Looking to buy a KIMBER PRO VARMINT .223. Pros and Cons everyone

Tbone801

Tbone801

New member
Hey brand new to this forum and wanted to get some answers on the KIMBER rifles. I really like the Kimber PRO Varmint 84M. I have heard nothing but good news from the gun shops around here in Utah about them. I am looking to be doing some coyote shooting and long distant target shooting. I like the fact that they are lighter than most and still have the heavy match grade barrel. I am really open to any input. Or even alternate options
I have a Savage 17 hmr that i bought before Christmas and its awesome So I like a variety of gun brands.

These are the brands i am interested in please give me any feedback. Thanks

Kimber Pro Varmint .223
Browning X Bolt .223
Tikka t3 .223
Sako .223

Thanks

Also any pros and cons with a detachable magazine or the kimber conventional load through the bolt on top.
 
If you are looking at a Kimber, do yourself a favor and go with a Cooper and never look back.

And, welcome to the board Tbone801.
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Jack
 
I really like the coopers but i really want a repeater. thanks for the input and if cooper had one i would be all in. thanks
 
Cooper does make repeaters now.
However, people pay extra $$$ for single shots for a reason. On average, single shots are more accurate. Cutting that big hole in the bottom of the receiver does weaken the action and make it slightly less accurate.
With practice you can fire a single shot almost as fast as a turnbolt repeater. Good benchrest shooters routinely fire 5 shot groups in less than 5 seconds, a few in a lot less than 5 seconds.

Jack
 
I like the Tikka's great value good performance.
The Kimber is Hit & Miss.
Browning is getting good reviews and improved in some ways.
That leaves my first choice, the Sako.
 
thanks for the input i have herd that kimbers are kind of hit or miss. but there so dam good looking and i found on for 800$ with a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope. So many decisions
 
I would rather have a heavier caliber at least 7mm08 or a .308 those bullets do a lot better in the wind at long range and there is more you can do with them. The suggestions you have gotten are all excellent. The Cooper is a fine piece of equipment, but spendy. The Tikka T3 is a bargain and has a 3 shots in one inch guarantee they shoot all of them before they leave the factory if they dont shoot one inch they dont leave. Another rifle to look at is the Remmington R5 Mil Spec available in .223 or .308 or 300WM. The Kimber guns are very nice very sturdy rifles.
I'm sure the choice will be difficult. Do consider a heavier caliber unless there is a specific need for .223 and if going .223 take a real close look at the twist of the barrel - Tikka offers two twist options and a 1 in 7 will shoot the heavy 69 to 77 or 80 gr bullets better. Ive had bolt guns in .223 two Savage 10FP that were awesome shooters but I only have semi autos in .223 now for the hi cap mags.
 
If I were going to drop some money on a nice rifle and those were my choices I would get the Sako.

My local gun shop has been there over 30 years and used to carry Kimbers. The owner stopped carrying them because he felt they didn't shoot proportionately better than a Remington or a Browning for what the amount of money more you pay.

I hear a lot of good things about the Tikkas.

I really like my Browning 22-250. It is my most accurate out of the box rifle.
 
Well the reason for the .223 is because it is cheaper to shoot than 22-250, Also i just sold a mini 14 and i have about 1500 rounds of .223 so i know i could sell them and get 22-250 but i have shot them and i really don't see the huge difference but maybe i am wrong thanks for all your input this is great. So is a 22-250 a better caliber for long distant and coyotes?
 
I'd buy the Kimber if it were me..
That's a pretty good price that you certainly won't get hurt at. There's probably better choices of scopes, but the 3200 is better than alot of em in the same price range..
Kimber seems to have solved their barrel/accuracy problems in the last few years.
Here's a link that shows some pretty encouraging results from a Kimber in 223..
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/for...792#Post1454792

As far as other choices go??
Sako is the obvious choice IMO,, and as mentioned above,, "the CZ's are a pretty good bet for accuracy" but the 527 Kevlar Varmint (which is comperable to the Kimber) is gonna set ya back about the same amount. AS much as I like CZ's,, I don't think they're in the same league as Kimber...

Tough choice,, but you came to the right place if ya want opinions..
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Luck
Charlie
 
I have a Kimber 84M Varminter and My Dad has the pro Varminter in 22-250 and they are flat out the best rifle I have owned from the factory. I was reluctant to go with a Kimber based on the 1911 quality issues they had. I am very happy I did. I don't have much experience with the others you mention but you should not be disappointed with the Kimber 84M rifle. The bedding is done very well and the stocks are stiff. I had my gunsmith look to square it and he said that it was as square as it could be. The chambering is nice for 45-55g bullets.
 
I've had 3 Kimber varmint rifles and only one was worth keeping. Even that one required trigger work and the barrel channel opened to free float. I do like the rifle I retain. I paid less than 800 new for mine.
 
i have a pro varmint and it is as accurate as anything i have shot, your right the balance and feel of the rifle is second to none. i bought mine after playing around with a buddies, GO FOR IT!
 
Originally Posted By: Tbone801Well the reason for the .223 is because it is cheaper to shoot than 22-250, Also i just sold a mini 14 and i have about 1500 rounds of .223 so i know i could sell them and get 22-250 but i have shot them and i really don't see the huge difference but maybe i am wrong thanks for all your input this is great. So is a 22-250 a better caliber for long distant and coyotes?


I have a list of how rifle recoil compares here: http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=18469&OB=ASC&PN=1
If this is your only rifle you really need to ask yourself what else are you are likely to do with it. Is there a chance you will hunt deer - if so having a heavier caliber at least .243 is typically required by law. Is there a chance that you will need the rifle to defend against a bear if so the general rule is that 30-06 or larger is required. Is there a chance that you will take up reloading and if so some cartridges are easier to load well than others my favorite to reload is .308 and the last coyote I shot was with a .308 which has much better ability at long range than a .223 however if you intend to save and sell the pelts from coyotes then a .223 is an awesome choice. I personally would never select a .223 for my only rifle however I might select a 22 mag for a survival rifle for small game and one of my boys shot his last coyote with a 22 mag - one shot dead under 100 yds though. The .223 is really quite adequate for coyotes out to 300 or 400 yds which is where you start wishing you had a .243 or better yet a 7mm08 and if you were sitting on one ridge shooting 600 to 800 yds now we are talking .308 or 7mm08 on up through 300 WM or 7mm mag. The cost of ammo is a big factor and since you already own some .223 that is a compelling argument for purchasing a .223 There is significant difference in different .223 rifles and ammo though that you should be aware of.
http://www.thegunzone.com/556v223.html http://www.guncentral.net/Articles/SAAMIvsNATO.html
The choice of twist rate of barrel for .223 varies depending on what weight bullet you select to shoot.
http://le.atk.com/pdf/223_MinimumTwistRates.pdf
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-158429.html
In .223 I shoot a 1 in 7 twist using 69gr Sierra Matchking with 24.5 gr RL-15 http://www.whiteoakprecision.com/info-reloading.htm
this is a 300 yd load - to get more distance out of the rifle you can go up to a 77 gr or 80 gr but you want that 1 in 7 or a 1 in 8 twist to shoot heavy bullets. If on the other hand you are shooting 50 to 55 gr bullets you want a 1 in 12 twist and would consider your distance to be best under 300 yds.
Both the Sako A7 and Tikka T3 are fine choices and have to shoot under one inch to leave the factory. Much better a NEW Tikka than a used Kimber because there is a reason the last guy got rid of it - sometimes money sometimes the dam thing didnt shoot well. Buy New if you can.
As for optics my first pick would be: http://swfa.com/Trijicon-5-20x50-Accu-Point-30mm-Rifle-Scope-P12887.aspx
and second would be http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-3-9x42-Tactical-Riflescope-P41044.aspx
with honorable mention going to this http://swfa.com/Bushnell-4-16x40-Elite-4200-Rifle-Scope-P11606.aspx
 
Thanks for all your input I will go ahead and buy the kimber and if i don't like it I will send it packing ha ha and buy a tikka or sako! Thanks for all your inputs love this forum
 
just bought the kimber last night. OMG they are so sweet to hold so balanced and with the legend bushnell scope its not to bad. I think i will sell the scope and put on a Weaver 44m 6x20 varminter redicle. Also the guy took 750 for the gun ha ha i guess i win either way. Thanks for the imput i can stop racking my brain for a while ha ha.
 
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