Anyone have a rifle made by them or have any experience with the company or their rifles to speak on the quality of their product and services?

I've been curious to see this as well, they have lots of advertising in a hunting magazine I get, and I think I saw somewhere the price tag is in the 15k range.

Red

A friend of mine ordered one in 458LOTT, but I'm sure if he's received it yet. I've handled, but not shot, several Kilamanjaros and could not find fault with any of them. Works of art they were....

When buy buddy returns from abroad, I'll see if he's gotten his rifle.

Kilimanjaro rifles started out as Serengeti rifles. I have two and they are very nice. They were as custom as you wanted to go. A basic rifle with nice wood was about $4000 in 2006 using a Montana arms barreled action. With the down turn of 2008 Serengeti was sold and the name was changed to Kilimanjaro with a continued upgrade of their products. I have only seen pictures of the latest models.

quote:

Originally posted by Caretaker:
A friend of mine ordered one in 458LOTT, but I'm sure if he's received it yet. I've handled, but not shot, several Kilamanjaros and could not find fault with any of them. Works of art they were....

When buy buddy returns from abroad, I'll see if he's gotten his rifle.

yes, please findout more about his rifle when you get the chance. i want to findout as much as i can about their rifles because i'm planning to get 4 custom rifles built over the next 3 years or so and from what i've seen on their website , Kilimanjaro rifles is definately a candidate for building one of my rifles after i get my 600 Overkill built by AHR. i wouldn't doubt it at all that i would get AHR to build more rifles for me after i get my big bore from them but out of 4 rifles i'd like to give another company a try also. on a sidenote i really like the 458 Lott cartridge and will most likely geta rifle chambered for it sometime although at least for the first couple of big bore i get built i'm going about as big and powerful as i can.

quote:

Originally posted by army aviator:
Kilimanjaro rifles started out as Serengeti rifles. I have two and they are very nice. They were as custom as you wanted to go. A basic rifle with nice wood was about $4000 in 2006 using a Montana arms barreled action. With the down turn of 2008 Serengeti was sold and the name was changed to Kilimanjaro with a continued upgrade of their products. I have only seen pictures of the latest models.

thanks very much for the info.

quote:

Originally posted by Dago Red:
I've been curious to see this as well, they have lots of advertising in a hunting magazine I get, and I think I saw somewhere the price tag is in the 15k range.

Red

the $15,000 one is probably the Doctari rifle which i thinkis very interesting even though that grip looks a bit odd to me on a DG rifle but if it really feels good in your hands like that i'm open to having something like it. i think the lowest price they have for arifle now is about $7,000. their Tigercat rifle seems very nice to me. their stocks with the stealth lamination sounds like a good thing to me also. i've checked at least 20 custom rifle websites and Kilimanjaro are at the top 5 of my list just from looking at their websites.

I haven't seen their website yet, it is unfortunate that some very talented makers don't even have sites.

Are you concerned with value/warranty or with the price? I ask because there are probably some guys out there that can build you a hell of a rifle at a good price, but they might not be as well known. I wish I was in your shoes looking at getting a bunch of customs in my future, I'm sure you're going to have a blast just planning them and watching their progress.

Red

quote:

Originally posted by Dago Red:
I haven't seen their website yet, it is unfortunate that some very talented makers don't even have sites.

Are you concerned with value/warranty or with the price? I ask because there are probably some guys out there that can build you a hell of a rifle at a good price, but they might not be as well known. I wish I was in your shoes looking at getting a bunch of customs in my future, I'm sure you're going to have a blast just planning them and watching their progress.

Red

i like to own things which hold good value but i also doubt very much that i would ever sell a customrifle that i had built for me unless i absolutely had to for some reason because even out of the factory guns that i've sold i wish i had them all back and will most likely never sell another factory gun i have. right now the most i can spend on a custom rifle is around 10 grand and the first rifle i'm having built will come pretty close to costing that. i think i'm going to go a lot cheaper than that on the 2nd one though, hopefully between 5 and 7 grand. i've been enjoying planning this even before starting the build on the first one because everyday when i'm finished working i satrting thinking about my rifle and and look at info on the computer about custom rifles, thinking about what i want for the other files i'll get after the first one. if you have any info that could help i'd really appreciate it, i have anotebook that i am writing down the names of every gun builder i can find in. my first rifle will be the 600 OK, the next will be a deer rifle, probably a 25 caliber, then another big bore and then again a big bore or maybe a .338 caliber. will definately be getting a .338 sometime though and have to figure out just whcih .338 cartridge i want for sure, right now i'm leaning towards the .338 Lapua.

My impression is a nice rifle but the same money can easily get you a nicer rifle.

A PH mate of mine is having one in 500Gibbs made up for him. He gave the ones he has seen top marks.

Seems like their pricing went nuts when they moved their advertizing to Sports Afield, African Hunting Gazzette, SCI and the like. Catereing do those that, may perhaps believe high cost necessariy implies high quality... Same issue with Mr Sandman too perhaps?

Pez,
I talked to them a couple years ago about a rifle and for some reason I do not remember went with Hill Country Rifles. In January of this year I met their Master Gunsmith-Gene Gordner- at the Safari Club convention in Dallas. also the lady I had talked to on the telephone several times. They seem to be top people. Mr Gordner and I visited at length twice about rifles and he is a mule rider too!
They have lots of rifles and the show and all were quality samples. He can make any style a person could want and most of them fit me like a glove.
I believe they are top-notch people and extremely honest.

anyone discovered more info on this company yet? would love to know more about them as i do think they make absolutely beautiful rifles, in fact in my opinion some of the best looking i've seen on the internet. if i knew more about them they would be a serious consideration for building my 25-06.

I looked at numerous wood sites last week and kilamanjaro also. They want $ 5400 plus for one of their AA laminated blanks shaped and finished for your rifle. Etras to their basic design are more expensive. Seemed overpriced to me. I've had (2) full customs built in the last 3 years and both were much less expensive than what K is selling.

quote:

Originally posted by aliveincc:
I looked at numerous wood sites last week and kilamanjaro also. They want $ 5400 plus for one of their AA laminated blanks shaped and finished for your rifle. Etras to their basic design are more expensive. Seemed overpriced to me. I've had (2) full customs built in the last 3 tears and both were much less expensive than what K is selling.

Oh there is no doubt Kilimanjaro charges very high prices for their products! i think their absolute least expensive rifle is around $7000.00. however i still think they have some of the very best looking custom rifles i've seen on the internet though. and i really like how they make those laminated stocks that don't look laminated but have the strength and durability of laminated stocks. that really appeals to me.

There is an ad for a "semi-custom" Kilimanjaro rifle on p. 36 of the May/June 2012 issue of Sports Afield. No info on pricing.

After ordering an Empire and never receiving it I would worry about the money these folks are spending on advertising.

Every dollar on advertising is a dollar they don't have to build your rifle on time, or at all.

If you really like a custom rifle go to DSC, find one already built, and buy it on the spot.

Don't order one.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim in MI:
After ordering an Empire and never receiving it I would worry about the money these folks are spending on advertising.

Every dollar on advertising is a dollar they don't have to build your rifle on time, or at all.


If you really like a custom rifle go to DSC, find one already built, and buy it on the spot.

Don't order one.

Jim has a point worth listening to as so many heavily advertised start-up rifle builders have had problems --- you don't see makers like D'Arcy Echols, Joe Smithson, James Tucker, Jerry Fisher or Lon Paul advertising.

+1 on buy it built. If I had all the $ that evaporated on various'custom'deals I'd have at least one safari. Not to mention the anguish getting ripped off with no real retaliation unless you go the legal route which is usually more anguish. A CZ in the hand is worth all the guns that didn't get built in time for your safari.

Gene is a gifted builder, more of an artist. The Doctari is an excellent DG rifle. Kevin spec'ed it out personally. They are nice for sure but out of my want-to range. As far as advertising goes. Most of the rifle builders I know of that don't advertise don't care whether they sell a gun or not. They don't have much, if any, ambition. The folks at Kilimanjaro ifles are in business to make a profit. The best way to do that is to advertise what you make/sell.

I posted on Kilimanjaro's "semi-custom" offering. The response seemed to be a litany of bad experiences with custom builders. While the few custom rifles I own have been built by someone I knew well, I thought the "semi-custom" offering might be a solution to many of the perceived problems -- cost, time, etc. Cutting down on the options definitely should cut down on the time. Have no idea what the cost might be. They are pretty, though.