Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Forbes 24B or Kimber Montana 84L in 25-06

I've got two kimbers and out of the box they both will do under an inch with my handloads. Haven't shot a factory load in either but I expect they'd do well. Both of my guns were manufactured post August 2011 if that means anything. Neither of my kimbers shoot under an inch consistently if I don't hold the forearm. I held a Forbes at scheeles and it is definitely a nice gun. I have light covered now so I'll probably never by a Forbes and I like the control round feed as well.

This is just me but I say air them both out a bit. I can get most Marlin 336's with a scope to shoot sub 1"...grin

Take the Montana and the Forbes to 300,400 and 500 and lets see how the accuracy race is going. I have no idea as I've not even groped a Forbes yet but I'm for betting it's gonna be a walkaway.

While I have fun shooting @ 100 it's mainly offhand and sitting anymore. But that's just my way.

Saying they're about the same @ 100 is kind of like me saying that out of the blocks I'm just as quick as Usain Bolt is so I'm just about as fast at 100...

Dober

Usain isnt that fast is he?

I have a 100yd range in my back yard that i test loads on. Living here in MN I have a few to many people and trees to get to 300 at my place. I will test this load out at 100 again to verify then stretch it out to 300. That is as far as my local range has. Wish i had somewhere close that had longer.

:othx for the vote of confidence.

I'm just not a fan of saying things like, see this 100 yard group...this gun shoots

Just one of the many hang ups of mine.

Dober

They ain't unraveled until you get them to at least 300..

I have not done much long-range shooting. The range where I shoot is limited to 200 yards, although they have a new range in the works on a separate parcel of land that might be developed into a 600 yard range in the next few years.

Anyway, can a rifle be a real tack driver at 100 yards and then schit the bed at long range? I know some of you guys have real experience shooting at long range, but I'm having trouble seeing how this makes sense.

If a rifle is shooting 0.5 MOA at 100 yards, what can happen over the next several hundred yards that turns it into an inaccurate rifle, other than the shooter's ability? If bullets fly true out of the barrel to 100 yards, how can they suddenly go to crap on account of the rifle?

Of course, my questions assume that everything such as barrel twist rate, bullet selection, B.C., shooter ability, stock configuration, etc. is a given.

I've seen rifles that turn in 1 moa at 100 yards, that can't hold 3 moa at 500.

So yeah, it happens.

100 yards is fun, but stuff changes past 250 yards, and you have to shoot at those ranges to KNOW.

Is that usually due to twist?

I don't know why....but it happens.Errors in loads,conditions,vertical/horizontal dispersion,differences in velocity,changes in position,parallax,yadayada....they show up at long range.You might have a load that groups tight at 100 but vertically,and that vertical shows up as distance increases.Small discrepancies get magnified as distance increases.

In theory I guess you're right;it shouldn't happen but no matter how tight the groups are at close range,few are perfect,and there is this natural dispersion that takes place as distance increases;if it didn't a rifle should theoretically shoot as tight at 600 yards as it does at 100.Our efforts to put them all in the same hole is really an effort to minimize all this stuff.

Just one little example was a 30/06 that grouped equally well at 100 yards with 165 Partitions as it did with 165 Sierra's...but at 400 yards the Sierra consistently out shot the Partition...not by a lot, but several groups confirmed it just "did".

Sometimes it's us,too.But since we are part of the whole package,you can't exclude it as a factor...we just shoot better with some rifles than others.Not all of it is the rifle of course but you still have to confirm because the total package has to be tested.

Formidilosis and Mule Deer do a much better explanation over on the Light Rifles/Cold Temps thread.

For the most part 3 Nulas will go out to 300-normally as far as I can go-and hang with their 100yard standard and this is with 3-4 and 6x scopes for the most part. Providing I have an appropriate sized aiming point. Ringing 400yard 10 inch steel at another range is not all that difficult. Admittedly from a bench.

I'd not own a NULA, Kimber or Forbes. For that kind of money I'll be using a Kreiger or Bartlein, why risk the money on a sub-tier barrel. I don't the benchrest guys are running Douglas or Shaw.....grin

Doug and Wally have always treated me well. I've yet to run into Shaw, but don't think I would worry about it all that much....

I'm giving thought to another sub-tier barrel...

For ease in cleaning up and not copper fouling, that particular .243W Kimber barrel is damn good.

I have my eye on a couple of used Montana's--neither of which is in a caliber I want.....thinking a trip to IT&D could fix that. I'd finish the tube at .6 too.

Maybe my 2013 experiment?

Please do one in 260 Rem and let me know how it turns out!

Have a .338Fed that Bruno is going to do exactly that this winter. Hart or Douglas whichever he can get first.

Really like the .338Fed, but it is not that much fun to shoot in a Montana.

260 is the plan....this one is currently a 338 Federal. I agree with Battue...more "kick" than I need for KY whitetails. I need a light 260 anyway.

I have absolutely no doubt how this will work out. If you do it more will follow...

Dober

Looks like I'll have some info to work with in 2013! What bbl contours are each of you going with? Will you have to alter the stock? Though I've only handled a few MTs in a store, I think I'd like a bit more weight out front. I just can't decide if it'd be better to pay the extra for a custom contour (dupe factory till past forend then change taper to finish at .6ish) or to reshape the stock for a provided #2...