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You're between rock and hard place. Rather than gamble on a rifle that you already have low confidence in, get another right now. I think the Ruger RSMs are likely the best pick of the production litter, and are quite likely to work and keep working. You will likely make a deal w/ a reputable dealer on phone, pay by card, have it next day shipped to your dealer.

Then mount your scope securely, and go shoot a bunch in the remaining two weeks before your trip.

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That sounds like good advice.

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Originally Posted by McInnis
If you don't get the "American Hunter", there's an article with the Caprivi featured. Like any gun rag it goes a bit overboard on the positives, but the accuracy tests were impressive.


if it is the same article that was in american rifleman make sure to read it carefully... you will notice they only tested the gun for accuracy with 300 gr bullets since the 270gr bullets did not group well at all.... the writer even commented about this but stated "I did not do thatn on purpose" which I find hard to believe... they would never trash a major advertiser... even if they needed it.

had two kimbers.... both had to be sent back to make them work.. then neither would shoot better than 2.5" @ 100 yards... I know a lot of guns love them and get good ones... I have not. I really love the montana but after being bitten twice with serious quality control issues I now stay away from them. (which is sad since I think the weight and design of the montana is about perfect)


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MSK07,
That is terrible. Just like cars, we get a lemmon now and again. I would look for another rifle for this trip. Either borrow one are like suggested purchase another. I have a couple pre64 375's if you want to borrow one. That is a shame that you buy a semi-custom gun and it falls apart on the bench. If I were looking for a new rifle I would look hard at CZ. GOOD LUCK.

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TexasMark,

Very generous. If I were still living in Texas I'd take you up on the offer to borrow a .375 from you. As it stands, the Kimber Caprivi is with UPS on its way back to New York. I'm hopeful that they'll get it back to me in time to mount the scope and sight it in again before I leave. But I realize that's overly optimistic.

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"The Caprivi looks like a very nice rifle; but at $3k, it should not have the issues Alan's buddy encountered. That is very basic stuff that I would expect to be "right" out of the box."

Absolutely. I would not tolerate such shabbiness in a rifle costing three grand.

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MSK07 - I have had two Kimbers; a 260 Montana that wouldn't shoot, extract or feed that I got rid of quickly and a 7mm-08 that is a dream. Quality seems to be inconsistent from all I've read.

From your point of view, I would not take this gun to Africa without being able to thoroughly test it. I don't believe you have time to get this done before your trip. Time to implement a disaster plan so your expensive trip is not in jeopardy. Sorry about your troubles!

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I played with one that a friend had me glass bed, tweek and sight in for him..It was a nice rifle but for the price I think one would be better off with a custom rifle for near the same money. but I tend to be faithful or prejudice, take your choice, to the pre 64 and the custom Mausers.

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Originally Posted by beechdrvr
"The Caprivi looks like a very nice rifle; but at $3k, it should not have the issues Alan's buddy encountered. That is very basic stuff that I would expect to be "right" out of the box."

Absolutely. I would not tolerate such shabbiness in a rifle costing three grand.
...............Agree with you here! For $3k, no rifle should have the issues that I`m reading about here on this thread. With all the components involved, maybe a big percentage of that money might be wrapped up in that beautiful wood?

The Caprivi is one beautiful rifle. But apparently underneath that beauty, linger the possiblities of a few issues that need to be addressed by Kimber, which may have been overlooked by Boddington in his initial review.

I`ll take an uglier and far lesser expensive rifle that`s more accurate, more reliable, that has no issues.


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The Caprivi is new and the MSRP is $3K. The Ruger RSM rifles have been around a decade. I've seen used, but not abused, RSM rifles for half of what their asking for a Caprivi.

Just something to consider...

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Originally Posted by idahoguy101
The Caprivi is new and the MSRP is $3K. The Ruger RSM rifles have been around a decade. I've seen used, but not abused, RSM rifles for half of what their asking for a Caprivi.

Just something to consider...
..........I know and can relate to you!! I bought my 375 Ruger Alaskan/matte for $821 in `08 and haven`t done a darn thing to it other than to reload for it, hunt some hogs with it (will hunt moose, bison and big bears later), and go to the range and shoot it. I have yet to read where any 375 Ruger Alaskan owner has been disappointed with its accuracy.

It`s not pretty, but it is very durable for field use. Although I don`t, most dislike the Hogue stock and many of my reloading combos shoot moa with extremely good chrony`d velocities, and it handles great in the field as well. At $821 or 27% of the price, it`ll do the same things just as well as any $3K, 375 H&H Caprivi.

But as they say, to each his own. I prefer the less pretty, but very durable, reliable and accurate rifles.


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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.

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What a mess!..........Hope you get it back in time.


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MSK07: You're a patient guy,and I sympathize with you over these issues.Three grand is a lot of money to spend on a beautiful piece of junk that brings nothing but disapointment.I'd put up with that rifle for about 10 minutes after becoming aware of all these issues,even if I liquidated at a loss.

Problem for me is that I would never trust the thing no matter how much TLC it received from Kimber.

I'd be happier with, and more confident in, a Whitworth Express,a Ruger,or M70 in 375H&H.Or for $3000-$3500, I'd get a pre 64 M70.At least you know these rifles would work.

I've never seen nicer, more appealing design coupled with shoddy and inconsistent QC in any factory rifle than I have seen with Kimber rifles.




The 280 Remington is overbore.

The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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I agree, it will be difficult to trust this rifle, which is why I may leave it at home and take the Sako .338 instead.

But here's the latest in the Kimber saga:

Customer service called me today and attempted to blame me for the accuracy and headspace issue:

1. They accused me of allowing someone else work on the barrel, as they found Loctite on the barrel threads when they removed the barrel. I tried to explain to the woman on the telephone that Loctite had been used to mount the scope bases. The screw holes on the forward receiver ring for the scope bases do go fully through the ring and would allow a little Loctite to drip down onto the barrel threads. That's hardly equivalent to allowing another gunsmith to work on the rifle.

2. She also argued that the stock never should have been modified to allow the barrel to float, because the Caprivi is not supposed to be free floated, and that the stock work was the cause of the accuracy issues. I explained that the stock work was done because the gun has shot so poorly ever since it was returned from Kimber the first time. I further explained that even if the barrel is not supposed to be floated, no ebony tip on a stock should exert asymmetrical pressure on the barrel the way this one did. That's a fundamental of stock work. Do you really want the glue joint under that much stress?

Anyway, I suspect it's all smoke and mirrors; Kimber just trying to get out of having to stand behind their product by blaming me for the rifle's problems.

In the words of my wife: "Honey, you are never ever buying a Kimber again. Your next rifle should be a Jarrett."

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If Headache were still around, I'd try contacting him right quick to get your rifle fixed properly....


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Originally Posted by MSK07
I agree, it will be difficult to trust this rifle, which is why I may leave it at home and take the Sako .338 instead.

But here's the latest in the Kimber saga:

Customer service called me today and attempted to blame me for the accuracy and headspace issue:

1. They accused me of allowing someone else work on the barrel, as they found Loctite on the barrel threads when they removed the barrel. I tried to explain to the woman on the telephone that Loctite had been used to mount the scope bases. The screw holes on the forward receiver ring for the scope bases do go fully through the ring and would allow a little Loctite to drip down onto the barrel threads. That's hardly equivalent to allowing another gunsmith to work on the rifle.

2. She also argued that the stock never should have been modified to allow the barrel to float, because the Caprivi is not supposed to be free floated, and that the stock work was the cause of the accuracy issues. I explained that the stock work was done because the gun has shot so poorly ever since it was returned from Kimber the first time. I further explained that even if the barrel is not supposed to be floated, no ebony tip on a stock should exert asymmetrical pressure on the barrel the way this one did. That's a fundamental of stock work. Do you really want the glue joint under that much stress?

Anyway, I suspect it's all smoke and mirrors; Kimber just trying to get out of having to stand behind their product by blaming me for the rifle's problems.

In the words of my wife: "Honey, you are never ever buying a Kimber again. Your next rifle should be a Jarrett."
.................Geees! I would find out who the big wheel is at Kimber and write a detailed letter to this person detailing everything in chronological order. If possible, go beyond whom you`ve been dealing with up to this point, possibly a warranty rep, supervisor, or even a person higher up the ladder than that.

If you`re going after non-dangerous game, your Sako 338 is just fine. You don`t need a 375 H&H anyway, let alone a rifle you cannot trust!

My buddy in northern Cal has a 375 H&H Ruger Magnum rifle, which is their $2K version. He bought it recently brand new and from the box, he hasn`t done anything to it. With reloads, his accuracy according to him, is always consistently at 1 1/2" and less, with no other complaints from him except for its weight which he expected anyway.

This ugly businees you`re getting from Kimber, is no doubt certainly frustrating!!


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MSK:....Get out of it.....any way you can and get another rifle.

The alterations likely voided any warranty;so back and forth you go on the merry-go-round.Real headache;sorry you have gone through this for $3k...a guy would expect more from them.

Get a pre 64 or a M70 Classic,send the thing to Mark Penrod to go over and make sure it works; be happy.




The 280 Remington is overbore.

The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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MSK....I agree with Bob. A 338 will be more than enough gun for a plainsgame hunt. I have been taking my 300 H&H mod 70 made in 1937. It has been a classic hunt with a classic caliber. My wife hunted this last june with me and took zebra,impala and nyala with a 257 weatherby... all hit the ground dead! Mostly take a gun you trust and enjoy the trip.
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That's a bummer. The rifle itself looks like a beauty but if there are problems like that floating about I think a fellow might be best served with something else.


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