I was at my local gunshop yesterday looking at a new Kimber 8400 classic standard. It was a .270 Winchester. I thought it was a very nice rifle, well made with nice balance. I would guess it was about seven pounds without a scope or bases and rings. My only concern was the barrel. It had what I would describe as a "light sporter" contour. I usually shy away from such rifles because I prefer a somewhat heavier barrel contour. Sometimes it it really hard to get a gun with such a light barrel to shoot.

My question is do any of you have a Kimber and, if so, how does it shoot?

Dave

My kimber montana in 325 wsm will consistanly shoot .75-1" groups at 100 yards with 220gr Winchester PP ammo.

as well as all other factory produced rifles.

5 different Kimbers, some with factory ammo. They don't shoot every group like these since I don't shoot that well every day but the rifles are capable enough.........................DJ

I've owned two kimbers one an M-84 .308 the other a M-8400 in .30-06 both were sub MOA rifles.

I have three 84s (7-08 Classic and Montana and 22-250) all shoot sub MOA.

Well I have a 84m classic in 7-08. Im not gonna say it dosen't shoot as i haven't had it but a month and have only tried 6 different bullets and 5 powders,and two scopes, it only has about 250 rounds through it. Bedding looks excellent, barrel channel is free floated. Borescoping the barrel shows nothing of concern, crown looks good, chamber and throat look good though somewhat roughly machined, they call it a match barrel though it dosen't resemble any of my real match barrels what with all the toolmarks its appearance is similar or on the rough side compared to your average generic factory barrel. It copper fouls terribly.
Yes, I have got a few sub moa groups with it but to me that means nothing as the average group is around 2.5" up to as large as 3"- 5" So far this is among the poorest shooting factory rifles I've ever purchased but still hoping I can work a load. I love how the little rifle handles, it has nice wood, just very disappointed accuracy wise, at least so far.

Oscar, you might try a box of Federal Fusion 140gr bullets in your 7-08. They have shot as well or better than any of my handloads in my Kimber 7-08......................DJ

My Kimber in 22/250 shoots like it has eyes. Cheap Winchester Whitebox or any handload I've tried. It's almost boring, unless you're a coyote.

quote:

Originally posted by Oscar Makonka:
Well I have a 84m classic in 7-08. Im not gonna say it dosen't shoot as i haven't had it but a month and have only tried 6 different bullets and 5 powders,and two scopes, it only has about 250 rounds through it. Bedding looks excellent, barrel channel is free floated. Borescoping the barrel shows nothing of concern, crown looks good, chamber and throat look good though somewhat roughly machined, they call it a match barrel though it dosen't resemble any of my real match barrels what with all the toolmarks its appearance is similar or on the rough side compared to your average generic factory barrel. It copper fouls terribly.
Yes, I have got a few sub moa groups with it but to me that means nothing as the average group is around 2.5" up to as large as 3"- 5" So far this is among the poorest shooting factory rifles I've ever purchased but still hoping I can work a load. I love how the little rifle handles, it has nice wood, just very disappointed accuracy wise, at least so far.

i have a 8400 300WSM. the chamber is a little rough, and the barrel is a little rough but the barrel IS getting smoother. it doesnt copper foul too bad anymore. took about 200 rounds before it would shoot good.

If i were you id send it back. 2.5" groups are unacceptable

Is that yours for sale Paul? What's it like to shoot?

I have two Kimbers, one a Montana in 260 Remington which, with hand loads, shoots 1/2 inch groups the other a Classic in 308 Win shoots factory Remington 150 grain sp into an inch. Both will do better than the above when I can shoot to my best.
Another Kimber classic in 7mm-08 I shot gave 2.5 inch groups at 25 yards.
As one of the local sport shop till jockies said about Kimbers, "They are in the main very good with the occational one shooting like shit".
Customer service here in New Zealand by the local agent is very good for rifles imported by them.
There have been feed problems and some triggers have been rough. One owned by a mate in 300 WSM would lock up after firing a few rounds and the be ok for a few more rounds then lock up again. It transpired the chamber was on the rough side, the chamber was polished, after which no more problems were experienced.
The 7mm-08 was fitted with a new barrel at no charge.
I can not offer a balanced view I have experience of only four Kinbers but my 260 would not feed, the 7mm-08 was absolute rubbish, the 300WSM was ok after a polish the 308 is fine. How typical my experiences have been I can not say.
Let me finish by saying the the next lightweight rifle I buy will not be a Kimber, it will be one from Finland.
Why o why can't American gun makers produce rifles to a consistantly high standard?

quote:

Originally posted by oldun:
Why o why can't American gun makers produce rifles to a consistantly high standard?

A very good question. Sako/Tikka/Sauer/Blaser/Steyr can do it through "precision engineering" and I see no reason why American Gun manufacturers cannot either but it does not seem to be that way.

Kimber and Weatherby seem to be the closest.

Maybe its always the cost cutting thing that comes into the equation, maybe not, but for the forseeable future I would buy European.

I have no experience with the centerfires, but I have bought four 22's over the years (SuperAmerica, Hunter etc) and all of them sprayed bullets. Nothing resembling a group. I know a lot of people who swear by them, and I have seen a lot which shoot, but I am 0 for 4 and would never think of spending any money on a Kimber.

quote:

Originally posted by Art S.:
I have no experience with the centerfires, but I have bought four 22's over the years (SuperAmerica, Hunter etc) and all of them sprayed bullets. Nothing resembling a group. I know a lot of people who swear by them, and I have seen a lot which shoot, but I am 0 for 4 and would never think of spending any money on a Kimber.

Yes, your money might be better spent on shooting lessons..... ............DJ

I have a 84m in 308. It's a good looking rifle, fit and finish is good, accuracy is spotty at best, it generally shoots 1.5" groups. If it didn't weigh 5 3/4 lbs, it would have been gone long ago.
s

quote:

Originally posted by martinbns:
I have a 84m in 308. It's a good looking rifle, fit and finish is good, accuracy is spotty at best, it generally shoots 1.5" groups. If it didn't weigh 5 3/4 lbs, it would have been gone long ago.
s

That pretty much sums up the Montana 7mm08 I had. That rifle was traded for a Sako 75 Stainless Synthetic which immedialtely halved the size of the groups I got with the Montana.

Looking at the groups DJ got with his rifles I would say I was unlucky with mine - along with some of the other Montana owners on this forum......

I had one for about a year and a half, it was an 84M in 308. It had nice wood, the barrel was free floated and even in the barrel channel. The bedding looked ok, the little rifle handled really well and felt good to shoot. I had to send it back to Kimber for inaccuracy problems, it was shooting 2.5-3 " groups. It also left a ring on the brass right below the shoulder about 1/32 wide, which didn't seem to hurt extraction. When it came back they had chamfered the lands at the crown(rough and slightly). I did shoot a couple of groups the entire time I owned it(handloads and factory) that were under an inch, but they were never repeatable. After I got it back the best group it ever shot was around 1 3/4". I never took the rifle hunting. I sold it and bought a remington CDL in 35 whelen. Later I bought a remington classic in 8X57 and after that bought a ruger mark II in 270 winchester. All of these shoot circles around that Kimber. I could have bought a Tikka lightweight for the money I spent in trying loads for the Kimber. I think its a crapshoot buying a factory rifle but in my experience remington, ruger and howa were all easy to make shoot good. My next buy will probably be a Tikka or remington. Its a crapshoot but go where the odds are best. JMHO

Guys, thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I have officially been talked out of a Kimber. I think it is a really nice looking gun but, as I said at the beginning of this thread, I just don't trust that light sporter contour barrel. I am going to take a look at something else. Thanks again.

Dave

Dave:
I know I'm a bit late on this one - spent the last 3 weeks trying to fill the freezer w/moose, but...
I picked up a Kimber Montana in .270 WSM last spring. Wouldn't shoot accurately from the "git-go". Sent it back to the factory & they replaced the stock since the barrel was touching. Accuracy improved somewhat - maybe to about 1 1/2". I tried Win. factory ammo, Federal Fusion Vital-shok & some handloads with both Rldr-22 & Rldr-25 (just for kicks). Same results. This all with a 4.5-14 Leupold scope. Sent it to Hill Country Rifles for their accurizing work to be done. I just found out today that it's gonna be back here at the house tomorrow. I guess Hill Country has done their "thing" with it & I'll find out soon.
I've fought too many crappy rifles so no more. I put less than 100 rounds thru this rifle before I sent it off. The only accurate factory rifle you're gonna find is a Cooper IMHO. In the future, I'm gonna seriously look at them. I guess DJ was just lucky with his success but I'm tired of crap shoots when buying a rifle. All this for what it's worth.
Bear in Fairbanks

Gidday Dave,

I think oldun provides some sage advice. Get a rifle from Finland and you can rest assured on the accuracy and workmanship out of the box.

US rifles are a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to these qualities. You may get a good one you may not.

CZ is also worth a look.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

My experience with three Kimbers; a .243 and 7-08 Montana, and a .300 WSM with a really nice french walnut stock, have been similar to djpaintles'. I am completely happy with all mine.

I really like my Kimber, and the other Kimbers that I have shot (84M classic in .308, and Kimber of Oregon .22 Classic). All have been fairly accurate, so I am somewhat partial.
But, let us speak frankly…
If I had paid the high price for a Kimber and it wouldn’t shoot below a 3†group, I would be very frustrated and probably send the rifle back to the factory.
If however the rifle had shot 1.5†groups I would be very happy. That is a great group for a sporting firearm meant for deer. I have a Remington Mountain Rifle in .280Rem that groups about 3â€. I’ve never tried different loads to get smaller groups because every deer that I have ever shot with it, (at ranges from 25 yards to 250 yards) has died. The deer didn’t even know I was shooting at them with an “in-accurate†rifle. I have even killed several ground hogs at more than 300 yards with my Mountain Rifle, and with a high magnification scope, would not hesitate to shoot even further. A 1.5†group is a respectable group from a factory rifle in the weight range of a Kimber or Mountain Rifle. I would argue that shooting situations in the field rarely allow the hunter to fully utilize the potential of their rifle. If you are hunting in a way that you need a really light rifle, chances are that you may not get many shots over 300 yards. 3 MOA at 300 yards still puts the bullet into the shoulder/lung area, and dead is dead. If you are overlooking a 700-yard soybean field, then you may be shooting from a fixed stand, with a gun rest utilizing more (or even all) of your rifle’s potential.

Bottom line is this, if you ask a seasoned High Power shooter, they’ll tell you that can only buy so many points with the best equipment. Winning comes from knowing how to use the equipment you have. I’d say if you can’t kill it with a 1.5 MOA rifle, chances are that a 0.5 MOA rifle won’t change much from a practical standpoint.

Shoot what you like, life’s too short to carry a gun you hate.
Good Luck!

I have a Kimber 8400 in 300 WSM. It consistently shoots MOA out-of-the-box with factory ammo. Although the 300 WSM is more than I need for most of my hunting, the Kimber has become my "go to" rifle for most of my hunting due to its accuracy.

how do Kimbers shoot??

same as any other rifle...

1.point barrel at target
2. Acquire target in your sights
3. Pull trigger...

pretty simple actually...



okay I couldn't resist..
seafire is going to the 'time out' chair now...