Kimber Mountain Ascent???

Jonesy125

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Joined
Jul 1, 2013
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171
Location
Montana
Does anybody have experience with these rifles, I ran across a killer deal on one chambered in 7mm Mag and I like the fact that they are claiming it is a 5.5lb rifle. I looked up some reviews and I'm getting kind of a mixed feedback. If anyone has first-hand knowledge I would love to hear what you think?
 
I saw this and handled one at the NRA center in NM. Can you imagine firing a 5.5lb 7mm mag?

I would not mind a Montana in 7mm-08 though.
 
I think by the time Scope is on and with the muzzle brake the recoil wouldn't be too bad. I guess it's all relative I'm used to shooting an unbraked .338 win mag and a braked 30-378 Weatherby mag. What did you think about quality when you handled that one?
 
I have one in 280 AI. I like it. Shoots tight groups and carries nice. They can be finicky on ammo, so you'll likely need to try different loads to find one that your gun likes.
 
While I like the look and feel of the kimbers, they seem to be very very hit or miss on a accuracy. Some group great. The next one is a 2" gun.

I'm not a gambling man so I won't be owning one.
 
I think by the time Scope is on and with the muzzle brake the recoil wouldn't be too bad. I guess it's all relative I'm used to shooting an unbraked .338 win mag and a braked 30-378 Weatherby mag. What did you think about quality when you handled that one?

Quality was good. Like I said, I don't think it's worth the price tag though. I would be happier with a Montana and save a few hundred bucks. If you got a Cabela's near you they usually have a few stocked in the gun library.
 
Can you imagine firing a 5.5lb 7mm mag?

I would not mind a Montana in 7mm-08 though.

The brake'd do the job. Like the Ascent's looks.

..have the 7-08 'tana, handles nicely, 5 lb 2 unscoped....took some tinkering to get the load right...like it.
 
Montana in 7-08. $1,100 and the best day of my rifle owning life was taking a $400 hit to get rid of that thing. It was a piece of crap.

EVERY round jammed on the feed shoe. I saw a pic from a guy that had the same problem. Kimber took a dremel to it and sent it back. When I called Kimber the guy said he'd never heard of the problem.
I would have loved a 2" group, mine was closer to 4" on average. Many boxes of factory ammo and a few hundred reloads.
 
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Montana in 7-08. $1,100 and the best day of my rifle owning life was taking a $400 hit to get rid of that thing. It was a piece of crap.

EVERY round jammed on the feed shoe. I saw a pic from a guy that had the same problem. Kimber took a dremel to it and sent it back. When I called Kimber the guy said he'd never heard of the problem.
I would have loved a 2" group, mine was closer to 4" on average. Many boxes of factory ammo and a few hundred reloads.

I'll admit to reading more than a few reviews like that & was apprehensive...seems I got a good one.
 
For the Gambler... I saw an older thread on the campfire where a guy has a laundry list of changes he does to make them shoot.
 
Appreciate the input guys, wasn't really looking for 7mm but it is a real tough deal to pass up. (Maybe there is a reason why) I agree I think its a very sharp looking gun but I'm gonna have to let it go.
 
The reviews with problems are from a few years ago. Kimber's quality has improved.
 
I noticed that Kimber now guarantees Mountain Ascents to shoot MOA. My Montana in 308 shoots an honest, 5-shot group about 1.25 inches at 100, which is pretty good considering who is pulling the trigger. I do have to keep the barrel cool, though, as it is very light and prone to overheating. Five-shot group is kind of superfluous, when I consider I've never had to shoot anything more than once or twice to get the job done.
 
I am a fan of light weight guns. I currently own two Remington Model 7 FS rifles, both 5.25# out of the box. Scoped with Leupold VX 3 2.5-8, my 7mm-08 weighs 6.5# with a sling and 5 rounds in it. About the same for the 308 model with a Zeiss 3-9 Terra on it. Both are good shooters. 3 shot groups run about 1" or better.

I have looked at and handled the Kimber Mountain Ascents and the Kimber Adirondack models. I am impressed with the light weight, the threaded muzzles and the stock finish (dipping - Adirondack looks like SItka's camo!). What I did notice is that the bolt seems loose and can rattle a bit with the safety in positions other than the fire position. This is likely not a big deal; but I would think for that kind of money, it should not do that.

The short action Mountain Ascent I handled in 308 also did this. I have not handled one in long action, but would love a 280 AI caliber as Kimber is one of few companies chambering that round.

That said, I just bought a used Kimber Ultra CDP in 45 ACP. Got a deal on it used. Likely to be a thumper too and I am not afraid of recoil from light weight guns.
 
I have one in 280AI and received it in july. After the break in and shooting ( the brake was flat-out amazing as recoil is minimal) 160 nosler partitions in nosler factory ammo came up with half to three-quarter groups consistently at 200 yards. Will be working on handloads with the 160 partitions this winter to use next year. Once you load it up with scope, sling and in my case a bipod also the weight increased to 7.8 pounds still much better than my 300 winmag. Would recommend to anyone. My FFL dealer who is a die hard cooper fan and in truth dislikes kimber long guns actually picked one up for himself and is having a hard time admitting that it is a fine shooting weapon.
 
I am a fan of light weight guns. I currently own two Remington Model 7 FS rifles, both 5.25# out of the box. Scoped with Leupold VX 3 2.5-8, my 7mm-08 weighs 6.5# with a sling and 5 rounds in it. About the same for the 308 model with a Zeiss 3-9 Terra on it. Both are good shooters. 3 shot groups run about 1" or better.

I have looked at and handled the Kimber Mountain Ascents and the Kimber Adirondack models. I am impressed with the light weight, the threaded muzzles and the stock finish (dipping - Adirondack looks like SItka's camo!). What I did notice is that the bolt seems loose and can rattle a bit with the safety in positions other than the fire position. This is likely not a big deal; but I would think for that kind of money, it should not do that.

The short action Mountain Ascent I handled in 308 also did this. I have not handled one in long action, but would love a 280 AI caliber as Kimber is one of few companies chambering that round.

That said, I just bought a used Kimber Ultra CDP in 45 ACP. Got a deal on it used. Likely to be a thumper too and I am not afraid of recoil from light weight guns.
What did you do to the Model 7s to get them that light? They are listed as a pound heavier than that by Remington.
 
My Model 7's are the FS model that was built by Remington for several years during the 80's. Once in a while you can find them on Gunbroker or other sites. They are rare & have become pricey though. The 7-08 I bought new circa 1986 I think. The 308 was on Gunbroker sometime in the early 2000's in mint condition.

They came with either a gray synthetic stock or a camo stock, both of which were glass bedded. The stock itself weighs a little more than a pound.

Both are very good shooters and I think represent the lightest factory guns available at that time. Only thing comparable at that time was Ultralight Arms, at a much higher price point.
 
I have the Mountain Ascent in .270 Win. It's a RMEF banquet rifle that I got in the live auction at the Denver banquet this spring. Overall I am very pleased with it. It has essentially no recoil with the muzzle brake attached. The thin barrel is prone to quick warming as others have said. The first two shots are usually touching, but the third tends to fly about 2 inches at 100 yards if you don't allow time for the barrel to cool between shots. I probably need to experiment with some different loads - I've only tried 2 different loads this far. It did a nice job of taking down my Montana bull last month at 250 yards, so an inch here or there probably isn't a huge deal at reasonable distances. It's definitely a pleasure to carry.
 
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