Kimber Montana Vs Winchester weather extreme

The EW ranges from 1-2 lbs heavier than the Montana, depending on the action length. That makes a big difference when we're comparing a 5lbs rifle with a 7lbs rifle.
 
But other than weight, both are pretty good guns

I was going towards a Montana, but then read and experienced the QA concerns they had (they have apparently been corrected with the newer models) , so went with a gun that, so far, had not had many if any QA problems.

I also like the weight when shooting, I have essential tremor, so the weight helps me steady when I have to shoot off hand.

If you buy a used Kimber, ask about feeding problems and accuracy.

Not slamming Kimbers, I really like them, but for the $$$, their QA sucked and that scared me away.

I am also a Winchester man, so I am a little bit partial.....

Cheers

SS
 
philthygeezer said:
A seven pound Sumo?
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Watch those "claimed weights" by different manufacturers.
Kimber has been one of the only manufactures that list close to true weight, and I have weighed many different rifles.

Model 70 is a robust design thats been around since the dinosaurs. It has a hinged floorplate.

An 84M is slim and trim and considerably lighter with one of the best factory triggers in existence, has a cylindrical receiver that's easy to bed but uses a blind mag {Montana}.

The Kimbers I've owned were smoother feeding than the Model 70.
If you want a well-balanced short action lightweight with a great stock design that may or may not require some minor tweaking and load development go Kimber.
If an extra two pounds doesn't factor into your decision go Winchester and have a couple extra bucks in your jeans.
Pretty simple decision in my thinking.
 
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Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
Watch those "claimed weights" by different manufacturers.
Kimber has been one of the only manufactures that list close to true weight, and I have weighed many different rifles.

Model 70 is beefy and has a hinged floorplate.

An 84M is slim and trim and considerably lighter with one of the best factory triggers in existence, has a cylindrical receiver that's easy to bed but uses a blind mag {Montana}.

The Kimbers I've owned were smoother feeding than the Model 70.
If you want a well-balanced short action lightweight with a great stock design that may or may not require some minor tweaking and load development go Kimber.
If an extra two pounds doesn't factor into your decision go Winchester and have a couple extra bucks in your jeans.
Pretty simple decision in my thinking.
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On a scale of 1-5 Rick Flair "WOOOO"s what do you rate the Montana Mr.Sunandsteel? :D


...you tell that SOB Limit Time to sell me the Wintana back... :cool:
 
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I was in the same spot you are now about a year ago. I was looking for a 300 WSM, and opted for the Winchester. My line of thinking was that I could save about $600 on the initial purchase, and that the added bit of weight would make it a better shooting rifle for me. If 2 lbs is of that much concern on a hunt, I will cut back on cheeseburgers, rather than rifle weight. I also thought that the money saved would be better spent on customizing the Winchester to my liking, but I have yet to find that necessary.
 
Gatehouse said:
I wish Kimber would offer a hinged floorplate, then they would be close to perfect for a factory gun.
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I take it you are speaking of the Montana... I have often wondered if Kimber would sell the trigger guard and floor plate/mag box that they use on the Classic Stainless Select Grade models so that one could modify a Montana stock.

It doesn't matter that much to me but it would be a nice option.
 
I don't have a Kimber but I do have a LA M70 Extreme Weather. If memory serves me right, the rifle with a Vari-X II 2-7x33mm held on with Talley lightweights, a 3/4" leather sling, and 4 loaded rounds in the magazine weighs in at 8.1lbs. I can get an Uncle Mike's Mountain Sling and drop down to 150 grain bullets if I wanted to trim more weight.:D

Both guns will kill game. If you want a true lightweight and have a few hundred extra bucks kicking around, get the Montana...if not the M70 EW is pretty good.
 
Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
Watch those "claimed weights" by different manufacturers.
Kimber has been one of the only manufactures that list close to true weight, and I have weighed many different rifles.

Model 70 is a robust design thats been around since the dinosaurs. It has a hinged floorplate.

An 84M is slim and trim and considerably lighter with one of the best factory triggers in existence, has a cylindrical receiver that's easy to bed but uses a blind mag {Montana}.

The Kimbers I've owned were smoother feeding than the Model 70.
If you want a well-balanced short action lightweight with a great stock design that may or may not require some minor tweaking and load development go Kimber.
If an extra two pounds doesn't factor into your decision go Winchester and have a couple extra bucks in your jeans.
Pretty simple decision in my thinking.
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Agreed for the most part. I have an EW SS and can confirm seven pounds.
 
Both guns are excellent. If you want to end up with an accurate, lightweight rifle, you can either grab a 70 EW and order a McMillan Edge for it (a $600 upgrade), or you can grab a Montana and if it doesn't shoot, you can have it re-barrelled (also a $600 upgrade). With the Winchester, you're guaranteed to have to spend $1300+ in order to end up with a light rifle. With the Kimber, you are guaranteed to end up with a light rifle, but there is a small chance you may have to drop a total of ~$1900 to end up with the accuracy you're looking for. At the end of the day, you'd end up with a Win 70 with a stock that is comparable to the Montana stock for about the same total cost, and then if you did have to re-barrel the Kimber, you'd end up with a premium barrel, while the Win would have the factory barrel.
 
Jordan Smith said:
Both guns are excellent. If you want to end up with an accurate, lightweight rifle, you can either grab a 70 EW and order a McMillan Edge for it (a $600 upgrade), or you can grab a Montana and if it doesn't shoot, you can have it re-barrelled (also a $600 upgrade). With the Winchester, you're guaranteed to have to spend $1300+ in order to end up with a light rifle. With the Kimber, you are guaranteed to end up with a light rifle, but there is a small chance you may have to drop a total of ~$1900 to end up with the accuracy you're looking for. At the end of the day, you'd end up with a Win 70 with a stock that is comparable to the Montana stock for about the same total cost, and then if you did have to re-barrel the Kimber, you'd end up with a premium barrel, while the Win would have the factory barrel.
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Good points there, but if the OP goes new and doesn't get a shooter, we now have a Kimber warranty center here in Canada.
This really brings the Kimber up a notch IMHO, it just ain't like the old days.
 
thumper1 said:
The winchester is 30-06 kimber 270wsm
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Out of those choices(I am a Winchester guy) I would go with the Kimber. There is a decent deal on one in the EE right now with rings and as S&S mentioned above the warranty is now taken care of in Canada, not like in the past.

Bought the exact same Kimber rifle for my father a few years back and it is a great rifle with no issues.
 
crazy_davey said:
I take it you are speaking of the Montana... I have often wondered if Kimber would sell the trigger guard and floor plate/mag box that they use on the Classic Stainless Select Grade models so that one could modify a Montana stock.

It doesn't matter that much to me but it would be a nice option.
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It would be so easy to switch to a factory floorplate on the Montana.
When I still had my Montana in 7-08 I removed the floorplate assembly from my Classic and did all the eyeballing. IIRC the mag box,spring and follower are identical. It would be a simple conversion, and I always thought of doing it.

Kimber has been really good about sending me parts over the years...I would imagine there's a good chance a Montana owner could purchase a floorplate assembly for a reasonable price factory direct with little hassle.
 
thumper1 said:
The winchester is 30-06 kimber 270wsm
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The weight difference between those two models is negligible.
Buy whichever one fits you in the caliber that floats your boat.
Now if we're talking an 84L Montana in .280AI,well then the weight disparity grows some and the Montana once again pulls out to pass...
 
Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
The weight difference between those two models is negligible.
Buy whichever one fits you in the caliber that floats your boat.
Now if we're talking an 84L Montana in .280AI,well then the weight disparity grows some and the Montana once again pulls out to pass...
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Kimber Montana 270 WSM- 6 lbs 3 oz
Kimber Montana 84L 280 AI- 5 lbs 10 oz
Winchester EW 30-06- 7 lbs 2 oz

The Kimber WSM is about one pound lighter than the EW, or about 15%, with a 2" longer bbl.
 
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