Sell, or rebarrel?

[ELR LVR]

I've got a Kimber in 243, very nice fit and finish, light and well balanced, overall a nice piece. Except that no matter what load I try I have never shot better than 1 MOA at 100 yards, more like 1.25 to 1.75. I have tried tried powders, primers, bullets, seat depth, and charge weight.
I like the rifle mostly because it is very light, under 7 pounds all set up. I have plenty of larger action longer barrel rifles in other calibers, this is the only light weight hunting rifle I have.

I have never had a rifle rebarreled, not sure what it costs. I am wondering if I am better off selling this rifle and finding something else. But, I wonder if the whatever else will shoot any better, or if the cost of a new barrel is worth it.

Bedding? Stock fit? Pressure point on fore end etc?
anyway, I had a similar case once
Until I tried
47.0 grns of 4350 with 70 gr Speer TNT's
suddenly it shot 1/2" groups all the time
it was like a magic load that worked for other 243's also

 

[Oldbloke]

"looked up the Howa, pretty cheap. But, its 1 pound 5 ounces heavier than the Kimber 84m."

I think you looked at the wrong model.

Review: Howa 1500 Super Lite ultralight hunting rifle - Sporting Shooter

Review of the the Howa 1500 Super Lite hunting rifle, a true ultralight mountain rifle that shoots well and carries better.

sportingshooter.com.au

 

[argrendel]

I had a Kimber light weight in a 260. Could not get that thing to shoot. Sold it quick. How much will you have in it with a quality barrel and installation? You could buy a cheap Tikka and upgrade the stock. I’m looking at the Tikka Ace game. Sweet rifle! Don’t believe it’s offered in 243 though.

 

[nmkid]

I'm going to see what a local gunsmith would charge, probably do it in a 243AI with an 8 twist

You'll never look back!

 

[urbanrifleman]

Yup! These days, it’s almost a grand to rebarrel. I just did a 308 barrel to replace a burned out 243 on a pre 64 Winchester. Might be my last build.

Get yourself a depth gauge and measure your headspace and I can make you a shouldered barrel for $470 in stainless (one of my contours).

I'm not sure what tenon thread a Kimber has. Probably metric.

My nut barrels are $320. I'd say at this point I'm pretty confident they shoot pretty much right there with most any of them.

 

[anschuter2013]

Keep the Kimber and rebarrel. Then you'll be happy with the rifle you're already fond of and it will definitely shoot better.

Buying a new factory rifle is no guarantee of acceptable accuracy. If you want better than 1MOA, work with the Kimber you already have.

Just my 2 cents, but I would not stay with the .243. It's one of the worst barrel burner cartridges. I would consider a 6GT or a 6x47 Lapua. Both would give you much better barrel life and both are inherently accurate. Great brass is also available from Alpha and Lapua. Another big "PLUS" to rebarreling is that you get to choose a twist rate to suit your needs rather than what the factory option thinks you need or want.

 

[K22]

If it is a lightweight hunting rifle for deer, then your groups are more than adequate as long as the groups have a relatively consistent POI. You don't need a tack driver for deer. Also, there is nothing inherently wrong with the caliber. I know, I over 50 years' experience with the 243 Win.

If you intend to use this rifle as a walking around / stalking rifle for varmints and / or predators, then I would like a consistent 1 moa to sub 1 moa rifle depending on the longest distance you anticipate shot opportunities. This would be a good reason to consider a re-barrel which I have done with a few Remington Model 7's varmint stalking rifles.

If you have a mechanically sound rifle, bedding, and scope, before I give up on the rifle, I would try the Sierra 85 BTHP with either 4064 or Varget and Federal 210 primers. I never had a 243 Win that didn't shoot this combo well and, in some cases, in the 1/2 moa range.

You said and I quote, "I've cleaned the snot out of it, and shot it fouled." If you are stripping all the copper out of the barrel sometimes it takes several, even numerous shots to establish shot to shot consistency, at least that has been my experience. You may want to try just cleaning with a mild solvent like Hoppe's 9 or Shooter's Choice that doesn't aggressively attack the copper.

In addition, light barrels, especially factory barrels, tend to have greater dispersion. You need to have realistic expectations. These types of rifles are usually selected for easy of portability in the field, not for tack driving accuracy.

 

[M-61]

Sell nothing. There’s many things to check first. If you mentioned the scope I missed it.
243’’s are generally quite accurate.
And be sure to always look back. Otherwise you never no how far you’ve come.

 

[M-61]

Pretty common for those rifles, new barrel solves the poor accuracy and they are very nice handy rifles.

Really? I don’t own a Kimber pistol or rifle. But I’d be interested in knowing if you have one. 1 3/4” at 100 is really bad. Or where you have read that this is “pretty common”? If you own one is this what you found?
There is so many things to check first before writing the barrel off.

 

[HTSmith]

Yup! These days, it’s almost a grand to rebarrel. I just did a 308 barrel to replace a burned out 243 on a pre 64 Winchester. Might be my last build.

And for that money you can get a brand new Tikka that will almost certainly shoot.

 

[anschuter2013]

In my experience, rebarreling using a Krieger, Brux or Bartlein typically costs roughly $700 all said and done.

I don't gamble or take chances hoping that a new factory rifle will consistently shoot less than 1MOA. Those are big odds, and they usually will not. A premium cut rifled barrel is where I'd place my money.

 

[joshb]

And for that money you can get a brand new Tikka that will almost certainly shoot.

Yup!! A pre 64 has been on my bucket list. If I was going to buy a rifle, it would be a Tikka!

 

[Downhill]

I took a rifle in trade, nice but a 2" rifle at 100. Tried everything but no fix. Had an old timer tell me to check the pillars. Sure enough, the rear action screw was contacting the pillar at the rear. I reset the the rear pillar and it now holds 3/4" at a 100yds. Damn near traded it off as junk but it is now my wife's favorite rifle.

 

[HTSmith]

in my experience, rebarreling using a Krieger, Brux or Bartlein typically costs roughly $700 all said and done.

That is extraordinarily inexpensive these days. Last email I got from BulletCentral their blanks were $470 plus shipping and tax. Call it $500 but probably a good bit over.

 

[msalm]

Really? I don’t own a Kimber pistol or rifle. But I’d be interested in knowing if you have one. 1 3/4” at 100 is really bad. Or where you have read that this is “pretty common”? If you own one is this what you found?
There is so many things to check first before writing the barrel off.

I ‘had’ one, extremely light, handy rifle w/ upgraded wood. Shot 1.5+ MOA. Traded it to Dan Muller and a barrel change was all it took to make it worth keeping. Turned into a very accurate rifle with phenomenal handling characteristics. I’m a fan of them, just read about MANY of them that just shot so-so.

 

[charlie b]

After all that effort I'd be inclined to swap barrels, especially if you can find someone to do a prefit. Brad is really reasonable and produces good barrels. If you are on a budget that seems the way to go. It means you'd have to swap the barrels yourself. FWIW, the only reference I can find says the tenon is 27/32-20. Weird size.

If you don't or can't do the work yourself then finding a decent gunsmith is the biggest hurdle, and a large portion of the cost. But a good one will give you a rifle that shoots really well. Be diligent in your selection. Yes, there are hacker gunsmiths out there.

But...as mentioned above, do you really need subMOA for deer hunting? I know a ton of folks who are happy with anything under 2MOA for big game, even out here in the west. Unless you are shooting out past 400yd yours should work fine. I hunted with a Garand for a while that was a 2MOA rifle (yes it was heavy ).

 

[WyleWD]

I've got a Kimber in 243, very nice fit and finish, light and well balanced, overall a nice piece. Except that no matter what load I try I have never shot better than 1 MOA at 100 yards, more like 1.25 to 1.75. I have tried tried powders, primers, bullets, seat depth, and charge weight.
I like the rifle mostly because it is very light, under 7 pounds all set up. I have plenty of larger action longer barrel rifles in other calibers, this is the only light weight hunting rifle I have.

I have never had a rifle rebarreled, not sure what it costs. I am wondering if I am better off selling this rifle and finding something else. But, I wonder if the whatever else will shoot any better, or if the cost of a new barrel is worth it.

Definitely call Brad, http://www.theurbanriflemanstore.com/ and discuss what you have and what you want. If you're in Colorado he's only a state away and a good fellow with a great reputation for customer satisfaction.

Personally, I don't think an $800+ cut rifle barrel on a Kimber is the way to go, but it's you're money. JME. WD

 

[urbanrifleman]

Anyone have a tenon print for this Kimber?

 

[gmr4]

I have a Kimber 84M in 300 WSM.. it kicks like a mule. The trigger is adjustable.. I’ve got mine at 2 pound and that helped. It shoots under an inch with Berger factory hunting loads I bought this year and Federeral Premium. Main thing to me is the first cold bore shot it dead on…. I’ve never shot a deer or hog with it more than once…. Seriously.. do something about the trigger if you havent.. mine was 8lbs from factory

 

[ELR LVR]

I took a rifle in trade, nice but a 2" rifle at 100. Tried everything but no fix. Had an old timer tell me to check the pillars. Sure enough, the rear action screw was contacting the pillar at the rear. I reset the the rear pillar and it now holds 3/4" at a 100yds. Damn near traded it off as junk but it is now my wife's favorite rifle.

This is interesting to me
Are you saying - the screw should be clear internally of touching the pillar?
At any point?
Clearance all the way around the screw?
Basically to remedy just drill the pillar larger to provide more clearance around the screw right?
---
I ask because I have one Rem 700 that the screw def rubs against the pillar toward the top
as if the pillar maybe cocked slightly upon bedding
But it shoots very well
This being the case I would never have thought the screw touching a pillar would cause a problem
since I have not encountered a problem
---
However if what you say is true, maybe I should address it and any chance of fliers will be reduced