Keep in mind that Kimber rifles are nothing more than a factory grade rifle. They are NOT a semi-custom or custom rifle. Don't expect perfection. That said, I own 7 of them and all of them shoot and handle extremely well and they are all very attractive rifles. Albeit a bit pricey over a Walmart/Academy Remmy 700 ADL.
Originally Posted By: msincWhat I say is good luck finding one...you write as if you can just jump on down the local gun shop and grab yourself a Kimber Montana in 223. HaHaHa!!!!! The joke's on you, unless you are extremely lucky or find someone who needs money really bad.
I guess the stars were lined up perfect for me as I walked into a gun shop about 3 years ago and bought a Kimber Montana off the shelf in (Gasp!) 223 Rem. The dealer had two of them along with maybe a half dozen other calibers in various configurations. Go figure. Those two are not the last Montana's in 223 Rem I've seen since then either. And I'm betting that I could go back to that same gun shop today and there would be probably a half dozen Kimbers on the shelf with no idea as to what calibers they might be in.
Originally Posted By: msincI just checked on a Custom Select or a Montana in 223 and they said 3 to 6 months.....it didn't take that long to build the 10,000 square foot house I live in.
That said, here is something to think about...the heart of any rifle is the barrel. Last I heard Douglas was making them for Kimber. I have also heard {bear in mind that this is hearsay} that Douglas no longer makes Kimber's barrels, so who does now???? Not that Douglas is a bad barrel, don't get me wrong. But I have a bore scope and barrel a lot of actions...Douglas barrels do show a lot of tool marks in the bore. There are better barrels out there. If they did switch barrel makers you can best bet it wasn't to increase the price of an already very expensive rifle.
Compared to waiting a ridiculous amount of time to get a rifle with god {and Kimber} knows what barrel is on it, it just seems like it would be better to barrel up an action and know exactly what you have. If you were manufacturing rifles with an acknowledged "premium" brand barrel wouldn't you brag to the world about it???
You could scare up a used 700, barrel it with a premium barrel and have a Jewel or Timney trigger and nice stock for what the Kimber cost.
No doubt one would be better off having a custom rifle built to insure a certain level of accuracy. That runs true in comparison to any factory grade rifle built, and it goes without saying. Again, Kimbers are NOT custom rifles, but to me they are worth the money I spent for every one of them that I own.
Knowing that they are not custom rifles is why I also own a few custom rifles far in excess in numbers versus the 7 Kimbers I own. But I've never had a true custom built for the price of a Kimber either. (Krylon, a new trigger, and a Boyd's stock don't count when talking custom rifles.)
YMMV on buying a Kimber, as the internet savvy people are quoted as saying. And on any given day you can "hear" just about anything on the internet depending on what axe someone is grinding. The last I "heard", Kimber made their own barrels in Yonkers, NY. If the 8th one I buy functions and shoots like the first 7, I could care less who makes the barrels for these very nice - BUT NOT CUSTOM GRADE - factory rifles.