Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles SAS's Kimber inspiration

We'll after reading SAS's thread on Kimber tinkering. I decided to attempt my first bedding job, and why not start on my most expensive rifle.

Here is the recipe I used:

1) I prepped the stock with my dremel

2) mixed up the acraglass

3) slathered it on like frosting a cake

4) assembled rifle which has been sprayed with Hornady one shot (I didn't have a fancy bedding bolt so I bought a 1/4" fine thread bolt at the hardware store and cut the head off)

5) set in gun vise for 10 hours

6) pull stock from gun

All in all I think the hardest thing was to just get my nerve up to try it. The only thing I feel I did incorrectly was I put to much tape around the barrel in front of the shank which held the barrel further from the stock then I would have preferred ( that was the area that I freelanced from SAS direction). I won't be able to shoot for a while but I figure if the wheels fall off in the accuracy department, I can get the dremel out and try again. Despite some of the hijacks from SAS's thread, it is the reason I frequent this site.

Thanks,

Bigbuck

Good deal Bigbuck! Let us know how it shoots.

This truly is a great site for learning and sharing knowledge.....the classifieds can be hard on the wallet too;)

Hopefully you still have some of the same lot of ammo you shot previously. Always nice to see the fruits of your labor.

Here are a couple pics:

action sprayed and stock dremeled out





Pics of the finished assembly




I guess I'll see how successful I was when I get out to shoot. 16Bore, I have lots of ammo left from last fall to compare with.

No flies on that. That thread has me wanting to try my hand, too.

Comparing these jobs to the M77 sticky --- why no bedding of the tang for the Montanas?

Ordered up a bedding kit,going out to buy myself a Dremel and give it a go on my Kimber.
The mag box on my is tight, and the barrel channel is also tight,so all the little tricks SAS suggested are going to get done.
Looking forward to your range report

Eric

Eric, what caliber, and how well does she shoot now?

+1 ...

7-08 AI 1.5 to 2 in, at 100 yds, but 3/4 of that may be me
I would have to get at my notes to see how many grns of reloader 15 i have been using,but if memory serves me right any load over 46 grns was starting to cause some stiff bolt lift
If some different powders were to show up on the shelves around my neck of the woods a feller could try something different.
But I want to try what SAS is doing first, should help.

Eric

And the "moral of the story" is:

Buy a Tikka!

I'm in the same boat...

Already have one and while it's a nice rifle that I like, I just love the feel of my Montana. I have had three kimbers and they have all shot moa with a load they liked. I'm hoping to make it shoot more combinations of bullets and see if I can't get rid of 2 bullets touching and then one that opens it up. I'll report back after getting out to shoot. Not only has it been cold but the wind has been brutal!

Seems like I have heard this story before. I have heard a lot of stories about Tikka's and I am sure they are nice shooting guns. But, I have never owned one and never will. With this country in the financial condition it is in, I will continue to buy guns made in America by American gun companies, even if I do have to tinker with them a bit. Just me......... And I am sure a lot on here disagree with those thoughts, and I don't condemn you for it, but that's how I feel about it.

Nice job! Sure it won't hurt anything.

As for the Tikkas, I think they feel way too fat. Don't like the feel at all. My Kimber feels perfect to me, points like it's connected to me and shoots very well too. I'll keep it thanks.

Nothing feels like a Montana 84M (maybe a 20B will?).

For a low-cost rifle I'd wait about a month for the Ruger American in stainless. Tikka-like . . . American made . . . and for a lot less money. The .223 and 243 twists are a big plus too.

that is the dang truth ...

I finally made it out to shoot this last weekend and I think I'll call my first bedding job a success. Winds were around 10 mph so I think I shot pretty well for the conditions. I also hadn't shot since October, other than a couple of rounds hunting, so I think I did alright.



I shot three groups that were very similar to this one, right around 3/4 inch. I seem to have gotten rid of the group wrecking fliers that I was getting last summer and fall. Now I will have to experiment a little more with load development as I'm almost out of re15 and have lots of varget. This load was a 120 nosler bt and 44 grains of RE 15.

Very nice! I'm sure you will be happy with your Montana now

Nothing wrong with that group!

Those yankee bastids in Yonkers NY need to standing in line for govmint cheese. I drive toyotas and hondas as well, because they have yet to screw me.