I think a simple rebarreling would do the trick. Another option would be the .25 Souper, using the .243 case necked up to .257, which would just require a rebore, permitting you to keep the present barrel, but you could go on up to 6.5mm, giving you a .260 Remington. Either of these calibers could be put into your current barrel by a reboring job....

Would this be a simple rebarrel job? I have extreme confidence in the wonderful little .250/3000 but very little in the .243. Will it require work to make it feed correctly? I do realize there is very little true difference in the cartidges, but humor me please. Also who would you recommend for a barrel job? I wish to keep the same barrel contour as the factory barrel, in stainless. I know it's impractical, but it's something I really want.

Thanks,
Rob

Do you have an 84M Classic in 243 now? If you did you could try a 250 Savage rounds in the magazine and see how they feed. They might go quite far into the chamber and then you could remove each one and try the next one.

Also some CRF rifles will feed empty brass from the magazine. The ramps on those Kimbers are polished very well.

You could neck down 250's to 243 or try 22-250 empties out of the mag. If it feeds them it should be ok.

Someone mentioned asking Kimber to chamber the 250 and an insider there replied that he would like a 358 himself. I think Kimber is kind of busy right now with manufacturing and the Montanas are in short supply.

Get one in 260 Rem. It will do what a 250 does and more.

Rob,

I have a cute little Ruger M77 original in .250 Savage that is looking for a home. I originally picked it up for a grandson who turns out to be a lefty.

Email me if interested. This is definitely the cheap and cheerful way to get you shooting.

jim

I've not worked with the Kimber but I would not expect there to be anything needed other than the rebarrel. The .250 is slightly shorter and tapers more but this should not be significant.

What would be the best twist be for deer hunting bullets? 1 in 8, 10, or 14 inches?

Looks like you need 1-9" - see Shilen Twist Rate Chart - Courtesy of Bencrest.com
- mike

A 1-10 should do it. Always go on the fast side of just right for hunting rifles.

1 in 10 will handle bullet weights from 75 grs. to 120 grs. in the 25 caliber.

I'm partial to the 25's - I have a 257 Roberts and a 25-284.

If you really like the Kimber action, go ahead and rebarrel it. 250 Savage cartridges will feed fine. I've used Pac-Nor to do 2 rebarrel jobs for me. Cost thru them is about $420 for a stainless super match, and they do a fantastic job. I'd recommend a 3-groove. Most other barrel makers would probably also be fine, but I've had great luck with Pac-Nor as a full-service riflesmith.

Or - you could sell the Kimber to buy a Remington 700 or Winchester action and possibly have enough left over to finance a rebarrelling job.

One word of caution.......If you ever get started in custom rifles, there's no looking back! It just gets deeper and deeper and deeper.................