Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Custom M70 lightweight vs a Kimber

The factory aluminum blind mag trigger guard.

Good thread and lots of useful suggestions. I definitely believe you should buy/build the rifle you want, regardless what all of us suggest. However, I might rethink the 300wm choice, considering the '06 or possibly a 35 whelen instead. Regardless, let us know what direction you go!

I’ve owned a pile of both M70’s and Kimber MT’s. Having said that, you couldn’t give me an 8400 MT 300 WM. Talk about an ungainly rifle! Skinny barrel applied to a fat stock. A pregnant carp sucking a straw. No thanks.

Were I building a 300 Mag and wanted it light, I’d build a 300 WSM on an M70 action, have whatever maker mimic a Douglas no.2 barrel contour, and drop it in a Echols Legend (Edge fill) stock with PT&G recontoured al bottom metal. Get some Talley x-Lows and mount a reasaonably light scope (like a Leupold 3.5-10x40). With a Butler Creek Mountain Sling and three rounds you’ll be around 8lbs.

I prefer the open M70 trigger.

Tough call. I’m starting to wind down and actually might get down to a 2 gun battery. Not including rimfires of course.
I’ve have both and just finished a custom Win70 300wsm. It’s a 24”proof carbon, McMillan HTG edge elk rifle. I am currently looking for a short action standard bolt to build a matching 20” 6.5cm or 18” 308 for deer. If I can’t find one I’ll probably go with a Kimber, but I like the older style trigger on the win more and the price for a donor Win is a lot less then a donor Kimber.

Ymmv. But I’d prefer Winchester over Kimber for a build.

I would also say that I’ve had 4 different Kimber Montana’s and they all shot great, but were hard to shoot.

I have never owned a Kimber and after talking to a Kimber Rep at a big gun show several years ago, there is a second verse! I never will!!!!!

Finished mine up this morning. 6.66 pounds as shown. I think it gives a fieldcraft a run for its money let alone a kimber.

Nice!

Tell me about the rifle... is that the factory FWT contour, or is it a bit heavier?

Chambering?

Funny, I've thought about filling in the checkering on my McM Edge... I prefer a smooth stock.

Factory .308 classic stainless featherweight cut to 20”. I really like the filled checkering too. It was kind of a pain to do, but was worth it in the end.

Did you do the filling? Bondo?

What's your color pattern?

I did. I filled it with Devcon 10110. Color is woodland brown base with matte black and snow grey specks (duracoat).

You do the painting yourself?

Yes. There’s a build thread in the gunsmithing section of snipershide.

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/lightweight-hunter-build.6906646/

That turned out really well. Nice job.

So bare rifle was about 5 pounds 14 oz?

Fantastic job man!

That's a nice rifle Jackalope.

Thanks guys. My scale said 5.8 pounds before scope/rings so you’re pretty close.

Very nice rifle. Should pack very well.. I'm not even going to ask how it shoots, since you also did a write up at the hide. Probably glassbedded and fine tuned the trigger and good crown after barrel was cut. I can see it shooting very well...

I had a similar experience with Kimber. A Classic .308 had a tight spot 2" from the muzzle that I could see with the Hawkeye, feel with a patch. I would shoot 1 1/2" at best. Kimber said that was w/i their spec. Well, not mine, not with a .308. A slightly heavier Broughton 5C barrel turned it into a half inch tack driver. The slightly heavier barrel shifted weight forward. Still light, but balances better. I had gotten the gun used for a good price, so the Broughton didn't put me under water regarding value. I could sell it and recover costs.

Now regarding the .300 WM. Before building an ultra light .300 WM, you may need to shoot one before spending a bunch of money on something you may not like. I traded for an Ed Brown Damara .300 WM. Ed developed the 704 action, which is a CRF round bolt, pretty neat design. Ed said his light barreled magnums (Damara) shot better with a brake, so all his magnum Damaras had a muzzle brake. I'm not much of a muzzle brake fan, but after shooting this one a time or two without it, didn't take long to put it back on.

The McM made stock is identical to their Hunters Edge, Ed's paint pattern is proprietary and the gun came equipped with a Jewell trigger. I've heard he used Shilen Match barrels and finished these rifles with one of his proprietary coatings. LAW bought the 704 design and Ed's tooling when he dropped his rifle line. I don't know if their guns are quite up to what Ed built. I hear reports both ways.

This gun with the heavy Victory scope is 8#'s 7 oz, but carries well and doesn't feel that heavy. Without the 20 oz scope it's an ounce or two over 7#'s. I would not want a lighter 300 WM. To me, the Victory is worth the extra weight.

IMO and IME.

DF

My 308 M70 Fwt - 1996 prodution. 2-7x33 LRD on top in Talley X-Lows:






With its previous 6x36 in Weavers: