Rebarrel Kimber Classic 243win?

[Gobears16]

I’ve got a absolutely beautiful Kimber Classic 243win. The wood stock has fiddle backing throughout and it is such a nice light handy package, butttttt it shoots like shit. 4-5 factory offerings and nothing under and inch. 3-4 handloads (Sierra, Barnes, Berger) only Barnes at 1.25 inch. The barrel channel isn’t even. The right side is much closer to the barrel. I can still slide a dollar bill to the shank, but looks off. The rings are Talley and a Zeiss Conquest 3x9 which have been proven on other rifles. So.....

Would you rebarrel?
What brand? And twist rate?
True the action? Is that needed on this action?
What gunsmith would you have do the work on a Kimber?
Sell it and buy a Ruger American and use extra money on a couple cases of whiskey?

I really want to make this rifle a family type heirloom. It’s accurate enough for hunting but I can’t stand not getting peak performance. If it was shit grain wood I wouldn’t care but this thing is a beauty and I like the weight and balance. I’ve got 3 young girls under 1, and would love for them to take their first animals with it. It would have to shoot non-lead as we live in horrible California. Does an 8 twist the best option for mono bullets in a .243?

Would would the “experts” on the hide recommend?

Not the best picture but I’ll post of more next time out. If you zoom in you can see the “zebra” like fiddle backing.

 

[Poorboyr]

Congratulations on the Kimber. They really are beautiful rifles. However, they aren’t the easiest rifles to shoot. I wouldn’t give up on it yet. Here are a few suggestions to try. I do not know all of California’s goofy laws so do what you can.

1. Try some of Spark Munitions 243 Game King load. It does same hole groups in my Kimber rifle.
2. Try to shoot the rifle from a bag front rest. These rifles tend to have a ton of muzzle lift.
3. Really jam the rifle in your shoulder when shooting.
4. Remember, you can only shoot these rifles no more than about 4 times before the barrels really heat up. My groups really open up, I’m talking more than an inch, if I try to shoot more than that between barrel coolings. I usually wait about 45 minutes before I try again.

Hopefully these help. Kimber hunting rifles aren’t very easy to shoot. Good luck.

 

[SharpsNitro]

Talk to Benchmark Barrels. They rebarrel a lot of Kimbers.

 

[Gobears16]

Congratulations on the Kimber. They really are beautiful rifles. However, they aren’t the easiest rifles to shoot. I wouldn’t give up on it yet. Here are a few suggestions to try. I do not know all of California’s goofy laws so do what you can.

1. Try some of Spark Munitions 243 Game King load. It does same hole groups in my Kimber rifle.
2. Try to shoot the rifle from a bag front rest. These rifles tend to have a ton of muzzle lift.
3. Really jam the rifle in your shoulder when shooting.
4. Remember, you can only shoot these rifles no more than about 4 times before the barrels really heat up. My groups really open up, I’m talking more than an inch, if I try to shoot more than that between barrel coolings. I usually wait about 45 minutes before I try again.

Hopefully these help. Kimber hunting rifles aren’t very easy to shoot. Good luck.

Thank you for the tips. I’ve got a Kimber .270 classic that shoots great. You are correct about letting the barrel cool. They heat up very very quick. As I’ve read throughout many forums the accuracy is very spotty. Unfortunately I think this one is just not an “accurate”. I should call Kimber an see the year is manufactured as it has a red butt pad that the newer ones are all black.

I’m just wondering if it’s worth buying a custom or not.

 

[Poorboyr]

Call Kimber and talk to them. They will have you send it in and check the accuracy.

 

[XTREM HTR16]

Have a smith bed it properly, relieving stress from barrel channel and also mag box binding. Here’s a good read on the Montana which also could apply to the Classic.

Montana tinkering....

I get several PM's asking questions about what I do to improve accuracy with Kimber Montana's. I've decided to start a thread detailing the steps I take and the things I look for shortly after buying one. First and foremost, I'm not a gunsmith. These "improvements" weren...

www.24hourcampfire.com

 

[WeiserBucks]

This^^^^ , beat me to it .

 

[XTREM HTR16]

If there is no paint atop the pillars and the action could move front/back, side/side -- something is pinched.

If things are tight and right, the action won't move. I'd look at hard at the four things below.

1. The box is binding.
2. The shank is bottoming out.
3. The lug is bottoming out.
4. Action screw is too long.

 

[XTREM HTR16]

Your other issue will be that the Kimber factory 243 barrel is a 10 twist. Which might handle a Hornady 105 HPBT but not an Amax/ELD/VLD. If you decide to rebarrel, Lilja makes a Modified 84 contour barrel that matches the factory out to the end of the stock and then stays thicker, over 0.600” at the muzzle.

24HourCampfire guys have done a lot of Kimber mods to make them shoot.