I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a new Kimber 84m in 308, or to try and find a OLD 77 with a tang safety in 30-06 and have a 338-06 made. I'm not wealthy by any means but I have rat holed a few bucks.

The type of hunting it will be used for will be about 250yrds max and alot of still hunting second growth timber. 150-200 blacktail deer and 250-350 black bear.

I looked at the 84m and it looks nice but I do not know anyone that shoots one. Should I try to find a 84 or wait a have a 338-06 made.

Any help? Thanks Tony

JUST got off the phone with a buddy who bought a new M84 in .260 rem. First groups he shot were 5/8" at 100 and 1 1/4" for FIVE at 200 yds. May be a fluke but thats pretty darned accurate!

I'm a real fan of the .338-06 and would of course send you in that direction, but the new Kimbers appear to be winners. When faced with such a dilemma I usually just do BOTH.

FN in MT

Being a big 308 fan, I would be hard pressed to use any thing other than a 308 except..........I am FAST gaining a lot of respect for the 260 as well. I am sure that the 338-06 is a good one, but if I was going to either buy or build a rifle for what you are going hunt, it would either be a 260 or a 308. Have fun making up your mind. Both of them are shooters. I would bet that what the 260 did in M 84 is not a fluke.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight......RiverRat

everyone has their own prejudices in life.....either will work for deer and black bear.....but I am certainly intrigued with the .338-06

It's clearly a big game cartridge and very few folks will use it as a varmint cartridge....it's very capable of everything from white tails to whatever roams the earth.

I have one in my plan for the next five years.

My dad and a friend of his think that of all the rifles they have, their 338-06's may be their favorite.

I have a friend that bought an 84 in 308 and it won't shoot anything in under 2" at 100. He regrets putting that much $ in for the gun. Your experience may vary. I would go with the 338-06. Chances are that with a new barrel it will shoot better than the 84 if the barrel is installed properly.

Since I have a M77, tang safety, laminated wood stocked .338-06, my vote would go there. For anything up to moose, under 300yds, you would be hard pressed to find a better cartridge.
$300-400 for a used M77. $400 for a bbl., refinish the stock or buy a new drop in laminate for $300 & be a happy hunter.

[ 09-10-2003, 19:20: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

If you are looking for a semi-cheap platform for a .338-06, why not consider the "Ghost kits" from AcraBond?? (follow link "What's New?")

If you are willing to do some stock finishing yourself, you should be able to finish at just over 1K$. Don't know if that fits your budget?

In terms of custom rifles, in my mind, this is not expensive. It is extremely easy to spend double this amount without getting much more in the end. Your mileage may vary...
- mike

My observations from working five years in guns stores- The current Kimbers are having lots of problems in terms of accuracy- One acquaintence is on his third send back to the factory with a 22/250 and is still not getting the kind of accuracy that I would expect for that money- ( He is getting about 1" groups)
The word seems to be getting out, because Kimbers don't seem to be selling well.
Its always a crap shoot, but I would start with a Winchester M70, have the locking lugs checked to see if they need lapping, have it rebedded and the trigger worked to 3 1/2 pounds.
The 308 would be about as good as anything you could buy, the 338/06 would do well, but its main advantage is more nostagic than ballistic, I think.