Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles JB - Kimber Experience

Best way to put it...

Ed, I have zero experience shooting Kimber rifles.

Thats due to having a 1000 batting average selling Kimbers for 10 years and having to return EVERY SINGLE ONE to Kimber . At one point Kimber offered their dealers employees their choice of any rifle at 50% of MSRP. There were no takers.

I know some guys here have had good experiences with them, but I wouldnt walk across the street for a truckload of them.JMHO

I had a Kimber Custom 1911 that I gave to my son. It is as good as any other 1911 I've ever had. At the time the lower end Custom 1911 came with the traditional internal extractor. All of the problems I ever heard about were the higher end versions with an external extractor. Nothing wrong with an external extractor done right, S&W 1911's have them, but apparently Kimber couldn't figure it out.

Had a Montana in 308 that was mechanically very accurate. But after using it for a few years I decided it was TOO light. The rifle was fine, I just preferred something with a little more weight.

I honestly believe most of the complaints about Kimber accuracy can be traced back to shooters not being able to shoot a 5 lb rifle as well as an 8 lb rifle.

I do think that's a large part of it. Any little issues, however easily remedied, are also magnified due to the light weight. There really ain't anything quite like one, though, and it's worth some tinkering if necessary.

I have been lucky. I have had great results with a 84L Classic in .270, two Model 8400's in 300WSM and a little 84M Classic in 7mm08. I did buy one of the "Hunter" models in .270. It was a POC. Bolt wanted to come apart. The screw holes for the scope were for #6 up front but #8 on the back! One of them had no threads in it! I sent it back, sold it when it came back. I have owned and used hard Kimber 1911's over 20yrs, all were great. I always had their triggers smoothed up/lightened to 3# that's it. My EDC all that time as a CDP Govt 5", very lwt. In my hands, the flat MS Housing makes me shoot low. I had arched MS put on and perfection, could just look and point, sheboygin! In 2007 I had a wrist bone replaced in my shooting hand. Slowly it got to were it hurts like a bee sting in recoil from my thumb on top of the safety (the John Browning said to do it, ha) I now use a little G43X with a 15rd mag...world of difference!

I somewhat agree, any light rifle vs any heavy rifle this could be very true. All rifles are not created equal. I prefer a light 5-6 lb rifle with a light easily adj trigger in a gun the fits me. Coupled with a preferred scope makes knocking a coyote off a drift at 500 yds part of the day.

Fortunately competition has brought better choices from most manufactures.
I do have a friend that prefers a heavy rifle, a heavier trigger and a gun tote.
It's getting easier to narrow what works for you without sending it to be modified.

Time frame Tom?

I have owned more Kimber rifles than I can recall them all and I only had one dud, all the others were outstanding rifles in evey way function/accuracy/ fit/finish...I have only owned one Kimber handgun its a K6xs revolver which i like the ergos of and it functions fine but lacks in the accuracy dept.....Good hunting...Hb

I can’t say anything bad about them since I have never owned one. The reason I have never owned one is that I have never been impressed with the way they fit and feel to me, i.e. the way they balance and feel of the stocks, etc. I have also been underwhelmed by their accuracy at the range in observing friends and others sighting them in. A buddy has a Kimber 6.5 Manbun that shoots well, so they are not all POS.

I’ve only owned a couple, and both were great out of the box. I’ve kept the Adirondack in a Montana stock in man bun. Keep thinking I’ll make it a 7-08 or 308, but it shoots and is great suppressed, so….

I read all these threads with folks lamenting all their Kimber quality and other issues, and every single time, it reminds me of my Remington Model 7 issues of the last 30 years: I’ve had roughly a dozen. I’ve never had one worth keeping or that didn’t have to go back to Remington, or that the bolt wobble and bind didn’t make me sick. I’ve loved M7s since I first saw one. They don’t love me. I do have my eye on a 16” threaded 308 that finally ‘feels’ good in the action and stock. Maybe I’ll try again. I’m a sucker that way.

….then I come around to: the Kimber 84 is a better M7 than the M7 ever was….at least for me.

Zero issues with mine but sample of one. Bought it, properly bedded the recoil lug/shank and made sure the box wasn't binding. Done.

I haven't owned or traded as many guns as others here but I have been buying here and there since I was 12, in the 80's and I've never, ever sent a gun back to the mfg. Never had reason to. I refuse to believe I'm that lucky but dunno. I just haven't seen the "problems" other people so routinely find. It's weird.

The only one I can think of in the entire family was a 425 my brother sent to Browning when the stock cracked at the wrist. It came back with MUCH better wood on it, free of charge.

I have had 3, 2 good and one in 270 wsm that I wasted a ton of time and money in trying out different loads, but to no avail. I really wanted to like that one as well.

Had a few more from friends through my hands that went from being poor shooters to ok, not great, after doing some of the known Kimber hacks and load development.

I also agree it harder to shoot these flyweights and I don’t expect them to group as good as standard sporters. Pretty much on the Kimbers 3 in 1.5” at 100 yds was about my goal, which is plenty for any sane hunting range, I had one 308 MT that was a it a 3 in 1” gun out of the box. Also 3 in 1.5” would have been considered an accurate gun when I was growing up in the late 70s/80s.

Besides accuracy issues a few were a little rough and fed spotty, all stuff I could clean up but shouldn’t had have to.

I don’t recommended Kimber anything anymore, their 1911s (save for the early Clackamas made ones) and revolvers are beyond bad, stay clear. I carried an SA Professional for years on duty and still work on them.


For most people who ask me, and are not loaded for a high end rifle, I usually recommend a Tikka, Howa or Sauer 100, if on a budget a Ruger Ranch. All I have seen from these brands shoot and function great, but none are as light as or have as many features I like as much as a Kimber Montana, just not worth the hassle to me.

I guess I've been lucky with the 3 Kimbers I've bought so far....

8400 Super America in 325 WSM. Shoots 3/4" groups and has had absolutely no issues with factory ammo. Took 11 African plains game animals including 2 Kudu and a Burchells Zebra with 12 shots.

Kimber 84L Mtn. Ascent in 280 AI. Shoots 3 different handloads into 1/2" 3 shot groups. Absolutely no issues.

Kimber 84M Hunter Disolve Black in 6.5 CM. Shoots 3 different handloads into 1/2" 3 shot groups. Absolutely no issues.

Late 90s, early '00s

Out of 15 Kimber rifles I've owned from 223 up to 375 H&H , the only two that had major problems were from that early 2000's era. One 84M 243 had to go back to the factory to slick up the feeding (as I recall the factory reshaped the feed ramp), and an early 84M 308 with 2 position safety I bought as the previous owner's problem child. That rifle started out shooting well enough but accuracy had deteriorated with time. After going through the normal cast of characters I figured out the firing pin spring was the culprit. The previous spring had "taken a set" and all I can think is that it was giving inconsistent lock times. The rifle returned to fine shooting after spring replacement.

One common thin I’ve found with the Montana and its cousins is a tight mag box. Even an Adirondack. I relieve those. My 223 also had the too long front action bolt. Shoots fine now.

I have a Kimber Classic that started out as a 325 WSM. I like it much better now as a 7 SAUM with a 1:8 Lilja barrel. I also have a Classic Select 257 Roberts. Beautiful rifle but doesn't shoot as well as I'd like. Not sure if I'll keep it or move it along, though I'm pretty sure I'd be happier with it with a different barrel. Just not sure if I want to put more money into it...

Edit to add - forgot about my Oregon Kimber 223 single shot light varminter. Love that rifle and have shot thousands of gophers and prairie dogs with it.

I must be the luckiest Kimber owner of all time. Out of the 10-12 I've owned, I had 1 that struggled to keep bullets inside of 1.5" - a 257 Robts. It is now a subMOA 338 Fed. My current 270, 308, 7Rm, 6.5 Creed all have multiple loads with hunting bullets that shoot MOA or better.

To be fair, I did own one of the first Kimber Montana 300 WSM back about 2000. It fed cartridges a bit rough. Sent it back to Kimber and it fed much better upon return. It was an accurate rifle though.

Three Kimber Hunters - the only problem I've ever experienced has been with fairly tight magazines with 3 rounds loaded.... the top round can be a bit stubborn to strip off into the chamber.

The mags will require loading to basically factory oal lengths to fit and feed properly. The exception being the 6.5 CM, which has plenty of mag room.

All three (6.5cm,7-08,308) are every bit as accurate as I need them to be for hunting. In truth, they no doubt shoot better than I can...

If I had to only keep one of them, it would be the Creed. It'll do anything the other two can do in the field and is easier to reload for - and has better manners shooting off the bench.

I had 3 montanas, all made prior to the "sub moa standard". They all sucked in the accuracy department. 2 MOA or more?

I have a newer Mountain Ascent. I expected dog crap based on those other three but figured I'd have something in the ballpark of my mom's old Savage .30-30. I guess I need to "give up" a little sooner 'cause this bastard will shoot. During load workup I got groups 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inches at 320 yards which verified later doing final sight-in prior to a couple hunting seasons.

I haven't worked with the Hunter or any of the wood stocked guns.

I think if I saw any of them in a cartridge I really want, if it's one of newer manufacture, I'd grab it.

Tom