Light weight factory rifles
- Thread starter Jim870
- Start date
I have considered it and while my Scotch ancestry and the accuracy of my savage target rifle make it tempting there is just something lacking to the Savage light weight I handled. Perhaps the new stock they are putting on would change my mind.
I was halfway hoping to get more folk's first hand impressions of the Kimber Hunter. I suppose other than the stock and magazine the action and barrel is pretty well the same as the other 84 series rifles. I am curious why it isn't more popular as other than its injection molded stock it would seem to check an awful lot of boxes while staying below a Sako A7 or winchester model 70 in price.
Nobodys going to pay any attention to you anyhow !
Tikkas are Excellent rifles ! 
jmo RJ
Don't forget about the kimber classic stainless select grade. But i would vote for the Hunter or Montana. I had the savage lightweight. Being 6'5" it was way too small for me. I sold it to and old man Buddy that is 5'6". He ended selling it because it didn't feel right. Neither of us could get used to it
My Kimber classic select comes in at 6lb 15 ounces with a full magazine and a 2-7 x33 Leupold scope in 257 Roberts. A joy to carry for sure but I was surprised at the kick , obviously not a problem being a 25 cal but I would imagine an 06 or any magnums may be unpleasant - downright rude.
The Kimber Hunter is pretty much the same guts but with a different stock and I think you would be quite happy with it as I am with my Kimber. Very accurate well made rifles.
The Kimber Hunter is pretty much the same guts but with a different stock and I think you would be quite happy with it as I am with my Kimber. Very accurate well made rifles.
Kimber Hunter is the best value and it's much nicer than my Savage. The trigger on my hunter 280AI is flawless. My Weatherby Backcountry is also a very nice lightweight rifle but 3/4ths a pound heavier than the Kimber.
Savage 116/16 Lightweight or the Lightweight storm are two newer sub 6lbs rifles. I'll eventually grab one in 7mm-08.
The Tikka T3x and Sako A7 rifles are nearly a lbs heavier than the Kimber/Savages so I didn't consider them.
Savage 116/16 Lightweight or the Lightweight storm are two newer sub 6lbs rifles. I'll eventually grab one in 7mm-08.
The Tikka T3x and Sako A7 rifles are nearly a lbs heavier than the Kimber/Savages so I didn't consider them.
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Likely due to the fact that after you spend the dollars on a Montana handle for it you have spent Montana dollars, so you might as well get one of the best stocks available on a factory rifle right from the start.
I've got Kimbers in 22/250, 270 WSM, 300 WSM, 7 Rem and .338 Win Mag. Recoil isn't all that bad, once you get used to the speed of the impulse. At first its startling and then........................nothing. It's like a major league pitcher wound up and threw a potato chip at you.
Could you explain this better? What's a Montana handle?
Montana stock. Part of what makes the Montana a lot of rifle for the money is the stock. Great ergonomics, very stable, very stiff. Handles recoil well. Better than any injection molded stock (handle) on the market. And if you can find one, you are going to likely be spending McMillan dollars on it, to make the Hunter the rifle it started out as.... I understand the attraction to saving a few hundred dollars on the initial purchase price, but you are only getting 1/2 the rifle. Might as well buy the most for the least right from the start and get a Montana.
YMMV.
Weatherby Fan
CGN Regular
- Location
- Maple Ridge,BC,Canada
I would have to second what KodiakHntr says, go with a Kimber Montana, all stainless, Kevlar Carbon fibre stock, an excellent adjustable trigger, controlled round feed, probably the best stainless lightweight rifle for the money.
Owned and built a few lightweights including the original Titanium 700. I keep going back to my Finnlight in 270wsm. I would rather carry the extra weight and know I will hit what I am shooting at rather than deal with the finicky nature of the lightweight barrels.
From the original list posted, and although I do not like them personally, I suggest the Tikka. Good barrels and they tend to be good shooters.
I don't like the Kimbers. No guarantee of finding one that shoots well.
From the original list posted, and although I do not like them personally, I suggest the Tikka. Good barrels and they tend to be good shooters.
I don't like the Kimbers. No guarantee of finding one that shoots well.
The honeycomb forend on the Hunter is both light and rigid. The bedding is fine and the rifles still shoot under MOA.
While the Montana is a very nice rifle and the stock is very nice the Hunter is quite a deal.
I’m sure they do shoot just fine. Right up until you are snugged into a pack over a rock on a steep hillside with some pressure pushing from the side..... Honeycomb injection molded plastic simply isn’t as strong and rigid kevlar and carbon fiber. The stock is a big part of what makes the Montana a bargain for the money.
The hunter is still a lot of rifle, but the stock certainly isn’t anything to write home about.
The hunter is still a lot of rifle, but the stock certainly isn’t anything to write home about.
Montana's are great. My Hunter shoots really well too. It depends on your budget. I wouldn't not buy a Kimber Hunter if that's what I could afford, and be really happy with it.
My Montana is lighter to carry, the Hunter has a detachable magazine. Both shoot the same bullets into similar size groups, they are the same caliber. I have a Mountain Ascent in the same caliber, and it shoots the same. I find it very hard to justify the extra cost based on target results. When I am out backpacking......I am carrying the Mountain Ascent. My Hunter is my year round shooting rifle. My wife has claimed the Montana......
My Montana is lighter to carry, the Hunter has a detachable magazine. Both shoot the same bullets into similar size groups, they are the same caliber. I have a Mountain Ascent in the same caliber, and it shoots the same. I find it very hard to justify the extra cost based on target results. When I am out backpacking......I am carrying the Mountain Ascent. My Hunter is my year round shooting rifle. My wife has claimed the Montana......
Yes, surprised they are not mentioned more often. Have had two.......the one I have left (original first model ,walnut blued, floorplate) in 270 is quite a rifle. With this barrel profile, I have normally been shooting two shot groups. Everything from 90 to 140 grains have printed two shots touching at 100 yards off front bag and tight sling, Leupold 2.5 -8 VX 3........Not every group mind you, but often enough that I know that when it does not, it is my fault. I am an old guy and have fired quite a few rifles.......My experience suggests that not many rifles will shoot 4 different bullet weights the way this one does. What do other gunnutz think ?? Is this performance usual or unusual in your experience ?
