Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing M96 Kimber Sporter Problems?

About a year ago I picked up off Gunbroker a Carl Gustav M96 sporterized by Kimber of Oregon in 6.5X55. It was pretty much just a D&T nickel plated receiver with the military barrel cut and re-crowned, military sites removed, butler creek stock and low swing safety installed.

I've done a lot of load development using 120-140 grain bullets and still can't get this rifle to shoot under 4" groups most of the time it patterns 5 shots around 6". I haven't tried any 160 grain Round Nose bullets but I've got some on order and waiting for them to arrive. However, even if my rifle shoots these well (around 1.5") I don't want to be stuck running just that grain of bullet. The barrel has a lot of free bore and I can't even get close to the lands loading the 140's out to mag length.

This is what I've done to the rifle since I've picked it up. I installed a bold trigger with side safety. Replaced the bolt shroud with a slicked off one, and installed a Dayton Traister speed lock kit to convert to cock on open. The scope is a 4-16X40 AO Bushnell Elite 4200, mounted on Leupold Weaver style two piece bases and Warne PRW rings. I've bedded the recoil lug area of the stock and first couple of inches under the barrel and free floated the barrel.

The scope rings and bases all check out tight and free of movement or slippage. Can't find where my bedding job is binding in anywhere. All screws are tight and properly tightened as well. Crown looks good under a magnifying lens as well. I've cleaned it several times with copper cleaners and I'm not showing any kind of fouling in the barrel. To the naked eye everything looks bright and shiny down the barrel.


This takes me to the barrel; do I look at replacing it? I don't have a bore scope to check it but can get access to one. I've been looking at replacement barrels that will not break the bank and here are the two I come up with Numrich and Brownells. I'm guessing that either barrel are probably a 1:9 twist as this seems to be the most common in 6.5x55 which I want to keep this rifle chambered in.

Any other things I should be looking at?

Can't think of anything you missed but I am far from qualified to give much advice. I have the same rifle and had similar issues until I bedded the recoil lug area and touched up the crown. It also fouls very quickly and this really opens the groups up.

It now shoots really good and I think the bedding is what helped the most.

Anyway, I wish you luck in getting it like you want it. I really like my rifle and it gets used allot by me and as a light recoiling loaner rifle for young hunters just starting out.

I have owned several sporterized Swedish 1894, 1896, and 1938 military Mausers in 6.5x55. I think that I would consider recrowning the barrel. The smallest flaw in a crown can't cause the sort of patterns that you've described.

Jeff

You can get an Adams and Bennett barrel from Midway for less than 100 bucks.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=468773

Yeah, I've looked at them but I was wanting to finish around 24" with this barrel. So I'd have to go with a A&B blank and by the time I had someone cut the threads and crown I'd be in for the same amount of money as the Nurmich anyway. Leaning towards the Shilen anyway.

FWIW, the A&B barrels with the F14 contour are 21" and have quite a slim contour. I had 1 in 257 Roberts and it didn't fit in the barrel channel of the Ramline stock very well, sort of like a Remington 700 MR contour in a 700 Magnum BC.

Jeff

I've used a couple of the F14s, nice contour for a light rifle. I used an F34 once, IMO a bit too heavy/clunky for a sporter.

Recrown and check the front base screw (the first one). I've had several Mousers where the screw was actually being driven into the threads on the barrel. You should be able to see a shiny spot if that's the problem. If it is too long, shorten by .010 +- . Then give her another try.

I knew a guy with the same issue with his Kimber 6.5
and finally had it re crowned after owning it for years,
groups really tightened up after that.

Taylorce1,

Plenty of CG and Husqvarna mil-surp sweds, mine included, shoot great with 120 and 140 gr bullets so I would not put much hope in decreasing freebore by switching to 160 RN bullets to save your project. Won't really know unless tested though.

Have you checked if the crown is square with the bore? A wee bit of wobble may not be visually detected even with a magnifier but could produce the issues that you are trying to fix.

After all the work that has been put into the rifle, I suppose it it has become a matter of principle to get it straighten it out. However, the cost of replacing the barrel could easily cost as much if not more as buying a new Marlin XS/XL or Stevens 200 that will most likely shoot 1 MOA with a fraction of the work. Won't be a 6.5X55 out of the box though.

at this point i think i'd sell it and buy something else. i mean how much time have you spent diking with it?
time is money. unless someone have it to you for free you have poured more effort into it than its worth a long time ago.

It isn't about time that is for sure and if I wanted a new rifle I would have bought it. I wanted a 6.5x55 and I like to mess with things so I picked up this sporter. If I can't get it to shoot, I'll rebarrel it into something else and replace the cheap Butler Creek stock. I'm still into this rifle for about $400 if I take the scope off. I've sure wasted a lot more than that before on projects!

Haven't tried the Marlin yet, but I do like my Stevens rifle but I'm into that for around $800 right now. Rebarrel to 6x47, SSS trigger, SSS Recoil lug, Tactical Bolt handle, bedding, scope mounts, and scope. Then you add in all the FFL fees and shipping I paid on this stuff even a cheap rifle isn't so cheap. So I like to mess with things a little so to speak.

I own the same rifle and had similar problems. I had it glass bedded, recrowned, had a Dayton Traister cock on opening conversion installed, and tried every factory load available as well as working up handloads. I tightened screws, mounted and re-mounted scopes, etc. The rifle shot two, to two and a half inches no matter what I did. I finally sent it to a gunsmith that I use for re-barreling and rebore/rerifle jobs and asked him to check the thing out. He slugged the bore and found the bore oversize. He said it is not uncommon with some foreign built military rifles from that era. I had him re-barrel with a Pac-Nor that exactly duplicated the military contour right down to the step in the barrel. First time out it shot 3/4" groups with three different factory loads and I worked up a handload that puts three shots into half an inch.

Talorce1,

You do know how to have fun.

Money and time be damned.

Money comes and goes thats for sure. Time, I figure that is what the off season is for especially the winter. When I can't get out and shoot I can't think of anything I'd rater do then set at my reloading bench or tinker on a rifle. Besides, I've got plenty of stuff to play with while I try to get this rifle to shoot!

(l-r).204, .223, 6X47, .243, .250 Sav, .25-06, 6.5X55, .270, 7-08, .280, .30-30, .300 Sav, .30-40, .30-06, .300 H&H, .303, 8-06, .338-06, .358, .35 Whelen, .375 JDJ, and .375 Rug

All of these cartridges I have in working rifles except for three, .250 Savage, .300 Savage and 6.5X55. The .250 and .300 are future builds. I am having fun every step of the way!

When you get the Kimberized Swed sorted out, I would be interested in hearing what it took. An inaccurate Swed is hardly ever reported on the innanet and this thread has two. Apparently, both Kimberized. If I was one to jump to conclusions, I'd be looking at all the things Kimber could have mucked up.

Mine had a similar problem. It was all in the bedding. After that was taken care of it was/is an excellent rifle with 140s. One of those rifles that gives me a very high level of confidence. Never shot anything other than 140s and a few 160s in it. If you choose to rebarrel try to find a tube with an 8 or 8.5 twist. 9 isn't necessarily bad but the faster twists are generally better with the heavier bullets in the 6.5.

Well I tried the 160 Sierra SMP bullets this weekend. H4350 and R22 were the powders I tried. Got one five round group just under 2" with R22. Had the crown checked out by a smith and it was rated as good enought to hunt with. Ran a scope down it and the bore was a little dark in the groves but no reason it wouldn't shoot. Looks like a new barrel will be in order, but I have enough other stuff to play with at the moment that this rifle will stay in the safe for awhile.

I have the same rifle; got mine in 1995, which IIRC, is the year Kimber started selling them. It's always been a good shooter and the bore is really nice. But shortly after I got it I noticed the barrel was very tight up against one side of the barrel channel in the forearm on that Ram-Line stock. Opened up the barrel channel a bit and wound up using a pressure point way up front in the forearm. That became an instant accuracy improvement. Put a Timney trigger on it also. Never had much luck with bullets 120 gr. and lighter but that is probably because of the way those military barrels are throated. 129 gr. to 140 gr. stuff will shoot great with slower powders like 4831, RL19 etc. The 160's work great with 7828, RL-22. If you get a new barrel keep an eye on that Ram-Line stock. They're OK as long as they fit properly.