Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber 308 Montana - Results

Here are some preliminary range results on my Montana. Conditions were 55 degrees F, wind variable 5 - 15 knots mostly from behind the bench. 100 meters, 3-shot groups rapid-fire. Barrel was allowed to cool between strings. Factory ammo. Time was limited so I only shot a few groups.

Radway Green 147gr FMJ (Milsurp) - 1.7"
Federal Gold Medal Match 168gr - 1.957
Federal Premium 165gr GameKing - 1.703
Remington 150gr PSPCL "Core-Lokt" - 0.582, 0.862

I'm no benchrest champion, but I tried my best. This rifle is hard to shoot off the bags because it is so light, and recoil when shooting one-handed is brisk. More results will be posted in the fullness of time.

Killsoft,



Those results are somewhat disapointing to me. I have been looking for your report and somehow it slipped by and a search turned it up.



I shoot most of my hunting rifles "hand held". I just hold the forend with my hand the wrist rests on the bag. I don't use a butt bag in this position.



May I suggest that you try a few groups like that?

Killsoft thanks for the input keep us intuned as to how it goes.



I too have a technique you could give a go if you wanted (that is if you can follow my writing on this).



I shoot most all my rilfes mainly in the free recoil technique, however when it comes to the light and waspy ones here is what I do.



Use my rear hand as usual on the grip and trigger (held quite lightly). As for the front or off hand I do utilize it when shooting these lightweights. I just take and cup the end of the forend in between my thumb and my pointer finger and try to keep gentle but firm pressure on the stock bringing it back into my shoulder. If you follow this it has worked for me for years with the flyweights.



Just something to ponder.



"GET TO THE HILL"



Dogz

Well, I'm not terribly disappointed, nor am I extremely pleased. The approximately 2" groups with the Federal Match are a bit surprising. The fact that the rifle seems to want to shoot the factory 150 Core-Lokts into 1/2" gives me hope that I will be able to find a (premium bullet) handload for this rifle that consistently performs at 1 MOA. That is my criteria for success with this gun. Anything better will just be gravy.

Another mitigating factor is that the rifle seems to shoot the first shot into the same place from a cold, clean barrel. That's nice for hunting purposes. I have a 270 that takes about five fouling shots to settle down. This one doesn't need that.

As to shooting technique, as I said I'm no benchrester. I tried a variety of different holds with the rifle. The first groups with the Federal ammo were shot with the forend on the front bag, stock pounded into the rear bag, my left hand just behind the front bag firmly pulling the rifle into my shoulder. The last groups, with the Core-Lokts, were almost "free-recoil," in that the forend was resting on the front bag, and I only held the rifle by the pistol grip with my right hand, pulling it lightly into my shoulder, and resting the stock on the rear bag. Frankly, the rifle kicks too hard for me to try a full "free-recoil" position, or only touching it by the trigger.

I now have some components and dies to have a go at handloading 308. I'll try 150 Partitions, 165 Hornady FB, and 165 Nosler BT with Varget and RL-15. Results in the fullness of time.

I'll try the recommendations for shooting technique next time out. If y'all have any load data for the above combinations you'd like to share, please post it here or PM me. Thanks.

killsoft,

How hard is the barrel to clean?

Jaywalker

JW,

It is very easy to clean. The barrel appears to be quite smooth. A few patches of Butch's between strings at the range does the trick. At the end of the day, I run a few patches of Butch's through, then a few patches of Sweet's 7.62 Copper Solvent, then dry and oil with CLP.

Killsoft,

You do not have any reason to complain, since the Core-Lokt results are very good for a light weight rifle like your Kimber.

I find that trim barrels like these show greater preferances, than big fat standard barrels. Like picky little dogs you simply have to feed them what they like.

Fireplug

By any chance, were those good groups your last ones?? Sometimes it takes a while to settle a new rifle.

FWIW: The Core Lokt bullets have a fine reputation in the 308 and the '06. While they might be a bit soft for a magnum, they have performed very well at std. velocitites for decades.

JimF

Sorry guys, but that's not what Gun Tests discovered. The modern Cor-Lok's are junk out of the .308. Gun Tests tested a lot of factory loads out of a rifle in .308. Most standard loads were good-very good. But the factory Remington Cor-Loks and the Federal Nosler Ballistic Tips just came apart on everything. Any other Winchester, Federal or Hornady ammo worked fine. John Barsnss just published an article in either Rifle or Handloader which shows a new, sectioned Cor-Lok. They are not made like they used to be made. They have no hour glass waist, or any jacket taper in the pointed, not the round nose, form.
My thought exactly. The rifle was settling down. The Radway Green ammo shot better than Federal Match ? That's a first. I suspect it will do better in time.
I'm with Mark. Especially with really light rifles. I find it easy to put side pressure on them and spoil their groups.
Try a recoil pad or a sandbag on your shoulder if it kicks too hard. E

Good info.....I stand corrected. Admittedly, I was going from secondhand reports from some time ago Re the Core Lokt. From all accounts I'd heard, they were very good. I had no idea they had changed.

JimF

Erimucas, everyone has their own idea of "accuracy" and "performance", especially Gun Tests. I much prefer to go out and do my own tests. The Remington Core Lokts and Federal/Nosler ballistic tips are STILL two of the most accurate factory loads/bullets available in none match bullet form. When I want to see what a rifle will do, I reach for these two bullets in factory and hand loaded form. If the rifle won't shoot core lokts or ballistic tips into tiny clusters, something is wrong with the barrel/rifle. I know of some top notch rifle smiths that use the same loads to determine accuracy potential. I don't believe for a second that your one "quoted" experience holds water. Gun Tests are FAR from a real test and they are biased, even though they are not paid...supposedly. By the way, I believe Hornady still makes the Remington Core Lokts for Remington. They are fantastic deer bullets in the .308. We all know how bad Hornady bullets are...right? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> There are a BUNCH of us on here that rutinely shoot those crummy core lokts and ballistic tips in high volume, because they shoot so bad and fall apart on paper <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Please do some tests of your own before going off on how bad a product is, when it really is a great product. Flinch

Yes, the Core-Lokts were the last groups shot. I am definitely still learning how to shoot this gun. It's quite a departure from my 9.5lb Model 70 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



The only field performance I personally have observed with .308 150gr Core-Lokts was once, just a few weeks ago, with the Kimber. I shot an exceedingly small wild boar at about 75 yards in the neck. The bullet blew the neck completely apart, and scattered bone, blood, and goo out the other side. The bullet was not recovered, but I found a few very small pieces of bullet shrapnel in the mess. Oh, and the pig died. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



I'm hoping to get a handload together with "premium" bullets that the rifle likes.

Well, the bullet exited <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Anything hit in the neck bone is gonna make a mess. So, how was the ham sandwich? Did you bring it home in a baggy? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Flinch

E,

I very well may be wrong here and if I am will stand corrected. But I thought some time ago on this board, JB reported that cor-lokts were made by Hornady and were basically Interlocks by a different name. I know JB has on several occasions made mention that he is fond of Interlocks and, although not premium bullets, that they were well constructed bullets.

I may have to try and look that up sometime and see what I find. I haven't read the article to which you are referring, got the mag, just so busy these last couple of weeks.

Avagadro, you nailed it buddy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Flinch

No argument that Nosler Ballistic tips are very accurate. I use the 150 gr. .308 BT myself as an accurate, long range Pronghorn and Coyote load. Lately, i've begun loading the 120 gr. 7mm BT in my .280.
I've never heard that Hornady made Remington's bullets. JB, in his latest article in either Handloader or Rifle, says he had a 180 gr. Cor-Lok from a .300 Magnum come apart on a buck's shoulder. So he got curious and sectioned one. Then he got on the phone and somebody over at Remington told him they had changed the design some time back because simple cup bullets were a tad cheaper to make. He had a picture of a sectioned bullet with the recent article. Nothing like the excellent design of year's past. And nothing like the current Hornady Interlock. Apparently the current round nose Cor-Lok's are made with their hour glass jacket of year's past.
Gun tests does uniform testing comparing various factory loads under standard conditions. They print the details of how they test and pictures of what happend. Pretty hard to do biased testing when you are that open about your procedures. BTW, the Hornady bullets worked very well in the .308's Light Magnum ammo. E

Flinch,

My hunting buddy was envious of my hunting prowess and ability to track the big ones, so I gave the meat to him. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I heard he stopped on the way home to get some fries and a Coke to go with it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As I recall JB's posts on the Corlok's I was left with the feeling of "will the real cor-lok please stand up" as the gist I got was they are manufactured by different places at different times and not of always the same construction. Might explain Why my buddy's broadside, shoulder shot elk ( shoulda aimed for the lungs <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />) at 40 yards with a 25 06 120 gr. cor-lok went running up and over the mountain with a blood spot on its shoulder never to be seen again.

I don't call shooting the various .308 bullets in one rifle much of a test. A true test should have been conducted with several various grades of rifle barrels and with several different shooters. Not all barrels perform the same and one specimen isn't likely to shoot like another. That is like me basing the performance of a bullet on one kill. They didn't kill anything with the bullets, so how could they call them fragile and explosive? That is what I am saying about the tests being biased. Gun tests performs half assed, insignificant tests on a VERY limited basis and pretend to be the last word. They might as well stick the barrel of a rifle in the mud and pull the trigger, in order to pressure test manufacturer's barrels <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I quit taking their magazine, just because I got tired of their inexperienced staff and ridiculous "tests". Flinch

I don't think you saw the article Flinch or read how they test. They didn't test bullets. They tested ammunition. They used various mediums and used a hanging slab of bacon to test for long range expansion. They weren't really offering opinions on accuracy from sporters as you seem to think. They tested bullet performance of loaded ammunition.
In previous tests, they tested the 7mm Magnum the same way. Their chief tester took one of the tested loads and shot a big Moose through the shoulder. Looked just like their test bullets.
Besides slabs of bacon, they use water in plastic bags, and fresh beef bone.
The Nosler Ballistic Tip lost it's core doing the tough job of passing through a slab of bacon at 250 yds.
Yes they have a way to catch bullets without deforming them. Pictures proving this were included. E