Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber 84L Montana light primer strikes and a new spring with a question

I had several light primer strikes with failure to fire last year leading up to the fall so I decided to not use my Kimber Montana and put it away for the rest of the year and work on it in the off season. I measured the pin protrusion and it was .055 and that's considered good and on the top side of max so I cleaned it up and polished the pin but decided since it was all torn apart I would put a new spring in it. So a phone call to Kimber and $18 later I have a new spring in hand. Can't help but notice the length difference of the new one vs the old one with probably less than 500 shots on it but it's a solid 7/16 longer.

My thought is I might have got an M spring installed in my L action from the factory

Sending you a 7/16" longer spring as a "fix" tells me there is a design problem.
On the other hand, if your original spring belonged on a 84M, that speaks to a lack of quality control.

They didn't just send it to me.

I explained my problem and the customer service rep wanted me to take the scope off and send the rifle back to Kimber for inspection

I wasn't doing that so I had to buy a spring.....no free ride

Just what bigwhoop was saying. Maybe they sent one for an 84M not L. Gotta wonder. Personally I really like my Montana to the point that I just bought another one. But light strikes and then they send a shorter spring has me thinking out loud "something's not right here!" Please let us know when you get it all back together. Terry

The old spring is the short one

The new one is the long one

I can't help but wonder if they put a M length spring in my L

But if you look closely the coil count is the same 32 just closer on the shorty

Did you leave the bolt cocked while in storage for an extended length of time?

Nope

I think it was a chronic problem with kimbers. I had an 8400 that had the same problem.

Me too. And the new spring looked about 1/2 inch longer but had the same number of coils as the old one.

I called Kimber today and got the un-pleasure to speak with Alen, the Kimber Customer Service Supervisor

He would answer no questions

Only kept telling me to remove the scope and send my rifle to Kimber for inspection

The Kimber customer service reputation is earned for sure

It's obviously a junk rifle with terrible customer service involved.

Package the bolt pieces and springs complete in a plastic bag and send it along with the rifle to me as soon as my check to you for $5500 clears.

That way we'll both be happy.

Let me know. GFY is anticipated.

That sounds like a good deal to me.

Dink

I've seen 60-year old rifles stored cocked that whole time that have not problem with a weak spring issue.

It's yours and I will throw in a soft spring

I had a lot of FTF's in my 84M 308, I check firing pin protrusion and it was fine, I ordered a spring from Wolfe but I have not installed it yet.

tedhorn, did it correct the problem?

I have called Kimber two times in 10 years

They are two for two and on working very hard to do very little

Kimber USA......The worst customer service in the firearms industry

Did you happen to be using CCI 250 primers? I had to stop using the CCI 250 primer in that .308 load.

Sounds like Kimber has a problem no doubt. Messed up an $1300 rifle comes with a chit spring.

I put thew new spring in and set the pin at .055

I will shoot it this weekend

btw.....I have read the Wolf spring is too fat

Be sure and let us know

Hi

Dang. That was easy. I figured with all of the praise you were dumping on Kimber that it would take at least $10K to pry it loose if it came to that.

I'm sure the problem has several easy fixes if it really needs a fix that won't require 17 pages of jaw gnashing.

Kimber Strikes again !

Damn Glad I got a Tikka Superlight instead,
I was thinking seriously about getting one but read too much bad about the Quality. Hit or miss.
Guys that like them REALLY like them.
Guys that dont like them(is in have had issues )REALLY dont like them.
I really like the concept but the execution seems to go either way!
By the way I have read of the problems with in Nathan Fosters Book "The Pratical guide to Long range Hunting rifles)
One of the things he says is to avoid Kimber like the plague !
"He says the lightweight models have weak firing pin spring(main spring)inconsistant ignition which cannot be remedied"
These are his words and not mine as I have never had one.