Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Which Kimber Montana?

I disagree. A slow twist 22-250 offers no appreciable gain over the 223, in my experience. For big game, the 223 shoots 50-60 grain bullets fast enough to have a practical point and shoot trajectory out to the ranges most big game is killed. I've even stretched it out a bit on big game, killing an antelope buck at around 400 paces with a 52 grain hollow point. I've also used the 223 to take several truck loads of game with 40 grain Ballistic Tips. A whitetail doe was shot facing me head on several years with this bullet; we found the base of the bullet in an inner tenderloin. Pretty good penetration!

Speaking of 40s, they essentially turn a 223 into the 22-250 of 40 years ago. Similar BC to the older non-plastic tipped 50-55s, and the 40s can be fired from a 223 at similar speeds to a factory loaded 22-250 with 50-55s.

The 223 does all of this with less recoil and noise than the 22-250, which really adds up when shooting colony varmints, and can be handy when shooting coyotes for quick recovery and spotting your own shots, especially when shooting from weird positions (such as out of the truck window). The 223 has cheaper factory ammo. The Kimber 223 will shoot heavier bullets - though the Kimber won't quite take advantage of the really high BC heavies, it will likely shoot the 69s, which work fine for stretching the range a bit for plinking and steel, and are available in factory ammo.

Sure, the 22-250 has more velocity and a flatter trajectory with any given bullet, but I find it to be wasted if one can't shoot the heavies. At least for me, if I'm stepping up above the 223 case capacity, I'm stepping up the caliber to 6mm in order to take care of the high bc bullets and wider array of big game bullets.

In 22 caliber, the 223 does everything I want or need for a centerfire.

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Two hands to work a safety? New one on me.

Most of my shots are taken at less than 60 yards or so, many much closer, as I primarily hunt the thick stuff too. Never worried too much about safety noise, cause when it comes off it's all but over for the deer anyway.

Can't say I start messing with the trigger or safety out of excitement either, if I did I'd keep a cold chamber until i was ready to shoot. On a side note, the safety on my Xbow is about as loud as a .22 LR. Never lost a shot opportunity because of it.

Great post Prairie Goat and I agree 100% !

I use a .223 every day of the week at the big TX Hill Country Ranch I manage, and at our home Ranch in N. TX eliminating countless feral hogs and truckloads of deer managing our herds, pretty much using just about every .223 bullet available out to 400 yards. Most of that culling is done legally out the window of my Ranch "office" which is my 2016 SuperCrew 4X4 F-150. For that purpose and coyote hunting too, the plain old .223 is my first choice and best tool for the job. Low recoil and it just keeps killing them all graveyard dead.

Not sure why a healthy adult would choose 6mm for deer, unless you could only own one gun.

You can load 30-06 to 110 grain, if you can only afford one gun.

We should just chuc all these big guns in the bush. I am not saying you can't, not saying they havn't killed many. Personally I think the restrict your shots. I have been lucky, never gut shot a deer, or had a bad shot. But I am sure some day I will. If you hunt in wide open areas, it doesn't matter, let it run. But in heavily wooded areas I want every edge to get it to slow down sooner. Double lung shotss, turning lungs to mush and big exit hole and they still run. Bigger exit hole, more blood, more trauma.

Not saying the deer is not just dead, which is the common reply. I just like every edge I can. Might try a 45-70.

I'm looking to get a Kimber Montana. It's going to be the .22-250 Rem or a .223 Rem. I do have the capability to reload, i'm just not good at it yet.

It will be used for deer hunting, coyotes on occasion, and targets/plinking.

I read an article on the Montana, and went to the store to check one out. Really dissapointed. Spend all that money and get a loud safety. I hunt in heavy woods, and to me it is an issue. Counter guy said he uses 2 hands. Deer I shot this year was 20 yards. Hate to get excited and flip off safety.

This is a complaint with my 700 too.

Ever think about picking up a used Montana and rebarrel it with a proper twist?

I do dearly love the super fast 22 CFs, but folks here are right. The .223 is perfectly adequate for a general purpose rifle. I am shooting the [bleep] out of my Montana 223 hoping to wear it out sooner rather than later, so I can throw on a Lilja 1/8.

Even with the paltry 1/9 factory barrel, I took a buck antelope at 550+ yards last year and a big buck mule deer at about 80 yards. No issues (well I did have one issue, but it was either the bullet or some brush...not the round and twist), but why settle for mediocre?

We should just chuc all these big guns in the bush. I am not saying you can't, not saying they havn't killed many. Personally I think the restrict your shots. I have been lucky, never gut shot a deer, or had a bad shot. But I am sure some day I will. If you hunt in wide open areas, it doesn't matter, let it run. But in heavily wooded areas I want every edge to get it to slow down sooner. Double lung shotss, turning lungs to mush and big exit hole and they still run. Bigger exit hole, more blood, more trauma.

Not saying the deer is not just dead, which is the common reply. I just like every edge I can. Might try a 45-70.

So do you think the 14" 22-250 would stabilize a 55ttsx or 50ttsx? My .223 Montana will stabilize the 62ttsx but shoots the 55 better.

I have one in .223 that has less than a box shot that I would sell.

Two hands for a safety? Must be a UP thing. I agree with you, if you can't operate the safety, you shouldn't get the gun. I thought guys were tougher up there.

The last 3 big bucks I shot were less than 30 feet away in northern MN. I'm sure they heard my safety about the same time the bullet broke their shoulders and the were flopping on the ground. I assure you, if he hears my safety, it's too late for him.1/2 the time I have to chamber a round as the deer is coming in, doesn't seem to bother them then either.

Whether or not I use it for deer will be up to me. They are fun to just shoot whether you're shooting deer, stumps, rocks, paper, clay pigeons, 7-up cans...and it's cheap.

I usually don't unchamber my rifle for deer season...

There is some kind of fuzzy line between confidence, bravado, and being a hack.

I usually don't unchamber my rifle for deer season.

Yes, I understand the concept of "chambering a round." Just never seen anyone but a gunsmith "chamber a rifle." Or unchamber one for that matter.

Why do you leave your rifle loaded through the season?