thinking of buying a kimber 84m montanna

I've only handled them and I believe that the stocks on them are made of something more substantial then the cheapo plastic used on the Tikkas, very light, very nice if you don't have a need for wood. I do question your caliber choice though, aren't these rifles meant for long range/mountain work, and wouldn't one of the smaller .308 case based cals. be alot flatter shooting, like say a 7mm/08 or .260 Rem.?
 
I'm interested in buying the rifle for its light weight as my hunting style has me doing a lot of walking in some tough terrain. very rarely would i shoot at something past 300 yds and the 338 federal is flat enough for that. it would also in my opinion be suitable for all the species i hunt including deer, elk, and moose.
 
i received my 84m montanna in 338 federal a couple of days ago and thought i would share my initial impressions of this rifle for anyone else who may be interested in purchasing one. i have not shot it yet as i am waiting for the scope to arrive. once i shoot it i will update my info. the rifle is very well balanced and fantastic to handle and carry. the minimized action and carbon fiber/kevlar stock make for a very light rifle. i found the trigger is amazing. one of the best triggers i have used. the action and barrel are well finished and fit the stock well. two things i do not like are the bolt handle and the extractor. the bolt handle appears to be a seperate piece from the bolt body. i could be wrong on this and am not sure how it is attatched. maybe pressed in? i will be contacting kimber to find this out. in my opinion the best quality rifles have a one peice bolt. the extractor while of the excellent mauser design is poorly finished. it appears to have been made from a casting which is not a bad thing necessarily, but the casting flash or mold lines have not been removed. the underside is especially poorly finished for a rifle of this price. that being said the cosmetics of the extractor shouldn't detract from its functionalitly. overall though i am very impressed with the rifle.
 
I have heard great things about the Kimber myself but have not shot one myself, from the pictures and the descriptions i have seen i am looking forward to playing with them in the future if my wife will let me buy anything else this year (she wants upgrades to the house bleh)
 
jbmauser said:
two things i do not like are the bolt handle and the extractor. the bolt handle appears to be a seperate piece from the bolt body. i could be wrong on this and am not sure how it is attatched. maybe pressed in?
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Don't quote me, but I believe the bolt handle is threaded. There is a guy on 24hourcampfire that makes alloy ones as a replacement, for the real lightweight nuts. I am pretty sure they thread on.
 
Kimber

I shot my Kimber Montana 300 WSM last night in practice for the upcoming sheep season, ran about 15 rounds during the practice.
Distances were 200, 300 and 400 yards off a bench and mechanical rest the rifle is scoped with a Leupold 4.5-14 B&C 30mm. I personally have shot this gun a lot better in the past but am confident as the agragate of all shots were placed in a softball ball sized group or heart shot if you will.
My overall experience with the Montanas ( 6 in total ) would have to be a nine out of ten, bearing in mind that these lightweights are a three shot gun and should be left to cool off before running more shots.
I have less than 100 rounds through this particular gun and have not yet decided on the best load for it, but am looking forward to more experimentation when time permits.
I have not personally had any oppertunity to use any rifle chambered in 338 Federal but think it would be a fine choice for rough country hunting at distances up to 300 yards. Regards David.
 
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I've had experience with a number of Kimber rifles...very well made for the most part... personally I would expect better accuracy from a rifle of this price range..
 
I've had owned three Montanas' in total, currently have two. Two were good, one was abysmal. Gooders are sweet and you'll want to carry nothing else. A bad one will make you crazy.
I just bought an 84m classic off the EE for parts to fix my broken down Montana in 7mm-08. Misfiring (weak primer-strikes and long in the headspace) and feeding issues plague this rifle and after a trip to a reputable gunsmith and replacement parts directly from Kimber the issues are not resolved. 84M's especially earlier serial #'s are prone to the above problems, it's not unique to mine, Kimber has QC issues. Accuracy problems are also widely reported although mine have been around MOA with load development.

Enough whining...here's my thoughts on the Kimber Montana. I compare them to a highly tuned race car. They run on the ragged edge of reliability. All parts are minimized to shed ounces and the miniscule firing pin and spring sound like a rimfire when released.
The Montana is challenging to shoot accurately,they require technique. WSM's (8400 Montanas) are especially punishing during repeated bench sessions. The stocks are well designed,although ring height is critical to keep my cheekbone from slapping the stock. They balance fantastic. Full length barrels but still come out near 40" OAL.
If ultra-light gear is a must for you (and you know who you are) then the 84M can't be beat. You play the lottery. Try and stay away from used. Realize that Kimber has no warranty center in Canada AFAIK and cross you're fingers you get a gooder.
If you get a decent one, or you stay the course and iron out the problems you will be rewarded with what I feel is the finest carry-rifle in production today. Check-out prices on custom rifles that come anywhere close to the Montana in weight. NULA or Riflesinc.'s Strata come to mind. Good luck :p
 
Kimber Warranty

I was just recently informed by Mr Bob Galloway owner of Gun Worx near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta that he has entered into a warranty agreement with Kimber. This is great news for Canadian market. David.
 
jbmauser said:
the bolt handle appears to be a seperate piece from the bolt body. i could be wrong on this and am not sure how it is attatched. maybe pressed in? i will be contacting kimber to find this out.
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Barrels are most definitely threaded. Bolt handle removes from bolt (threaded).
 
thanks for the info about the bolt handle blargon. the light weight handle sounds interesting. i have also heard from a kimber dealer that the canadian warranty place is gun worx.
 
thanks for the info and input everyone. has anyone else noticed the poor finish on their extractors or did mine just slip through qaulity control? hopefully i will remember to contact kimber tomorrow and ask about this.
 
i did contact kimber and as soon as they found out i was from canada directed me to the canadian distributer Korth Group. i contacted cody at korth group who was very helpful and a pleasure to deal with. the bolt handle is threaded on as several of you pointed out. as for my extractor i sent an e-mail with pictures of the poor finish to cody who then forwarded it to kimber. we are still waiting for a reply. i stil don't have a scope(should be here next week) but decided to put one round down range to start the barrel break in and see what recoil was like. recoil was very mild. i was surprised by the lack of felt recoil given the cartridge and light weight. the fired load was factory federal fusion 200gr load. before firing the kimber i shot my husqvarna in 8mm mauser and my brno zg 47 in 30-06. felt recoil was very similar to the 8mm and less than the 30-06 although both of these guns are substantially heavier than the kimber. i did notice on the fired brass that the neck area of the chamber appears to be very rough. the brass had imprints on it deep enough to feel with my nails and are in a spiral fashion similar to screw threads. these are only on the neck it seems as the body of the case came out smooth. while these marks don't impress me much hopefully they will not have an effect on accuracy. once i get the scope and the barrel broke in i will post accuracy results.
 
Don't own a Kimber but have 3 3 friends who have/had them. All of them were disappointed in the accuracy department.
 
No I'm not a member of 24hr campfire. I heard there is a guy on there with a .338 Federal Montana with a rough cut chamber like mine. I can't believe how bad the QC is at Kimber. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a nightmare.
 
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