Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Thoughts on Kimber...

... Classic Select Grade in 30-06? sku 3000734

I have an urge to play Kimber roulette in a classic American chambering...

I’d love to have one.

My only thoughts...

I say go for it if you can find one with decent wood, instead of that blond schitt that Kimber calls walnut. Of course it's your choice and your jack, but personally I would prefer the American classic 308 at 1/2# lighter, and with a 22" tube rather than the 24" 30-06.

My montana in 308 has been a great rifle, most everything else just stays in the safe, based on a sample of one I'm also in the market for a classic select.
It's a pity the Super America doesn't come in more calibers

i hear you on the 308 vs 30-06... but... 30-06 is just more classic than 308

I'm generally a Kimber rifle fan, and have had good luck with Montanas over the years. I bought a Classic Select online in 6.5 CM that had a nice looking stock, however when I got it I could barely close the bolt on an empty chamber. It felt the same with the chamber loaded, so I scoped it up and went through box of ammo on it. It shot well, but the bolt closing bugged me. I just sent it in to Kimber CS so we'll see how that goes. They were nice enough on the phone.

Kimber moved rifle production to Troy, AL not too long ago. The unofficial message I got from multiple sources was that some of the first rifles out of Troy had teething issues. Mine was built in Troy.

If it were me, I'd go for it. Buying it somewhere in person so you can check it out first may save you time and trouble though.

Dude, most of my rifles I bought wanting something different. So I've got a conglomeration of chamberngs. They're all old American chamberings with the exception of some Milsurps in MMs. I've had .308 and 6mm Remington and I still have .30-06s and .270. I've got a .243 and I've got a .250 Savage and a .257 Roberts AI. I've got a 7 Mag and a .300 WBY. All that is totally American and you can't go wrong with those.You can't go wrong with the old status quo American Rifle Chamberings.

I understand Kimbers QC has improved over the last few years...it would have to, it couldn't have been much worse.

I'm the "hater" in the crowd...my thoughts on Kimber are....if you gave me one, I'd sell it as fast as I could without ever shooting it.

I have a 84L Classic Select 30-06, and it is one of my all-time favorite rifles. As a bonus, it also shoots as well as any of my Tikkas.

I always tell a new Kimber owner to save the original factory box.

Not for re-sale reasons

To be able to mail it back and forth to Kimber a couple three or four times before they punt and sell it here as a "shooter"

I've had good luck with Kimbers, and excellent results from their CS when I needed it. Plus, they do have some good wood lurking in their warehouse.

Sweet!

I played Kimber roulette once .doubt I will do it again

For the cost of thisr rifles you shouldn't have to "tweek". A digging thing

I have Kimber Montana in 280AI, couldn't be happier with it.

Yep, If I were in the market for a new bolt rifle I would definitely buy a Kimber. Nobody else has the scaled down action like an 84M/L and they handle like no other rifle......good luck...Hb

I have a 30-06 Classic. Lovely rifle.

What’s not to like, classic cartridge in a great rifle. I have had good luck with the few Kimber I have owned.

I’d find one that was made a few years ago. Get the trigger down nice’n light, find a load she likes and put some meat on the grill..

I've had great luck with 9 of them. Some have had more load development than others but all nine shot sub 1" when I was done. No work done to any of them other then loads.

Haters gonna hate.

So true Brad.

If their CS department changed with their location, you may get better results. I called Remington the other day and got a pleasant and helpful Southern Belle on the phone. But I may be bias.

My .30-06, bought used on gunbroker. Extractor needed replaced, wouldn’t always grab the empty.

Once figured out how to hold it on the bench it shoots around an inch with a few loads.



I’ve played roulette 3 times with used Kimbers, think I’ve won each time.

.257 Roberts is nice too



Don’t have a pic of the classic .308 they started the addiction.

Good stuff Cheesy!
I like to keep a Kimber or two hanging around...

Or laying around...

Well if you're buying a new one it's hardly roulette. I have 3 kimber MT's right now and none of them shoot more than 3/4" of an inch at 100 with 5 shot groups. With my .223 Kimber MT I could probably cover 5 shots with a dime.

I doubt the select would be any different.

You'd be missing out.

That's a stud

I bought a new Kimber classic 84M ( 7mm/08) way back in early 2000s that was a Gem. I most recently ( within the past few months) bought a used Kimber 84L Classic .270 win off Gunbroker. During the Lockdown, I had my smith send it off to "300 Below" for Cryo treatment. I did it for grins before I even shot it. All he did was adjust the trigger, and it shoots bughole groups with several loads, and it that skinny barrel doesn't walk off when hot. And if I couldn't have it in 30-06 ( which I wanted) since it had a 24" barrel, I accept it in the .270. From coyotes to elk, Perfect. I then, off another Forum Classified, bought an older Kimber 8400 Classic ( wood but stainless metal) in 300 WSM. This one just had the trigger adjusted where I wanted it and it is also a wonderful, wonderful rifle! It is a shooter w/o being cryo treated. So...I suggest you buy that baby! ha I torque them to 55 Inch Pounds.
Now, I am a sucker, pure dee looney about, FN commercial actions and clones. So for another 30-06 ( I have not had one for awhile though I wanted it in the 84L Classic) and just bought "what looks to be an unfired" Mark X with wonderful wood/blue, also off Gunbroker.. So, you just "have to have" a 30-06, somewhere....ha.

I could sell all of my rifles keeping my 270 Win Montana and stainless NH M70 375 H&H and be happily set for all I will chase. The Montana is sub-MOA with the 140 gr TSX.

Ditto almost as much as Glocks

I would re-barrel it to a .270 Ingwe.

I too own a .30-06.

Great rifle, loves the 200 grain Partition.

Currently have 4 Kimbers. All are sub MOA without much fuss, feed and extract flawlessly.

I'm looking at another .30-06 with a lovely stick of walnut with an eye towards a 7x57 rebarrel.

You...are a Heretic.

I love me some Glocks....

Four Montana’s here.

Can not past the looks Ingwe but they are good guns in all reality.

Kinda like Sarah Jessica Parker, good actress but that horseface and nose....YUK

Not wild about Glocks, but Kimber's CS turned me into a hater. No go gauge closes easily, chamber cast shows .100" too long... so they polished the bolt face and refinished the stock. 338WM...

Flattery will get you nowhere.

Ted,
Which ones are you bringing to Pa. next month? I only know of the 308.

You got that right! Glocks are butt ugly, and they feel like a 7th grade shop project...but they are like a mini-AK-47....they always work...

Go for it. I have a 6.5 Creedmor in a Hunter, a .30-06 in a Montana and a .375 H&H in a Talkeetna. I like them a lot. Possibly as much as my Model 70's. Probably better than my Ruger 77's.

The first two's stock design makes it tough for me to get iron sights on them I like but that is nit picking.

The 4 kimber rifles I've owned have all been shooters. Full freezer year after year can attribute.

I'm thinking of selling a mountain ascent, but not because it isn't a tack driver, just because something else has caught my interest.

That’s my intent for the .30-06 I posted above, bought with intention if making it a 7x57 down the road.

I currently own 7 Kimbers; 4 older ones and three newer ones and they all shoot extremely well.

3 are older Montana rifles, one is a Stainless Classic in a walnut stock, 2 are the Varmint model with stainless barrels and wood stocks, and one Open Country Rifle.

Ain't no flies on any of them. All have had my usual minor tweeking that I do on any new factory rifle before I shoot it

I don't think the newer rifles with the "MOA accuracy standard" (however they word it) are the same degree of roulette as their predecessors. Kimber made some improvements and it shows on paper. If that's the rifle and cartridge you want, do it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Tom

I’ve had great experiences with my Kimber rifles, wouldn’t trade them for anything.