I've had really good luck with Kimber Montanas through the years but am curious on other rifles. I may be in the market. I'm not opposed to building one either. I've run into a few issues on hunts over the years. Had the old style M70 trigger fail to pick up the sear, had a magazine spacer in a Kimber pop off, had a M700 trigger freeze after it fell in the snow, etc. Im not inclined to bash any brand, rifles are simple machines and can break/malfunction on occasion.
My goals are almost always the same: 7.5-7.75 lbs with scope, dependable in the backcountry, stainless/synthetic, and stock with 1/2" to no more than 1" drop at heel. 5/8" is about perfect. Prefer 23" barrels, wont own another over 24". I am biased toward Mauser style extractors but AM open to push feeds. I want MOA or better from my hand loads.
I've owned a couple Browning Stainless Stalkers back in the day and was not real impressed with some of the parts. I've owned more than a few Remingtons and generally had good luck. I really like Win M70s but they tend to fail the weight limit and trying to find an aftermarket stock is a challenge. Kimbers have been good to me but want a bit more weight in their larger offerings. I've never owned a Tikka/Sako, Christenen, newer Browning, or Weatherby. I do see most of the last mentioned have lighter models seemingly designed for backcountry hunting. Some have 26" barrels which I find burdensome in the field.
Alot of rambling to say - what are you all using in the backcountry? How durable/dependable have they been? Any comments on the backcountry models from Christensen, Weatherby, or Browning? Have the MOA guarantees been valid with a bit of prudent handloading?
Thanks.
