Kimber mountain ascent?

[swampcrawler]

So iv I been looking for a ridiculously light weight .308 lately... and this certainly fits the bill. I don't mountain hunt, but I do a ton of walking on the big wildlife management areas here. I love the lines and slim shape of the rifle and don't mind the goofy camo and odd fluting like some do.

Anyhow I see a lot of issues with the Montana, but I can't find any "real people" reviews of the mountain ascent, only some articles from gun magazines.

Has anyone owned or used one? Are they pretty decent guns? I'm not expecting a tack driver from a pencil barrel. But I do expect at least 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards with hand loads and 100% reliability.

Hopefully I can get some good info here. Thanks guys!

 

[StrawHat]

I have no experience with Kimber.

If I were looking for a proven rifle, lightweight and accurate, I would consider one from NULA.

http://www.newultralight.com/

 

[swampcrawler]

I'm familiar with the New Ultra Lite Arms co. IV liked them very much for quite some time.. but at roughly 4 grand with a few months wait.. it's not exactly what I'm up for at the moment.

The Forbes rifles (Basically non custom versions of the same?) Look nice on paper but I actually don't care for the looks of the gun. And i like the CRF on the kimber, though that may be a moot point.

 

[Sav .250]

I`ve never owned one but I do know this. If your out all day. Up and down mountains. Light beats anything heavy. Hands down.

Course, everybody has a different "feel" for heavy.
.

 

[jmr40]

NULA makes a good rifle, but you can buy about 3 Kimbers for the price.

Not the Mountain Ascent, but I've owned a Kimber 84M in 308 for about 5 years now. I love mine, but I'm not sure I'd recommend one as an all around rifle. The rifles are just fine and shoot as well as anything out there. They are about as good as it gets for the money, if you want and can shoot a true lightweight.

The problem is with the shooters. A standard or heavy weight rifle is very forgiving of less than perfect technique. If you are sloppy with trigger pull and how you hold the rifle, the weight keeps things steady. A 5 lb rifle will wiggle around as you pull the trigger, but if you learn how to shoot, the guns themselves shoot very well.

Shooting 2.5" groups shouldn't be an issue if you can master the rifle. In fact 1 MOA or darn close to it shouldn't be a problem.

I won't lie, this is not typical, but around 1" and often less is. While there was some luck involved here, you don't get this lucky with inaccurate rifles.

 

[R H Clark]

I have an 84M 7mm-08. Personally I wouldn't opt for the Mountain ascent unless it was the same money. I handled the MA and hated the feel of the bolt. You can also buy titanium aftermarket bolts and trigger guards which will mean that you will pay about $500 more just for 2 oz.

I just wouldn't get the MA in a 308 unless I really needed the brake. I don't see that as a big issue in a 308.

Accuracy wise, you won't have any problems. You might have to check to make sure the mag box isn't binding or the action screws bottoming out. Both are a 5 min fix.

Get the 84M and don't look back. Mount a light weight 10-13 oz scope in Talley Light weights and enjoy.

 

[MCMXI]

I took delivery of a Mountain Ascent in .270 Win recently and am really impressed with it. It weighs 6lb-6oz which includes the scope and sling and the first seven shots down the barrel did this (below) at 100 yards using Federal (3) and Barnes (4). I'd love one in .30-06 Sprg.

 

[swampcrawler]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I actually just noticed the Adirondack in their lineup. Looks like the same rifle with a different camo pattern and 18 inch barrel..

Sense I hunt thicker woods and plan to fit it with a leupold 2.5x scope I think i'll go with that one.

A tikka to would serve just as nicely but I love the lines and the surreal lightness of these guns.

 

[R H Clark]

Get what you want but I personally "hate" shorter barrels. I've never been where I couldn't swing or point a longer barrel. The short barrel only robs velocity and causes ear damage.

 

[swampcrawler]

Iv always preferred the shorter barrels functionally. I like the look and balance of a longer barrel, but at 6ft6, moving through dense low lying areas is problematic enough without having a longer rifle to snake about.

And i work offshore and in refineries so my hearing is basically toast anyway.

But you do make a good point. If possible I will handle both extensively before purchasing. I do like the look of the ascent a little better I suppose.

 

[witchhunter]

Crawler, if you are 6 1/2 feet tall, make sure you pick up every rifle that you can to make sure they fit. You might like one with a longer LOP than is normal on a short rifle. It has to fit for you to be able to shoot it well. Oh, and don't settle for 2.5 MOA. You can make almost anything shoot better than that with the right loads.

 

[MCMXI]

swampcrawler, Kimber is partnering with Zeiss and offering Talley rings and Zeiss scopes finished in Optifade Open Country or Optifade Forest if you like that sort of thing. As for the Adirondack, the barrel and bolt handle aren't fluted and the bolt knob is a little different. The 4" shorter barrel wouldn't have any significant deleterious affect on terminal performance inside typical hunting distances with lightweight rifles, so it's a good alternative to the Mountain Ascent.

 

[swampcrawler]

1858, I do plan to try them for fit before I buy if possible. I don't like the zeise option as I think it is entirely too much scope for my purpose. The leupold ultralight 2.5x (6ish oz) will be going on mine unless I find a lighter alternative. I guess I'm a bit strange in that I don't prefer scopes due to the magnification, rather I just prefer the sight picture of cross hairs to a dot or open sights.... In that sense I suppose if one could find a way to mount a leupold prismatic on it, that would work.