Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber 84M Classic Select 257 Roberts

I've looked at a bunch of Custom select Kimbers. That is the first one that truly approaches custom wood. Very nice.

battue: Yes Cheesy's rifle is one of the nicest I have seen! Smokin' hot wood!

I was going to ask if the left was as good as the right, and it often isn't. In this case it is.

Cheesy, that is pretty!
Like Battue I've noticed that the wood on lots of the Kimbers doesn't look particularly great. Kind of seems like a waste to spend all the time on fine fit, finish and checkering with a piece of wood that doesn't exhibit much figuring. Some of the ones on GB lately seem down right plain.

Bob, just look at my signature and remember who called who "erudite" first!

I could very happily run another Roberts. Only two reasons I mention the 260. One for logistics; if you saw how many Scenars I have under the bench you would get it. The second reason! Why to tease you of course!

Rick: Heehee...

Bob,

Did it shoot?

I have the urge to try a Kimber but I am afraid of Kimber roulette.

Dink

Yes, Bob did it shoot ok? I have a thought that the OAL/Max. mag. length may be an issue. But then again, your experience may be different.

Here's a shot from last hunting season with a 2.5-8
Perfect combo in my mind

Guys no it did not shoot very well at all....

This one is gonna take some effort.

I tried two factory loads ,120 Partitions from federal,and the Hornady Super Performance 117 SST. I started with the 120 and things went well through bore sighting, everything tracked and the rifle followed the scope. Got rough zero(2" up at 100),let it cool and started group shooting.

The best the 120 would do was 2" at 100; the 117 was just terrible...I won't even say how bad but I can shoot better off hand at that distance.

Yes I was holding the rifle conventionally,bags under the front screw,a soft rest up front. My last Kimber Montana in 257 Roberts I shot the same way and it shot far, far better.

Seems to me something in there is binding or jumping around. It is simply too erratic. It can only be barrel or bedding.

I did take a second,known rifle with me to check "myself" and it shot fine.

On the good side, the rifle handles like a dream,very pleasant to shoot,and the trigger is great and needs nothing. I ran a few magazines full through it and could not make it malfunction in feeding,extraction and ejection and it never flinched. I was honestly more concerned with that.

I like the rifle,despite the poor showing so will stick it out.It handles like a dream......it can only be barrel and bedding. Might also be it does not like heavy bullets but I can get to the bottom of that. In any event the accuracy thing can be fixed. I am going back to the range with it again to try some different stuff but I think it needs some of the Kimber "fixes" LOL!

I will run it at 300 yards today.

big whoop I have had short action Roberts where bullets needed to be seated deeply. If everything else was done right, they shot fine.


Afterthought: I have noticed that when you push a cartridge to higher velocity,and it shoots worse,it's a sure sign that there's a mechanical problem; bad bedding or assembly. Seen this play out too many times.

This is a reason that guys load juggle,and say rifles shoot better below max. A well built rifle with a good barrel will not flinch at being run at max for the cartridge IME. This rifle is showing just that; the 117 load is stuffed with some dense, slow powder and advertised at 150 fps faster than the 120 NPT load.

No doubt in my mind this is a bedding or assembly problem,although you can't rule out the barrel either.

for some reason mine hates 110 grain Nosler accubonds, on the other hand with 46 grains of H4350 and a 100 grain bullet I have no issues.

jimmy that's the load that shot well in my Montana also.

There might be hope Bob.


Old pic from the archives.

This was three(shots) of either 115 BT's or 117 SGK's(can't remember). And just to rub it in a little I didn't touch a thing on the rifle, factory bedding and all.

400 meters.

Sam I am not worried about this thing at all....

I am going to run it to 300 yards today and get it off the bags.....maybe it's just that I am holding it too loose on the bags and it's jumping around on me,and it will do better once it's in my hands.

I pulled it apart and the bedding looks fine but you can't tell looking at it. I like the rifle; I'll get it to shoot one way or another.

I do remember yours shooting well......matter of fact yours was one reason I bought it!

Here's a pic of my ugly Bob, other side is even uglier.

Picked it up from Josh here on the fire early this past year. Hasn't seemed picky about what's been thrown at it and nothings been done other than setting the trigger at a hair under 3 lbs by me.



Took it on a cow elk hunt a few weeks back and carried it a few evenings, but didn't get a chance to use it. Ended up using my 280 Montana a different day to fill the tag.

Bob, you might have to resort to sticking a bipod on it, preferably a real big one. That should settle it right down...





Just kidding.

(I know how much you love bipods....grin)




Let us know how it works out!

Here's a few test targets from mine. I've shot some of those loads and two different factory loads as well and they've all performed about the same.

Sam those bipods are a western tool... Hey I would use them for varmints for sure!

Back here well you know how it is.....in New England you are mostly lucky if you get to find any kind of a rest at all...

I will keep you posted on this rifle.

Cal that's a nice one. What are you feeding yours?

OK I just saw your targets...120 NPT and 100 BT. Keep in mind I only fed this thing factory ammo so far. The 120 Partition looks best at this point. I won't have time to hand load for it until after the season because NH opens tomorrow and I leave for Maine on Sunday.

It'll have to wait until after hunting season.