Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Kimber Ascent

Do they come with a thread protector? If not, then it's more money and time for the solution. I hate muzzle brakes.

Hiking through the warm side of the hill through the manzanita to glass the cool side of the hill again Dennis?

grin...

KofO BGR...... Wasnt there something about one of the sight screw holes being bored clear through in to the rifling? It were purty though.....

D in AZ,
Ok I see that all the oak brush and what not is going to do a lot of grabbing.
I guess I would come up with a carry system where the entire rifle is protected while negotiating that maize.
The Eberlestock would protect the rifle as most of it is slid into its compartment.
Otherwise, I see your point.

I have avoided this thread so far, but feel compelled to make some comments:

1) I agree with prairie_goat on the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN's accuracy tests. Five, 5-shot groups in a row, with three kinds of factory ammo, is a more stringent test of basic accuracy than the typical 3-shot groups with a best handload usually cited by most Campfire members. This is exactly why most AR accuracy tests aren't all that impressive to hunters used to firing 3-shot groups.

While statisticians argue about the potential difference in 3-shot and 5-shot groups, in my experience 3-shot groups average around 6/10ths as wide as 5-shot groups. The best load in the accuracy test would then average about an inch for 3-shot groups, which is plenty for shooting big game out to 500 yards. I know this because I've done it, repeatedly, with rifles that would "only" average an inch (or even 1-1/4") at 100 yards for 3-shot groups.

In fact, statistically 3-shot groups at 100 yards are pretty useless for testing the ACTUAL accuracy potential of hunting rifles at various ranges--or even point of impact. I'm working on an article on what really helps statistically in range testing for AR, which will go a long way toward explaining why this is so.

2)The AR testing protocol requires FACTORY loads. There's a bunch of good factory ammo out there these days, but generally very light hunting rifles are more load sensitive than heavier rifles. My bet, based on the results, is that handloads could be easily developed for the test rifle that would average under 3/4" for 3-shot groups, which would make even most Campfire nit-pickers happy.

3) A lot of the comments here indicate that, once again, many people didn't read the whole article, or even do much except look at the photos and accuracy chart. That's typical today, when most people spend a lot more time reading their smart phones than magazine articles, much less books.

I haven't shot an Ascent and probably won't, and if I did probably wouldn't was as enthusiastic if I wrote a review. But there is a difference between shooting MAYBE three 3-shot groups with handloads developed for a rifle, and five, 5-shot groups with factory ammo. The first is for bragging, and the second is for reality, for most hunters.

I guess I am missing something. When my rifle will consistently shoot decent three shot 100 yard groups (for me that is around 1 1/2") such as those of my 338-06 with the 225 gr AB below it isn't for bragging rather hunting, which I did taking both a nice black and grizzly bear a few months later. That load was first try out using VV-N550 so I called it done. Better still is the fact that zero has never changed on this rifle since I put it together in 1995.

Ed,

Yes, you're missing something. I just stated that repetitive 5-shot groups with factory ammo are not the same as 3-shot groups with handloads. If you fired 5-shot groups with the same rifle, using three varieties of factory ammo (hard to do in the .338-06, admittedly) then they wouldn't look as nice as the ones in your photo. They would also measure around 1-1/2 times as wide--though their effectiveness is the field wouldn't change. THAT'S what I'm saying, and is exactly why judging the Kimber Ascent's accuracy on the group sizes in the article isn't valid.

But you're not missing the fact (unlike some others who've posted in this thread) that 3-shot 1-1/2" groups at 100 yards are plenty for all but the most extreme-range big game hunting.

However, MOST Campfire members are looking for the smallest 3-shot group (often one of out several, since all exceptions are called "fliers") so they can brag about it.

And I would be willing to bet serious money that the very same Kimber Ascent in the article would average much better than 1-1/2" for 3-shot groups at 100 yards, given minimal work-up with handloads.

Give me some Lapua brass, a Redding or Forster "competition" seater, a pound of 4895 or 4064, some 165 gr. Sierras, and I bet it would.

And in the same month of the same magazine they tested a Weatherby Vanguard Back Country that went 6 libs 12oz. Again in a .30-06.

Group size: 1.74-1.92-2.22 for and average of 1.96.

MSRP: $1399.

Greg- I was actually on top of a ridge when I took that photo. Climbed up an old burn to look into the next canyon and north slope. Luckily the north face was mostly burned so the manzanitas were smaller.

BW. The plant in the photo is a manzanita bush- they are typically fire re-growth plants between 4500'-6000'. Above that and you start seeing locust. There are places where is a solid field of manzanitas for several miles. It is basically impenetrable. I can bust through a little to get past a bad area and that is what usually rips the covers off. I often have the rifle in my hand because it sticks up to far to even get through the tunnels in the brush otherwise.

Here is the backside of that bush



All that to get here!






I will shoot that Ascent next week- maybe (they've closed our forests) and see how it does. Spent $900 today at Bruno's on bullets and powder- gotta stay away from there!

Neat spot! Ever worry about big cats sneaking up behind you?

Found it interesting that the author of the article stated he didn't allow time for the barrel to cool down between shots or even groups of shots. Hadn't been stated here...

Thanks D in AZ.. Reminiscent of the cursed willows/alders and devils club of AK..

I do hate that Devils club!

Uphunter,

I handled a Kimber Ascent again today. Kimber is doing the right thing bringing out new products. They have really established that with the Montana rifles.

If you need something that light ok with me. For me the Kimber 84M Montana is the landmark rifle.

Here is the Kimber with a March S 3-24 on it.



Here is a little better of just the scope

Well...you did a great job mounting that scope...I'd have assumed that combo wouldn't have a happy ending....

Kinda big! Is it a sunshade that effects the scale? But if it works!

Sunshade makes it bigger than it already is!! It uses 8-40 screws so I think the mounts will hold that big scope and the recoil. I wish it didn't have the muzzle brake.

Hacksaw will fix that.