Hunter won’t be lighter... the difference will be a couple ounces probably not enough to matter. I don’t know what removing the gel will do weight wise but it for sure make a cheap plastic hollow stock sound and feel like a cheap plastic hollow stock.
Go 308 The smaller the bore the more powder you waste out the front. Also it will seal better with the can. You will probably need to get a thread adapter those Kimber barrels are thin. The standard Kimber threads are 7/16” while most cans are 1/2” threads (.223 class) or 5/8” (.308 and up) you aren’t going to get 5/8” threads on there. So pick your poison with the other 2 and use an adapter. Kimber makes them for the 7/16” threads they use. All sorts of companies make them for the 1/2”-5/8” conversion.
I’ve done exactly what you are talking about with kimbers in .223 6.5 creedmoor, .308 .338 Federal, and fixing to chop a 30-06 and rebore it to 35 whelen.
If I could find another .223 Montana I would make it into a 300 Blackout and never look back.
Or find an adirondack in 300BLK. That would be the best ticket.
You can remove the gel and replace with spray foam and net 5-7 oz weight loss. I have seen a lot of speculation that the gel is added to up the weight so that people will still view Montana's as the lighter option. And yeah I'm hoping with the chop there would be enough meat for 1/2-28 but if it must be thinner I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Have a Montana rebored to 358 win and cut to 19" that I think has the perfect feel and balance to it. Factory loads I have shot and ran on the chrono are no more than 50 fps slower with the shorter barrel.
BTW, I never handled a Hunter version and that's is the first I heard of it having GEL in it, it may be s dumb question BUT how do you remove the GEL?
