Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber Montana 7mm-08

I bought a NIB Kimber Montana from another 24hr member here and luckily it showed up right after Christmas, ready for some range time before work started again in the New Year. My wife said I should name it �Mattel� because it was so light it felt like a toy gun. Don�t know if that one is going to stick.
I finished the �shortactionsmoker checklist� without finding anything wrong, so I mounted up a Leupold VX-II that I had also bought from a friend and took it down to the range. Goal load was 140g Nosler BT/Accubond at around 2850 fps. Using resized .308 Lapua brass and RL-17 I got the following groups�..

100yds
��

200 yds
��


Worked my way up from 44.5g and never saw any pressure signs while shooting over a chrony. The rifle liked it right around the 100% fill, and averaged 2900+ This was my max in another 7mm-08 that I had shooting good but I was worried it would run too hot in this rifle. Good news is no signs of pressure even up to 47.5.

��

You hear a lot of bad stories about the Kimber Montana (especially in the 7mm-08) if you just do some rough searching on the internet. I figured I needed to post up what they really can do. At just over 6 lbs it sure is a sweet setup!

YEAP.... Definitely sick and not worth putting any more components through. I'll pay the shipping back to TX.

Nice rig man.... Glad it's working out for you! Pics next to dead critters expected next year...

Forgot to add, I only shot around 50 rounds between break-in / load development and none of them went over 1.35 moa, the best around .75 moa.

Sure thing..... On the pictures

Josh, Thanks for helping my good friend here start concentrating on something else. He was quite obsessed with getting this doggon little rifle here, shooting well and ready to roll.he wasted no time. We compared the weight between this little rifle and my Kimber Montana 8400. It was really remarkable to feel the difference. I am going to have to get me one of those things sometime in the next year or so.

Sloveless, you and I have to get out again soon. This sitting at home doing honey dos is for the birds.

For the record, my Montana 325wsm is a very good shooter too.

FH

What's the weight difference on them?

Almost a whole pound iirc. What was even more noticeable, was the feel between the two. My Montana definitely feels more full. SLoveless' is more trim and feels perfect.

Oh boy......2 great reports in one day.....and one of them even a reviled 7mm Kimber barrel. WOW! Making it harder and harder for the Kimber roulette pushers.

Glad it worked for you. I've had good luck with all of mine as well.

It cleans easy too. Not very much copper fouling.

Nice report. I like those Kimber Montanas too. I've seen both sides as far as shooting well goes. Even the not-so-good ones can usually be shooters with a little work. I usually tinker with all my guns, so if they need a little attention, I don't mind. I decided a long time ago to pick a rifle I really liked, then do whatever was needed to make it shoot.

My 7-08 Montana works too. Not all of those internet rumors are true. 140gr Nosler BT @ 102 yds. Was a load worked up for another rifle and needs a bit of tweaking for the Montana, but I couldn't wait to use it.

Nice Buck! I'll have to wait until this coming fall, but I should have (2) Mule deer tags and (1) cow elk I can test 140g accubonds on. I watched Firehawk's son drop an anterless elk with a 140g accubond out of a 7mm-08 2 years ago.

Nice rifle. I don't know another factory rifle out there today that can trump a Kimber Montana.

A 7-08 MT can kill a big deer too...

I can't wait til I have one. My youngest son will likely take my model 70 7-08 when he earns his Eagle Scout rank. When that happens, I will replace it with a new rifle for me too. Kimber 84m Classic is likely what I will choose as I really like pretty wood. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go motivate my son to earn another merit badge.

Me neither.

Not being argumentative, but how so?

Actually, that antlerless elk was only 13 months ago. So wish we could have seen it again this winter. Hopefully next season his knee will be better and you and I draw too. Can't wait.

Personally, I prefer a properly machined stainless New Haven Model 70 featherweight over a Kimber Montana. With the exception of dedicated alpine mountain hunters, and fellows like Brad who do serious backpacking into their hunting grounds, 99% of hunters would be better served with a slightly heavier rifle IMO. I have used various NULA rifles from treestands for years, and I always wonder why, so I am a sort of a hypocrite-lol.

I think you might be on to something...

120 TTSX load...



A few bucks who don't like this rifle or this load...











[img]http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c150/djtex/Stickers%202008%20LH%20Buck/P1010226.jpg[/img]