Help me pick a lightweight rifle

I have the Kimber 84M Select .308 in stainless. It's light, accurate, very nice trigger. Bought new about 4 years ago.

However, the chamber ream is poor, and the other visible machining isn't much better, and does not live up to their claims nor the price they charge. Not really a rifle to be proud of, thou it should have, and could have been.

Tikka t3 lite in 25-06 here. Very light, very accurate.

Kimbers are hit and miss, savage is always good, but those tikkas are something else. Get the Tikka imo.

Tikka

Kimbers are hit and miss,

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That might have been the case a few years back but that's not the case for the majority of Kimber buyers these days. Tikka makes a good rifle and is a good choice if you like the fit of the stock and the one size fits all receiver. Personally I find the stock fit to be uncomfortable and in my experience felt recoil is noticeably worse compared to the same cartridge in rifles from other manufacturers, particularly Kimbers which are some of the lightest but softest shooting rifles available. Tikka has made their rifles lighter but they haven't figured out the best stock geometry.

Go with the Tikka. I bought the 84, hunter last year. Mine wouldn't even feed without mangling the rounds. Pretty much had to jam the bolt .like said previously they're hit and miss.i sold it and bought my Tikka. No regrets! Never hear bad about one really. Except for expensive magazines. I have a copy of the email I sent Kimber with every last detail if you want the down and dirty on it.

My Tikka T3 Lite, .243 Win, is one of the best rifles I own. It's great to carry, feeds and shoots great out of the box, and the stock fits me well. I've considered getting another in 7mm-08 or .308, but don't really need to get into another cartridge. I've killed deer and coyotes with mine and carried it a lot when patrolling the blueberry barrens down back. I'm also impressed with the killing power of some of the .243 Win handloads.

My tikka T3 lite in 3006 is sub moa at 200 yards using factory Winchester 165 grain bullets. Can't go wrong with Savage either. Don't have any first hand experience with the Kimber so no comment.

Remington model 7 is a light weight carbine of merit which should be considered. My featherweight deer rifle is a Mossberg model 464 featuring a 16 inch barrel and marine coat finish. Chambering is 30-30 which is entirely adequate for at least 90% of my deer hunting situations.

TR

Sake FinnLite. Get the best.

If you choose the optics and mounts carefully you can keep the Kimber under 6 lbs even after adding the scope. The only real competition at that weight is a New Ultra Light Arms rifle (NULA) that sells for around $3000. The Kimber is the only option that has CRF and a 3 position safety. It is the only option with a high end hand laid fiberglass laminate stock that would sell for about $600 as an aftermarket stock. The others are injection molded plastic. Same process used to make milk jugs.

In my experience Kimbers tend to be extremely accurate mechanically. But many shooters struggle getting a 5 lb rifle to shoot well for them. It does require perfect technique, a heavier rifle is more forgiving of shooter error. They can also be somewhat picky about the ammo they shoot well. Mine simply wont' shoot some loads very well, but with what it likes I've shot some 3 shot groups in the .1's.

A Tikka with the same scope will weigh almost exactly 1 lb more than a Kimber but is still considered a lightweight rifle. The detachable magazines hold 3 rounds but spares or replacements are expensive and hard to find. If betting on which will shoot more accurately from a bench the Tikka will win. But you don't shoot from a bench when hunting. Realistically a rifle that shoots 1 MOA is every bit as effective as a hunting rifle as a 1/2 MOA rifle in the field. You can't take advantage of the accuracy when shooting from field conditions.

Savage builds a good standard or heavy weight rifle. In fact their standard weight rifles coupled with a decent lightweight stock and lighter optics is one of the lighter options out there. Their Lightweight Hunter however simply strikes out. The weight reduction is in all the wrong places. If I were sold on Savage I'd buy a standard model 11 rifle for $350 and spend $1000 customizing it and adding a lightweight kevlar stock from McMillan. It would end up in the same weight range as a Tikka and at about the same price point as a Kimber.

Out of the box you get far more for your dollar with a Kimber. For a 5 lb, CRF, SS rifle with a stock of that quality the price is dirt cheap. If CRF and the extra pound of weight isn't important and if you want the slightly better accuracy then Tikka is a darn good rifle. Outt'a the box Savage doesn't make a good lightweight, but you could get there if using a Savage action as the basis for a custom.

HexHead said:

Sake FinnLite. Get the best.

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Can't agree with this gentleman any more! Great choice. Why marry the nurse when you can be with the doctor! ?

Why was NULA (New Ultra Light Arms) left out of your choices? They wrote the book on combining light weight with accuracy.

I bought a wood stocked 308 Win Savage Light Weight Hunter about five years ago. It cost me $925 and although it was pleasing to the eye and a joy to carry, I could never shoot it to the degree of accuracy I'd come to expect from Savage rifles. Plus, the 308 Win 165 grain loads featured recoil that was nearly identical to my 300WSM shooting 200 grain bullets. I eventually sold the rifle.

Lightweight rifles are really a different deal from heavier rifles. While some level of bench and prone accuracy is necessary, in more common usage practical accuracy standing, kneeling, and in expedient field positions (per Cooper) is more important. For me, this means using a sling and lots of practice. The quantity of practice required tends to suggest a lighter recoiling cartridge.

With enough practice, I can eventually get pretty good with a wide range of stock fits, comb heights, scope heights, and rifle balance. But I get there more quickly with a rifle that fits and balances well for me in the first place, and what works well for me may not be what works well for you. You also understand better than I do what tradeoffs you are willing to make between inherent accuracy (from a bench), practical accuracy (shootability), and light weight.

As an instructor/shooting coach, I have noticed that the fit and balance of a light bolt action preferred by shooters coming more from an AR-15 background in practical accuracy is a lot different from those coming from smallbore is a lot different from those coming from a Marlin lever action is a lot different from those coming from a Rem 760/740.

I bought a kimber hunter in 280 ai when they first came out. I really like it a lot and thought it was a real good value. The trigger is the best factory trigger I've ever had. The stock is really nice I was surprised it had pillar bedding and is very rigid. I put a Leupold vx3i 3.5-10x40 scope on it and it's very light. I'm getting about .75 moa groups at a hundred yards from the bench. I liked it so much I bought another hunter in 243 for coyote hunting. I put a Leupold 1.5 -5 vxiii scope on it with the german#4 reticle. Thing is wicked light!!! I actually shot a deer with it up in wyoming last month and it was perfect

As I don't own any of those particular choices, I can' give an opinion. However I do own a Winchester model 70 featherweight. I've hunted with it for many years now. I can say it's been a pleasure. I don't know the exact weight with the 2x7x32 scope but I would guess between 5 1/2 and 6 pounds. I can carry it all day without issues. Fit and finish are excellent and it shoots 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. I would at least consider it if I were shopping. If I were to look for another lightweight rifle I would search the used gun rack for a Remington model 7.

Charliefrank said:

As I don't own any of those particular choices, I can' give an opinion. However I do own a Winchester model 70 featherweight. I've hunted with it for many years now. I can say it's been a pleasure. I don't know the exact weight with the 2x7x32 scope but I would guess between 5 1/2 and 6 pounds. I can carry it all day without issues. Fit and finish are excellent and it shoots 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. I would at least consider it if I were shopping. If I were to look for another lightweight rifle I would search the used gun rack for a Remington model 7.

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One more note. I NEVER buy a hunting rifle without being able to shoulder it first. It needs to come up and land in my shoulder naturally. If I need to make a quick snap shot I can't be adjusting where it lands in my shoulder/line of sight

my sps 700 rem in .260(less than 500.00) with a 24" barrel and 4x leupold scope-sling weights 7 lbs. if I cut the barrel down to 18" it would be under 7 lbs, but I like the extra speed with out the pressure. eastbank.

All of the brands/ rifles mentioned should be just fine for your needs; handle all of them in person if you can and buy the one you like. I own a Kimber 84M Classic Select in .308 that handles and shoots very well. It is very well made with classic lines; a beautiful rifle - and extremely light to carry. I own many rifles but the Kimber is my go to for deer. I cannot comment on the other brands but this forum always provides good advice and experience. Again with guidance, always buy what you like and then get out and practice; the person behind the rifle is always the variable. Good shooting.

I tried a Kimber Hunter in 257 Rob and liked everything about it except the accuracy. Best trigger that I have had on a rifle and weighed less than 7 lbs with a 4X12 Vortex. I tried 3 or 4 bullets and several different powders and never got less than 1 1/4". Most ran 1 1/2"-2". I don't buy into the, "Light Rifles are harder to shoot", theory. I have a 6 1/4 lb Model 10 Savage Sierra from the 90's that will shoot 3/4" or less and it is a 300 WSM. It is a shame that the Kimber didn't meet my criteria because I really liked it. Maybe you will get lucky and get a good one.