HAs kimber rifles lost favor on the fire? Not too long ago there were lots of fans...

I would like one!

I like all three of mine, not much to say. Excellent lightweight hunting rifles.

I have a grand total of two, 257 Roberts Classic Select and a 243 Montana, love them both.

Next rifle I buy will most likely be a 270 Montana.


Didn't touch the Roberts and it was good to go from the start. Bedded the Montana right off the bat and it's good to go as well.

Sam, I thought you also had a .300 WSM?? But maybe another maker..

Wyo, the 300 WSM's are both Sako's.

Running a 308, 6x42 Leupy yada yada

Love my 300wsm Montana. Nothing bad to say at all. Everyone I've owned has treated me well.

I would like to try one,as they sound pretty good.

Hmmm. Not sure where you've been.

The 308 Win 84M MT belongs in MOMA.

I have an 84L Classic Select in a .30-06 and plan on buying a .25-06 in the same rifle this year. There is no lack of enthusiasm for Kimbers on my part. CP.

I have same calibers, just Montana Roberts and SS Classic 243. Just bought a Montana stock for the 243.......both are dead nuts accurate.

If you think Kimbers have fallen from favor, check out how long a 84M or 84L Montana hangs around the classifieds.

TAK will be along shortly to tell us they don't shoot...

I think an accurate 7-08 or 260 and an accurate 338 federal would make a great deer and elk light rifle battery. I'd love to own those.

308 MT seems to work on elk.

And the 270 MT.

And the 30-06 MT:

And the 300 WSM MT:

And a lot more...

Very nice!!!!

When can I come hunt???

I'd love to own one.

Just one, a 338 Fed Montana. It's not going anywhere. I can't imagine a better mountain elk hunting rifle. Mine looked snow covered like that ^^^ a lot this year.

And a lot more to remain un-posted.

I have Kimber Montanas in .257 Roberts and .300 WSM. The .257 Roberts kills antelope and the .300 WSM kills elk.

donsm70

I still have 4 and would like to add another. An 84L is on the short list, but unfortunately funds are running tighter than normal.

I have owned dozens, in all flavors, but I have 5 in the safe right now.

Classic Select in 7RM, Classic Select in 30-06, Longmaster Classic in 308, Montana in 7WSM, and Montana in 280AI.

I look at the $$$$ and the features of all the brands, but I usually end up with another Kimber.

You must have been talking with people who don't shoot....

What scope on your 30-06 Montana Brad?

I still like Kimber's. I have one, it's a 84M Classic 308 Win.
This gun has really nice wood and shoots great.

Someday, I will have another in a Montana.

Of course not. There's no shortage of PT Barnum fans who'll pay $1100 for a rifle that has the action riding on top of the magazine, not touching the rear of the action, the front action screw too long, and bottoming out, bedded, but done so sloppily it needs to be redone, and crowned with what appeared to be a pocket knife. You probably don't wanna hear about the borescope. Of course, after SAsmoker lovingly unphucked all of that, it shot 1.5moa. When I shipped it to him it was shooting from 5 to 8in @ 100yd. YMMV.

Light rifle? Faux Ti, or wait for the Forbes.

Such a victim..

Squat-to-Pee,

You reliably take [bleep] Stupidity to new levels. Congratulations?!?

You are in sooooooooooo far over your head...it's simply a shame that you are too [bleep] Stupid to appreciate that humor.

Laffin'!

I bet the Rhodesian SAS could get a Kimber to shoot.

Pretty sure it shot a lot better than that . . . SAS just bought that rifle back from the guy he sold it to.

In case you want to reinforce just how clueless you are:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/8453336/1

Nice shooting irons guys, looks like Toad has the only 7 WSM! Brad, that 308 made one heck of a hole in that elk!

this may be one of my favorite pictures of all time right here...that doesn't involve the opposite gender anyway!

I think I'm on my 17th or 18th Montana. Lots of guys have some of my old ones here! Boxer has a 223, GreatWaputi has a 223, Battue has a 243, CLB has a 7-08, 01Foreman400 has a 308 Ascent and I'm sure I'm missing a couple.

The most I've ever owned at once was 6. I've never owned an 8400 or 84L.

I didn't mess with the first few, but started tinkering shortly after. I've swore them off more than once, but I kept going back because nothing feels as good as an 84m Montana in my hands. A Montana that won't shoot is only a few minutes (or beers) away from greatness now!

The 7-08 on the way back will be #3 in the safe now. That will give me a 223, 7-08 and 308 -- but I bet I'll add others in short order. The only Montana I regret selling is the 260 below on the coyote....and well, maybe the 243 Harry has....and I'd like to have the 223 back Boxer has....and...

what is the deal with the tape on the barrels?

And shortactionsmoker...why have you swore off them over and over, bought and sold so many just to buy them back?

Ain't it amazing how different people can read or see the same stuff and reach complete opposite conclusions. My Kimber is just fine.

One trend I've noted is that some people have owned multiple Kimbers and couldn't get any of them to shoot. Others have owned multiple Kimbers and all shot great.

Some people just don't have the skills to shoot a light rifle.

Not mine, but I'll place a wager that the tape is to keep dirt, mud, snow and water out of the barrel.

donsm70

I always tape. Some covers the muzzle, some is wrapped for back up.

I swore them off early on because they wouldn't shoot to my liking. I started asking questions to guys like Boxer, Karnis, Brad, Dober and Eddie Fosnaugh. I started checking for the usual culprits and things improved drastically after some minimal tinkering. I've no fear of buying any Montana now. Regardless of what it does out of the box, I know what it will do after I'm done.

There is one man in this thread in possession of plaque, bearing his name, that says, SOTIC Distinguished Honor Graduate, and it ain't you..... I'll let you guess his handle.

Have both a 7-08 and 308 Montana. Am trying to work out a deal for either a 280AI or gasp 270 84L Montana in the next several months. I really like them...

Bought a used 308 Classic here on the fire 6 years ago. Shoots great.

Bought a used 257 Roberts Classic Select on gunbroker a year ago. Shoots great.

The only reason I have two is because I haven't bought a third. Thinking I need an 84L with a 7x57 barrel put on it.

there is one man in this thread that got his butt kicked by a kimber, LOL

Lord knows I could be a Master Dealer on my own! Still have a healthy number in the safes. Beyond that, the initial flood of
interest, hype and some bad CS has settled down and things are
progressing quite nicely. As many have said here, there isn't much else out there that has the features/ergos many desire for $1200.

Amazing that a blowhard know-it-all about f�cking EVERYTHING such as yourself can't figure out how to get a rifle to shoot.

In fairness...Squat-to-Pee knows how to Whine,Imagine and Pretend,in no particular order.

Those Montanas are VERY "complex machines",with all those moving parts and everything.

Laffin'!

I love my 84m in 308 so much I have wondered why I am building a custom pre-64 in 280. The kimber is dang near perfect to me. I will admit that it has had the stock worked a little with added wrap checkering...

The Kimber will be my daughter's or possibly my nephew's one day. I will never sell it.

I own many. This is a NIB 25-06 Kimber 84L deluxe I bought myself for a gift several years ago. Probably will never shoot it. My 260 and 338s both shoot very nicely.

Kimber (NY) rifles shoot very well for us.

They are our Lightweight and SS/Syn. rifle.

The last Kimber I shot was the 270 WSM Montana.

It put two shots, right on, into 1" at 200 yds. with the 140 VLD over H4350.

It seems Cabela's up here no longer sells them, and they were clearing them out at a pretty good price. Unfortunately they didn't advertise it and by the time I found out,everything that was interesting was sold already. Not sure why they got rid of them.

Do Nothing Dumbfhukk Don...regale me with how that one time at Band Camp,you stuck a flute in your poozy and how you almost shot something(once)with a Montana. Laffin'!

Hang a picture of yourself,so it all melds PERFECTLY!

Wow!

Now, don't you feel bad, making sport of the class retard?

You have such a way with words, Stink.

To: Larry, aka Big Stick.

To remind you that your rude and obscene posts are both wrong and harmful to our sport and fun.

If anyone is an American Rifleman it is myself and also you!

We are knowledgeable about our avocation.

Thus I ask you again to please stop it.

Thank you.

S 99.

Go away, Don.

That was mean. I thought Don's post was very nicely worded�.and funny.

Love the looks and the feel/handling. Just not sure of how it would shoot. I know what I will get with a Sako or Tikka. It's the Kimber roulette. A good one is a great rifle, a bad one is a PIA especially for the money asked for one.

There are no bad ones.

I've owned six. Not a lot compared to others. Five still reside in the safe.
Super America 22lr
Classic Select in 257 Roberts and 30-06
Montana in 260 Rem and 280AI
My fav is gotta be the 30-06 which I took to Africa but the Bob with the beautiful piece of wood or the little 260 rem or

snork�.

Dumb [bleep] Don aka "Dumb [bleep] Don",

I can't know which is funnier,when you Day Dreaming Do Nothing Dumbfhukks pretend to "live" or pretend to "die"?!? Laffin'!

Funnier yet,I'm torn on which is the higher ranking level of hilarity/dumbfhukktitude,betwixt the idea of your being a single utterly clueless dumbfhukk,or if you are an utterly clueless dumbfhuck with other handles such as Squat-to-Pee,Bigsqueeze,MagnumDoosh,Jeff-O and the like?!? Re-laffin'!

Do tell!

I really can't decide which is funnier,so knock it out of The Park and regale me with all the things you almost did,with all the wares you almost had and from all the places you've almost been. Please spare no "particulars" and for the WIN,post a picture of yourself. Laffin'!

Here's to your Imagination and to just how [bleep] badly you NEED it.

Wow +P+!

Montana's in .223 and .243, Classic Select in.308 in my safe.

Just add optics ammo and trigger time, pretty tough huh!

I had a Kimber Montana that was a colossal piece of [bleep].

I also had one that was lights out accurate and didn't feed. I had a gunsmith fix that issue, and it's been lovingly beat to [bleep] all over Montana for the last 6 years.








That's all I got for Kimberpixels in the photovirus account right now.

Just saw either a new or like new 84l .270 Montana for 900.00 on the shelf. If interested pm me

One person in line if Deputy doesn't respond

MG, 6x36LR...

Because the Canadian distributor is more interested in jacking the price than actually servicing the dealers. IMO they do not know how to market them at all.

I like the design. My 7mm-08 will have to get a new barrel before it gets shot again, however - I'm not wasting any more time with it. From what I've gathered the 7mm-08's had a run a of bad barrels - which is something inexcusable in a $1000+ rifle, IMO.

If I was again looking for a stainless/synthetic rifle, I'd look at a Sako Finnlight, or a Cooper. Or ante up for a NULA.

My Kimbers are my favorite rifles. For the last three years I've hunted deer with nothing but Kimbers.

Mine are in 257 Roberts, 260 Rem and 7-08 with a 25-06 on order.

I have a love/hate relationship with Kimber rifles.
Have owned four Classics, (2 300 wsm's, 2 270 wsm's) and three Montanas (260 Rem, 308 Win and 325 WSM).
The Montanas were ones that shot and functioned flawlessly which I bought cheap and sold at a profit.

The classics, well you get the picture.

Best,

GWB

Lost favor? while Kimber does have some very vocal fans on the fire many more (including Me) have had bad experiences with Kimber rifles and were never fans, I think the vast majority here see Kimber rifles as over priced for the iffy you might get a good one or maybe not quality.......They don't call buying a new Kimber rifle playing Kimber roulette for nothing....................Good luck................Hb

This would explain My buddies experience with a new Montana in 7mm.08, that thing wouldn't shoot for chit so he sent it back, after 3 months he got his rifle back and it still wouldn't shoot but also wouldn't feed reliably so he traded it a gun show.....................Hb

My Kimber accuracy thoughts from another thread...

The one's I have had have mostly shot well with "something". I don't know if the technique for shooting them is very mysterious.

I found that if I got loosey goosey grip with a Montana 257 Roberts at the bench, or didn't put something soft under the front of the receiver,it did not shoot as well... Just got a firm grip and follow through...it shot fine.

If that is true, I will be the first to congratulate that person. However, they didn't teach him how to shoot very light hunting rifles. That person knows how to shoot so adapting to a Montana should be easy breezy....

But I will say this, if you go all your life and shoot 8lb hunting rifles, then one day you own a Montana I will bet most people will have to modify their shooting technique. Have seen it, done it and won't be sold otherwise.

I don't want to insult good older aged folks on here however, some old folks have issues changing their underwear regularly so I can imagine the strain it would cause you to make a change in shooting technique....

As with any/every rifle I own including my Montana in 7-08 I have..

Bedded it
Adjusted the trigger (Kimber offers one of the best factory triggers...period)
Polished the rails
With my Montana I had Big Stick help out with a couple of other mods I chose to make....making the rifle better! (a very willing fellow BTW).

I'm not going to say you can't get a lemon. but I can also buy a lemon from Winny, Remmie, yada, yada...

Unless you order up a custom to your specs, ALL factory rigs are made for tweaking by those who are inclined. No factory can simply bang out thousands of units and simply expect all shooters to fall in line... And when your tweaks are done right (emphasis on done RIGHT), performance of the rifle will enhanced and then the only limiting factor is YOU and if you load, YOUR ability to cook up some good, straight loads for it.

Love my 84M in 7-08. In fact it still has the 2 position safety. Got it in AK for $675 and no tax. Has a Leupold 3.5-10 on it.

Man that's a crazy good price. When did they stop making the two position safety? Does that safety lock your bolt?

I will say I really like the 3 pos safety with the ADL stock. Much safer to take out the cartridges.

I've two and am quite fond of them.

Although I have some experience with wood stocked 84's, most of my experience comes from dealing with Montana's.

The four biggest culprits I've witnessed on multiple Montana's:

1. The mag box binds the action. The box is a tad long. When the screws are torqued, the action bottoms out on the mag box instead of the bedding. That causes the action to flex and move around in the stock....which brings up #2.

2. The action flexes upon recoil. The actions are small and there is very little metal in the rails under the action. The lack of tight bedding aides this...which brings up #3.

3. The slave bedding sucks, especially in the lug area. There is way too much space there. Every Montana I've handled needs some bedding in the lug. By allowing the lug to move, this prohibits consistency.

4. The front action screw bottoms out. Combine this with everything above and you have a real cluster.

Take a Dremel to the protrusions on the mag box and the front screw, bed the lug tight and you're going to improve things immensely. Adjust the trigger to perfect and make sure your front ring screw isn't contacting the threads....then find "the" load.

It's pretty simple stuff really. When you get one right, it's hard to leave it in the safe very long....

Bone support, muscular relaxation, natural point-of-aim. I get paid to teach that [bleep] to people. I have a Steyr Scout(under 7#) that'll shoot bugholes off its integral bipod. I can put three into an inch, prone with a Ching Sling. It ain't me. A rifle is a damn rifle, a light one is less forgiving of form/positioning etc, but it is still a damn rifle, and the position fundamentals above and the steady hold factors apply the same.

Yep, if'n you know what to look for, it sounds pretty simple, all that plus a recrown. What is truly sad is, when you mail the POS back to Kimber, with all that [bleep] wrong with the rifle, they box it right up and mail it back to you.

Thanks, will be several months before I will be able. Friend has to buy a gun from me first.

Very nice write up.

What get's me is the anti Kimber guys will do most of what you stated to other rifles and not complain. But when you do the extra work to a Kimber, it's a POS!

Maybe not everything is spot on every time...but simple to tweak. After all, it is still a factory rig.

The platform is simply to good to not own and make a few tweaks....

TAK, honest question for you. Are you basing your negative views of kimber on owning one rifle?

Nope! Same old complainers complaining.

My negative view is about KIMBER USA, not just on one Montana I happened to own. How many times does someone need to sucker punch you before you decide to duck. Kimbers' "service" policy, is to do what benefits Kimber USA's bottom line. Caveat Emptor.

BTW, Kimber's 1911's suck balls as well. They are consistently inconsistent.

I dunno, maybe $600 vs $1100 might have something to do with it?

My Kimber experience is fairly limited compared to most of you guys. I still have a Kimber of Oregon 223 that I'll never part with, but understand this discussion is related to the current Yonkers rifles. Of those, I had an 8400 300 WM with a misaligned firing pin hole in the bolt face - after the first couple of rounds through it, I started getting misfires. Bolt disassembly revealed a bent firing pin and the shop I bought it from offered me a refund so I took them up on it rather then send it back to Kimber.

More recently, I found a used Classic in 325 WSM that I bought mainly because of the price which included a Leupy 4.5-14 I wanted for another rifle. For what I paid, I could have rebarreled to 7 WSM for not much more than the price of a new one which was where I was going with it. Of course I had to shoot it first - I couldn't get 200 Accubonds to shoot, but three different flat base bullets seem to do very well - consistently sub MOA. It's kind of growing on me as is...

No flies on your rifle...good shooting! Glad to see you "got a good one"...

It still kills me that Kimber is somehow expected to not be a factory rifle, even though it's a factory rifle.


I've hod some epic pieces of [bleep] from Remington too.

Bozo . . . the stock alone is worth the difference.

Which $600 rifle doesn't wear Tupperware?

Fuggin idiot

They should ask for a refund.



Travis

Yet he gets stumped by a blind mag..

Not with me, my SA 338 WM is a keeper.

Gunner

Perhaps your sterling reputation precedes you.



Travis

I dunno Trav, he may be teahcing the proper position for Takin-it-up-the-azz

You phugging douche bag.

I've known a few SOTIC grads. They could shoot just as well as your average high school kid in a shooting sports program.

Where do you "teach" shooting? I have half a mind to come take your course and show you up using a Kimber.

Funny most of us replace our stocks with a McMillan and bed our stocks. Replace factory trigger, Fireing pin and spring . True our actions to get a shooter. So [bleep] what. My Kimbers required a bedding job only. 1 hr of MY time .JMO

Tough to keep some folks content...

Maybe you have to be "old" to appreciate something like a Kimber Montana. If you are, you have likely suffered through scouring used gun racks for donors,playing with barrel contours,waiting on lightweight synthetics and chasing smiths who knew what you wanted to get the mess assembled.

All in the interest of ending up with something lightweight and maybe 20 years ahead of the factory "learning curve"....even then they didn't quite "get it right" but things got better.

I recall one 7 RM that made three trips back to a very patient custom smith for barrel contouring before he finally figured out what I wanted. Today, a Kimber Montana in 7mm WSM or 280AI is about the same thing.

For a grand or thereabouts, a Kimber Montana is a marvel and a friggin steal in a light hunting rifle.

You're right, they could probably guess my distaste for lard-ass yankees over the phone.

You, Polesmoker, and Stoolhead should have a menage-a-trois, as the above appears to be a collective fixation for the three of you.

I like the idea of a Montana 243, but heard too many horror stories to pull the trigger

ppppfffftttt..... Kimber's are so pass�. Echol Legends are all the rage now. Every discerning hunter has at least two.

Randy Cain actually teaches a course called "Practical Rifle" that you could take your Kimber to. There will most likely be a tree there you could wrap the POS around sometime the second day.

Such an angry individual. You'll grow out of that when you hit puberty

Buy one. It will be fine.

Be careful though, a Kimber purchase may make all your other rifles into full time dust collectors.

Yep.

Yep....






Yes.....







True......

Buy one. It will be fine.

Be careful though, a Kimber purchase may make all your other rifles into full time dust collectors.[/quote]

Or you just end up selling the others and buying more Kimbers

I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me out of your fantasies. And BTW, you got the name wrong, it's "smokepole.". Because I do most of my hunting with a muzzleloader.

Anything else is just projecting on your part.

haha! All the sophisticated hunters hunt with Echols..


Kimber ain't perfect, and you might have to monkey with it when you get one, but they are a pretty good rifle. I'd rather spend a little more and get the same stock those "sophisticated" hunters use, and a barrel of equal quality those "sophisticated" hunters use.

What might have to be done to get it to perform? Bedding? Recrown?

Bed it, tweak trigger, load and shoot.

Just go buy one. You would bed all your other rifles and adjust their triggers and do tweaks here and there, the Montana is no different IMO. One heck of a rifle for 1k and sometimes less. The trigger is one of the best factory triggers evah!

Perfect truck guns....grin

I'd like to pick up a 243 or a 257.

Nice light there. You're doing some good work w/ that G15!

Ted ,lucky rifle, waiting for the bipod comments....grin

Mount scope, sight it in, and proceed to kill lots of critters, but only if you are into that type of thing.

Can't believe you guys are getting them for a grand. I can find only one place to buy them here, and they are $1600. I was a bit excited when I saw Cabela's selling them for just over a grand, but I was too late and only some 300 Win's and the like were left, which is not what I would want. I think they are distributed by Korth up here, which would explain why they are so expensive, as these guys also distribute Leupold here and we pay way more for those too. I'll keep looking though, there's a 7-08 out there somewhere with my name on it.

People make it sound like you need to be a gunsmith to make one shoot. A little epoxy for bedding, a hex wrench to adjust the trigger and in my case some Tubbs Final Finish. Instant shooter. Then again, it may not have needed that, I just do that to all the rifles regardless. But the design, action weight/size, carbon-kevlar stock, three position safety, excellent trigger, controlled feed are a bonus. That and the fact that it weighs little, which matters in the big mountains,and points like a dream at the moment of truth.

For me, the Kimbers are the best handling rifles I have ever held. They just feel right to me.

I currently have:
A Kimber of Oregon 22.
A Kimber (Yonkers) Classic Select 22.
A Kimber 84M Varmint 22-250 (barrel shortened to 24", Cerakoted and pillar bedded in Wildcat fiberglass stock).
A Kimber 8400 Montana 300WSM.

I will buy more. Would love a 25-06 in a 84L Montana, or maybe a 84M 308 Montana.

The Montana is so much nicer than any Remington out there and way cheaper than a Sako 85 Finnlight which I would want to put a real stock on. But that is just my opinion. If I didn't go with a Montana, I would just as likely skip the Finnlight and jump up to NULA, or maybe a HS Precision PHL. If I was really flush, I'd love to try a Blaser Professional, but somehow I don't think they'd be as lively in the hands. While I like some of the features, I haven't found a Cooper model that turns my crank.

The only common alternatives to the Kimber I'd consider is maybe a Winchester M70 EW, but as good as they feel, they aren't a close second to the Montana. As for the Rugers, I like them, but I feel I'd want to restock them and they are heavy. Love the mounting system (part of why they're heavy though).

Was at a LGS that had a well used Kimber 8400 Montana in 270WSM wearing what looked to be a newer Leupold scope for $900. Very tempting. I could see a 257WSM in my future, but then the stock could use a paint job and then that darn trip to Africa in May is screwing up a good gun deal by causing me to penny pinch.

AB2506
You got pic of that varmint?

Oh yea save extra for your African trip. Everything costed me more than expected and good luck

One of our club members had a kimber 7mm-08. Not many members have rifles that catch my attention. I asked him how he liked it. He told me that it wouldn't shoot worth a damn and after dealing with Kimber CS he was told that there had been a bad batch of 7mm barrels. He sent it back and they re barreled it. Still couldn't get it group and he sent it down the road eventually.

I have one Montana in .280 AI. I did bed it and relieve the barrel channel a bit; as was pointed out though, I do that to ALL my rifles. It took quite a bit of experimentation (and denial) for me to figure out that it was never going to shoot tiny little groups with 140 grain bullets. Once I switched to heavier pills, it started stacking them.

IMHO, the combination of weight and a super-narrow, round forearm makes it more challenging to shoot from the bench than others, particularly when you top it with a 2.5-8x36 like many of us do. However, when I go to the woods, I ALWAYS grab it. It has made most of my other rifles irrelevant, as it feels so damn good in the hand and in a pack. It's a winning combination in the woods for sure.

Campfire observation:

Often mentioned that the lightweight Kimbers are fussy regarding ones technique. Yet with lightweight Nulas it is mentioned little.

Lightweight Kimbers tend to be load specific and lightweight Nulas shoot most any load well.

Seems like with the introduction of the Forbes rifle, we are hearing about less problems with Kimber accuracy. Coincidence?

I do have a borescope, and mine is pretty ragged inside. I tried fire lapping & bedding, and that helped some. The funky thing about this barrel is, once it warms up it shoots very nicely, sub-MOA - so I don't think it's me. Try it from a cold barrel, though - fire one shot, let it cool completely, repeat, and it is still 2-2.5 MOA. Mule Deer suggested it was just improperly stressed relieved, or made with worn tools, no lube, etc. That's no good for a hunting rifle, so a barrel it gets - and a good one.

Or Kimber thinking..."we need better barrels"

You'll hear more about the Forbes rifles in short order. Especially the 20B.

1. Melvin's actions are stronger.
2. The Forbes rifles utilize a #2 barrel contour.
3. Each action is individually bedded to the stock.
4. Melvin's stock is stiffer.
5. The 24B and 20B cost more than a Kimber, a true NULA is much more.

I'm a Kimber fan, but you'll see a bunch of Kimber Montana's for sale once the Forbes rifles are readily available in all stainless.

If you are looking for peer approval around this place you need to move on. Finicky bunch of girls around here that only like what they have in their model and caliber.

I guess I left High school years ago and do not care what others think.

Yes you do.


Travis

That's an interesting observation, coming from a new guy.

I'm a fan of both and something I've noticed.

On the bench Nulas will normally win the race. Off the bench it becomes much closer.

Like the Kimber trigger and safety much more than the Nula. You can look down into the safety cut of the Nula and see a little spring and there are more of them in there. Fine in nice weather not so much in bad. IMO a weak point re Nula design. However, nothing a now and then squirt of lighter fluid wouldn't
take care of for the most part. But when it goes bad it is a comparatively bigger problem.

I much prefer the Nula stock for fit than the Kimber. Some don't like the more curved grip of the Nula but I prefer it and for some reason the Nula stock seems to jump less off the bench and recoils less. The more curved grip allows the palm to absorb more of the recoil?

Took a Nula out of the safe last night and it is sweet. Grabbed a Kimber for comparison and there is not much to gripe about. Both are really nice.

Extended hard country/weather I'd take the Kimber. Here in Pa it is nice to have both.

Yep, I think the Forbes is a Kimber wake up call.

For a $2,000-2,500 price difference between Kimbers and NULAs, there had better be a difference in quality and shoot-a-bility across the board. Add me to the list of folks who much prefer the action and safety of the Kimbers. Not to say I wouldn't own a NULA...I certainly would.

The ULA/NULA/Forbes safety/trigger bothers me. The gaping hole allowing access for crud to get down inside, and the safety itself moves such a short distance from safe to fire that I find myself constantly checking it to make sure it's "on safe".

I much prefer the Kimber in those aspects.

I prefer the Kimber grip. I find the ULA to be a bit too closed for my liking, though the stock design sure does a wonderful job of soaking up recoil.

Both great rifles. The ULA seems to be a really consistent shooter, but I've never had major troubles with the four Kimber 84Ms I've owned. I like them both!

Ok

I just knew you'd hate that .22 ULA. You're correct on all of the problems (cleaned up the points you didn't need). I'll get you my FFL's info for the .22.

The cut isn't the big part of the problem. Timney triggers are fine on the bench, but those little springs and close together sliding parts don't do them any favors when moisture finds its way inside and it can arrive in the bottom or from condensation.

Ha! Well I'll let you know if I sell.

Hard to argue with the guy though IMO.

I do not post often but have been around since 2007

Exactly my point, I see your panties are already wadded.

I think Kimbers have become much more a known quantity--and some QC issues have been settled--so they get much less bandwidth. I do not think their fans are any less enthusiastic about them.

I've been thinking about a Kimber or a Forbes. In looking at the specs, it seems that a long action Forbes with a 24 inch barrel come in at 41.5 inches in overall length while a short action Kimber with a 22 inch barrel comes in at 41.25 inches in overall length. Is that right? Can someone who has handled both confirm that the Forbes action is that much shorter than the Kimber?

I certainly hope so. And I hope they'll be offered for a great price! I'll definitely be keeping my eyes on the Classifieds as I think I'm going to finally pick one or two up for myself, and see what all the fuss has been about. Hope they shoot! Fingers crossed.

Isn't there some sort of issue with the stainless action Forbes not being completely stainless? I thought I remembered reading something about it, but can't seem to find anything through a search.

Hadn't heard that. However, their switch to a 2pos/2 fuction safety is not to my liking.

Found a post mentioning the stainless rifles still have a chrome moly bolt.
Lame.
Probably worth a call to Forbes to either confirm or deny.

Absolutely.

I found 24hourcampfire looking for information on my first Kimber, one of the .338 federal NRA guns. I�ve owned 5-6 sense then and have two in the safe, both 84Ls, a 30-06 and a .270. I purchased the .270 when Nosler announced the accubond LR. The rifle has sat in the safe as I wait to find some of the bullets. I�ve shot both with factory fodder, but haven�t really tried to get max accuracy. Both shoot fine enough for hunting and neither were purchased as a target rifle, and getting skunked the last two years for elk/deer tags I�m really in no hurry.

Now that my kids are old enough, I spend more time shooting .22lr with them.

I guess what I�m saying is that Kimbers are boringly fine these days. The kinks have either been worked out, or there is plenty of information on what to do if you do get a bad one. Unlike a 700 there really isn�t much to upgrade. Aluminum trigger guard and bolt handle anyone?

Really?

Apples and oranges. Only common denominator is light weight.
You need to look at the action type. Kimber is a pre64 Winchester derivative downsized) and the NULA/Forbes is a Remington clone (downsized).

Controlled feed/three position wing type safety versus pushfeed lever safety. Fit and feel is very individual to each person. (Lots of people like Sako Finnlights, but they really don't do a lot for me. I feel I'd have to restock to like them better. As they are already very expensive, add another $600 for a McMillan, by then it's not really all that much more to a NULA!)Just because Forbes comes out does not necessarily mean a dump of Montanas and a rush to Forbes.If it does, maybe there will be a some cheap Montanas!

BTW, I thought the NULAS were full length bedded which may explain their consistency?

I watched a pre-64 model 70 choke constantly for 3-days in Randy Cain's Practical Rifle class. The Hill brothers had Randy Cain come out to OR for that same course years ago. One or more Kimbers constantly had feeding problems in that course. So much for the "utter-reliable" pre-64 model 70 and its clones.

They are.

Before we get into a pissing match over the so-called preceived merits of one action type over another.


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...ympic-spot-to-twin-sister-171228766.html


Now piss on each others boots.

No pissing going on, just personal preference. My point was that there likely won't be a run as the rifles are quite different.

....and ShortActionSmoker meant his personal Kimbers and not necessarily everyone elses.

Battue do you think that's because the NULA has a slightly heavier barrel contour than the Kimber?

Have not fired a NULA in years but noticed this comparing the Forbes to a Montana in the store recently.The tube seems heavier in contour.

I like the Forbes but would grab the Montana,myself.

Just curious, are you Swampy?

I think I read somewhere that the Forbes rifle has a number 2 (ish) contour.

Bob,

I don't think there is enough difference in the weight to make all that much difference. While both stocks are relatively straight in the comb, for myself the Nula does feel more comfortable on the bench and off hand than does the Kimber. I have been trying to get a handle on the why for sometime now. While I like Kimbers a lot, there is no doubt for my body shape the Nula is a more comfortable design. Others my feel differently.

I do think the more curved grip of the Nula allows the palm to absorb more recoil than the Kimber, which may account for for what I preceive as less barrel jump. I would think the less one can hold onto a rifle-which corresponds to a straighter grip design-the more tendency there would be for the barrel to jump.

Definitely FWIW.

So was your Mom's after she left the Red Roof Inn the other night.

Well, from what I can tell, that right there would be a glut of Kimbers on the market......

Nobody's getting that lucky right now! I'm in the process of taking a few from being a great rifle to the perfect rifle....

Darrik, do you know if the SS Forbes will have a Stainless receiver and CM bolt?

Very classy.

I don't know Billy. I heard the same comment from someone too, but I've not verified it. I'd certainly hope not...

Out of curiosity, what would be the point in doing that?

Another question: Does the stainless 700 have a CM bolt?

The Forbe's overall length is 43.5" not 41.5". The 24b action is the same length as a 700 short action and I believe the same as the Kimber short action.

Yes all Kimbers suck....please people sell them!!!

Need the price to lower so I can get a 30-06 84L on the cheap

I bought mine NIB last summer and it has zero issues. Worked fine with 140BTs on four deer this year.

I figured that out, but on the Forbes site, it had a 30-06 listed at 41.5. I knew it didn't make sense, but there it was.

A couple weeks ago I was experimenting with my shooting technique and the 7-08 Montucky. When I first got the Kimber this past August I found it quite a bit harder to shoot than the T3 Finnish Tikklers I was using before. Found that I needed to hold the forearm on the Kimber with a firm grip in order to get decent groups and hit the 8" gong at 500y.

Shot with a firm hold and also loosey-goosey to see what would happen. Firm hold gave me good groups, loosey-goosey moved the impact up and to the left. My Tikklers shot fine loosey-goosey but the Kimber needs a firm hold. I'm positive a better shooter could do better than me, and I didn't wait for the barrel to cool completely. Just my own little experiment.

I did do some tweaks to the rifle... loc-tite to the firing pin screw, shortened front Talley screw (just for good measure), shortened front action screw (just for good measure), sanded edges of mag box, and made sure the box wasn't binding (it wasn't). The only thing that made any differences was knocking the edges off the mag box lips... now it feeds 100%. Before that it wasn't. All the other stuff made no diff, but loc-tite is a must. Have not bedded the lug.

Jason

Kimber 7-08 at 500y on a different day. 5-shots on 8.5" steel hub coupler. There was a slight right-to-left wind. Three shots were pretty close, with one down below. Don't know what happened with the far right impact... probably poor trigger control. Either way, good enough for me

With good set-up I can spot my shots at 500y. Paint and bullet splatter shows well through the 6x.

Well I just picked up Kimber no.2 (.223 Montana)

Box was binding, trigger was 4 lbs. Got the trigger adjusted, box fixed. Will bed it in the am.

Been wanting one of these for a year or so.

Congrats on the new rifle Cal!

Think it's time to place an order myself.

I tell you what.

I sure miss DJTex and his posts with his kids and his Montana.

Another good campfire guy gone...

Yep. I miss him too, and a lot of others.

What happened?

2nd that Marty

Get a hold of Jamie, price I told you is about as good as you'll find I believe.

Going down to cave in a little bit to mix up some bedding compound and crossing my fingers yet again for a good release and a job well done.

Well, its looks like Kimber still generates a lot of "talk", with 192 posts and 9427 views. Overall, a highly valued player in the retail world. Wonder what they had on display at the SHOT Show?

I have four. A Mod 82 in .22 mag, and two 84Ms in .260, and one 7mm08. I only have three Sakos.

Woops, just took a look in the safe and found another 84M in .308.

KIMBER 84M Adirondack:

http://www.americanhunter.org/blogs/kimber-adirondack

That's pretty neat! Perfect for New England!

Well, at least they screwed it up with a really ugly stock and a big ole ugly scope (3-9 no doubt, perfect for "brush" hunting).

They apparently think a lot of Bubba's live upstate.

Also not sure how giving a smith $35 to cut and crown the regular Montana makes the ADK different, except uglier.

Kimber continues to expand its NASCAR line of rifles... amazing.

So buy a regular Montana for $900 or so cheaper and cut a couple inches off the barrel? Maybe instead of selling a new rifle, they should just have an Adirondack package for a regular Montana where they include a hacksaw blade and $80 muzzle crowning tool.

I haven't seen where anything they've come out with since the Montana is any better.

Not my cup of tea.

I actually like it, just not for that much more money than a regular Montana.

The Adirondack.. for when your 7lb rifle is too heavy to carry from your Bad Boy Buggy to your treestand... (grin)

Yeah when Remington came out with the M7 Custom KS in 7/08 and 308 with 18-20" barrels years back the northeast boys scoffed at those, too. They thought they were funny looking...

Today one hits the shelves used and it lasts 10 minutes.

Thankfully western deer hunters don't design rifles for eastern deer hunting...western deer hunters may have little use for short, handy rifles but mostly they don't spend days and hours on their feet in heavy cover, on the move, and controlling rifles with one hand.

Do enough of that and you quickly figure out that 22" barrels certainly work but are a tad superfluous....something I notice every deer season back here, like ..."Who needs this"?

Color? With the number of McSwirley's and gap camo we see on here and suddenly folks have a problem with "color"?

Kudo's to Kimber for offering something a bit different and suited to a purpose!


I do admit the scopes gotta go, though.

Nothing better than a rifle that handles like a 94 Winchester that is good out to 400 or better. Of course, that Ruger American Compact fits that bill for about an extra pound and $1,400 less.

Ha! Yep.

If I'm understanding it correctly, it seems like a no brainer for them from a $ standpoint. Make a Montana with a shorter barrel, paint the stock funny, and up the charge. I won't buy one but have no problem with them making it and making $ off of it.

'NASCAR' rifles...

For 25 years in the gun biz my mantra was 'never underestimate the stupidity or poor taste of people..'

Exactly. Thank you, sir.




P.S. .270 rules

P.S. GFY

belay my last...

I'd buy one. Doubt you'll see many for sale though. Wonder if that MSRP includes the scope? Not really thrilled about the scope choice.

If the price includes the scope, it's ridiculous. Not a scope setup I would want for brush hunting.

If the price doesn't include the scope, it's a ripoff. Seems to be a Montana with a chopped barrel, skeletonized bolt, and douche paint job for an extra $550.

KIMBER 84M Adirondack they should have included 358 Win. in the calibers.

10 years ago I had the barrel on my Montana 308 cut to 20", its the best still hunting rifle I've owned since getting rid of my Remington Model 7 260 Rem.

The only kimber I would get would have to have 45 ACP stamped on it.

You forgot the fluted bolt.

Wonder if a Zombie version is in the wings..

Missed that.

I feel the love....

C'mon Kimber, what's next, a "zombie" version?

I have three Kimber rifles, one 84 Classic Select in 257 Roberts, a 8400 in 25-06 and an Clackamass (sp?) 82 in 22lr. All purchased on the Fire and all shoot better than 95% of the population (including me) can. So far, I see no downside other than I find that I personally shoot a heavier rifle off-hand better than the light weights, but with rest they are very good. I like them so much that I have moved the majority of my 700's
to free up space with exception the to the sacred cows.

They need to quit coming out with new crap, drop half their pistol lineup and actually produce rifles that they have listed on their website, but that are never available.

There's a lot of Kimber classics in the classifieds right now. Why???

Because people have figured out what they are really worth! Was able to pick up a couple at silly prices, now people are actually asking real prices for them. Since I live in the Peoples Republic of NY, I refuse to post how many of them I own...

That said, the only ones that seem to spend any amount of time on the classifieds are the WSM calibers, personally am not a fan unless it's really cheap so I can change it to a 350 WM...

I would like to get one, but unlike some other brands I would have to test fire the rifle before I would want to pay what one is worth. Beautiful riles, but they scare the c**p out me buying untested.

Honestly, GET OVER IT!

Just buy one. You won't regret it.

We shouldn't be scared of rifles. If they don't shoot,fix them, sell them, trade them, whip them down range like a boomerang(I watched a friend to that or give them away to someone you don't really like.

But don't be scared of them.

There are far more important things in life to be concerned about than some stupid rifle.

I agree 100% Bob.

An 18" barrel is very handy in heavy cover, and the camo stock doesn't bother me (I like the colors of it better than the Ascent).

The fluting and lightening are kinda gimmicky, but they do save some weight.

I'd still just buy a Montana and lop it to 18" for similar results at a big savings, but to some guys $500 is no big deal to have something a little more unique.

Ascents in all calibers are selling well (I saw a 280AI go for almost $2600 on auction) and I expect the Adirondak will sell well too.

You can spend a lot more money chasing your vision of the perfect lightweight rifle, and never get as close.

Trust me.

Whelen the older I get the more appealing that goofy looking little Adirondack (and things like it)appeal to me for my hunting back east here.

Stick me out west and I am fine with the standard stuff....but I have used those little Rem 7's in 7/08 back here and they pile bucks up pretty well.

I'm with you Bob.

At the ranges shots are taken in my neck of the woods, there's no real drawback to an 18" barrel, and the handiness is a big plus.

Hunting on the move, it's the only way to go.

I think a 20" Montana 7-08 would be the cats azz.

I'd have gone 20" myself.

MUCH cheaper to just get an 84M Montana and cut it down. Heck you can get it lighter than the Adirondack and still save a few hundred bucks if you really wanted to go lightweight. However, you can likely save well over $500 just finding a 84M and cutting it down to 20" and not have the stupid colored stock.


My Kimber Montana .308 with 20" barrel and some other things done to put it on a diet. 4 pounds 13 oz naked, and 5.5 pounds with a scope.

Alaska: That works! I ain't fussy....

What else did you do to lighten it up besides cutting a couple inches off the barrel?

everyone would love them if we could all get one for what my buddy payed a few weeks ago. a guy came in to the gun store he works at with a montana in 270 and 200 rds of ammo. he wanted to sell it to pay bills. the shop owner wouldn't buy it saying they were to hard to sell. my buddy took the guys number and called a few hours later and bought it for 600 with the ammo and a compact 2x7 loopy.

stupid shop owner never asked what he wanted for it.

Never put your value on something without hearing what the seller is asking!

I really like my Kimber 7mm08 Montana. I had two and talked myself down to one in the downsize of 2013. I will probably own another in a year or two but in something different. Maybe a .280ai.

Tag

0 problems with mine, all tack drivers

Me too...if the accuracy, fit, finish, customer satisfaction, and customer service was equal to the price.

Till then I can be satisfied with heavy, ugly euro trash that shoots little bitty groups out of the box.

I don't buy many new Guns, and with kimber I fear buying someone else's burden that they couldn't get to shoot.
Now, if I found one that I could shoot a few of my loads through and was happy with the accuracy...I could be interested.

Then I have one on the shelf you'd be interested in....

I bought my son a 243 Montana earlier this year. He decided he'd rather have an AR....he's 8 and filled with wanderlust.

Anyway, it shot the first load out of the gate into little bitty clusters and that bullet was the 95gr Partition. Not the easiest bullet to get supreme accuracy with, but it shot 3/4" 3 shot groups. I'll give you the complete load data...

Good barrels heal many sins...



very accurate, and really unfussy, too Pac-Nor 1 in 9" twist, poly rifling, dupe of factory length and contour.

This year I'll probably do some more work with this one, but so far it seems pretty good. .257 Bob, Classic Select

Pat...you had to rebarrel it?


It would be fair to say Kimber Rifles couldn't possibly lose favor with me.

Typical performance for the 6-8 I have played with. The least accurate Kimber I have owned was a 308 and it would do 1" for three shots with several loads, unlike the others that have been 1/2-3/4" guns.

Yep. It wasn't suitable as a hunting rifle as it was, just too erratic. Other than bed it, I really didn't do anything else to it. The mag box and screw lengths were fine as is. Or maybe the previous owner fixed them, dunno

The Bob shoots decently with the first load I tried. This past March I loaned it to Carl at the Hog Hunt, but it was so pretty he was afraid to take it out.

Like I said earlier in the thread, Kimber has some cool designs, but then cuts corners and winds up with problems...sometimes...sorta like some wimmins...

Patrick

it sure is pretty. I really enjoyed handling and shooting the rifle.

Kimbers have not lost their favor with me.

Not for me. Tried a Montana and didn't shoot well. I will stick with my Rugers.