Kimber Mountain Ascent - which would you get?

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BadRonald

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Looking at the Kimber Mountain Ascent for a moose/elk rifle. It comes in the following:

.308 - weight 4lb 13oz

.30-06, .270, .280 Ack Imp - weight 5lb 5oz

The lower weight of the .308 is a big plus for me as I want something that carries easily.

Is the .308 a good choice, or is it worth the extra weight to move up to one of the longer chamberings?
 
.308 will do, I'd personally take the .280 ai version. You pay a whole lot of money for that low weight, and anyone who has played with super thin barreled rifles know they can be finicky, usually some combination of bedding the barrel a certain distance and forend pressure in order for them to shoot. If it's not a dedicated mountain rifle I'd look elsewhere.
 
It may be finicky. I'd love a lightweight 270 or the like but the 308 might be better if you're seriously saving ounces to do the ultralight mountain hunting thing. If you're doing the truck-to-stand Southern Ontario deer hunting thing then you're paying extra for no good reason to have an ultralight rig.
 
I used to carry an 11 lb rifle in the mountains, very quickly switched to a 5 lb. 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb difference won't matter too much unless you are packing it up and down 4,000 to 6,000 feet elevation every day sheep hunting.

If it was me, I would buy the 280 AI, would be a superb round in an excellent rifle.
 
I'd go for the 84L in either 280AI or 30-06 but if 1/2 a pound will make a noticable difference for you then the 84M should be your choice. I don't really think the weight difference between the two will amount to much at the end of the day. Have fun!
 
crazy_davey said:
The Mountain Ascent is not worth the extra money for what you get over the 84L Montana.
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Fair point, you are only saving 5oz with the Mountain Ascent over the Montana in .308, at a cost of over $100/oz. I'm not keen on the fact that the MA has a brake either.
 
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Is that a Kifaru High Camp crazy_davey?

I just received mine last week and have only played around the house/yard with it but am liking the way it handles thus far. I am still nursing a lower back ligament injury from the winter :( so havent pushed it too much yet.

Oh...I'd stick with the regular Montana if it were me. An ugly camo job (IMO) on the stock and dragon call on the end of the barrel make it a no go for me.
 
BadRonald said:
none
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Now to for go an onslaught from the magazine and wild tv warriors, I do like UL rifles and have spent considerable money building them.

But for the OPs sake I say these things:
Shooting an UL is a different bird in flight altogether, and they will discourage t
You greatly if you don't focus on your shooting fundimentals constantly. That little .308 sounds great but will kick sharply and the muzzle lift will be quite shocking. You have to control that, and consistently every time or your accuracy will suffer considerably. Bench, prone and shooting stick technique will make the difference between 3 MOA and 1 MOA shooting.
In dont say this to scare you, just educate you and it was a precedence to my next point.

You don't need a 5 1/2 pound rifle to hunt out west, especially the game you listed. A 7 to 8 pound rifle is far more appropriate and an easier platform to manage. Everyone I know hunts with rifles in this range out here and some crazy buggers carry 10 lb LR platforms after WTs to Mountain Goats.

This is just me sayin.....
 
rem338win said:
Now to for go an onslaught from the magazine and wild tv warriors, I do like UL rifles and have spent considerable money building them.

But for the OPs sake I say these things:
Shooting an UL is a different bird in flight altogether, and they will discourage t
You greatly if you don't focus on your shooting fundimentals constantly. That little .308 sounds great but will kick sharply and the muzzle lift will be quite shocking. You have to control that, and consistently every time or your accuracy will suffer considerably.
Click to expand...

Anyone who is a decent shot with a standard weight rifle can learn to shoot a lightweight rifle just fine with practice.

This Coming from a guy who has built, owned and shot quite a few lightweight rifles himself. That also includes killing a pile of animals.

Or maybe I am just another Wild TV warrior...
 
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