Kimber Hunter Question

[Luke S]

I was shopping for good deal on a .223 in Anchorage and scored a deal on a Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creedmore that was so good I couldn't pass it up. So I've tried the rifle and accuracy seemed lacking. I redid the rings and put my SWFA Ultralight 2.5-10 on it. First three shots were sub MOA as advertised but I had to really concentrate to hold it steady. After that my group opened up to a bit over 2 MOA with 3 more rounds. That was all the ammo I had after testing with the original scope and bore siting so I stopped there. No stringing or anything just a bigger shot pattern.

First, I suspect the rifle itself is more accurate then me. I'm no sniper but I regularly shoot better then that with my heavier .308 (especially suppressed).

So what to do?

One idea I had was to spread multiple 3 shot groups out over several days, get a statistically valid group size and go from there.

If I recall Form said somewhere that Kimbers are typically 2 MOA rifles with his bigger groups. That should be enough for my ranges (400 yards or less). Maybe I should just stick a suppressor on it and go practice more.

Thoughts? I know Kimbers aren't thought of as highly as Tikkas here but I didn't pay Tikka money for it either.

 

[handwerk]

how much time did you allow between the first 3 and second 3 shot group?

 

[elkguide]

Shooting a light rifle is a lot different than a heavier rifle. You said that you did shoot a good group so the rifle is capable.

 

[mt100gr.]

What ammo did you try? Mine (Hunter 6.5cm) shows a strong preference for 130ish grain bullets. I cut mine down to 17 inches, but at factory length the 130s were better, as well.

And yes, light rifles amplify any bad habits or shortcomings in form.

 

[Luke S]

I probably should have waited longer between shots.
I think I actually heard from people putting slightly heavier contour Barrels on Kimbers and still having a light rifle. Maybe a long term project?

 

[Luke S]

So my bigger dilemma is this...
I wanted to ditch my Ruger American .358 Winchester for something with a bit more range, less recoil (for kids who use it) and the possibility of putting a suppressor on it.
So far the Kimber 6.5 appears to be mechanically accurate but finicky to shoot accurately. That calls into question whether I or my kids should be shooting it at longer range. If its a 300 yard gun maybe I should just keep the .358 going?
I'd be curious if anyone has worn out or broken a Ruger American? Barrel life aside, I wonder if the Kimber will be less like to break a small part at a bad time. Yes I now neither fared great in Form's ice tests.

 

[NilsBackstrom]

I have a hunter in 6.5 creed.

They are light and may take a little bit of getting used.

After the third shot my groups open up considerably. I accept that as it's a hunting rifle and my goal is that I only need one shot.

I found mine to be finicky about ammo, which I also read about. I get sub moa with hornaday precision hunter, 147 grain I believe it is.

I was given a box of Remington soft tip I believe there were called and it shot 4 moa.

I am eyeing trying some copper like the ttsx or lrx to try. My plan is to start loading after I've tried them. Or I might end up sticking with the precision hunter.

 

[CRJR45]

It took me a while to learn how to shoot my Kimber . It's a .280AI , but once I got a load worked out , it shoots great .

 

[roosiebull]

Keep shooting the same target,

I was shopping for good deal on a .223 in Anchorage and scored a deal on a Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creedmore that was so good I couldn't pass it up. So I've tried the rifle and accuracy seemed lacking. I redid the rings and put my SWFA Ultralight 2.5-10 on it. First three shots were sub MOA as advertised but I had to really concentrate to hold it steady. After that my group opened up to a bit over 2 MOA with 3 more rounds. That was all the ammo I had after testing with the original scope and bore siting so I stopped there. No stringing or anything just a bigger shot pattern.

First, I suspect the rifle itself is more accurate then me. I'm no sniper but I regularly shoot better then that with my heavier .308 (especially suppressed).

So what to do?

One idea I had was to spread multiple 3 shot groups out over several days, get a statistically valid group size and go from there.

If I recall Form said somewhere that Kimbers are typically 2 MOA rifles with his bigger groups. That should be enough for my ranges (400 yards or less). Maybe I should just stick a suppressor on it and go practice more.

Thoughts? I know Kimbers aren't thought of as highly as Tikkas here but I didn't pay Tikka money for it either.

You could keep shooting the same target, shoot 3, let cool, shoot 3, then swap targets, do that for 5 shooting sessions and it will give you a good idea.

Maybe open up the barrel channel too if there may be contact. I’ve had 2, one was temp sensitive, one wasn’t. I think stocky’s is planning on making a carbon vg for kimber, which will be a good upgrade.

Being as light as they are, I think they are a little more fickle to shoot, but both of mine shot good cold, one opened up when it got warm, but not terribly. Very comfortable to shoot for their weight, but certainly not a precision rifle in field positions for me, but plenty accurate enough

 

[robtattoo]

Man, I would've been tickled pink to get 2" out of my .257 Bob. I think the best I ever managed was closer to 5. If I hadn't bought it so cheap I never would've bought it, after reading all the horror stories, but I'm an optimist.
Was. Was an optimist.

 

[Luke S]

Funny, a few years ago a Kimber rechambered to .358 was my dream gun. I would have had this thing on the way to JES for a rebore by now. But if match bullets are all they're cranked up to be, I won't need a .358 so no need to bother. When I look at my beloved .308 Ruger Scout Rifle I wonder what this Kimber is even doing in my safe. Not sure there is any real advantage besides weight saved.
But I did need an extra "kid" gun so this might be worth keeping around (or it might become the backup if a kid breaks my .308 while using it).

Any issues with the Kimber magazines? Occasionally this one gets the 3rd round stuck point down, but only if I'm unloading it by hand outside the rifle. I can't recreate the situation while cycling rounds through the rifle. Not sure what causes that.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I have the exact same rifle. I glass bedded the recoil lug on mine when it was brand new.

Mine is a good shooter. 10 round groups at 1-1.2 MOA.

They are finicky to shoot at first. I find I need to grip the forend (handshake firmness) and it reduces my groups from 1.5-2 MOA down to 1.

Mine is not heat sensitive, but heat mirage can get a little rough after 6-8 rounds so I usually shoot 5 rounds, cool then 5 more.

I took emery cloth to my magazine feed lips. Other than that I’ve had no issues.

 

[Seak_angler]

That rifle is very capable. I have had 2 hunter pro’s in .308 and they both have shot under an inch groups. Nightforce SHV 3-10 on top. Shooting a featherweight rifle is very different than shooting a standard weight rifle. It exposes all the errors that a standard weight rifle hides. There was a thread on here about tips and tricks for shooting Kimber rifles I remember seeing a while back. Few good tips like lean into the rifle more, dry fire a lot before firing, ect. Would be worth it to find that thread

 

[Thegman]

I bet that will be a great rifle. My Kimber might always remain my all-time favorite rifle.

I would probably lighten the trigger as the first step. The lighter the rifle, the lighter the trigger needed, in general. Also, be sure you're shooting off of relatively soft bags (like a folded towel over a typical bag) to reduce any bounce.

Also, try your idea of several small composite groups over time. After getting my rifle and loads down, I actually shoot one shot when checking the rifle, maybe two, and view those results over time. Year in and year out my Kimber (and probably my Tikkas as well) will place that first shot within 1/2" max, usually within 1/4", of its zero.

Personally, first shot consistency over time is FAR more important to me than what it might do for a bunch of shots at one time; that is largely irrelevant to my typical hunting scenarios.

 

[HNTR918]

I bought a magneto speed barrel cooler. I shoot 1 cold bore, let barrel cool, then 3 shots, then cool, then shoot 3, then cool, then 3. Ive had very good groups using this method. I love that cooler, might even get a second one. It makes range day with hunting weight rifles much more fun.

 

[83cj-7]

I guess I’m lucky with the Kimber Hunters. I had one in 6.5 that I cut to 16.5” and it shot great. Sub MOA and it didn’t care how hot. I now have a .270 that I cut to 18.5” and it also shoots sub MOA. I usually don’t shoot more than 3 shots before cooking in down because of the suppressor.

This is the 270 with 140 Accubonds at 2950 and a fixed 6x.

300 yards:


600 yards:

 

[83cj-7]

Oh, I also had one in 30-06 that shot 180 Accubonds extremely well. Man, that was a handful in the recoil department.

 

[Thegman]

I guess I’m lucky with the Kimber Hunters. I had one in 6.5 that I cut to 16.5” and it shot great. Sub MOA and it didn’t care how hot. I now have a .270 that I cut to 18.5” and it also shoots sub MOA. I usually don’t shoot more than 3 shots before cooking in down because of the suppressor.

This is the 270 with 140 Accubonds at 2950 and a fixed 6x.

300 yards:
View attachment 806127View attachment 806129

600 yards:


View attachment 806130

Over the years I've had 3 or 4 308 Montanas, they've all been easily sub-moa for 3. -Might- have needed bedding, but never difficult to find a good load for them.

The reason I owned 3 or 4 was that years ago, around 2004, there was a "right-side feed issue" common to them that Kimber couldn't fix in a couple of mine. They changed the rail design (straight rail, no inlet cut) somewhere between KM21k and KM25k and since then I've never seen that feed issue again.

Trivia: I'm actually the Jack Wagon that coined the term "Kimber Roulette" on 24hourcampfire way back then due to these feed issues I was having. Had absolutely zero to do with their accuracy. It always makes me laugh when I see how that term took off since then.

 

[BigWoods]

My 6.5 cut to 19" loves 129gr American Whitetail and my handholds which closely emulate that. Consistently shooting 1" 3rd groups. Indeed form matters with light rifles but mine doesn't seem to mind heating up a bit. I rarely shoot big groups (too cheap for that), but subsequent groups with not much cooling time are very consistent.

OP asked about the magazines; mine has worked flawlessly.