Kimber Rifles

Hales Smut

Well-Known Member
In a magazine " shooting sports " from september 2009 I noticed that Kimber rifles are imported in the UK .
Anybody experience with the lightweight " montana " version ?
Very good price for a rifle with " custom " qualities .
 
Hales, Lovely light rifles, always handle one when at the gun show. There has been good and bad press about them, some say they don't shoot well. Stock is very small and comb fairly low. Ok with a small low mounted scope.
Maybe a real custom is the way to go. One way would be to get a light match barrel fitted to a light weight howa (the one with the lightened action) or a remington 700. Fit an ultra light stock and a scope like a 4-12x50 A line swarovski that weighs around 400grams.

I recently made myself a very light carbon fiber stock for my remington sporter. Although the scope is not the lightest the overall weight is very good for the hills. If I'd leave the bipod off and maybe get the barrel chopped downfrom 24" to 20" it would save another pound or so.
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edi
 
Edi, real good picture of some pretty wild terrain, also nice looking rig, just noticed though the sling, I had a very nasty fright with one of those a few years back on Arran, was following Griff on a forestry road, trying like a Jack Russel to keep up with a Greyhound, when I saw in slow motion the top end of the sling heading for the deck, in auto mode I grabbed for the stock of my Sako .243 & just about caught it in time, the cause was the little brass stud, that closes the end loop had popped off! never trusted them since, I always put some stud lock on now.
 
I hate those slings with brass studs keeping the ends together. Wrecked an old BSA when out after hinds. Arctic weather and the stud thread must have loosened with the windchill. The rifle fell back onto gabbro rock and thudded down the hill about 10 feet. Pecar scope fooked and stock badly cracked at the pistol grip. Gutted. Apart from an old .303 it was all I had or could afford at the time.

Another time when taking an Austrian guest out after stags and tabbing fast up the bluff side of an escarpment to get ahead of a traveller stag I heard the most awful clattering metal on rocks sound behind me. The guy's leather sling with brass stud attachments had given way and a new Krico .270 with lux walnut lay with it's stock split open around the action and an enormous dent in the eyebell of his Zeiss. There's nothing you can say when that happens. He was a nice fellow too - not wealthy, but put a lot into that rifle. He insisted on carrying it and refused my loan of a rifle slip. Would it had only landed on peat or moss / heather.

Effing sling attachments. Gaffer tape tightly wrapped around the studs did me for a while, but now just avoid them completely. Also if the brass / alloy is weak then they can just break off if overtightened. Anyone else wrecked a rifle? Oh and front studs can pop out especially if you overtighten a bipod on the stud.

Have also thought about Kimber rifles. The 84M looks great. Cooper rifles seem to be more expensive.
 
Can't stand the brass studs either,they've got a nasty habit of scratching a nice stock up too,never had them come apart though due to the fact that they're buried under a good dollop of insulation tape.
Neil
 
That sling got on my nerves today, but we also walked from first light till well after lunch in rough terrain. I normally prefer a simple leather sling.

Finnbear, it took us over two hours to get to the top of the hill in the background a few years ago.

Found a picture of us playing with Kimbers at the IWA. One can see how small the stock actually is.
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edi
 
Iv used a kimber in 25-06 when i was out in New zealand, awesome mountain rifle as really light especially if you dont go over the top with scope choice! the one i used was set up with a 3-9x36 scope, it grouped at just under an inch! But as mentioned above the stock is too small for us taller guys!
James
 
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