Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber question

Ok, I'm looking for some help with a question relating to Kimber (Yonkers) rifles. I've owned 3 Classics, a 300 WSM, 8400 30-06, and 84L 30-06.
What makes them so finicky about accuracy? Other light-barreled guns shoot well consistently.
Is it the bedding?
Are their barrels inferior?
Action too weak?
Quality control issues?
People can't shoot light rifles worth a darn?

I'm a Kimber fan and really like the 84L I have now but was just wanting y'all's input on the matter as I can see myself getting another some day.
Thanks,
Jed

Kimber 84 series rifles are attractive for a light carry rifle. On a rifle range a light barrel rifle gets pretty erratic after three shots in my experience. I have been looking at Super Americas since they came out in center fire, and wanted to buy a Super America back when the .22 LR was being produced. The caliber I would be most comfortable with is .243. That is not in current production in the Super America and the closest caliber, and the lightest is 7mm08. In the three heavier calipers I would pass! Just too much wallop in a rifle under 6 pounds, under 7 complete with scope! That is recoil in the short magnums! Joseph Del Assandro with Real Guns had an excellent article about the 7mm08 titled "The Cure for the Magnum Addiction".

Kimbers have a reputation for some very accurate rifles and some not so good! The Super America comes with a match grade barrel. Currently the Adirondack Model is their most popular, and the Montana No. 2. Super Americas are Very hard to find and despite my admiration for them they are rare.

Super America barrels are the same as all other kimber rifle barrels, instead of being bead blasted they are polished on the outsid then blued.

Having owned a couple piles worth, I'd say this is the #1 reason.

The #2 reason is being inflexible/rushed with load development.

If you try to dictate to the rifle what it will like you'll likely be disappointed... if you take time to work out a variety of loads you'll always find something that will shoot moa or better IME.

I have an 84 classic select in .257 Bob, so my experience is limited. It's accuracy, frankly, was non existent. I sent it in, and they claimed it met their standard. With nothing to lose, I put a pressure point at the fore end tip. It's now one of my most accurate rifles. So if you have an iffy one, you may want to give that a shot before writing it off.

Mine isn't finicky at all. Flyweight rifles in general are a bit more difficult to shoot accurately.
My 308 loves 150 grain Power Points and 165 Fusion. After three shots the barrel must cool down if I want to keep it MOA.

Is that a VX6 on yours?

Yup. VX6 3-18 44mm firedot. I have since moved to a VX3 3-10 40mm on my Montana. Same glass but 1" tube and more stream lined. My VX6 was better for one of my rifles that shoots out past 300 yards. My Montana is my run and gun flyweight rifle so any thing past 7 power was a waist of optics.

Darrik's neutral bedding tip in the 'Tinkering' thread works pretty well on Montana's.

Same rifle and caliber,same issue only they replaced my barrel when I sent it in. Shoots great now but couldn't hold a 6" group when I bought it.

I've had 3, all have been 3/4" or less shooters, when I found a load they liked. They do seem a little finicky, although I have 4 different loads for my 300 wsm that will all shoot less than 1". 150gr-200gr bullets. I believe it is because the tolerances on these rifles are tight that it makes it that much more important to find the load they like.

They fired 8 rounds through mine, three went into 1". Not sure where the others went. They said it met their standard. They returned it without plug screws and with three new dings in the stock. Accused me of lying when I told them. I'll never buy another Kimber.

My recently acquired 84m .260 hit the mark well enough for me to take opening day of our whitetail season...I'll start a thread when I begin working on its favorite load.

absolutely unbelievable feeling when you grip down on a target...light is almost an understatement!

Nothing like buying a $1200 rifle and having to do all the shortactionstroker tweaks

Kimber thanks each and every one of us for reworking their product for them

Kimbers customer service dept is without a shadow of a doubt the bottom of the barrel to deal with

Alex....Kimbers Customer service supervisor is a real bean counting company man dick