Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Forbes 24B looks very promising. More photo/comments.

Sometimes things were just meant to be. Walked into one of my local emporiums and see this rifle on the shelf. Salesman
said it was ordered for the store, than "saved" for a customer who then backed away from the sale. Took over 6 months to get it he said. I just put it on the rack this morning.
After looking it over thoroughly, I said I needed one of those 4473's. Yes, the same price you all are seeing around the country - in 30-06.

Took her home to the wife who said, "nice"! Another one for me?
Ah no, this one is mine, I replied. Did the first thing all loonies do - took it all apart.
Some weights from the digital scale. The rifle weighs 5# 9 oz..
The stock is 1# 8 oz, the bolt 8 oz.. The rifle as pictured with a FX II 6x36 and the factory supplied Talley LW lows end
up at 6# 5 oz.. The barrel diameter at the muzzle is .614".

Fired up some new WW brass for the occasion and headed out.
The rifle came with a measured 3# pull and I left it.
Nothing exotic was loaded - 56 gr. H4350 with some 180gr. B. Tip's, and 180 gr. Accubombers. I saved the Partitions for the next session.
Oh and the max COAL is 3.395" so there is plenty of room to experiment. I stayed .025" off.

The recoil as suspected was definitely snappy but not surprising with a rifle of this weight. While not an "all day gun" it was very tolerable. I would say on par with 165's out of a Kimber Montana 84M .308 or 180's out of a Montana in 30-06.

It took 4 to sight it and then I cleaned the bore. The next four was a group of 180gr. BT's which look very good and then the 180gr. Accubonds, also good. No adjustment was made to the scope. All eight were shot in a continual string in about two minutes. The temp was 30* with a negligible wind.

Yes I know its not a CRF and has a 2 position, 3 function safety. There was no trouble getting used to it. It was interesting to watch it function while out of the stock. Just something to get used to.

The splatter coat paint, is slightly rougher than the finish on the Montana. Same two action screw setup and same recoil pad. The full length bedding is clean and tight.
If one needs to replace the stock, Rick at Titan Machine said the rifle would have to go back to be re-bedded. They'd rather bed it there to the barrel and know its done right than having someone "budda" it up on their own.

According to the instruction booklet, it stated that any attempt to fieldstrip the bolt would void the limited lifetime warranty - which reminds me I have to send in.
I asked Rick about it and he said that based on their conversations (with Melvin too) they felt this was the best way to prevent someone from getting in over their head. It appears to be a Rem.700 style bolt. I am going to call Melvin next week and ask him.

The forward pillar is a robust 5/8" diameter. There is no rear action pillar.

All in all I think this is a very fine copycat of the real Forbes rifle. Is it worth the extra $250 more than a 84L?
Well, yes if there aren't any accuracy/functioning issues.

Certainly not every Forbes 24B will come "perfect" out of the box (my statement). But in talking to Rick and Chris at Titan they seem to be very motivated to deliver just that - perfection. They both were patient nor did I get the feeling that I was bothering them.

If anyone needs another photo angle or two, let me know.

Gee's all you now need is a tag to go along with that, go shoot something with it. I think I will have to get one for myself. Kind of itching for a 270 gone to long with out one. Since I paired down my collection some years back.

Thanks for the write up. I enjoy reading your reviews.

They're nice rifles. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on another...

Congratulations on the new rifle. I have it's identical twin and its an awesome shooter.

Looks awesome. I have emailed them to include Mr. Forbes with no response. Have been looking forward to the release of this rifle but can't say I'm happy with the initial communication.

Joe, what do you think of the grip and its tight radius?

I'm not 'whoop, but I have an opinion on the grip.

It felt awkward in my hands while setting or shooting from a bench. It didn't feel nearly as awkward when standing and shooting freehand. One thing I noticed immediately was the ability to stay on target in the freehand position.

I'm sure others will have the exact opposite opinion, but it was really easy for me to get on target away from a rest.

Patiently waiting for stainless........

....and it will allow the palm of your hand to absorb more of the recoil. Competition shotgun shooters often use it for that reason.

Feels odd for those who have never tried it. For myself it seems I am more solidly locked together with the rifle.

Very nice review. Thanks.

I assume this new Forbes rifle will be available in RH only??

NB

Nope. Forbes will produce a wrong-handed version as well.

Thanks for that.

I may be "wrong-handed" but am stongly "right-minded".

24HCF rocks.

Great Information.

Thanks for sharing. This is the best reveiw I have read thus far. I was curious of actual weight.
Thanks again.

.270 on order here.

LOL. Hopefully you took that in good jest, as it was intended.

Forbes hopes to have a LH version out by the end of the first quarter, if the web site info is still accurate (it's pushed some dates back, fwiw).

I've added a few more photos for those interested.

The first is a look at the fully bedded barrel channel/pillar area.



Next for comparison is the Kimber 84L bolt (9.8 oz) and the Forbes bolt (8.4 oz).



Now here is the exposed Timney trigger assembly on the right side showing the safety mechanism. While Mr. Forbes forgot more on rifle design and building (in one day) than I will ever know, I have a thought on the safety design.
The opening needed for the safety to pivot may be a collection point for debri and rain. In freezing temps that could become a liability. At some point, debri or ice/snow will render the safe inoperable. But as long as the owner realizes this they can monitor it. I should say in defense of this upon closer examination, there is ample room between the safety and inner stock wall to allow some material to pass thru. Snow and ice forming there come be a problem however.

But with hundreds of Forbes rifles out there and thousands of similar Rem. 700 too, maybe the concern is overblown.



Next, the left side which shows the recoil lug. This is very similar to all the Kimbers and I believe it to be press fit.



Brad asked about the grip dimensions so here are some photos and measurements which cover that.

The first is an attempt to give you a visual on the Forbes versus the 84L grip openings. The Kimber is the top rifle.



Next are the two in a different orientation with measurements.
I'll list them if they are hard to view.
The Kimber 84L has a wider or longer grip profile. As shown by the ruler, I measured the distance between the back of the trigger guard to the nearest point of the radiused edge of the pistol grip. The Kimber measures 3 9/16" and the Forbes 3 1/4". The difference, 5/16" is rather significant.
I also measured the circumference of the grip in the location shown by the sewing tape. The Kimber had a 5" circumference and the Forbes 5 1/4". Also rather significant.



The last measurement I made was the drop of the stock. The Kimber "dropped" 1" and the Forbes measured 1/2". No photo.

As to Brads question, the feel is noticeable right away. I must say that I did rap the back of my middle finger against the recoiling trigger guard a couple of times. Lesson learned!
Certainly it was my fault and a firmer grip with a slight change in position was needed. I do like the fuller feel to the grip. It feels easier to maintain a firmer grip as opposed to a slimmer Kimber. Someone with beefier hands will have to realize what the grip profile is and adjust accordingly. This is all nit picking but the differences are there.

I should add that the Talley ringmount system is made at Titan. You might have noticed that the edges are more radiused. They weigh 2 oz and are the 6/48 size. Gary at Tally said they too make a picatinny rail and a "quick detach" system in steel for the Forbes.

Is the Forbes 24B at $1400 worth the difference when compared to the Kimber Montana 84L? Only you can decide as there are
differences to consider.

If there are any other questions or photo requests, let me know. I will post further range results as conditions allow.

According to Rick at Titan, they have plans to bring out the rifle in all stainless, short action, additional calibers and yes left handed models. Of course it all depends on how things progress and how they adapt to the "growing pains".

[quote=8SNAKE
LOL. Hopefully you took that in good jest, as it was intended.

[/quote]

Yup, Roger that

Great Infornation again, Big Whoop!!

NB

In my experience, a phone call is the way to go. I was also frustrated by a lack of response to emails, but phone calls work well. Hope that helps.

bigwhoop,

How would you compare the felt recoil between a Montana and Forbes? Obviously this info is extremely subjective, but I'd like to hear your impressions.