Browning or Kimber

[Rowdy]

I've got 5 Kimbers now and have no complaints about any of them. All of them are very accurate and a pleasure to carry. If anyone has a "junk" Kimber Montana that won't shoot and they want to sell it please let me know I'll gladly take it off your hands for the right price. All mine were used and I suppose didn't shoot well because I've never paid more than $850.00 for one.

 

[luke moffat]

I have a Montana in a short mag caliber and have fought many of the same issues others have had with the Kimber short mag calibers. I don't own an X bolt but do own a 325wsm A-bolt titanium and would carry it over the Montana any day of the week. The Winchester Extreme Weather is a little heavier but also a rifle to consider. I have a Tikka that is very comfortable in hand and shoots great but they do feel like a cheaper made rifle.

I am the opposite. I too have a Browning A bolt Ti in 325 WSM and I would much rather carry my Kimber Montana 338-06. Its lighter and holds one more in the mag. Let alone it doesn't have mag box issues or trigger freeze up issues like I have had with my Browning. Both shoot great and the 325 WSM Browning with its 18" barrel is fun to carry in the brush, but it just doesn't "feel" as good to me at the Kimber.

 

[JP100]

I picked up a new Kimber mountain ascent of my clients this year as a Grizzly was walking into camp, cycled the bolt as you do and was surprised to find it did not pick up a shell from the mag. I had to wiggle the bolt and piss about to get it to feed, on multiple occasions(I Played round with it for a while after) . Bit disappointing from a $$$$ rifle. Good thing I didnt need to shoot the Grizz!
Browning to me is a more reliable and trusted brand.

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

I picked up a new Kimber mountain ascent of my clients this year as a Grizzly was walking into camp, cycled the bolt as you do and was surprised to find it did not pick up a shell from the mag. I had to wiggle the bolt and piss about to get it to feed, on multiple occasions(I Played round with it for a while after) . Bit disappointing from a $$$$ rifle. Good thing I didnt need to shoot the Grizz!
Browning to me is a more reliable and trusted brand.

Under stress I would question if you were able to slide the bolt all of the way back. I've done the same thing with a M70.

It seems like a dead horse to beat on the Kimber 84's. The majority of the concerns seem to come from people who do not own one. And most that do own one have positive feed back.

Either way, the Mountain Ascent that I ordered came to the gun shop this week. I'll go to pick it up in a few hours. I'll make sure to post how it shoots.

 

[Stid2677]

I picked up a new Kimber mountain ascent of my clients this year as a Grizzly was walking into camp, cycled the bolt as you do and was surprised to find it did not pick up a shell from the mag. I had to wiggle the bolt and piss about to get it to feed, on multiple occasions(I Played round with it for a while after) . Bit disappointing from a $$$$ rifle. Good thing I didnt need to shoot the Grizz!
Browning to me is a more reliable and trusted brand.

I own 2 Kimber Mountain Ascents and a Adirondack, all 3 required some polishing of the feeder to improve feeding and round pickup. As they came the feeder would bind just a bit. I'm sure this would smooth out with use, but with just a bit of polishing they now feed flawlessly. Easy to check by using your fingers to press the feeder down and see if it is smooth and springs back. If it catches and does not spring back level, some polishing may be needed.

 

[WRO]

It seems like a dead horse to beat on the Kimber 84's. The majority of the concerns seem to come from people who do not own one. And most that do own one have positive feed back.

I was actually steered away from them by a couple friends who have them. They just weren't getting the accuracy they wanted out of them.

Hopefully the moa guarantee solves that.

 

[Mjm316]

I own 2 Kimber Mountain Ascents and a Adirondack, all 3 required some polishing of the feeder to improve feeding and round pickup. As they came the feeder would bind just a bit. I'm sure this would smooth out with use, but with just a bit of polishing they now feed flawlessly. Easy to check by using your fingers to press the feeder down and see if it is smooth and springs back. If it catches and does not spring back level, some polishing may be needed.

Which Adirondack did you choose Steve?

 

[belly-deep]

I am the opposite. I too have a Browning A bolt Ti in 325 WSM and I would much rather carry my Kimber Montana 338-06. Its lighter and holds one more in the mag. Let alone it doesn't have mag box issues or trigger freeze up issues like I have had with my Browning. Both shoot great and the 325 WSM Browning with its 18" barrel is fun to carry in the brush, but it just doesn't "feel" as good to me at the Kimber.

Luke did you chop the barrel off or did Browning build them like that? What kind of velocity do you get?

 

[Stid2677]

Which Adirondack did you choose Steve?

6.5 Creedmore

 

[belly-deep]

I picked up a new Kimber mountain ascent of my clients this year as a Grizzly was walking into camp, cycled the bolt as you do and was surprised to find it did not pick up a shell from the mag. I had to wiggle the bolt and piss about to get it to feed, on multiple occasions(I Played round with it for a while after) . Bit disappointing from a $$$$ rifle. Good thing I didnt need to shoot the Grizz!
Browning to me is a more reliable and trusted brand.

If the guy was shooting reloads that could have been the problem too. Or he may have had the magazine stuffed too full. I can squeeze an extra round into my 84m, but it binds if I do.

 

[Violent Hippie]

I have expressed interest in the Mountain Ascent on here before and am still thinking it over but IMO any bolt action rifle regardless of price should not have feeding issues especially with factory ammo. Having to "polish" any part of it to just get the weapon to operate properly from the factory is unsat . I have much more experience with semi autos and even those I own do not jam with quality factory ammo let alone the bolt actions ( only model 700's) I have owned.

 

[NEhunter]

I have expressed interest in the Mountain Ascent on here before and am still thinking it over but IMO any bolt action rifle regardless of price should not have feeding issues especially with factory ammo. Having to "polish" any part of it to just get the weapon to operate properly from the factory is unsat . I have much more experience with semi autos and even those I own do not jam with quality factory ammo let alone the bolt actions ( only model 700's) I have owned.

I agree with you. Any gun that I spend 1k plus on better feed and shoot decent out of the box without having to do work on. If I wanted a "project" I'd start with an action only and build a custom.

 

[Josh Wright]

No experience with Kimber, but do have with the Browning x bolt and a tikka t3. I highly recommend both.

 

[hodgeman]

I picked up a Browning X-Bolt Stainless last year and it was easily the easiest rifle I've ever bought to get shooting well. 4 shots to zero with a 3/4" group at 100yds. It shoots several factory loads of 130gr hunting rounds under an inch.

I like Kimbers and have owned several but they are typically more finicky in the accuracy department. I had a couple that shot great and a couple that were total duds with anything.

 

[luke moffat]

Luke did you chop the barrel off or did Browning build them like that? What kind of velocity do you get?

I had it cut back to 23" to 18". I wanted a handy rifle that was lightweight, short and still packed a punch. It accomplished all those things easily at 5.8 pounds with scope and rings:


I wasn't too concerned with how much velocity I was losing cutting it back so far but I was interested enough to load up some 160 TTSXs to shoot before and after the chop job.

It wasn't a hot load or anything I believe it was on the low end of the suggested powder charge but anyways.

23" the 160s averaged 3050 fps

18" the 160s averaged 2920 fps.

But mainly use 200 grain partitions at 2800-2820 fps these days when I do use the rifle.

 

[luke moffat]

I will say none of my Montanas need any feed ramp work and have feed perfectly smooth. I have a Kimber Talkeetna I was gifted from an extremely generous man and its the smoothest feeding rifle I have ever owned. Even smoother than the single stack Tikkas which is saying something.

 

[belly-deep]

Luke that pretty well seems to follow the 25fps/inch formula

 

[luke moffat]

Luke that pretty well seems to follow the 25fps/inch formula

Yeah I have heard the both 25 and 30 fps/inch....regardless I would much rather hunt with a short barreled rifle and give up 150 fps than hunt with a 24-26" barrel.

 

[Nickanto]

I can't recommend tikka enough. They flat out shoot and are easy to shoot well. They aren't the best lookin rifles, but they are a deadly tool. For under a grand you could get a t3 and a pretty nice optic. A new model 70 featherweight is on my short list of new rifles, picking one up in 7mm08 for whitetail and muleys.