Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Seen the Kifaru Rambling Rifle Gen II?

I think what Calvin has found most expensive is "marriage", it do cut into some extra-curriculars.

It is kind of funny the prices we'll pay for gear. I don't regret the money I've paid for good optics, packs, bags or tents. I do regret the amount of money I've spent on sub-par crap that breaks when I need it to work.

If I thought that goat [bleep] was worth half the money they are asking, you'd be able to follow a trail of stuff for sale on the classifieds while I looked for a way to afford it. Oddly enough, I'm not in the market for a half-stock switch barrel, switch bolt rifle with a rail bolted to the only place you could put your hand...

Just stumbled on this forum on a google search for Rambling Rifle and I figured I could shed some light after talking to Josh at Kifaru today. I'm in the market for an ultralight rig so I've been debating buying a riflesinc ti strata $6050:
http://www.riflesinc.com/riflesinstock.html

or the new Kifaru Rambling Rifle G2 $5750 without the rail etc:
http://www.kifaruarms.com/index.php/rambling-rifle/

He said they have a few left of the first 10 that they are trying to sell for a promotional price in exchange for some pictures of these in use in the field. I asked him why the price went up so much compared to the gen1 and he told me that a large part of it is liability insurance is ridiculous right now for custom gun makers. Also, he said that since most firearms machine shops and gunsmiths take forever on custom builds that they are using some machinists in the aerospace and medical industry which I'm sure adds up but gives them an edge in turn around time. He gave me the example of getting a carbon wrapped barrel could take upwards of a year in most cases while they can have an entire build in (supposedly)3 months with a carbon wrapped barrel. I will believe it when I see it. Josh said that last time the Rambling Rifles were built they ran into a situation where one of the gunsmiths was taking too long on builds and the owner of Kifaru decided to call it quits. Apparently they are trying to avoid this situation again. He said they are very accurate for their weight and switch caliber capabilities. He claims that the owner of Kifarru shot a 5/16" group with their first build in a 308 and said that something that's machined that tight doesn't come cheap. Josh was a nice guy with lots of information to share but still a very steep price. Not sure what to do? Any of you out there ever use a Rambling Rifle? Or a Rifles Inc?? I'm gonna call Lex tomorrow and pick his brain on the Strata which looks like awesome. However, the Kifaru comes in 300 RCM which is quickly getting my attention. Another reason I'm leaning to the Kifaru is because I can get a standard bolt or different barrel down the road in a few years if I want without doing a whole different build. This money is burning a hole in my pocket but want to make sure I'm getting my dream rifle.

Well, different strokes for different folks they say.
I'm open-minded, but one couldn't give me a carbon-wrapped setup--just to save a few ounces.

Buy a NULA, H.S. Precision or Montana ascent and have yourself a 5.5lbs magnum rifle for a fraction of this thing. And these guns won't cost you a fortune should they be dropped or unexpectedly hurt.
Take the extra dough and buy a top of the line spotter or something...

What a load of crap that thing is! I love Kifaru, I do, but 6800 bucks for that? Come on! Something machined that tight drives up the cost? Sure, but really. My 6 PPC full-blown Benchrest rifle built on a Farley action was mighty tight, yet could be had for 3000 bucks. This rambling rifle might look cool hanging from my mirror in my jeep, a trinket if you will.

Brent

You'd be surprised at the guys that will buy these things...
The same ones who have to have the $1200 Sitka-gear rain suits complete with $50 beanie.

one word, ugly.

Whoa, guys, it is simply an addition to the lineup of available tools of our sport and,as such, it adds to the level of interest in and enjoyment of hunting as a whole. If, some consider it "ugly", fine, others may well like it's appearance and find it a very useful tool for THEIR particular hunting style.

I am a rather strict "classicist" or "traditionalist" where guns are concerned and every one of my currently 35 rifles, except four are classic Mauser-type CRF models. I prefer a Bansner-stocked Brno 21H, re-chambered to .280 Rem., 60mm barrel, modded stock and one of my 3x9 Zeiss Conquest, 2.5x8 VX3 Leupy or Z3-3x9 Swaros in Tally screwlock QD rings for 80+ % of MY hunting here in BC, but, lots of successful guys use many different rifles.cartridges with perfect results, so.....

Would I PAY the asking price for one of these? Welllll, I have sufficient custom gun experience, that I know how much a really good custom piece costs and 6Gs in today's gun world ain't that much, relatively speaking. However, if I were an American, looking for my "dream" mountain rifle/all-around rifle, I would now have Gene Simillion, build me a full house pair on Dakota 76 actions, Micky handles and sts tubes from Lilja, Hart or one of the other top tube turners.

I would want the actions modded and Echol's mags in both, Burgess-style rings and a custom "ghost and post" iron sight setup, the .280 Rem. to weigh about 7.5 all up and the .338WM about 8.25 complete. Them's MY parameters, but, LOTS of others would work as well, eh.

I do agree on the $1200.00 suits of clothing point, but, again, if guys want to spend their coin this way and it keeps the hunting industry alive, well, I think that we ALL benefit to some degree as more hunters spending more money gives the whole industry/sport a stronger economic and thus "social" base.

Believe me, here in one of big game huntings true "meccas", B.C., hunting is NOT very popular and only about 100.000 of our 4.5 million residents buy licences. To that, add about 6,000 non-res. visitors every year and that relatively tiny group is continually under the attacks of the "antis", a minority of whom are genuinely decent, but, mislead people and most are just [bleep] blowhard azzholes.

So, if, in a jurisdiction such as this with it's long hunting tradition/heritage, such a situation exists, I feel quite strongly that ANY honest activity anywhere in North America, will tend to strengthen our position as hunters. JMHO, maybe I am mistaken, but, after almost a half century of this, it is how I feel.

Kute, I agree with your thesis, somewhat. Products like this rifle make me shake my head though. While there is an argument that it forwards our sport, there is a flipside that I subscribe to where the goal isn't to BUY STUFF that is constantly being manufactured and promoted as critical to make you a better hunter.

Sooner or later, I would like the outdoor industry and culture to realize that our sport isn't about wearing more camo in the grocery store, or driving a bigger truck to your kid's sport practice. Those things only alienate the "antis" and promote stereotypes of hunters - things detrimental to our way of life. To me, hunting is about spending time outside in pursuit of meat and a connection with nature while being a responsible steward of lands and waters. This ideal isn't based on consuming the latest and greatest gadgets. It is what has drawn me to backpack hunting. While we are a gear obsessed lot, at least the goal is LESS gear.

But, people will spend money how they see fit. Just wish more people thought money was better spent on getting themselves outside more, or making their homes more energy efficient, or giving a youngster a head start in this crazy world. And not seeing who can own the lightest rifle.

[bleep] the "antis". The big-tire, big-dick theory is for morons, I agree, but stupid is as stupid does, it is their money, and if they wanna buy Ramblin' Rifles ( I ain't, I'm saving for a NULA) more power to 'em. Also, I'm helping my own kids out. One daughter has made it to grad school and one to go yet.

as much as these are expensive if you have followed the sale of the original models on line, usually with 2 barrels people have been paying $4000+ so there is an appetite for these. Those that want to copy this idea can look at the original rifles that Patrick Smith built on 600 actions.

I've been doing a lot of research lately about these in my quest to find my "sweetheart" rifle. I found a well used 3 barrel Rambling Rifle 1st gen set that sold at a Cabelas fine gun room for over $6800. After looking into Rifles Inc, used Kifarus, Jarrets, Red Rocks, and some others I find that the price is about right even though it's definitely expensive. I will admit that I never thought I would be able to afford a rifle like this but God willing I have been fortunate enough in my endeavours to put myself in a position where I can enjoy it. There seems to be a lot of complaining happening on here but I have no problem spending money on something that gets me deeper into the back country and is more fun while doing so. Sure I can go buy a Kimber or NULA but why would I want to settle for a V6 Mustang when I really want a Ferrari? I'm not saying that these rambling Rifles or Rifles Inc Stratas are the end all be all but when I look at them, they pull at me and I want to take it for a test drive atleast. At first the goofy looking fore-end of the Rambling Rifle stock weirded me out but it's starting to grow on me. I will let you fine folks know what I end up with and report back about its performance if I decide to "pull the trigger" on something before season rolls around.

There aren't a whole lot of people who settle for a NULA. A NULA may not turn your crank, but it certainly isn't a V6 Mustang to anyone's Ferrari in the world of lightweight hunting rifles.

When these things first came out about 4 years ago a friend bought one. .308 & a .358 barrel. I fired it quite a bit and tried different loads since he didn't handload. The best we could get out of it was about 1 1/2" It was to me ackward at best. To shoot off bags it was unsteady, and worked ok off hand once you got used to. The whole thing to me was sorta a cluster. He ended up taking a sheep with it. Continues to use it today only because he cant sell it and possibly recover his money. I never warmed up to it. I beleive his was made on a model 7 action heavily milled and modified.

lefty C

-the short forend does 3 things
-makes the stock lighter
-you can hold the rifle down better offhand in recoil and in the larger calibers these do recoil
-they make the rifle fit in a smaller package when taken down in this instance they come with a case that is 10"x26" and will hold the scoped stock/action and 4 barrels up to 24" long
-in firing off the bench I had no issues other than stock placement on the bag is limited, the real issue is they are so light as to be hard to control at the bench in the field you have to hold onto them

Interesting, I found that these came out about 10 or 11 years ago and haven't been available for about the last 5 or 6 years. Also, talked to a guy who said the owner of Kifaru was doing warranties for anyone who wasn't shooting 1 MOA when they were in production. If your friend wants to sell his I would be interested in buying it from him. PM me if interested. Depending on condition I would pay around $3000 which is close to original price I believe.

And sorry to relate a NULA to a V6 Mustang. You are absolutely right, I've actually met Mr. Forbes and have nothing but respect for his rifles and what he has offered the sport. I do realize they are definitely outstanding rifles.

Good description of the rifle. I have shot a couple Ramblers and they were plenty accurate. I really wanted one at one time and if I had $6800 I really didn't need, I might be tempted to get one now.
The one thing I don't like about the Rambler's is that you can't really shoot slinged up.
They certainly aren't for everyone but IMO, they are a pretty cool rifle.

a good source of used Kifaru rifles is their own web site in the Trading Post where a lot of backpack hunting gear is sold but they never last long almost regardless of price, also the place for Kifaru tipis and packs

If you are interested in an original Rambler, PM me as a friend of mine has one with three barrels, 260, 308, & 358. He was asking $5000 and had quit a few extras with it.

Besides which, who's to say that this particular rifle, with no track record, machined by machinists who don't build rifles, is a Ferrari in the first place?

And then there's always this, the point of diminishing returns:



For the price, you could get two top-end custom rifles from established shops that have been turning out high-quality accurate rifles for years, with a track record.

If they can sell those rifles at that price, more power to 'em.