My gracious and beautiful wife gave me a Kimber .22 Hunter as a gift to celebrate our wedding. I've had it since last August, so I figured I'd let you all share my experience.
Initial Impressions: When I first handled the gun there was something that was SO different about this gun. It was like no other .22 I had ever held. Even the famous 52 Winchester didn't feel like this. The gun handles like a real sporter that is sized for adults. It shoulders lightning quick and it handles like a dream. The finish is a matte black on the metal and a satin on the walnut stock. The stock is rather nicely figured, nothing fancy, think understated elegance. There is a buttpad which is made of some sort of grippy rubber. Feels great in the shoulder! I believe it has an 11 degree target crown. The safety looks just like the Winchester except for the fact that it is only 2 position. The action was smooth and did not feel like a regular .22. The action is VERY tight and just reeks of accuracy. The fact that it is claw controlled is curious and the way it works with a rimfire is interesting. The round apparently rotates in 2 different recesses, one for feeding and when you close the bolt the round moves into another recess in the bolt face. Hmm...okay! The trigger makes this gun. It is about 2 lbs or so and perfect! The gun came with a 5 round magazine. Then I reached into the box and pulled out the test target. 50 yards, 5 shots, .3333"! Wow! A rifle that I can live up to! I immediately purchased a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm scope to top it off. Rings were included. Mounting was a cinch!
Range sessions: Well...this gun is incredible! The gun's accuracy never ceases to amaze me. It is ALWAYS consistent provided that I am consistent. Most groups have been great with all sorts of ammo. I wish I would have recorded them and saved the targets Stephen A. Camp style. But alas, I am not that great of a reviewer but let's suffice to say that anything you can expect out of a .22 rifle, this rifle can deliver. The 100 yard accuracy is commonly within 1MOA. I know that is mostly my fault when it isn't within 1MOA. But then again, I almost never shoot from the bench. There is only one problem with this rifle: ejection isn't always positive. Sometimes, the case doesn't jump all the way out of the chamber and it can get stuck between the bolt and the chamber. This problem happened to me a few times but then cleared up. I believe that I just changed the way I manipulated the bolt which made ejection more positive. I never have this problem anymore but sometimes when I hand the rifle to other people, they experience this peculiarity.
Final Impressions: This gun is phenominal. The quality of the fit and finish is excellent and it is probably my favorite rifle in my battery. One funny instance occured where Chris Rhines and I were trying to sight in my Bushy AR. We kept shooting at these little metal plates (about 4"x7") 100 yards away. We both were having trouble hitting them due to a bad zero. So I was just joking and pulled out my Kimber, fired a round...*tink*! Most people are unwilling to spend this kind of money on "just a .22". But it seems to me, that with her spending that kind of money, I didn't get just a .22, I got a gun that will be a lifelong companion. Pretty fitting for a wedding gift eh?
Initial Impressions: When I first handled the gun there was something that was SO different about this gun. It was like no other .22 I had ever held. Even the famous 52 Winchester didn't feel like this. The gun handles like a real sporter that is sized for adults. It shoulders lightning quick and it handles like a dream. The finish is a matte black on the metal and a satin on the walnut stock. The stock is rather nicely figured, nothing fancy, think understated elegance. There is a buttpad which is made of some sort of grippy rubber. Feels great in the shoulder! I believe it has an 11 degree target crown. The safety looks just like the Winchester except for the fact that it is only 2 position. The action was smooth and did not feel like a regular .22. The action is VERY tight and just reeks of accuracy. The fact that it is claw controlled is curious and the way it works with a rimfire is interesting. The round apparently rotates in 2 different recesses, one for feeding and when you close the bolt the round moves into another recess in the bolt face. Hmm...okay! The trigger makes this gun. It is about 2 lbs or so and perfect! The gun came with a 5 round magazine. Then I reached into the box and pulled out the test target. 50 yards, 5 shots, .3333"! Wow! A rifle that I can live up to! I immediately purchased a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm scope to top it off. Rings were included. Mounting was a cinch!
Range sessions: Well...this gun is incredible! The gun's accuracy never ceases to amaze me. It is ALWAYS consistent provided that I am consistent. Most groups have been great with all sorts of ammo. I wish I would have recorded them and saved the targets Stephen A. Camp style. But alas, I am not that great of a reviewer but let's suffice to say that anything you can expect out of a .22 rifle, this rifle can deliver. The 100 yard accuracy is commonly within 1MOA. I know that is mostly my fault when it isn't within 1MOA. But then again, I almost never shoot from the bench. There is only one problem with this rifle: ejection isn't always positive. Sometimes, the case doesn't jump all the way out of the chamber and it can get stuck between the bolt and the chamber. This problem happened to me a few times but then cleared up. I believe that I just changed the way I manipulated the bolt which made ejection more positive. I never have this problem anymore but sometimes when I hand the rifle to other people, they experience this peculiarity.
Final Impressions: This gun is phenominal. The quality of the fit and finish is excellent and it is probably my favorite rifle in my battery. One funny instance occured where Chris Rhines and I were trying to sight in my Bushy AR. We kept shooting at these little metal plates (about 4"x7") 100 yards away. We both were having trouble hitting them due to a bad zero. So I was just joking and pulled out my Kimber, fired a round...*tink*! Most people are unwilling to spend this kind of money on "just a .22". But it seems to me, that with her spending that kind of money, I didn't get just a .22, I got a gun that will be a lifelong companion. Pretty fitting for a wedding gift eh?
Attachments
Last edited: