Kimber 84M in 204 Ruger--Thoughts?

[Tim_in_TN]

I have 2 Kimber Rimfires and am very pleased with the accuracy. I have always been a huge Remington fan of centerfires but just saw a Kimber 84M in 204 and really liked what I saw. Anyone have any input on how the accuracy is on Kimber varmint rifles? I have a BAT switch barrel rifle, and probably should spend the money on a barrel and reamer and go 20BR. Just that dang wait.

 

[kory]

Tim,

I have not been happy with the quality of Kimber rifles for the past several years. Many of my friends feel the same way. I'm a big fan of Cooper, if you want something high end, accurate, and purdy to look at. If you just want an accurate rifle, you can't go wrong with the Savage Model 12. I think out of the box, they tend to be more accurate than Remingtons, but the Remmy's have many upgrade options that the Savage lacks. This is all based on my personal experience/opinion.

Regards,
Kory

 

[Tim_in_TN]

Thank you ror the honest reply, I didn`t want to lay down that much coin without a good review from the best source anywhere on the net!!

What gunsmith can you recommend that has a reamer for the 20BR. I use a GREAT guy but am sure he doesn`t have that one.

 

[SnakeEye]

Richard's Custom Rifles has a reamer and has done quite a few.

 

[kory]

Tim,

I think my gunsmith, Randy Melvin, is the best. He would be my first choice. But I'm not certain if he has a 20BR reamer. You might want to give him a call at 406-656-0778 and ask. His work is top notch.

Otherwise, I would call greg Tannel or Kevin Weaver. And as SnakeEye suggested, Richard's does great work too.

Regards,
Kory

 

[OldSchool]

If you decide to got the savage way as I just did, Sharp Shooters Supply has barrels and goodies as well as a 20BR reamer they could rechamber a 204 Ruger with.
Hope this helps.

 

[tenring]

I agree with Kory. My only Kimber is an 84M sporter in .308, purchased in 2004. Beautiful wood. . . . but it has been back to them twice. Bore scope showed a large burr about 1" below the crown, one pillar was at 90 degrees, the other about 85 degrees, making screw threads misalign. It frequently would not detonate primers. Kimber replaced the stock and barrel, adjusted the firing pin. Now the pillars are OK, and new barrel does not have a burr, but it will not consistently detonate primers. I have tried every brand, and about one in 8 or 10 still refuse to detonate. I had gunsmith re-adjust firing pin protrusion, helped somewhat, but I never know when it won't fire. It does show good penetration of the pin, but no one can solve this problem. Anyone have an answer? Otherwise, I like this little gun a lot. Accuracy runs about 1" with factory or reloads. Federal Supreme 165 gr. is my favorite.

 

[Tim_in_TN]

SnakeEye, beautiful rifle. It is very similar to my rifle. I have a BAT model M in a McMillan Shehane Tracker. It has a Nightforce 12-42x56 with Np2 reticle. My smith did me a favor and suggested a switch barrel. I love it. I have 3 barrels home and 2 more on the way. I have 2 6.5/284`s and 2 6BR`s one with a 12" twist and the newest a 8" twist, have not fired that one yet. I love to hunt and go on an annual antelope hunt in New Mexico. I wanted the 12" twist 6BR for prarie dogs. I was hoping to do this after my antelope hunt to stay a few extra days after the season concluded to shoot the pd`s. The 20BR seems like one of the most fun rounds a man can own. It will fit my current action with an addition of barrel and possible reamer. I am skepticle to go outside my current smith though as he has simply stunned me as of late with this rifle in particular. This thing is unreal accurate.

 

[RickB]

I agree with Kory. My only Kimber is an 84M sporter in .308, purchased in 2004. Beautiful wood. . . . but it has been back to them twice. Bore scope showed a large burr about 1" below the crown, one pillar was at 90 degrees, the other about 85 degrees, making screw threads misalign. It frequently would not detonate primers. Kimber replaced the stock and barrel, adjusted the firing pin. Now the pillars are OK, and new barrel does not have a burr, but it will not consistently detonate primers. I have tried every brand, and about one in 8 or 10 still refuse to detonate. I had gunsmith re-adjust firing pin protrusion, helped somewhat, but I never know when it won't fire. It does show good penetration of the pin, but no one can solve this problem. Anyone have an answer? Otherwise, I like this little gun a lot. Accuracy runs about 1" with factory or reloads. Federal Supreme 165 gr. is my favorite.

I am not up to date on current manufacture Kimbers triggers. No one I know has bought a Kimber in a very long time. Are they Remington pattern triggers. Did you put a Jewell trigger in it?

The problem is likely the striker fall rather than the firing pin protrusion. Have your 'smith try to figure out the amount of striker fall and compare that with whatever Kimber claims it should be. Too short a fall can result in erratic ignition or misfires. A weak firing pin spring could also be an issue as could be the striker dragging somewhere,on the trigger is not uncommon).

The reason for the question about the Jewell is that the cut on the catch link is a little bit different from the typical Remington position and some action manufacturers have experienced a problem with light primer strikes that were cured by replacing the cocking piece with one that had a different cut to compensate for this.

There is also a possibility of a "tolerance stack" problem with the position of the holes for the trigger, but adjusting the length of the striker fall should take any problem there into consideration.

If none of this helps, are you using Federal primers? They are usually a little easier to set off with a marginal striker impact.

 

[wildcat284]

I have a Kimber Pro Varmint in .204 and I am really thrilled with it, easily one of the best buys I have made. The trigger was a tad heavy for my liking, and I adjusted it down to 1 1/2 lbs and is now easily on a par with my Blaser - both break like a glass rod. I love the controlled round feed and the fit and finish is really first rate.

Accuracy, well It is a consistent 1/4 - 1/2 moa performer when i do my bit. This is using the 39gr Sierra BK and 28.2 grs of H4895.

I guess one of the really plesantly surprising things about this rifle is the velocity - I get around 150fps more velocity from my Kimbers 22 inch barrel over factory ballistics with a 24 inch tube. I haven't got around to chronographing the 39's at the moment but I am guessing they are pushing close to 4000 fps.

Anyway, just my 0.2 cents.

Regards,

Michael,
Auckland,
New Zealand.