Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Thinking about getting a Kimber Hunter and chopping it to 18”

The 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster have piqued my interest a couple times in my search, but my suppressor is a .30 caliber and would like the option to use it.

May I ask you the reason for using a suppressor ? Other than ear protection ?

Just eat protection. I don’t want to wear ear plugs when hunting or tracking.

It makes it harder to tell where shots are coming from too. More likely to get follow ups on groups of hogs. They tend to run in circles when I’ve shot them with a suppressor as opposed to running directly away when shot unsuppressed. Just my experience YMMV.

The more I think about it, a heavy ass brush bucking bullet combined with a low power scope on one of those Rugers could be the ticket for cheap...

If you are shooting less than 200 yrds, the 308, should work for you or 6.5 might be the ticket also, I lean to the 6.5, as most of my shots on game are inside of 200 yrds, and I am not a big 308 fan. Rio7

Have had multiple groups of deer do this thing where they will one by one walk up to the dead one, ears pointed forward looking as if they are asking WTF, come on let's go, stop screwing around, we heard something. LOL

I have a bergara hunter in 6.5 creed that I chopped to 18” and shoot suppressed. My daughter shot her deer with it this year. I haven’t tried had loads in in yet because I was in a hurry before hunting season but the 129 sst in the factory superformance ammo was 2763 FPS.

That’s a fun road too. I chopped a Kimber in 338 federal, and seen some rebored theirs to 358 Winchester with good results.

My next project on a long action is a 35 whelen.

You always need another project!

Local Wally World had an Axis short barrel in 350 TOD, for around $350, IIRC. I’m not far from you in what I’m looking at for my next bolt gun.....if I was leaning small case, I might try to do a 300 HAMR. I’m leaning more to flattest inside 200 vs blast/short barrel efficiency. 6/6.5 CM are pretty efficient vs 243 in the shorter barrels, it seems. 308 is an easy button, but it’s not quite as flat. I have always liked 7-08s. Sounds like you need to find an old beat up 30-30 bolt gun, and thread it. ......but weight. Got it.

I still want to molest a Kimber Hunter at some point, but I found a Winchester XPR Stealth (16.5" barrel) in 308 locally to scratch the short barrel itch for now. Ordered a Hawke 1.5-6x44 from Doug to top it. Won't be as light as I was hoping but should make for a good swamp/tracking rifle.

If you ever do go with a Kimber Hunter just top it off with a scope and go hunting. My choice would be a 7-08 or 308. Don't chop the barrel either, 22" is perfect for a swamp rifle. I had a 20" Rem Mod 7 in 7-08 and hunting pards always complained about the muzzle blast when I shot near them. Most of my 7-08s have 22" to 22.5" barrels. And I hunt timber alot.
Son's Kimber Hunter 7-08

Old Mod 7 7-08

Have a Montana rebored to 358 win and cut to 19" that I think has the perfect feel and balance to it. Factory loads I have shot and ran on the chrono are no more than 50 fps slower with the shorter barrel.

BTW, I never handled a Hunter version and that's is the first I heard of it having GEL in it, it may be s dumb question BUT how do you remove the GEL?

I don't recall any gel in mine. I did reinforce the sling stud mounts internally with epoxy and new metal stud inserts.

The Hunter is ultralight. Almost feels like a BB rifle, lols.

Removing the gel is easy and comes out in two parts. You’ll net about 6-7oz weight savings after you spray foam the stock. Both stocks I’ve done now started at 1lb15.8oz, magazine removed, no action screws.

-First spray a little lube (WD-40/G96/etc.) on the screw heads in the recoil pad and remove the screws with a philips. The lube will keep the screw heads from catching and tearing your recoil pad as they twist out and re-oil when putting them back in later.
-Mark the rear sling stud threads on the inside of the stock and then remove and grind it down (if wanted).
-Standing the stock on end, spray some lube inside the stock. Using a long, thin shank flathead or something similar (wire coat hanger size), slide it in between the “gel” and the walls of the stock. Keep going around the circumference of the gel over and over while getting the shank as deep as you can. Let the lube penetrate all the way around.
-Pour out the excess lube and then wipe the shank of your screwdriver clean. Stab the gel as deep as you can with your screw driver and pull hard.
-Chunk number one is now out.
-Using a knife tip or thin flathead tip (my next try will just be a small dead blow), slide it in to the little gap in the grip cap and give it a small hit (not very hard) and it will pop off.
-The lube probably already penetrated through a small window from the butt stock into the grip, stick your screw driver into the gel and pull. Piece number two is now out.
-DEGREASE the stock and then fill with spray foam. Using a little WD-40 on your finger, run it around the edge of the butt stock rim and the grip rim. When the spray foam touches it, it “melts” and won’t stick to the outside or rims of the stock (if it does it will come off scraping it with your fingernail).
-Let the foam set over night as it’s expelling gases
-Trim the foam or compress it and check for hollow spots in the foam. Add more if needed.
-Glue on the grip cap and re-install the sling stud and recoil pad, lubing the screw heads/holes to avoid damage.


Feel free to PM me and I can email photos or answer any questions.

Obviously not all Hunter stocks have the gel, this one was bought about 3.5yrs ago. I had 2 of them, neither had gel. Maybe Kimber quit that practice?



Not to rain on your parade but I've never noticed a difference in sound from filling a hollow stock with spray foam. Waste of time ime.

I’m 3 for 3 with gel filled stocks.

Hopefully MCMXI will chime in and can give more info on the history of the Hunter stocks and which ones are filled or not.

It’s easy enough to tell just by holding them and feeling the weight being quite far back or by knocking on them. They’ll sound pretty solid and then the last 2” in front of the recoil pad will sound hollow.

As far as spray foam goes, I noticed they are a little quieter and quite a bit stiffer after filling them but to each their own. I’m averaging about 1.3oz of weight in spray foaming after removing an average of just over 8oz of removed gel.

Every Hunter stock was and still is supposed to have ~ 8oz or rubber added. If you had two that had no PT FLEX added then you're a special case.

Tag,
This is making me want to get a hunter in 7-08

Every Hunter stock is supposed to be filled with ~8oz of rubber. This is done by the vendor in Syracuse that makes the stock, and using a machine that Kimber paid for that mixes part A and part B of the rubber compound. The grip cap is supposed to be ultrasonically welded onto the stock after the rubber is added. A plug in conjunction with a specific stock angle are used to aid in the filling process. Is it possible that some stocks left Syracuse without having fill added ... yep. Is it supposed to be that way .... nope.