The first thing we noticed was this was a very light rifle. Without scope it weighed under 5 pounds. The second thing we noted was the recoil pad was excellent, a model for the rest of the industry. The straight Kevlar/carbon fiber stock was dark gray in color and had enough of a pebble-like surface that checkering wasn’t needed, even when wet. There were no visible parting lines on the stock, and the barrel, though free floated, was so close to the stock it was not easy to see the separation.
The action was like a small pre-’64 Model 70 Winchester compete with cone-shaped breech, controlled feed, and positive ejection. A neat push-button on the left rear of the action permitted bolt removal. The safety was again just like the early pre’-64 Winchester Model 70. It had three positions, the middle permitting the cycling of the bolt to empty the magazine. In fact there was no other way to empty the loaded magazine, the rifle having no floorplate. The magazine held five rounds but it was not possible to close the bolt over the fifth, nor could we easily cycle the first round out with five in there, so we called it four-plus-one. Feeding and ejection were for the most part slick and easy, getting better as we used the rifle.
All the metalwork was matte stainless. Kimber didn’t use aluminum to cut weight, just made the parts smaller. The action is smaller than normal in all dimensions, yet much stronger than needed. The magazine follower was plastic, but all the rest of the innards were of steel. The slim barrel helped cut weight. We were cautioned to be sure to let the barrel cool between shots on hot days to get the most out of the rifle. Barrel twist rate was one turn in 10 inches, same as the other two rifles.
The rifle came with dovetail-style bases, but we changed them to Leupold’s own two-dovetail setup to make sure our relatively heavy (1.35 pounds) new 30mm 16X Leupold Mark 4 test scope would stay put. This brought the empty weight up to 6.5 pounds. If this cartridge were ever going to hurt the shooter, this was a setup that would do it. Not much to our surprise, the Kimber had no significant felt recoil. The slight kick from the straight stock was sharp and fast, and no trouble at all, thanks to the great pad.
Three .338 Federal loads are flanked, left, by the .338 Win. Mag with 250-grain Core-Lokt, and by two loads for the .338 OKH (250-grain FMJ and 300-grain Barnes Original). From left, the .338 Fed loads contain 180-grain Nosler, 185-grain Barnes-X, and 200-grain Fusion bullets. That long 300-grain bullet comes out of a custom rifle at over 2300 fps. That’s one of the benefits of having a custom chamber.
A more suitable, lighter, hunting scope would easily give a carrying weight well under 6 pounds. That would increase kick somewhat, but we don’t believe recoil will ever be a problem with the excellent Kimber stock design.
Clearly, Kimber has shown that manufacturers can reduce the weight of hunting rifles if they use a design that directs recoil straight back, not upward against the face. Please note, manufacturers, that there are in fact good recoil pads out there. The one on the Kimber worked exceptionally well. By contrast the pad on the $1600 Sako was as soft as a brick and difficult to change. The Ruger’s pad was even worse. It makes little sense for a factory to install a useless recoil pad on a too-heavy rifle. Cut the weight, use a good pad, and sell more rifles.
Be advised sharp, fast recoil can play hob with scope mounts on heavy scopes, or even with the scope itself. To reduce the possibility of problems with your scope or mount, we suggest using the lightest and highest-quality scope possible mounted by an expert in either double dovetail rings, or in the very simple yet extremely rugged Weaver bases and rings. The Weavers may not be pretty, but they have performed well for us here for many years on many rifles.
The Kimber’s best results were with the 185-grain Barnes X load, which averaged about 1.2 inches. In over-90-degree heat we shot slow and very slow, and we even shot fast, but saw little change in group size. Our smallest three-shot group was fired in cooler weather, a cluster of the 185-grain Barnes-X bullets that went into half an inch. In hot weather the barrel got mighty hot. The Kimber is not designed for long strings from the bench. Clearly this rifle is made for lots of easy carrying followed by the occasional shot. We tried fast pairs, and got generally excellent results, the two landing 1.0 to 1.5 inches apart. What more could you want?
