Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Kimber field accuracy

I'll preface this by saying that it is probably not possible to know less about Kimber rifles than I do.
But, I have been looking around at the possibilities of a lighter rifle for deer an elk hunting. have read lots of posts here concerning the accuracy of Kimber rifles. Some reports are talking about 3- 4 inch groups at 100 yards, and some attribute this to poor technique. others to shortcomings in the rifle.
My question is, if technique IS the problem, how precise or how accurate is that rifle going to be under field conditions? One day, I might be shooting over my backpack, the next shooting from a sit and another time resting the forearm on a branch while hanging onto a tree with the other hand.
Thanks for any input.

Fred

I made my longest shot ever on a whitetail with my Montana 325 WSM. It wasn't that far only 346yds but I had no worries about the rifle being up to the shot. It was prone off a bipod.

Concentrate on trigger control and have a smooth grip on the forend and you should be fine off the bench or in the feild.\

I'm sure a bunch of others here can show you pics of piles of critters they've used their Kimbers on.....................dj

It's not all poor technique. There's a lot of rifle to rifle variation.

I have a friend who bought a .308 Montana for his wife. He's a good shooter. It beat him so he called in the cavalry, a mutual friend who is fanatical about accuracy and a very good high power shooter, so he ought to be able to make a .308 sing. The best the two of them could get out of it on a repeatable basis was about 6 MOA.

On the other hand, my .308 Montana shoots pretty decent, nothing to brag about but certainly does what I bought it for. My last 300 yard group went about 3.5 inches. Good enough.

Tom

My 84M classic 308 shoots very well with 150 grain TSXs and Varget - within 1 MOA. Granted, it is the third 84M I tried, but the other two were 7-08s, and from what I read, a lot of the Kimber accuracy issues are with that caliber (7-08). I would not hesitate to get another 308 if needed, and I'm thinking about trying an 84L in 30-06.

I have a .270 WSM that is picky about the loads that it will shoot, but it shoots the ones that it likes very well. It does this off the bench, over a day pack or with shooting sticks. I don't shoot off hand much anymore, as my ability to do so has deteriorated with age and I can't cite any relevant experience on that topic.

I think that the talk about technique is a bunch of BS. If I have to hold the rifle a certain way to get it to shoot then it will either head down the road or get a new tube.

I currently have 3 kimbers and all shoot well from the bench and field positions.

While the sample is small, I know of 4 different Kimbers that were no more than tent stakes.

I know they are not even in the same class as a Kimber, but I would seriously look at a Marlin XL-7 in 30-06. For $350 you get an adjustable trigger, pillar bedding, thick soft recoil pad, floating bolt head, and a nickle plated safety. At 6.5pounds with the 22" barrel it is a lightweight gun and will shoot just as well as guns cost 2-3x the price.

If you can't bear the thought of a $350 30-06 from Marlin, I'd look into the Savage lightweight hunter in 6.5x284. At 5.5pounds with a walnut stock it is a thing to behold. And it cost at least $200 less than a 84L or Montana.

I bought a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM last year. It has never been a bad shooter, but I took it to a local gunsmith and had him adjust the trigger to approx 3#. He also stippled the stock for added grip.

My last 5 shot group, off the bench, at 100 yards was right around an inch. I was using 180 gr TTSX reloads that I had worked up.

I will take that any day from a hunting rifle.

donsm70

Royce,
No one is going to be able to predict the accuracy of a
Kimber rifle. Certainly not any more than buying a Ruger, Winnie, Remmy, Browning, etc.. The fact is that each rifle is an entity unto itself. Each purchase is a gamble with some more so than others. Pick the features and price range and go with it.

I have had quite a few Kimbers and can say they were overwhelmingly a pleasure to shoot. I still rely on them over all the others.

My Montana in 308 shoots consistent one-inch groups, but it was a royal PITA to get it there -- and despite what some would declare to be gospel, it's not all about technique with these rifles. There are often reasons why phrases like "playing Kimber Roulette" became cliches. As with any other purchase, you pay your money and take your chances.

bigwhoop
If you read my post, I don't think I asked anyone to predict the accuracy of a Kimber rifle. The crux of my question was "are Kimbers finicky to shoot under field conditions".
If you sight in a Kimber from the bipod, and then shoot at a game animal with a bipod, you are pretty much replicating range conditions.
The reason the question was raised in my Kimber ignorant mind was that I often see people telling other people that the reason their Kimbers don't shoot is because is because they are more demanding of a flawless bench technique. It would seem to me that if they are that susceptible to changes in bench technique, that they would be even more susceptible to field conditions where a person might be shooting from the sit one time, uphill over a rock the next and downhill over a down jacket the next day.
The measure of a hunting rifle to me is not whether or not it can shoot pinhole groups under ideal conditions, but whether or not it can put bullets within 3/4 of a minute of angle from the point of aim at 20 below zero and 60 degrees above zero under field conditions. (That is another way of saying that it will shoot 1 1/2 minute of angle under field conditions).

Fred

I have a Montana in 7/08. I have trouble shooting tight groups off the bench. I don't have good technique, or bags, or even a good bench. It has been easy to hit with in the field however. Elk at 200-250 yards, deer at 300, a coyote at 300, even a squirrel at 75. The only way to truly find out how the rifle works for you is to try it.

My son has a Montana in .243. Off a bipod, it will put 3 Barnes TSX bullets in 5/8" at 100 yards. He's used it on two mule deer bucks, one at 350, and another at 250. In my experience, they are nice little rifles.

Dude, I gotta believe that 243 Montana is one sweet rig!

So many rifles, so little money...

Question: For those of you that have owned Kimbers that would not shoot to your satisfaction,what did you do, send it back to Kimber, sell it or trade it. If you sent it back to Kimber, did they solve the problem or return it with the explanation that it shot within the shooting industry specs. Which is about 3moa if my memory is correct. I am thinking about a Kimber so I certainly would like to know how the problem of a poor shooter was solved. Thanks

My experience was limited to just one Montana in 308, and the answer was a lot of experimentation with ammo. It didn't like much of anything until I tried some 165-grain Fusions. That turned out to be a marriage made in heaven, so I quit while I was ahead. That's all I ever feed it now.

Haven't had a Kimber that didn't shoot. Some took a little effort to find a load it liked, but I didn't have to give up on any, unlike two Remingtons I've had.

My Kimber Montana 300WSM is hard to shoot from the bench. It likes to be held a certain way, and the recoil can be a little more than I like. In the field, I don't notice the recoil at all, even from the prone with a bipod. It shoots slightly less than 3/4" 3 shots groups with Federal 150 Fusions. I expect I will be able to equal or beat that with handloads.

Any lightweight gun may be particular as to how it likes to be held on the bench, to shoot the best. I believe JB suggested that he has taken to putting something soft on top of the sandbag under the rifle and that helps alot. I am going to try that.

It makes sense. If you shoot in the field, with your rifle rested against a post, your shot is often thrown. If you keep a hat, or your hand etc between the post (rest) something soft, the shot flies true.

Buy a Kimber, I think you will like it.

I've had 5 centerfires, 2 84's and 3 8400 wsm's. All 5 shot and shoot weel under an inch. The 308 took the most load work but also now shoot the best. If I shoot a 1/2 in group with it it's because I did something wrong. With the load it likes it is a 1 hole 3 shot rifle. It likes harnady 150 flat base interlocks and varget at 2900fps. It and a 300wsm are montanas. the 270wsm and the 257R and selects. I sold a wood 300 to fund the 300 montana. Thinking about an 84l.

Can you give a bit more information on the load you are using? How many grains of Varget? What brand of case? Primer?

Thanks.

Fred,

Apparently few people are going to respond to your original question. It isn't due to your lack of writing skill. Instead I'd guess it's because the worth of any hunting rifle anymore is nowadays based on benchrest groups.

If you want to try a light Kimber from various positions and rests, I'd be glad to loan you one.

Fred, my 7lb 257 Roberts shoots great from any position. Easy to shoot(thicker tube than a .308 84) and is very accurate(bench, bipod, shed window, truck mirror, hood etc).
A 7lb 300WSM will take a little more attention...(grin)