Kimber Rifle accuracy?

[azshooter270]

I have a Kimber Montana in 300WSM. Love the weight, love the stock, love the stainless. The 24" bbl is very thin. It is a 1.25" gun with lots of rounds of 130g and 180g thru it. The 130's were all Barnes factory TTSX loads and they were lasers, at 1.25". The 180's were mostly Accubonds of various factory loads and they also avg 1.25". I've loaded a bunch of 130's and 150's they have averaged, well, 1.25". So I use it for its purpose and backpack with it, but at range I'm always wanting more.

 

[Buzzsaw]

lots of great info here. i like them but i like tiny groups. this will be a UL, so under an inch, I think will be fine with a Swaro 1" Z5 on it in LW Talleys

 

[Trentcamp]

I'll echo what has been said previously, I have 2 both classic select and just picked up a Montana. 280AI and 30'06. The classics will shoot somewhere around 1/2" with hand loads. Haven't had time with the Montana yet. Well balanced rifles, easy to carry, shoot good. What's not to like. One thing I have noticed that hasn't been mentioned the stock design helps with recoil very well. As a long time 700 shooter there is a lot of difference in the stock design between the two, especially as far as recoil is concerned.

 

[Hydra6]

I am hunting with a Kimber Montana 280AI and factory Hornady Precision Hunter 162ELDX. Not a group but picture below was shot before my New Mexico antelope hunt this year to confirm zero - I stopped at one and yes I harvested an antelope.

 

[cajun]

Kimbers can be hit or miss. For what they cost should not be.

 

[MallardAddict]

300 wsm Montana with 155 scenars and 6.5 CM Ascent with 130 ar hybrids. Both are capable of 1/2" 100yd 3 shot groups with handloads but never pinched them further due to light barrel contours. Both were a joy to carry when planned shots were under 500 yds. The 300 wsm is still on the safe.

 

[Montucky Roamer]

Kimbers can be hit or miss. For what they cost should not be.

On the other hand, if you were to try building a rifle as ultralight as the Kimber it would cost you 2-3x as much if not more.
And then ,after shopping for all the expensive ultralight components, you begin to realize what a bargain they really are, even if they need a little massaging to get to shoot well. Most "bad shooting kimbers" are because people can't shoot an ultralight. Recoil affects EVERYBODY.

 

[Sixgun17]

My wife shoots a Mountain Ascent in 280AI with a Leupold V6-HD. Running 160gr Hammers she has shot numerous 3 shot 3/4" groups at 200yds, obviously off a solid bench and with serious attention to fundamentals. The same size or less at 100yds is not remarkable for her.

As others have noted, that pencil barrel heats up in a hurry, so we keep the shot count down between cooling sessions. For her use as a dedicated hunting rifle, and not a regular steel banger, it's really performed well and she has a lot of confidence in it.

I have a similar set-up in 300 WinMag, throwing 196gr Hammers, 195gr ELD-Ms, and 200gr ELD-Xs. I can't match her smallest groups as regularly, but it's consistently sub-MOA. That rig really heats up in a hurry!

We've been very happy with both.

 

[Pilsner]

My Kimber 84L in 3006 shoots very well... for 3 shots. First 2 are touching, 3rd is up by about 1/2", 4th shot goes a couple inches high, I have no idea where shot #5 goes since its usually off of the shoot-n-see target. Those thin barrels heat up VERY quickly. With its preferred 180 grain fodder its easily a 1 MOA rifle providing that I do my part. Using Remington Core-lockts at that.

 

[Husky user]

You won't get a 5 shot 1/2 group with any 5 lb rifle.
My Weatherby Backcountry is a 3 shot group rifle after that the barrel is pretty hot!

 

[eastbank]

i bought a kimber montana in .257 roberts and mounted a 2-7x compact leupold scope in tally light mounts and it comes in at alittle over 6 lbs, its shoots .70 three shoot groups at 100 yards from a bench, the load is a hornady 115 gr bullet with 44 grs of hybrid 100v(less than max) at 2900 fps, i don,t shoot more than three shot groups as the light barrel tends to open up groups with more shoots. it does like to be held tightly tho, as to me its a hunting rifle that get carried alot,but not fired much.

 

[rcook10]

Mountain ascent in 308 and Montana in 223 here. 308 has been dandy with every factory load I put through it: good on a paper plate in field conditions/positions (not on a bench or with bags) to 500. I had a major improvment in accuracy when I put my suppressor on and worked the triggers down to 2#. Talk about a reality check for how shooting an ultralightweight rifle is harder than a normal rifle. Went from 1.5-2 moa in field positions to .5-1moa. Both rifles are only using Leupold fixed 6s and being shot off a spartan bipod. I have tremendous confidence in the 308 now and it has been my favorite hunting rifle. I have sneaking suspicion that many of the "lemon" kimbers that didn't shoot had shooters that didn't know how to shoot light rifles.

 

[teamr2]

Own 3 Kimber rifles. A mountain ascent and Adirondack in 308 and a mountain ascent in 300WM. Every one of them is sub MOA and an absolute joy to carry. The 300 is the mildest recoiling 300 I've ever owned which was shocking as it is by far the lightest. One thing I've learned about light weight rifles is you cannot let them "free recoil". When shooting, I put a little downward pressure on the scope. Group size shrunk dramatically when doing this. I'd buy another one in an instant.