Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Need some help with a Kimber.

I won one of the NRA Kimber's in .338 Federal. I scoped it with a 2 X 7 Kahles, it passes the look and carry test.

My problem is that I can't get it to shoot better than 2-3 inch groups.

I have tried 200 grain factory Fusion bullets. I have handloaded 180 gr Barnes, 185 gr Accubonds, 215 gr Sierra Game Kings and 160 gr Barnes. I have given it a trigger job, checked the bedding and put some upward pressure on the fore end tip. The crown looks OK visually. Whatever I do it seems to shoot 2-3 inch groups.

I am stumped. Any suggestions will be appreciated. This should be better than a 2-3 inch gun.

Thanks.

"This should be better than a 2-3 inch gun."

Or not.

We've had a lot of similar Kimber stories around this campfire.

It's why Kimber gives the "You pays your money and you takes your chances." guarantee on the rifles they sell.

BC Brian is right, unfortunately. My first Montana, a 308, shot well under half MOA groups right off the bat. But it wouldn't feed off the LH side of the mag, at all. It had already been to Kimber once, so I took it to my smith. After lightening my checkbook a couple hundred dollars, it shoots and feeds great.

The second Montana is a 338 Federal. I removed the firing pin assy and ran several mags worth of ammo through it and it functioned great right out of the box. I was out of my handloads at the time, and the rifle (bought it from my neighbor) came with 60 loaded rounds of the factory 180 Accubond load. I had about 30 rounds of Fusion ammo left over (I have another 338 Federal in a T3.) So I've had the 338 to the range twice now, both times with factory ammo. The 180 AB stuff is hovering right around MOA in the Kimber and Tikka both (out to 300 yards.) Neither rifle shoots the Fusion ammo much better than minute and a half.

I've had the T3 since January or so. It shoots 180 ABs over 46 grains of Benchmark into 5/8" pretty regularly. That load goes 2746 FPS AVG in the T3. I fired it one time in the Kimber and the bolt barely opened. I'm back to working up a load that the Kimber will like with TAC, Federal 215's, and 200 Hornady Interlocks after reading JBs article in handloader.

The Tikka really only liked the 180 Accobonds and the 215 Sierra's. Best groups were obtained with H4895 and Benchmark. Benchmark won every time in the speed dept.

Now that I'm done rambling... I would send the rifle back to Kimber. If it comes back still not shooting, then send it to Hill Country and have them accurize it. It sounds like you've tinkered with it enough to know that it's not going to shoot, with both handloads and a factory load. I would maybe try a box of the factory stuff thats loaded with the 180 Accubonds (I shot all the available factory loads in mine and it was the most accurate.) But I somehow doubt that it'll shoot much better given the circumstances.

I'm real happy with both my Kimbers, but they are no different than any other gun today. They're just a more expensive "Project in a Box" than others.

camdog:If you like the rifle and caliber enough,just rebarrel it.

I would try a different scope first befor I would rebarrel it. Next I would run the 215gr Sierra's all the way out to the rifle lands and get a new box of Federal 210 primers. On your 3 shot group try and have a cold barrel for each shot.

With STA and Bob.
Try a different scope. You could go the accurizing route w/recrown but heck, given the money you have in it - $550 for a rebarrel is pretty cheap for a Kimber.

STA/Skane: Oh sure; I'm assuming the basic stuff,ie scope,bedding,handloads, etc has been tried and failed and it's clearly a so-so barrel issue.You gotta know it's the barrel before you toss it.

Good morning camdog. We are all trying to get your Kimber going better. Let me ask you what you did to "check the bedding"? How tight are the two guard screws?

In any case I would switch scopes with another known shooter and if thats does not do it then shoot it with the rear guard screw loosened just 1/4 turn. That may settle it or prove that 'better bedding' is required.

The Kimber 8400 Montana in 270 WSM would not shoot small groups. I put a lot of time into it trying just about everything mentioned in various topics except of course rebarreling.

I decided to break the corner on the barrels crown. At the time I called this recutting the crown but all I do is to break the corner. It costs nothing to do, Kimber would never notice it if you sent the rifle back and if it gets messed up which it never has any smith could recrown it. Your taking off only thousandths.

Topic on Kimber tweeks.

Topic on breaking a crowns 'corner'.

Statements from the above topic.

Originally Posted By: 338Federal
Jeff, Does your new Kimber show a bright chamfer ring that just breaks bore and crown? That's how mine returned from Kimber and I've since noticed a difference as I look at off the shelf guns.Seems like the newer ones are being chamfered at the mill.

I wonder who they got that idea from? \:\)

I was smelling what you were cooking all along...

Do you really want to hunt with a gun thats so finicky as to have to let it cool off between 3 shot groups, for it to even shoot decent?

If I have to shoot more than twice at a big game animal far enough away that this makes a difference I've not done my job as a hunter. If it's the long distance hunting game you want to do it's not a 6 1/2 lb rifle you seek.

You buy a light weight rifle to haul around the mountains. You don't know how far your shots will be. Therefore you need a light weight rifle that will shoot to your personal satisfaction. So based on what you said, forget the Kimber.Rick.

camdog,
how far off the lands are your handloads vs. the factory ammo? FWIW that was the only problem with my 8400 .270.

I loaded to the COL listed, didn't measure off the lands.

I will try some of the tricks suggested, however, my gut tells me this rifle will end up at Hill Country when all is said and done.

If I didn't like the look and feel so much, I would trade it. On the other hand, I wouldn't feel right trading a gun away that I didn't think shot adequately.

Thanks again for all the great comments, you are obviously knowledgeable folks.

C-

camdog,
It may be your bullets need to be seated out further - that's the problem I had with my 270. Factory ammo was awful, and I didn't get groups to tighten up until I seated the bullets out to 3.395". you might check that before you send the rifle off to HCR.
Good luck with your efforts!

Describe your shooting technique...

Shooting off a concrete bench using Caldwell bags. Forearm resting on bags, no hands touching the barrel.

FWIW and I hope things work out...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...&topic=0&Search=true#Post1209315

Have you tried several powders, sometimes a different powder will work. I simply cannot make my Kimber 300WSM shoot with Viht N550, and I don't know why. It does however seem to like any amount of RL19 I use in it.

I would try some TAC per John Barnes piece in handloader.

Then you might try loading your bullets out long such that you have difficulty closing the bolt and then slowly work back until the bolt just closes easily, turning the die about a 1/3 of a turn at the time.

How many rounds have you fired thru the gun?