Kimber 84 vs Montana Rifle Company vs??

N

Nathan

New member
I’m looking to get a good hunting rifle for deer, elk and antelope....

I would like a nice rifle that carries and points well....shoots accurately from field position, weighs under 10 lbs with a 2lb scope....and ideally has barrel mounted sights.....I might have to give up on the sights.

I prefer:
Controlled round feed
Mauser ejector
Detachable box mag, or hinged floorplate
Striker locking safety...I carry a loaded chamber
Really smooth bolt function
Quality trigger...ideally with aftermarket options
Cerakote finish


If you have one of these, how is the rifle working out for you? If you have another idea, what is it?
 
Kimbers market niche is building a 5 lb CRF rifle with very good reliability and acceptable accuracy. They are a joy to carry and the ones I've shot were plenty accurate enough. The problem is that not every trigger puller can master a rifle so light. With a 2 lb scope weight will still be just over 7 lbs in short action cartridges. But I'd be concerned that much scope on a rifle that light might balance poorly.

The MRC is a Winchester 70 clone. I've never fooled with one so I can't comment on how much, if any better it is than a Winchester.

But I have a couple of SS/Synthetic Winchester 70's that I'm quite fond of. One is a 1990's era Classic in 30-06, the other is a 2008 Extreme Weather rifle in 308. I've put both in McMillan Edge stocks and with a 15 oz scope in Talley Lightweight mounts both are right at 7.5 lbs. Both are more accurate than I can shoot them.

Based on my experience I'd look at the Winchester EW in a cartridge I liked. In the factory stock you'd end up 1/2 lb heavier than mine and still be at about 9 lbs scoped.

I like the Kimber well enough. And while the rifle is mechanically very accurate, I shoot the Winchesters consistently better. Yea, on some range days there isn't much if any difference. But overall I simply have more confidence the bullet will go where I'm aiming it with a slightly heavier rifle. And for me 7.5 lbs scoped is already light enough.

I could care less about irons, but they could be added. You're not going to find much that meets all of your criteria with factory iron sights.
 
Winchester Model 70 XTR featherweight.

Unfortunately it comes with a wooden stock but that's easy enough to change.
 
Do you want light weight or do you want heavy? I bought a MRC X2 rifle in .243 and it was a heavy SOB for what I wanted. I wound up sending it back and got my money back, their new MRC X3 rifle is supposed to be lighter.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another MRC rifle if it fitted my needs as it seemed to be a very well built rifle. However, it'll never be as light as a M84 Kimber as the MRC is basically a full sized M70 style action and the M84 is a scaled down version. If the new MRC X3 rifle weights are correct you can have a sub 8 lb hunting rifle, with the 84M Kimber you can get a sub 6 lb hunting rifle by the time you add your choice of optics.

Now if you're wanting a more traditional wood stocked and blued rifle there isn't really much of a difference. Again it'll boil down to weight, as the 84M Kimber will always be a lightweight rifle. One advantage to MRC is they will build you a semi custom rifle if you call them.
 
I've owned a lot of the guns being discussed here. Here's my recommendation.

Buy a Remington 700 in whatever configuration you want. They have like 1,000 different versions and you can have it all: detachable mags, different barrel lengths and weights, trigger options, stainless/carbon steel, etc. Find whichever one has the metal you want and buy it.

Then drop it in a Grayboe stock. They're made by McMillan and are a phenomenal stock for the money. I've done this with a couple different Rem 700s and am very, very happy with the way they feel, handle, and shoot.

This approach gives you all the "customizeability" of a custom gun, without the price. And making changes down the road is easy, the 700 is one of the most widely used guns and there are parts/options everywhere.
 
Buy a Remington 700....
Click to expand...

I agree with you on most of your points, but if I’m going to spend >$1000, it won’t be on a Rem 700 in a composite stock....
Rifle -$600; stock - $400, trigger -$100 etc-$100 or so...
 
The iron sights, Cerakote, Mauser ejector and controlled feed are probably going to be an issue if you want a factory commercial hunting rifle. Not many come with iron sights and Cerakote, period.
However, your budget matters. Otherwise, commercial hunting rifles are all pretty much the same.
"...they will build you a semi custom rifle if you..." Pay them to do so.
 
Melvin Forbes
Click to expand...

Looked up the NULA rifles...they look fine, but I really like controlled round feed and Mauser style fixed ejectors....so, I’m not willing to pay 3 times the price to get what I don’t want.

Looks like I may have to accept sights and cerakote as later options. I can do without.
 
Cant quite hit all your requirements but I have a McMillan G30 Dynasty 270 WSM. Plenty of energy out to 400 yards to easily take the game you're interested in. I'm just finishing the break in and its acting like it's going to be a really flat shooter and I'm guessing moa at 300, (it's close now). Mine is an original McMillan that was a safe queen. I have a Leupold VX-6i 3x18-50 on it and consider it a gun I could pack all day. I think it's worth taking a look at.

If you get sticker shock then you might consider a Weatherby Mark V. They are push feed but have an incredible 200,000 psi 9 lug bolt. The .257 or 270 magnums are great but most go for the 300 WM. I just got a .257 but haven't shot it yet.
 
Does anybody own or shoot the Kimber 84? Looks like a really nice rifle for the money. I just worry there is something about it like their 1911’s that make it less desirable....
 
Does anybody own or shoot the Kimber 84? Looks like a really nice rifle for the money.
Click to expand...

I do and referenced it in an earlier post. They get very mixed reviews from owners online. Mine is in 308 and I feel that it is mechanically as accurate as you can build a rifle with that barrel contour. Mine is a little picky about the ammo it shoots and seems to prefer bullets in the 150-165 weight range over 180's.

I almost never read anything about reliability issues. The biggest complaint is mediocre accuracy. But it is my opinion that that is more related to the skill of many shooters with a 5 lb rifle than the true potential of the rifles.

I think of mine as a special purpose rifle for the most rugged terrain. Most of the time I shoot mine every bit as well as any other rifle, but I'm more likely to pull a shot with this rifle than other, heavier rifles. But that is on me, not the rifle. I like mine, but don't think I'd want it as an all around, do everything rifle. As stated in the earlier post, I shoot the Winchester 70 EW in the Edge stock more consistently. And at 7.5 lbs scoped I think it light enough for an all around rifle.

If you really want something that light they are a bargain. The Forbes rifles are 2.5-3X as much money in the same weight class.

If you buy one there is one quirk to be aware of. There is an adjustment screw to set how far the firing pin protrudes from the bolt face. Keep an eye on the set screw. If it works loose the firing pin may not protrude far enough and you get light primer strikes and misfires. It is an easy fix, if you're aware of it. Easier to prevent, if you know to look for it. Mine gave me problems briefly until I figured it out.
 
The Kimber 84 is a lot like a Weatherby Mark V or Vanguard. They need to be broken in before they shoot well but if it's done properly, they shoot very well for a hunting rifle.
 
XX grade walnut stock, 13 5/8" length of pull
Panel hand-cut checkering
Two inletted swivels
Deluxe recoil pad
Short or long actions available
Chromoly or stainless action available
24" barrel for standard calibers
26" barrel for long magnum calibers
Individually pillar bedded
Drilled and tapped for 8-40 scope base screws
Right- or left-hand configurations
Guaranteed 1" accuracy
Available calibers from 22-250 to 375 H&H
Controlled round feed with claw extractor
Click to expand...

http://dakotaarms.com/model97.html
 
Ok, but you never talked about the budget. Personally, I never paid more than 3.5K.

Prices on GB are not realistic to me.
 
You can search for a pre 64 Winchester. They are affordable unless you are looking for a limited run caliber
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top