Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting got off the phone with Kimber "Open Country" info

The photos on their website http://www.kimberamerica.com/open-country will need to be updated but production changes to this gun will include:

• 2 sling swivels up front
• threaded barrel

Delivery is going to be a while, the stock is completely different that the Montana, Adirondack, Mountain Ascent stock.

Stock is going to have more of a beavertail forend and a higher comb, much closer in profile to the 8400 Patrol models in the past, or the current Pro-Varmint stock, both of which are laminated wood:



The Open Country will be using a carbon/ kevlar layup like the mountain guns and looks to drop a ton of weight (my 8400 patrol weighs 8.5# naked with a 20" barrel, the open country is advertised at 6lbs 15oz. with a 24" barrel. I could do without the camo patterm, but I can fix that pretty easily =]

Thanks for the info, will it have a brake?

Nope, no brake just threaded with a protector.

Looks like a longmaster with a synthetic stock. I like my longmasters.

Thanks for the info. Looks liked it might have a hinged floorplate in their pic.

sidepass and 4th_point

I think y'all are both pretty close.

definitely hinged floor plate.

longmaster with a kevlar/ carbon stock and a heavier barrel.

(sorry, you and I are probably on the same page, but synthetic can mean a lot from the [bleep] plastic and terrible rubber remington and hogue have become fond of to the great carbon, kevlar, reinforced stuff used by some factory guns and the quality aftermarket offerings, even though it can look pretty similar on the web there is a world of difference in potential accuracy, weight, and durability.)

Finding this pretty funny. Just had a Longmaster in 308 win rebarreled to 6.5 Creedmoor. Stainless × barrel factory profile. Mine has pretty wood. Under $1800.00 total and Kimber new price is $2200.00 Still haven't been able to shoot it what with a Tibial Plateau Fracture and my triple bypass this past monday. In about 3 month's we will see how she shoots.

Heal up fast bud!!!!

I''m a big 6.5 fan, but honestly I'd be fine with it in .308 over the creedmoor, all my dies and brass are .260 or .308 so the creedmoor is a big jump to some new stuff.

I think we will be able to get this gun at $18XX shipped from the big kimber dealers aroug the country in spite of the $2200 price tag.


Hope you heal up fast, and can get out and enjoy that rifle!

My Nightforce 3x10x42 SHV came in today. Won't try to mount it for a couple weeks me thinks. Rifle with bases and rings tips the scales at 7lbs 2oz

Those SHV''s are great scopes, I had one of the 5-20x56 or whatever that big one was, very clear but heavy.

I have a Nightforce base and a Leupold Mark 4 front focal plane 6.5-20x50 coming in for the open country, just need to figure out rings,

I figure here is where my weight is going to end up:

Rifle 6lbs 15 oz

Scope 1lb 6 oz

Base 1.5oz

I think if I go with some nightforce alunimum rings I can keep it uner 8.5lbs. Were gonna probably be right in the same range, but yours will be better looking with that wood stock and stinless barrel.

Those SHV''s are great scopes, I had one of the 5-20x56 or whatever that big one was, very clear but heavy.

I have a Nightforce base and a Leupold Mark 4 front focal plane 6.5-20x50 coming in for the open country, just need to figure out rings,

I figure here is where my weight is going to end up:

Rifle 6lbs 15 oz

Scope 1lb 6 oz

Base 1.5oz

I think if I go with some nightforce alunimum/ultralight rings I can keep it under 8.5lbs. Were gonna probably be right in the same range sidepass, but yours will be better looking with that wood stock and stinless barrel.

Any updates on this rifle? Has anyone seen one in the wild yet?

I do not like the production changes, I have one on order, but am got going to cancel it. Do not want two studs, a bench stock, or their screwy threads. Going to call the gun shop this morning and cancel if these changes are true.

Already have a Bergera HMR for bench use. I wanted a hunting rifling. I can put together a 700 for this amount of money. It will be a much better carry rifle.

Whittakers had a couple in stock. Call and ask if those changes are in place.

The pics on this GunBroker add should answer the questions


http://www.gunbroker.com/item/666843825

2 studs,
stock doesn't look quite as think but thicker than the Montana stock,
threaded barrel,
floor plate

Thanks for providing the link, mjduct.

So, is that painted, cerakoted, or nitride finish?

I'm sure just paint on the stock.... probably "kim-pro" on the metal which I think is teflon based.

I jumped on the Whittakers 10% off bandwagon and have one in the mail....

If you got any questions I'll have more than just speculative answers here shortly...

Finally got to see one "in the flesh" at Scheels in Bismarck. Sales guys believe the finish is cerakote. It's a nice dull and very dark graphite gray. I'm surprised at how deep the fluting is and wonder if groupings will walk as the barrel heats.

Yup, I want one.

I am waiting for Mjduct to comment on the high points of the Open Country. Still thinking it will suit my wants for a mid weight rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor.

What he said. Bumping this thread pending feedback from Mjduct

Got it in,

Glass is on it,

should be able to shoot it by the end of the week.

From first impressions mostly comparison of what I thought I would get vs. what I actually got:

Gun is deciviengly light, mine came in about 2 ounces over the advertised weight on the website with the thread protector on it, still under 7 lbs for a 26" bull barrel rifle.

Thread protector diameter is about .860" at the tip. Flutes are insanely deep, maybe the deepest I've ever seen. The paint in alot of the pictures online looks glossy, I thought I'd be turned off by that, but in the flesh its matte looks good. I have a brilliant ceracote guy in town, and I figured I would have him redo the stock, but I might have him redo the metal instead, It's a nice gray color, which happens to not match anything... might ceracote it black or tan at some point.

I was also afraid it would be very front heavy, holding it offhand naked and with a scope it is a little nose heavy but not annoyingly so. The 2 rifles I took all my game with last year are a Kimber adirondack and a montana chopped off at 17" both of those guns are under 6 pounds fully loaded so anything seems nose heavy comapred to those. I dont look for balance points on my rifles, and I probably don't have the discerning taste for such as some on here, but I will say, it's not noticeably bad. Probably very similar to a normal weight remington or winchester extreme weather rifle with a McMillian edge stock.


Observations from handling:

The stock ergonomics are very similar to the montana from the reciever back. I liad it next to a montana in .223 and i couldn't tell a difference, maybe the stock has some small differences on the back side but its hard to tell.

From the reciever forward the stock is longer and wider than other short action kimbers. It has a pretty triangular shape with a. Perfectly flat bottom and 2 swivel studs and is 1.95" at the tip.

The camo pattern is interesting, I've never been a huge fan of digital camo, this one looks erratic and busy up close, but has blotches and looks like what I grew up calling "duck camo" from afar (3 or 4 toned brown, tan, black camo) It really screws with your brain, which is I guess the point, it's starting to dry out in my part of the world, and if should blend in well. In the spring we had a ton of rain and this gun wouldn't dissapear in the lush green, but in dry grass of fall/ winter of South.Central Texas (no snow) it should excel.

Optics thoughts:

I used a nightforce base and was planning on buying some nightforece ultralight rings for it and measuring it all out to get the lowest height possible, but the base was so high I tried a set of low 30mm warne QD rings I had laying around and they worked great on the scope I bought for this rifle over 6 months ago. Plenty low...

The scope that sits on it is a Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50 ER/t with a FFP impact 60 reticle (christmas tree reticle MOA markings/MOA adjustments) I got it on a super deal but looking back I probbaly goofed a little here is why:

The M1 turrets and the general size of the scope are too big (and heavy) for the rifle in my opinion, I am thinking about sending the scope back to leupold to put standard covered finger turrets on it if possible. I'm not a dialer anyway, and with the reticle I shouldn't really need to dial once I get it sighted in. I can hold wind/ elevation at any magnification level, thank you FFP!

Also most my hunting is pretty short range, all the animals I killed last year were within 140 yards and the max scope magnification I used was probably 6x, I do have some opportunities to hunt some pipeline easements that are miles long and straight, but in reality my shots willl be under 4 or 500 yards so having some lower power would be beneficial.

IF I replace this scope I'll go for something with lower profile turrets and lower end on the magnificiation for my needs. Maybe a VX6 3-18 or some 2-14 or 2-16 from an Alpha Glass maker. Thats just my brain working too hard though.

I can't wait to put it on paper, and maybe get it out and put it on some fur before deer season starts, This rifle with the right ammmo could be a "quiver killer": light enough to pack around, great ballistics, can pop varmints with "cheap" factory ammo (my time is worth more than it costs to buy, so it is cheap to me even though I have reloaded alot in the past and could do so with better reults and less hard costs, but time is the limiting factor in most of my pursuits) power to knock down big deer, all weather durability, etc... this rifle checks alot of boxes. With the current QR setup on the scope, I am contemplating a thermal scope for the off season on there, just pop off the leupold/ whatever day scope is on there and tighten down the thermal and go to work on hogs/ night critters!

Anyway my first thoughts, from playing with the rifle, the proof is in the shoooting, I haven't been able to do that yet, sorrry!!!

I'll post some images when I do.

Soon!!!!!!!

Well took my rebarreled Longmaster 6.5 Creedooor out for the first time today. Bad news it was 95° good news I took it to 1021 yards 4 shots not 4 inches apart. Started off inconsistent at 100 yards when I noticed the action was loose. Torqued it to 60 lbs and the next shot was all x. Printed a range card based on Prime Ammos Velocity of 2850 for the 130 OTM and left my magnetospeed home because of space. Strelock said 28 mins for 1021 yard plate reality was 24.
I was very pleased with the Nightforce 3-10x42 SHV , dialed it some and used the "windshield" mostly. My two buds were surprised how clear and bright it was. My only concern with the MOAR reticle is how it will work in low light.
Hopefully the Opencountry performs likewise. Adam Bennett of Dresden Gunworks did the rebarrel using a X Caliber barrel duplicating the factory contour.

Updates?

I got it out one day, it was 103 in the shade and the ony shade was underneath my car. Shot lots of groups aroud MOA, I gave it. Good cleaning and will try again with some different load combos gun should do better than that, but I'm not gonna judge it by the first 30 rounds down the pipe.

Work is real busy, I'll probably go back to some other guns for hunting season and develop loads for this one over the winter and then try it out on varmints/ predators next spring.


Too many projects last year =]

Any updates on the Open Country in 6.5 creed???


I’ve never owned a Kimber long gun but this one is tempting. I like a mid-weight rifle and it seems like it would be very versatile for lots of critters.

Whittakers had one in stock back on 12/15. You might check with SAS to see if he still has it.

Nice