Are they really worth the money ?

powdergun

powdergun

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I would like to here from those of you who have owned and run some of the high end rifles through their paces. I've been researching the following.

1) Kimber
2) Cooper
3 Christiansen arms

and a couple of others. They are $2000 and up guns. Are they really worth the extra cash ? I know that less expensive guns can easily keep up with them from an accuracy stand point ( except maybe coopers ) but is the fit and finish, quality of the internals and so on worth the price tag.

I know fine wood is expensive but I like synthetic stocks because of durability and usability. Therefore if you had the money would you buy a cooper or a rem SPS and keep the change.

Also, which of the ones mentioned would you feel is the best fro the $2000. I know that sometimes the name is the reason for the price tag and not the gun.

Thanks
 
Personally, I think you would be better off getting yourself a new SPS, and investing in a new barrel stock and trigger. Your results would likely be as good or better than the ones you mentioned. Or, go all out and build yourself a custom rifle: use a Stiller action, a Canadian made AI bottom metal, a barrel from one of our great Canadian manufacturers, a good stock and a great trigger. Then you will be very happy with the result.
 
Had a Kimber that produced poor groups(more of a pattern, than group), and I tried everything...Would never buy another..

I am toying with the idea of getting a cooper, as I have never heard anything bad about them, only good reviews...The Nosler rifles also have me interested.
 
powdergun said:
I know fine wood is expensive but I like synthetic stocks because of durability and usability. Therefore if you had the money would you buy a cooper or a rem SPS and keep the change.
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I wouldn't buy either. The Cooper is overpriced and the SPS just isn't very good. If you want to spend $2K on a rifle, buy the type of action you want and have a custom rifle built to your specs.
 
I've got 2 Kimbers, 1 recently arrived Cooper, no Christiansons and an SPS or two. In different ways, and in spite of their wildly varying prices they were all worth their asking price.

When we used to buy SPSs for $400 or so they were a bargain just for the action.Lots of them shot well too.

A Kimber for $1200 or so comes with a trigger that tops most of my aftermarket triggers, a real recoil pad, glass and pillar bedding and chambers that would normally require buying a barrel and your own reamer.

The Cooper started cranking out groups at or just over 1/2" on its first trip to the range. I didn't so much as set the trigger on that one, and it's already bedded as well. Ditto on the barrel/ chambering quality. All that for $200 more than a Sako.

Are they worth it? At various times I've been asked if $200 scopes were as good as $1000 scopes,(then there's binos) $30 fishing rods as good as $500 rods, $300 pumpguns couldn't rival $3000 over and unders, and so on. I'm just cheap enough to wish it were true, but face it, if $400 rifles were the equal of $2000 rifles there wouldn't be any $2000 rifles or builds.
 
I have a Kimber 8400 in Classic Select grade. Very nice rfle, shoots well, very light. And by the time I got it home it cost around 2K.

I also have one of the new Winchester M-70's in featherweight. Also a nice rifle, shoots well, very light (same scope as the Kimber). And by the time I got it home it cost me $800.

Is the Kimber worth the extra $1200 bucks? "NO" The Kimber is deffinitely a higher grade rifle but not worth the difference in my opinion.

I would suggest you take serious look at the New Win M-70's, they come in stainless with a aluminum impreganted synthetic stocks.
 
Have you looked at high quality European rifles?
Nobody regrets buying a Heym or a Sako once the sticker shock fades.

Resale values of these rifles is always excellent because of their extremely high quality.

Alex
 
My money would be on a Cooper or Dakota if that was my cup of tea, for less money....the Kimber.......Euroguns are out of the question for me because of the plastics and weird stock designs....The Christenson looks like all gimmick and it's promotion on TV just confirms it for me.....IMHO
 
Christensen besides being hard to spell are way overpriced in my mind. A Rem 700 that the bolt has been fluted, handle skeletonized, printed Teflon coated. Shilen barrel coated in Carbon, carbon stock,bottom metal not sure, timmney trigger for $4500 U.S.
 
I would never buy a wood-stocked Kimber. If I wanted a nice wood gun, I'd start with a 98-style action and build.

The reason for getting a Kimber is for the lightweight, utility-oriented Montana rifles. You get a Kevlar/CF stock, pillar and glass bedding, an awesome trigger, a nice slick CRF action, and a real recoil pad right from the get-go. Even magnum performance will only cost you ~6lbs for the bare rifle. If you are happy with short-action cartridges, then you can shave nearly a pound off that weight. To build a similar rifle would cost a lot more than the sticker price of the Montana.

My Montana 7WSM routinely turns in sub-1/2MOA groups at 200 yards with the right loads, so I'm not concerned about searching for better accuracy from a non-comp rifle.

Coopers are also beautiful rifles. Very accurate and very nice fit and finish. I have very little experience with CA.

It's like cars. Is it worth it to you to pay an extra $30k to drive an Audi S4, or are you perfectly happy with a VW Jetta? To lots of guys who appreciate fine cars, and don't mind spending money on them, the S4 is worth the extra money. There are many others who don't appreciate the differences between the two, and would never pay the money.

Having owned a Kimber Montana, as well as some of the more run-of-the-mill rifles, I would say that it's worth the extra cash. But I didn't pay anywhere near $2000 for mine.
 
Can't comment on a Cooper. Had a few in hand, never fired one. Decided on the Sako 85s and my custom rifles. They look nice, but I prefer the Sako 85and the Win 70 if I am buying off the rack.

The lower end Kimbers seem a bit junky to me. The higher end lack finish. Not impressed with accuracy or overall quality. Witnessed an epic fail on a sparkling new tactical model, that being the bolt retaining pin shereing off during a gear trial - no shots fired. Saw the same break down on 2 Montanas owned by buddies of mine. Accuracy was not present in either of those rifles. The best I saw from those particular Montanas was 2MOA.

Christensen can make a nice rifle, but they are mostly semi-custom Remingtons. Bang for buck, you can buy better straight off the shelf, or build exactly what you want through a smith for the same price or better. I was intrigued by the carbon barrels untils I learned they use the junky SPS barrels as their base. The carbon barrel attracts unwarranted attention. Just because it sounds space-age does not make it better. The base barrels are junk (in relation to a custom project $$$$) and the carbon is prone to separation from the steel due to heat from firing combined with cold environment. Not worth the price. If you want a good Christensen rifle, you have to go all the way to their highest end kit.
 
Nobody regrets buying a Heym or a Sako once the sticker shock fades.
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I don't know, I took a Sako back today that couldn't meet their accuracy guarantee and consistantly put the cold shot 2 MOA out of the group. I first replaced it with a Cooper that can shoot circles around it.

I haven't met a Heym I didn't like.
 
I would want to see some work before shelling out $$$$

I've seen some "Custom" guns, and some of those ones in the gun mags, the Gunmakers guild ones... and even them.. the wood work leaves a LOT to be desired. Poor inletting, messed up lines on checkering, bobbles on the forearm....

If this is a "Take it to the Grave" type buy, then spend the money and get it done right the first time.

I'd find a 'smith who can do awesome metal work, and then find a Stockmaker to put the wood on it. (if they happen to be the same, Good... but not always, so check around)

That's if you were spending My money
 
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