Your opinion please,
I have a Kimber which i sent back to the company to have some work done on it. The work I had hoped was to get it to shoot better from an 1.25-2" group at 100 yrds. Their are sending it back and have done nothing with this explanation this is with in their spects. I feel paying 1000.00 for a rifle it should shoot better, I have an oppertunity to trade it back in to scheels all sports where i bought it. My question is should i purchase a Browning a bolt or a sako finlight? I like both the sako may out shoot the Browning i think but the Browning is cheaper and if i could be satified with the workmanship on the Browning i could buy a new scope with the difference, the Sako on the other hand is of seeming better workmanship but garentees 1" with 5 shots.
Old Timer

Buy a Blaser R 93.

id go with the finnlight, or get an 85.

In what calibre is the kimber? I am a happy owner of a Sako Carbine in 9,3X62 and a R93 in 308 Winch and i´m satisfied with them both. It´s a question of taste, i think. With the 308 i repeatingly shoot 1" groups and with the 9,3 i get 2"groups of three shots.
The Sako is an example of booth good (traditional) workmanship and funktion, the R93 both looks and feels some "plastic" but handling is great. You have an Industrial - country problem!

SAKO

I've been there. If you want to save the money, get a Tikka. Otherwise, the Sako.

Get a CZ and enjoy your one hole groups!

quote:

Their are sending it back and have done nothing with this explanation this is with in their spects. I feel paying 1000.00 for a rifle it should shoot better, I have an oppertunity to trade it back in to scheels all sports where i bought it.

Kimber must be suffering from some pretty bad QC. Stories just like yours have started making their way around the net.

I stopped by one of our local shops to check out the Kimbers they had in stock and was imediately turned off by the out of center barrel channels and the bolts just didn't feel that slick. They may have been tack drivers after alittle work but after paying the 1200 price tag, you'd think they'd be of better quality.

I'd much rather spend that kind of money sending a used 700 or 70 to Hart for a build and picking up a nice stock to go along w/ it.

The abolts are nice but seem to be hit or miss on accuracy as well. Have you thought about a Tikka as a lower priced rig?

Good Luck

Reloader

The concensus seems to like CZ and Tikka for mid price and Sako some Kimber high price for factory rifle.

Kimber seems hit and miss at times, but never heard bad about the others re: accuracy, etc.

I think Kimber's issues revolve around there barrels. They never would answer if THEY mfg the barrel blanks, or if they are sourced, as if they are (and don't tell whose they are) then I fear it is a lesser quality/known maker i.e. Wilson, Adam Bennett, or something similar. Not that they cannot/do not make good barrels, perhaps not as good and/or consistently.

Kimber needs to tell me WHO is making the barrels before I drop the $$$$.

I have confidence in CZ/SAKO/TIKKA overall. Personally, I don't waste my precious time figuring out a problem rifle if a remedy is not simple and fast (easily corrected problems usually show themselves, some more difficult ones either don't/or are not worth the trouble/time/expense to correct), and secondly I won't keep high dollars tied up in something that is not performing to expectations.

I would likely trade for either another Kimber if you could get an even swap, or just go with another brand. That is me. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

quote:

Originally posted by OldTimer:
Your opinion please,
I have a Kimber which i sent back to the company to have some work done on it. The work I had hoped was to get it to shoot better from an 1.25-2" group at 100 yrds. Their are sending it back and have done nothing with this explanation this is with in their spects. I feel paying 1000.00 for a rifle it should shoot better, I have an oppertunity to trade it back in to scheels all sports where i bought it. My question is should i purchase a Browning a bolt or a sako finlight? I like both the sako may out shoot the Browning i think but the Browning is cheaper and if i could be satified with the workmanship on the Browning i could buy a new scope with the difference, the Sako on the other hand is of seeming better workmanship but garentees 1" with 5 shots.
Old Timer

Here is a link to Old Timers posts here on AR Link

As you can read he has had a heck of a time with a Kimber 8400 300 WSM not shooting as well as he expects. Many have chimed in with suggestions. Can't say that he has followed them but a person only has time for so much.

I would ask Old Timer how the rifle shot for Kimber? They usually shoot it in a machine rest with three shots using factory ammo. I have seen small groups from their test targets. Did Kimber provide a test target?

Before I trade that Kimber off I would shoot it again when it comes back. They may have fixed something.

I shoot my Kimbers about once a week. It took me quite a while to discover that the crown on my Montana WSM needed touching up. It's shooting so well now that I carried it varmint hunting a couple of weeks ago. I shot it yesterday and got a two shot group centered one inch high and one inch to the left at 200 yds. That means that its stayed sighted in which is of primary importance to me. The two shot group with 130 gr SST's and IMR 4350 from a cold fouled bore measured .775"!

I keep records of the first shot impact of all of my hunting rifles. These journal type notes include the load, conditions and any changes made to the gun. I checked the record for yesterday and note that on that trip to the range I fired that rifle only those two shots.

That rifle puts 140 Accubonds right on at 200 yds with that sight setting into sub moa groups. If any rifle is ready and sighted in this year in that one is. I was thinking of late of buying another Kimber.

Hate to throw mud, but how good of a shot are you? I am right now a very good shot, shoot every weekend. Shoot competitions every weekend if I can. Just shot two matches this weekend.

Ok, why am I saying this, because of my experience. In the late 80's I bought a M1a Supermatch. Match barrel, match sights, match stock, bedded action, rear lugged receiver, etc. Went out and did ammo development, off the bench. Still have the targets. Not a group much under two inches. Ten years later, just before I replaced that barrel, same rifle, same everything, I was shooting with it 20 shots prone in competition under an inch. (Well maybe 17 to nineteen shots in under an inch, there are always train wrecks) But the point is, I had to get better.

Just this weekend at a 1000 yard match I was getting advice from a very veteran shooter. I still need work on my position and his advice was right. Maybe there is room for improvement. But the bottom line is, the human factor is usually the largest error in the system, and it is hard to believe, and harder to figure out.

"Kimber barrels are just that, made entirely in the Kimber factory. All barrels and chambers are machined to exacting match grade dimensions."

There is no question that there are accurate Kimbers. Probably a large majority of them are. However, I've gotten flamed here for saying so, but some of them are not. This stuff about "match grade" is just marketing boilerplate. When I start seeing Kimber barrels in matches, I'll start considering them "match grade."

You get a lot of rifle for your money with Kimber, no question about it. They are beautiful, very thoughtfully designed guns. You also get a heaping serving of hype.

Being a match competator myself I hear you but the Kimber barrels might indeed be 'match' quality. They are quite light guns for the most part however and as you say they are not used in many matches if any.

"The main cause of mechanical failure is improper assembly"

Now thats something that Kimber could work on.

oldtimer, mite i sugest,savage,all though brownings do shoot, really its a crap -shoot,its sure seems everyone grabs 4 the money 1st.... oh and if theres a problem we mite fix it later!!!!! thats just for 1,000 plus dollars and many times more they should shoot bug-holes, get your money back and re-barrel a win..mod 70, or remington 700, or a sako action, great gunsmiths are out there and their all not 12,ooo dollars smiths..... regards and sorry 2 hear about your troubles...jjmp

I have a number of factory rifles in 30-06. While I expect sub MOA performance with a heavy (12 plus pounds) match rifle, it is a rare hunting rifle that shoots under one MOA. Most of them are about 1.5 MOA. Some of them walk as the barrel heats up. What I do know is that lightweight hunting rifles are hard to shoot accurately. I suspect the rifles are inherently accurate, but being light, they jump around more in recoil. And “follow through†is extremely important in accurate shooting. So is head placement, so is a consistent trigger pull.

Wilson was making match barrel blanks in 30 caliber for $80.00. (in the mid nineties). I do not think it is that difficult to broach a barrel to plus or minus a ten thousandths. It is probably much more difficult to gun drill a barrel so that the hole is concentric all the way through. If you have a barrel where the hole wanders from side to side it takes a good custom gunsmith to ream a concentric chamber correctly. I believe a concentric chamber is totally necessary for an accurate rifle

From one oldtime to another: Tikka or Savage 110 for guaranteed accuracy in a factory. But if you have the time, go find yourself an older Model 700 or even better a 721 Remington (those are really cheap) and it might shoot right away. I bought an old 721 06, and after blowing some crud out of the barrel, it shoots MOA, and with my eyes that is going some. If you can't find the right caliber, have a rebarrel job done for about 400 bucks, blue print the action put a McMillan stock on it, and have a ball. Strong action and very reliable. IT might take some time, but there are good deals out there if you look around. I like old cheap guns that will shoot.

Thank you all for replying,
I have called Kimber today to get a tracking number only to find that it has not shipped yet and asking why I was informed that they rebarreled the rifle I was told that they took a second look at the rifle and put a new barrel on it and it shoot much better.
I haven't received it back yet but will inform you all as to how it shoots, I guess I am a little excited over the thought it is going to shoot better, If it does't I will trade for a sako i think.
Old Timer

Someone is watching over you.

Hi Guys,
Well I just received my rifle back from Kimber with a new barrel and a target about .30 three shot, if i can get the same i am a happy camper.
They sure took care of me going beyond
Old Timer

I have 3 kimbers 1 22 shoots one hole 5 shot groups with cci mini mags. 1 8400 270wsm shoots almost everything into 1 in. 3 shot grouops and some much better. 18400 300wsm shot terrible with 4 different factory loads but my reloads @ the present time, 165 and 180 accubonds soon to change shoot less than 1 in. I am not a Kimber salesman but just very happy with my rifles.

Steyr Mannlicher Pro Hunter

I am one of the ones havign a problem - My Montana in 300WSM will not close the bolt in the forward fire position. Bolt works slick as can be in the middle position with no problems but put the safety in fire position and you cannot load the second round. I just go done sending an email to Kimber and am anxious to see how they reply. Accuracy for a so-called premium rifle could be better but then again I have not played with many loads to date to find the sweet one. So far my Remington 700's shoot circles around this one with factory ammo and right out of the box comparisons. I was hoping that this would be my favorite rifle but it has a ways to go to earn that position.

quote:

Originally posted by tped:
I am one of the ones havign a problem - My Montana in 300WSM will not close the bolt in the forward fire position. Bolt works slick as can be in the middle position with no problems but put the safety in fire position and you cannot load the second round. I just go done sending an email to Kimber and am anxious to see how they reply. Accuracy for a so-called premium rifle could be better but then again I have not played with many loads to date to find the sweet one. So far my Remington 700's shoot circles around this one with factory ammo and right out of the box comparisons. I was hoping that this would be my favorite rifle but it has a ways to go to earn that position.

That's a problem for sure. Once you get it back, and to tell how accurate it is, shoot the rifle from a machine rest.

Old Timer: Do the same with your Kimber when you get it back. Use a rifle rest.