammo.

Scopes a vx3 2.5-8 matte finish. I would be buying factory I do not reload.

It wouldn't be a bad scope to keep for your 6.5 Creedmoor.

I've owned a 30-06 for decades... and that's too bad because I've been looking for a good excuse to dump the dam thing.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find anything it wouldn't do well..but then none of my rifles have ever seen a round of factory ammo, so it's all just so confusing.

I guess I just got accustomed to the brutal recoil along the way.

A mean mistreater none-the-less.

Damn 308s keep multiplying too...

I don't find a normal weight 30-06 an issue, I find the Kimber MT weighing-in at 6lbs at the bench a "caustic biitch." Normal weight 30-06's are no big deal...

But the 30-06 MT will kill elk:



But so will the 7-08:

"What should I ask for it? It does have a 2-8 Leopoldo on it with Talleys."

Keep the scope for your Montana 7-08 or 6.5 creed, You'll be money ahead... If the scope suits you.

Jerry

Dock Boy, your thought to go to the 7-08 is fine, so is the .308Win.. Either in the 84M Montana configuration is a good choice. I wouldn't consider the Adirondack or Ascent - as to me they are over-priced for what they deliver. But in the end, its your money.
The 84L in 30-06 is an attention grabbing rifle as Brad alluded to. I've had several and with that weight, the 180's are stout.
The 2-8 Leupie you mentioned, maybe a 2.5-8x36, is more than adequate for MN. and out west.
Good Luck.

Montana .308Win. in New Mexico 2014

AGAIN, if you want to sell then send PM.

FWIW, I make it a point to NEVER try to sell a rifle AND a scope. Just selling a rifle you only have to find someone who likes your rifle AND have the money for it. If you sell them both together (regardless if it's handy for you) now you have to find someone that likes BOTH of your items AND have even more money to buy them both. Lots of people on here have extra scopes laying around and may be able to scrape together enough money to buy a rifle, but it's tougher to justify scraping up enough for both when you have a scope at home and keep the little lady happy with this relatively BIG purchase, cause now you won't have the money to get her what ever. Plus it doesn't hurt you to hang on to a back up scope or you can sell it at some point down the road.
Good luck.

You may want to consider a Kimber MT in 270. Recoil with full power 150 is stout but tolerable. Drop down to 130s and its pretty tame.

As been said, the Kimber MT 30-06 with full power 180s is stout. One solution is to load 165s with a faster burning powder. Powder gas is part of the recoil equation. A faster powder will net slightly slower speeds and less gas volume - both help reduce recoil.

Kimber stocks do a damn good job of soaking it up, but it's still jumpy.

Yep, my Montana has less felt recoil in 7-08 than another 7-08 I have that is nearly 2 lbs heavier. The other gun's recoil pad is hard enough to drive a nail though. The 7-08 Montana is a real pussycat.

In the OP's shoes I would get the 6.5 Creedmoor though. I don't see anything other than possibly brown bear that the 30/06 will kill more efficiently, and in that case I would be shooting something even larger anyway. I'm fairly sure that the 6.5 CM has better factory ammo than the 7-08 and I know the good stuff in 6.5CM is cheaper right now.

My T3 Lite Stainless 7mm-08 kills deer elk and antelope deader than Hitlery's political career.




P

I have a MT 8400 in '06, during load development with 180's most sessions were kept short on purpose.

A 84L with 180's Hmmm... I would not look forward to a lot of that.

Or even 150s, plenty of good 30cal 150gr bullets available.

I absolutely hated my Montana 7mm WSM. That thing cracked like a 300 magnum. Long gone. I wouldn't consider a Montana in anything above a 270 Winchester.

To the OP I would much rather have a Montana in 7/08.

Damnit Bob. I was hoping you would have at least said 280.... Maybe not AI, but just plain jane 280.... I guess I'll just have to buy a Tikka T3, since I'm thinking 30-06...

Why not the Creedmoor since he doesn't reload? I'm not really up to speed on the Creedmoor but I thought folks were bragging about how good the factory ammo was.

The factory 6.5 Creed ammo is good IME, but the OP did not mention it.

I've never found the 84L 30-06 to be a "bitch", but then I never load 180 bullets, as they're just not necessary with today's bullets. 150 monos in an '06 or 308 Win have and will continue to do anything I need, including taking moose and grizzlys.

To the op: Your cheapest and easiest solution would be to buy some reduced recoil loads from Remington, Hornady, etc., for your '06. Plenty for the game and ranges you seem to be shooting.

Dang if you don't like your 30-06 let me know, I have a buddy that is looking to pick up a 84L to bore out to a 338-06.

I carry my rifles much more than I shoot them. After I get a load worked up I don't do much plinking with them. Granted I don't shoot from long distances, but just practice enough to stay proficient.

Not really familiar with Kimbers, but...

Why not get a custom barrel or a couple and be set for whatever your needs might be?

No real need to spend several thousand on a hunting rifle when can do better outsourcing the parts yourself. Not like you're going for a super-precision piece that needs all the custom "truing" touches. Never worth blowing a lot of money at a production action; but for a hunting rifle???

Get the barrel off, take a depth micrometer and measure from action shoulder to the bolt face and to the bolt nose (the rim that encircles the cartridge base. With those 2 measurements Pac-Nor or whoever you choose, can chamber and thread your barrel into a ready to install, ready to go custom barrel that will shoot the daylights out of any factory stuff.

A 6.5x284, your .30-06, and a .35 Whelen or 9.3x62 and you would be set. Have seen some custom die sets around for 338x284, .35x284, and 9.3x284... Go 6.5x284 and any of your larger choices and you got the world by the tail...

If you look at the last hardcover Hodgdon manual, they give identical load data for .30-06 and .30x284. Very versatile ctg. Better than standard .30-06 for bullet seating flexibility with long heavy bullets, already has the 35deg shoulder for less trim worries.

Kimber Montana and Talkeetna models are supposed to be pretty nice rifles... Why not put your money where it matters for shooting, and go custom barrel?