Kimber Montana

[sam700]

I recently picked up a Kimber Montana in 300 win mag for an elk hunt this fall. It handles great and routinely shoots under one MOA. It even looks pretty good for a stainless synthetic. It did have two problems that I found pretty irritating.

The first issue is that when the mag is topped off with four shells, the cartridge will jam against the feed rail. At this point, you have to strike the bolt with you’re palm several times to force the round into the chamber. This happens with all types of ammo. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the jammed rounds had cuts in the belt of the cartage where it caught on the rail. Is this something that will work its self out with time, or should I send it back?

The second issue is that there was a crack in the stock that starts where the recoil lug meets the stock and travels for several inches down the stock. It is not highly visible, but my concern is that it will only grow with time.

 

[sam700]

Here is a photo of the stock. Notice the small crack on the right side from the recoil lug that runs up and then toward the rear of the stock

 

[Vern Humphrey]

It might be possible to fix the feeding problem by knocking the sharp edge off the feedrail with a stone or emery cloth. The stock crack is perhaps more serious. It will get worse the more you shoot it.

For the cost of the Kimber Montana, I would not tolerate faults like this -- a rifle that expensive should be flawless -- and I would demand Kimber fix it.