Kimber Hunter - your experience so far

[Sealee12]

Hi Guys - I am considering a Kimber Hunter in 6.5CM as a general low maintenance whitetail rifle. I know Kimber has had their troubles over the years; but at this price point, for controlled round feed, 3 position safety, stainless barrel/action, i'm considering it. Can anyone offer any experiences they have had with this Rifle (Kimber Hunter)? Or am i just asking for trouble with a low end kimber, and should I just buy the Tikka instead?

Thanks - Sea

 

[Lawnboi]

Having owned a hunter and now a tikka. I’d go tikka.

The hunter action was nice, but the mag was fussy and the stock was junk. Add on to that I am not the beat shot with a gun that light.

Just my opinion

 

[TNKnoxville]

I looked at one before I bought my Browning Xbolt speed. Nice action but wow the stock was awful. Misaligned and not free floated. Even the salesman said man that stock is junk! Now he did say the more expensive Kimber models were nice.

 

[TNKnoxville]

Forgot to mention I have 2 Tikka's and they are awesome rifles!!!!!! Would buy another if I can ever find them in stock somewhere..lol

 

[elkeaterco]

I bought a Kimber hunter 84M in 7mm-08 (clearance from Murdochs) this spring. The mag was a major pain to load the last round. It was so stiff that cycling the bolt was a issue. Even following the directions to push first round to the left and staking them up as directed. Joshua Freeman has a very good video on how to fix this issue on Youtube. However, I called customer care bc I had heard they were fixing the problem and giving updated mags out. The guy I talked with "Nathan" was a SOB. Worst customer care experience I have had in the last 2 decades. I explained my issue and he would keep changing the issue and tell me I didn't have a issue. Very freaking frustrating. Gun shoots ok. I adjusted the trigger and hand loaded several rounds before getting anything close to sub moa. I would go with Tikka as well. Whole experience with my first Kimber was a total fail.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

As a multi-kimber owner that was somewhat excited anticipating the release of this gun I feel (for what I do anyway) there's better guns in the same price range. I was thinking about one for a beat around rifle I didnt need to care for as much and not feel bad about. I have the utmost confidence in their Montana's and up but the stock/mag combo left alot to be desired. They're not giving them away either so I expected more from this gun. For less money you'll have a better gun in a tikka

 

[Sealee12]

First off, I would like to thank you all for your replies. I am new here at Rokslide, and I greatly appreciate the wealth of knowledge this community offers. Your experiences have echoed some of the other stories i have heard regarding the Kimber Hunter. Looks like I will just get in line for the Tikka. Thanks again!

 

[TNKnoxville]

Good luck Tikkas are awesome rifles. Only problem near me is there are none in stock!!!!

 

[BigWoods]

Bought Hunter in 6.5cm last December and it has been a great rifle. The magazine has not been a problem at all; easy to load and feeds consistently...seems like they got the early bugs worked out.

With Hornady's 129gr Whitetail loads, it will consistently put three in under 1"...often more like 3/4." I've hand loaded for it and it hasn't been fussy.

I guess people's perception of stocks is personal, but I find the stock every bit as stiff and quite a bit more ergonomic than the tikka T3 light that I used to have. As for barrel alignment, that is just an installation issue; lighten up the action screws, hold the barrel centered and re-tighten. Done.

I bought mine from Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore | Online Shopping for Firearms, Ammunition and Shooting Accessories on sale for $630. They seem to run discounts on them in December.

Here is the thread chronicling what I've done to mine; Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor - Let the Project Begin!

Short of it, is that I removed the silicone from the butt and chopped the barrel to 19" for a rifle that weights in right at 5lbs. That is a number that's very hard to beat for less than $700 total investment.

My Tikka had feeding issues due to the spring getting overly compressed (and at the time Tikka wanted $80 for a replacement, but they are cheaper now). That gun was accurate but didn't carry or point nearly as well.

 

[BigWoods]

I should also say that all of my experiences with their Customer Service department have been excellent.

 

[Sealee12]

Bought Hunter in 6.5cm last December and it has been a great rifle. The magazine has not been a problem at all; easy to load and feeds consistently...seems like they got the early bugs worked out.

With Hornady's 129gr Whitetail loads, it will consistently put three in under 1"...often more like 3/4." I've hand loaded for it and it hasn't been fussy.

I guess people's perception of stocks is personal, but I find the stock every bit as stiff and quite a bit more ergonomic than the tikka T3 light that I used to have. As for barrel alignment, that is just an installation issue; lighten up the action screws, hold the barrel centered and re-tighten. Done.

I bought mine from Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore | Online Shopping for Firearms, Ammunition and Shooting Accessories on sale for $630. They seem to run discounts on them in December.

Here is the thread chronicling what I've done to mine; Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor - Let the Project Begin!

Short of it, is that I removed the silicone from the butt and chopped the barrel to 19" for a rifle that weights in right at 5lbs. That is a number that's very hard to beat for less than $700 total investment.

My Tikka had feeding issues due to the spring getting overly compressed (and at the time Tikka wanted $80 for a replacement, but they are cheaper now). That gun was accurate but didn't carry or point nearly as well.

I really liked your build thread - Thanks for including that. do you notice any flex in the stock since you removed the interior material? has it remained quiet? Thanks!

 

[BigWoods]

No, removing the silicone didn't add any perceptible flex to the stock. It was a bit noisier after removing the material, but that was easily remedied with a 1/3 oz piece of closed cell foam cut to fill the void.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I own this rifle in 6.5. I’ll say upfront I dump gear that doesn’t work for me. I’m surprised to hear about issues folks have with the stock and magazine. Loading that last round can certainly be tough, but every time it is, I go back and push that first round over and it works fine. I don’t say that to discount what others have experienced, just wanted to say I haven’t experienced a problem.

The stock was what actually convinced me to buy the kimber over the tikka. For what it is, the forearm part just seemed to be much stiffer when I torqued them. But I also liked the form of it more, which is entirely personal preference.

I’m wouldn’t say I am a good shot. But I can shoot a touch under 1” off a sandbag at 100, and have put multiple ragged holes together with this rifle and cartridge. I’ve never been able to do that prior with a hunting platform. Doesn’t mean you should or should not purchase one - just what I’ve experience this past year with it. I’ve had worse rifles!


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[Ranger619]

I have one in a 308 that I bought last winter. I have liked it so far. It doesn't shoot as well as my Winchester Extreme Weather, but I didn't expect it to. I had some feeding issues to start with, but I took a fine file and smoothed off the edges on the inside of the magazine that contact the top round in the mag. This helped a bunch.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Have both.. tikka.