Kimber Montana

[DBybee]

Hey all, new to the forums here so i figured i would start off with a question. does anyone have any expierience with the kimber montana. I have found one at a gun shop by my house for a great price, just dont know anything about them. It is in 270 WSM. I would be using this rifle for coues deer and black bears here in az, and probably shots out to about 600 yards. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Daniel

 

[tjbill]

I have had a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM for about 5 years now. It has a 4.5-14 Leupy scope on it and shoots pretty well. I've used it to take a few deer since I've had it and really like how light it is to pack up and down the mountain. The rifle shoulders and handles really well and because I've used it on a nice mule deer and a really nice blacktail, I'll probably never get rid of it. That being said, if I had to do it again, I probably would have bought something different. The Kimber rifles that I have had and been around are all good rifles, but are not exceptional rifles for that price. If it's just going to be a packing rifle without major mods and shots limited to 600 yards, I would go with a Tikka. The Tikkas my buddies have and my wife's 270 all shoot lights out, have clip fed mags, come with scope rings, and are half the price! Tikkas aren't flashy, they just get it done. Best of luck if you haven't already made your decision.

Sorry for the late response, but this is one of the least traveled parts of the forum.

 

[Tbone]

I also have been looking at the Kimber SS rifles. I did find a person that had a .300wsm at the range one day, so I inquired about it. He hated it. The bolt-handle had broken-off (?) while on a recent hunting trip to the west. Bummer! And he had just got it back and was firing a few rounds before he offered it For Sale. He said it would group into 1" at 100 yds. with factory 180 gr. loads. He did not reload.

That being said, I really like the over-all appearance/finish/feel and general "looks" of the rifle. I have NOT crossed it off my list, yet.

 

[Buano]

I have been watching for a used Kimber Montana for a mountain rifle because like you, I like the weight, fit & feel. That said, some Montanas shoot well & others do not. The last two I looked at the sellers admitted they weren't able to find a factory round that would shot well. I've known others that had a Kimber Montana that would easily shoot 1/2 moa.

I've only seen one Tikka that didn't shoot well. The Tikka isn't as light but they are a viable option, and the price is a lot less than a Kimber Montana.

 

[wgdii]

I have several Kimber rifles in everything from 22-250 through 333 Win mag. The issue with them is that they are difficult to shoot well as the barrel is so very lightly contoured. The rifle itself is built extremely well and the barrels are quite capable, but again a slightly beefy barrel would make those 600 yard shots easier.

 

[tjbill]

Wgdii is right on with his assessment. SOME of the issues with accuracy in the Montana are due to light weight and, especially with the WSM's, is the sharpness of recoil and amount of torque generated. You really have to hang on to them and that makes things that more difficult. It is a joy to pack, but it is the hardest to shoot accurately on a consistent basis than any other i've had.

 

[LRSickle]

I have a Kimber 84m Longshooter. I'd look into one of those too. Sweet shooting gun right out of the box.

 

[4th_point]

The Tikka isn't as light but they are a viable option, and the price is a lot less than a Kimber Montana.

Buano,

I think the short action Kimber, the 84 Montana, in 243, 257, 7-08, 308, and 338Fed are lighter than a comparable Tikka (or any other factory rifle for that matter), but if you compare long actions, short mags, or belted mags, the Tikka and Kimbers are about the same weight. I'd rather have a Tikka than a magnum Kimber. I would like to own a 5 lb Kimber, but none of the magnums weigh that much.

 

[Buano]

4th_point,

I've had my hands on a few Kimber Montanas & several Tikkas, I even have a T3 in .270 WSM (that's for sale). It may be that some Tikkas are as light as Kimber Montanas in the same chambering. From my limited sampling it seemed the Tikkas were heavier, but not much & the Tikka is still a light rifle.

I would love to see Kimber come out with a long-range version of the Montana, not necessarily a 1,500 yard gun, but one suited to 800 or possibly 1,000 yards. Seems they could do that by simply offering a slightly heavier profile barrel. I've known 2 people who scrapped their original Kimber Montana barrel & went with a heavier (but still sporter-weright) match-grade barrel. Both are now VERY HAPPY with their rifle & both wish the gun would have been offered in that configuration.

 

[tjbill]

Buano - What profile did they use? Were they able to use the original stock? What kind of accuracy improvement did they get? Merry Christmas!

 

[Buano]

Buano - What profile did they use? Were they able to use the original stock? What kind of accuracy improvement did they get? Merry Christmas!

I believe both used the factory stock but I don't know the rest of the details. I never had my hands on either rifle.

 

[COBrad]

I've had two of them, a .243 and a 7-08. After a lot of load development I came up with a load for the .243 that shot 58 gr. V-Max's at 3700 fps and 5/8" groups. That rifle was a marmot killing machine. I shot piles of 'hogs beyond 400 and as far as 562 yards with it. The 7-08 wouldn't shoot. 1.5" was the best I could ever get out of it. I got rid of both and bought another Cooper. Can't argue with guaranteed 1/2 MOA, and all three of mine do better than that. I had another Kimber, a beautiful classic select in .300 WSM. That rifle was a shooter. With the first two loads I messed with it shot 3/4". I would guess with a bit more load development it would have been better. I never used it so I sold it. Wish I had that one back. I'm contemplating another Montana in .300 WSM.

 

[Crockett12]

My brother has a Kimber Montana in 25-06 and he said it's very accurate off the bench.

I have a Kimber Montana in 270 WSM and it's schizophrenic because in one range session, I will get ¾ inch 3 shot groups with a load and then the next range session I will get 3 inch groups with the same load.

I've rebedded it to try and get consistent accuracy to no avail. I've tried different bullet weights, different brands of bullets and different powders. I've checked and rechecked the scope bases and rings – I've switched 3 different scopes of known accuracy and still have a problem with consistency.

I've tried tightly holding the rifle as well as allowing it to free recoil – same problem.

I've had other light weight rifles in magnum calibers and don't feel the light weight barrel is actually the problem because I've always been able to get them to shoot consistently – and at least 1 ½ inch groups. Even though I want better – I'll deal with 1 ½ inch in light weight a hunting rifle.

I like the feel of the rifle and the weight but I expect better consistency and accuracy from my rifles. I've finally decided to sell it and buy a Tiika T3 Lite in 270 WSM.

I talked to a gunsmith about it and he said the accuracy issue was not uncommon with Kimber and that they use Loktite to glue their barrels into the action. I wonder if the loktite is the issue???

I will not buy another Kimber until they've got this thing ironed out.

I'd ask about the Tikka for sale that Buano had but that post was 3 years ago.

 

[Buano]

I'd ask about the Tikka for sale that Buano had but that post was 3 years ago.

Yes, my Tikka sold long ago.