Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles My Montana Project and results: A sick rifle

What I meant was......Please read the Montana project thread.....then read it again......and get back to us.

I think there's a link in one of the early posts in this thread.

Where in TX are you?

Hill Country. Near New Braunfels

What sort of front rest and back bag are you using? Light weight rifles can be a challenge to shoot accurately. Especially if you don't have good bench technique or a decent rest/bag combination. I'm using a Caldwell Rock BR front rest. Stable,adjustable,and affordable. My back bag is a left over from my BR days. An old leather short ear Bald Eagle. I use it in conjunction with a "doughnut" or rear bag stabilizer. It negates the rounded bottom most back bags end up with in time. A mountain weight rig in a squishy rolly polly sandbag up front,and something worse in the back is nothing short of a bitch to group well with. At the very least pick up a bulls bag if you don't have a decent rest and back bag. It will make life a little easier tuning a rifle.

That's some pretty sad performance from an $1100.00 rifle and even more amazing that the "fire" has to have a thread on how to fix them......Kimber needs to get their act together!

I'm a little over a hour away from you. I'll gladly take your rifle in, bed it and work up a load with the 75gr AMaxes, you provide components.

PM if interested....

I would not do anything that would make Kimber possibly not make a repair if in fact it needs it. I have a hard time believing the bedding is a big issue especially on something with as little recoil as a .223. But then again I'd never not bed a rifle. Are both of the lugs touching? The magazine is definitely not binding? I would put some Tubbs Final Finish through it and see what happens.

Darn generous of you.



P

That front action screw rubbing is a red flag - It's not rubbing because the stock is pulled tightly into the action....

Read this:



You need to address the front action screw before worrying about bedding, sending it to Kimber or anything else....

David

Out of curiosity, what should the front action screw measure?

Maybe try Sticks "saddle straddle". I still say the components alone are worth $1,100. You be almost the same money in a McMillan stocked SS ADL and still have an X-Mark trigger.

Good question. I'd prefer to not cut one down, and instead have one the right size. I'll call Kimber and see if they will send me one.

I think the variation will be due to stock/pillar variations more than screw variations. In other words, the same front action screw length that snugs up tight on my rifle might bottom out in yours. Only way to know is to check your rifle.

David

Kimber will send you a screw that is the exact same length as the your current front action screw....

Determine if this is the problem first - Look at SAS's post that I quoted. Can you see similar rub marks on your action? Still not sure? Put some lipstick on the tip of the action screw and tighten it back up - is lipstick on the action?

Cutting a screw back is easy and quick. If this is your problem (the pictures in your initial post indicate that it may be), the improvements will be very noticeable.

David

Seems a great production run!

Chuck that screw in a drill and spin & file til you're happy...

Hey OutdoorAg, if you don't mind me asking, was this rifle recently produced?

1. So the front action screw is bottoming out? How about the front base screw? I think 16B asked these questions but I never saw an answer.

2. Does the action stay in the stock if you turn the works upside down without screws installed?

3. If you put the rear screw in the front, how does it look? The rear screw is long enough to see the alignment. If you push the action rearward, is the screw more or less centered?

4. If the action slides fore-aft in the stock can you slide the action rearward and tighten the action screws (in their normal locations)?

5. Since you don't want to bed the rifle, can you cut some plastic from a bottle and shim behind the lug? Is the screw still centered (see #3)?

6. What is the trigger pull weight?

7. What is the rest set-up while shooting? Solid bench, prone, or ???

8. What's the crown look like? Factory?

9. How were you holding your mouth?

10. What was the moon phase?

11. Before or after lunch?

12. Less filling?

13. Tastes great?

14. You ever been in a Turkish prison?

If you want what a Montana offers, you gotta pay the price.

If you don't, a WalMart Remmy will work well enough.