It’s been a while since I have posted anything...Life can take a man on changes...

My latest build is being put together - Kimber Hunter(3006Spr). Straightforward stainless barrel swap(same profile as factory), LOP longer, plus the usual small mods if needed.
My first Kimber was a Montana 84M was some years back...when they first came out, since then I have played with a few more.

It’s been a some time since I shouldered a 84L of any kind, so my question is.
Who here owns a 3006Spr Hunter, how does it balance with its 24” barrel scoped with let’s say a 2-7, 2.5-8 or 3-9x40 Leupy on top?

I will be using Warne steel bases & 1” Warne maxima rings on this project with a 2-7x33 Leupold as it doesn’t need to be as light as I can get it plus I prefer steel components on the Whelen..
All my hunting consists of mountain terrain on critters equivalent to Elk in size - Sambar.
Barrel length? - 23” or keep it 24” & will be using a 250gn Woodleigh RNSN at about 2300-2400fps.
I already have two other rifles in 9.3x62. One sports a 20” battue barrel, the other 20.5”. Both rifles running 286gn Woodleighs RNSN at 2300fps.
There is something about the 358 & 366 cals that I have always loved. Not too much meat damage, recoil more of a push & no sharp crack at the end.
Some may say. ‘Why build a 35 Whelen when I have 9.3’s’?. I say, why not


Thank you in advance gents

If you stick with the same profile and length as the factory barrel you'll have an O.D. of .562" +/- .005" at the muzzle and you'll have less than .105" of wall thickness for the last 1-1/2" of the barrel. That .562" dimension extends rearwards about 1.5" so any barrel length from 22.5" to 24" long will result in the same wall thickness at the muzzle. Just a thought.

When Kimber announced the .35 Whelen Montana it was without much thought. Once they realized that it would require a new barrel profile which would require a new stock mold for Costa Rica the Whelen was quietly dropped. Kimber seems to "launch" quite a few products that get quietly dropped ... the Open Range Pro Carbon rifles for example.

No problems with a muzzle diameter of .562" I have 9,3x62's with .550" muzzle diameters. Sorry, can't help as to how it balances, my Kimber is an 84M. Sounds like a great build. Try an 84L in '06 and see how it balances and remember that the same profile with a .35 cal bore will be lighter, so you can achieve the same balance with a slightly heavier profile.

Excellent & thank you Sir.
22.5 inch could be the go then unless my Gunsmith decides to go slightly more meat, but I’ll leave that up to him to call.
What he does is, he sends the barrel to his barrel maker & if that maker doesn’t have the 84L Kimber barrel profile# on their data they make an exact copy of it & it goes from there... This in turns gives others the advantage of using their data if they decide to go ahead with such builds.
There is a bit of meat to play around with on the barrel-channel in those Hunter stocks too...but it will be interesting?!?

And remember that if he goes with a factory duplicate of the contour and you end up needing more weight up front, a little length will accomplish the same as extra diameter. I've got Whelens with 19", 23.6" and 26" barrels that all balance correctly due to selecting the proper barrel profile.
Good luck with the build and keep us posted, would love to see the completed project!

Excellent news & thank you Sir.

I’m actually pretty excited over this build & it seems to be a fairly straightforward project.

Thanks again

Excellent information & thank you again.

23” might be the sweet spot here?!?

Why not send it to JES or someone to rebore? It'd save a good bit of money. Forget what I paid. But it was less than I paid for my Bartlein blank for another project.


Just a question...JES turned my 308 Montana into a 358win. Never even considered a re-barrel just because I knew the cost would be about 3x more.


I agree. I like the bigger bullets. Just something about em. I have a couple pump Whelens. Decided I wanted a lighter gun. That's when the 358 Montana was thought of.

I’m in Australia mate. Plus, reboring barrels here isn’t really done for some reason...& I want a certain barrel brand that is manufactured here

.......didn't even think to look to the left and see where you were located! Makes perfect sense in that case! Haha.

Not a Kimber Hunter, but I sent my Kimber Subalpine in 30/06 to JES. Had Jesse punch it out to a 35 Whelan , cut off the threads at the muzzle and recrown. Barrel ended at 23 1/4". I remounted the scope that was previously on (Leupold VX2 3-9x40) on low Talley lights. The 84L fits me so well I did not want to change any dimensions. All up scope, rings, sling and a full mag it is 6 lbs. For Calif. hunting (no lead) it shoots a Barnes 225 gr @ 2625 fps, and out of state a Woodleigh 250 RN @ 2506. I think, for me, balance is perfect and as I previously mentioned, throw it up and the crosshairs are on what I am looking at with my naked eye. Have fun with whatever you choose! Terry

I still appreciate your advice though. Thank you Sir

That sounds like a beautiful setup! That is 2.72kg in our scales

You have your woodys humming! That would hit hard!! I’ll run my 250 grain Woodleighs(RNSN) at about the 2300/2400fps mark. At these speeds & in my 9.3x62’s(286’s RNSN) they do a good job on our big deer, marginal meat damage & most importantly for me, it doesn’t ring my ears after the shot.
I use to hunt with magnums...but these days I’ll be hard pressed to go back that way with my 9.3’s & Whelen

No flies on the Whelen, I have one and works well for our timber. Just curious, given your intended use and spec's, have you considered the 338-06 ?

How you like the 19” wheelen?

One day I’ll have a just because build done. 35 whelen LH bolt gun.

Thinking short barrel.

I used the 338win mag for years...It belts them that’s for sure! I’m sure the 338-06 A-Square is a corker, but...I’m partial to the 35’s & .366 these days, plus my 45/70 throwing a 405gn woody at 1769fps

I used the 35 Whelen Ackley Improved for around 20yrs. I killed a Black wildebeest in S.A. at 347 yds. (behind the shoulder) with the 200X ( pre TTSX) and a zebra (base of neck) on the same hunt at 250yds. I killed even more PG with the 250X @ 2600 on my first trip, out to 150yds, the rest were 40-100yds away. I killed a Eurasian hog at 30 steps with the 310gr Woodleigh RN going 2400fps, ha, it worked perfectly! Love those Woodleigh's! The standard Whelen will certainly feed better, and your speed goals are easily reached with it. If you ever want to "stretch your range" I heartily recommend the 200gr Barnes or 225s, but...nothing wrong with those heavy Woodleigh's. I personally like round nose Mediums from 250 to 310gr. I recently picked up a Kimber 84L Classic ( wood stock) in .270 Win and it is a sweetheart! I then found a Kimber 8400 Classic in 300WSM, metal is stainless in a beautiful wood stock! It too handles very nice. My first 9.3x62 was back in the late 90's. I had my smith rebarreled a Mod 70 Fwt Push Feed that was a 30-06 with a Lothar Walther at 24". I'm tall so 24 inch feels better to me. It handles very well, recoil was fine. I gave it to a young family man who used it ( and my loads) and the Nosler 286 Partition and shot an elk that same year with it. He likes it!

Good luck to you pard, and let us know how it shoots for you later? My Dad fought the Japanese with McArthur's Army, he loved the Aussies ( I suspect it was the Sheila's) He did say the Aussies were fearless fighters though!

Another option to consider if muzzle wall thickness is a concern, buy a Lilja modified contour barrel. It's basically matches OEM out to the end of forearm, them is parallel from there. I had them build an 84Mmodifed and built my 338 Fed. It adds a few oz which I wanted on my Federal. It also wouldn't hurt on a 7lb 35 wh. I've owned several whelens and can attest a 250 gr bullet at 2500 wont be a picnic in a Kimber 84L.

As a matter of fact, that's why I built the 338 Fed. I put a 23" Lilja 84M modifed taper and a NF SHV on top. It still weighs less than 7 lbs, points well and gets 2600 with a 210 Partition. It's my whelen substitute.

Jes said they would rebore a Montana out to 35 whelen. I still might send it off to them, but I would trim the barrel down to 19-21”

I owned a Ruger SS hawkeye with a 22" barrel. Really wished I'd kept that one.

I have read much on the 35Whelen AI, in fact, there is a famous Sambar man here that has hunted the Victorian Alps with it for years.
Back in the day..., the 35Whelen & 9.3x62 were not ready available, hence his build I think - PF Model 70 in a synthetic stock of some type.
He ran it close to 62 specs from memory. He took the biggest Sambar deer one year as well.

I hunt in fairy heavy timber into mountain regions. The normal shot is usually 30-80m, with many on the run...& as you blokes say “Texas heart shot” is needed on that big fella that is facing south at times...
I feel the bigger 250 grain onwards are better for this type of stalking. The 9.3/286gn combo at 2300fps is great here as well.
I feel the 35Whelen/250gn combo at 2300-2400fps will be equally as good, especially given the weight of this Kimber Hunter with the less than ideal footwork I usually find myself in contouring a mountain... then taking the shot. But, I’m sure the 225gn woody would be a slayer too.

My first 9.3x62 was about 2000, a CZ550 Battue, nice trim little rifle which I foolishly sold . Since then I had a several more... My latest - ZG47 from Canada...CM Lothar Walther 20.5” barrel screwed in with a custom kevlar carbon fibre stock. The fella that is building the stock is a retired X Aerospace Tech. I had him shorten the forend to the way I shoulder my rifles. The forend length matches my old Blaser R93 & R8, with a good palm-swell & 14 1/8” LOP. This rifle is just about complete

As I write this, I am about to pack my favourite 9.3x62 rifle on a four day Sambar trip with my son. I purchased this rifle some five years back after recommendation from a mate from Rhodesia.
Tikka T3 Battue with a 20” tube, Z6 1.6-10x42 on top in steel warnes holding it. 286gn woody RNSN at 2298fps. 3.3kg(7.26lbs) all up with 4 in. Sweetheart of a rifle & it points great. Every now & then a factory rifle just gels....
My 22YO son hunts with a Tikka T3x SS/VX2 2-7x33 combo with the same bullet recipe.

The Australia & USA have worked together for years & will for years to come I’m certain.
I have been to the USA twice & I have found people there to be very kind & friendly. I really like your country!
haha the “sheilas”

Great input & thank you.

I once had a 338Fed in a Pre-64 I built up... Fed like slick sausages. Cool cal!

Now that’s a plan.
Life is too short not to act on our passions. Plus.., the Colonel knows best

I remember those. There were a few of them kicking around here for a while but were quickly snapped up by the local Sambar community, especially given its history on them over the last thirty years...