A few comments from handling these and talking with the MRC guys at SCI in Nashville. They've done a nice job with the design. Same as the original, but executed with the right attention to detail. I've worked on a couple dozen of the originals, and they could be excellent, or complete turds. I don't see that ever being the case here.
A couple of niggles, though. They are straight out of the mill and then "finished". Meaning the ring and bridge show machine striations through the bead blast finish. Less obvious on the cerakote or blued actions, but the stainless ones it was noticeable to my eye. Admittedly, I am picky. This is solely cosmetic, but IMO, not up to the competition's standard. That said, I did see that they were deburred and didn't see or feel any sharp edges so there is some thought to finishing here. The bolt knob choices aren't my cup of tea. That one is purely me. I'd like a simple tear drop handle knob. Same with the Monte Carlo stock. I'd prefer straight comb classic.
Good stuff. Nitrided bolts. If they keep a high degree of finish on the bolts and nitride them, they will always be slick. That said, they will be hard to lap in if you want to. Very few machine marks on the bolts, and really clean bolt raceway machining (I assume EDM). Good tolerance control and appropriate clearances. Every action there felt the same which is good. Not too tight for bolt fit, not too loose and the anti-bind feature works. Enough room for dirt to pass and not cause issues. 3-pos safety with a left side gas deflection flange. Original Winchester design trigger. Side bolt stop/release. Snap over extractor for single feeding. Machined, not cast or powder met extractor. The action timing was perfect on every one I looked at. Meaning the bolt handle hit the primary extraction cam exactly when it should. Surprisingly few get this right, most are late. The safety was fit properly on each rifle as well, and functioned smoothly. Kimber should take note of this.
Couple of new models coming. The prototype safari rifle was there in .375 H&H. Round top receiver on that one. Good choice. I mentioned this and we looked at the standard with integral Pic rail. Yes, it works with open sights, BUT not the way you really want. Too much of the animal is obscured by the Pic rail. If something big and mean is coming at you, you really want a good view of it, I speak from experience. If I had one with the integral rails, I would install taller open sights. You need to see the whole animal, not just the upper half. They are also going to make steel bottom metal for the bigger rifles. Expect to see more big bore offerings shortly.
Overall, well done rifles, and I think they are what they should have been way back when.
Jeremy