Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 223 Kimber Montana: Real world groups

If you venture over to the Long Range Hunting forum, I've been on a quest to take my 223 Montana to 1000 yards. First step was finding a good load with a high BC bullet. These are my groups with the 70 VLD:



Starting in upper left hand corner and going clockwise, I was playing with seating depths following instructions from Berger for finding the best depth. Upper left is touching lands, upper right is .04 jump, lower left .08 jump, lower right .12 jumped. All loaded with Lapua brass, Fed primers and Varget.

As much as I love the little 223 Montana, its fair to say that none of these groups are spectacular. Upper right group has most promise as I think the flyer was on me. I wasn't letting barrel go fully cool between shots. It was a cold day and barrel didn't heat up fast. These groups are better than the 75 AMAX groups I tried before the 70 VLD.

So where do you go from here? In terms of tinkering with the Montana, I can confirm that:

- Mag box is floating, not binding
- Front action screw is not too long
- Front talley base screw is not too long

Of the other "Montana tinkering" suggestions here, the rifle has not been bedded, and still wears the factory crown. Would still like to complete my goal of taking this little rifle to 1000, but I feel like I need better 100 yard groups before I go long.

Suggestions? Get it bedded/re-crowned? Play with new load? Sell and buy Tikka?:) Have a Kimber Montana in 270, and even with the recoil, that puppy groups tighter than this. And that one is bedded, and re-crowned. Maybe that tells me all I need to know.

Looking forward to discussion.

Shoot some 69 SMKs and see what it does first.

It's likely not going to be a 1/2" rifle.

Any tips on bedding just the lug?

Bedding newbie here...

FWIW, my Kimber 223 AI shoots 75 grain Amaxs really, really well.