Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Montana 280 AI refusing.......................... .

Nice. That'll do for about anything.

I launch 150's with H4831sc at around 3k in my 280 with the improved chamber. It completely leveled a mule deer a couple years ago. I'd not hesitate to shoot any animal with it. Easy shooting combo to boot.

Sounds good MM, the loads I've been tinkering with need to be remade with H-4831 or other temp insensitive powder, if we need to deliver a pinpoint punch on the side of a frozen mountain, steady [known] vels can only help in that delivery.

Kimber making a gun that shoots?!?!!!?!?!
Impossible!!! The interwebs told me so!!!!

Congrats, sounds like a great combo! The bad part about finding things that are that light and shoot that well, is that it really eliminates the amout of "tinnkering" you get to do and it also eliminates the need for lots of other guns!

But then again who ever said anything about need!?!?!

LOL, correct, the most tinkering I've had to do was to learn to shoot a rifle that light, shooting mostly very barrel heavy rigs for 40 years will cover up a bit of form slop, the little Montana will reveal all.

Impossible! Everyone knows light rifles can't shoot...:)

Terrible! I will do you a favor and relieve you of this burden for 75% of what you paid for it. Send me a PM and I'll give you the shipping address.

tomk, correct, clearly had to be multiple flukes.

LOL 1Nut, I'll give you first dibs ;]

I really want one of the Kimber .280 AI's as a dedicated hiking elk rifle. I have a 6.5 CM Montana with a VX3i 2.5-8x36 B&C on top that is quickly becoming one of my favorite rigs. Seems like a similar setup (or maybe the Hunter version) in .280 AI would be even more of a good thing.

I highly recommend that you not settle for the Hunter. Find one used or save as long as necessary to get the Montana.

I have a Hunter stock for my Montana, and have shot it extensively both ways. I like both stocks, the Montana stock is lighter and nicer, but has a blind mag and my copy benefited from bedding (which wasn't hard). The Hunter has a polymer stock, but it is a well done relatively stiff poly stock, I prefer the magazine of the Hunter, and on my copy, the un-bedded Hunter stock shot like the bedded Montana stock. I also like that the Hunter is a few oz heavier for a rifle chambered in an '06 class cartridge. I think the 6.5 CM is a fantastic fit for a Montana weight rifle, but might be a bit light for me chambered in .280 AI. I like them both, but for my purposes, I don't think that the Montana is $500 more rifle than the Hunter.

That's fine if you like it. For me,the Montana stock is a bargain at $500. I see the hunter stock and mag as cheap, on an otherwise first rate rifle. Just my opinion,but it's not worth it to me to "settle" for mere money reasons. Since you seem to have other reasons,that wouldn't apply to your decision.

I'm in agreement with R.H., and with all the montanas floating around the classifieds, it would not be a $500 difference - more like $300. And well worth it...

Great start Jerry! Now move back to 20 yards :-)

And double my yardage? ;]

Yeah, but it seems like a lot of them are chambered in .308, the Vanilla Frozen Yogurt of hunting cartridges.... I want a sexy straight-walled beast like the .280 AI

I'd like to roll the dice on a Kimber Montana one of these days. Saw a 270 win at a local shop for $800.00 the other day. If it would have been a 280, I probably would have been pulling out the wallet. Yours sounds like it's doing very well gunner. Very cool....

Thanks BSA, I had to put medium height Talley LW's and a slip on Limbsaver pad to get the LOP length and scope up high enough to get the dwarf rifle out in front of me enough too shoot, very small dimensional rifles, I have two 270's, and somehow haven't went gay.

Hope you give a Montana a whirl and it's a shooter.

Gunner brother, there is forgiveness for sins...

Now that the AI cherry has been popped...:) Have been itching to thoroughly wring out a plain jane 280 mauser with 162-168g. It weighs about 7.25# all up and has enough magazine to load a longer bullet under a full case of slow powder. Of course the same can be said for the 700 TI action too, but there is a significant difference in snap (for me) from the AI's 6# to the 98's 7.25#. Living past 30 do have its share of permanent nagging injuries...

I carry the 280 when accompanying daughter for elk. Next to her 7-08 case loaded with 150 BTs, the loaded long 160's for the 280 look more like a dangerous game load...:)

RL 26 looks like it could be interesting with the AB...and the AB bearing surface is long to fulfill the non-rational desire to utilize the mag....now I just have to get off my ass

Good luck killing them all this season!

If she's that accurate with Accubonds, whatever you do don't try 162 ELD-M's........... and if you do that, whatever you do, don't try extending the range to waaay out there.... and if you do THAT, whatever you do don't try them on deer......

You can give a mouse a cookie......

I don't know. Owning 2 270's is almost admitting one is gay...