Kimber bummer.

[MossRoad]

I'm pretty sure my wife's priest will tell the audience at my funeral that I gotta do some burn time before I get there..... and no one will be in disagreement. They'll all nod their heads in agreement.

 

[widefat]

Seasoned toolmaker/armorer/reloader here and I see no mention of which or how many loads were tried. Top makers with MOA guarantees usually specify 'with premium ammo' not necessarily with our first choice of super bullet or xtra performance ammo. Some 'best shooters' can be very particular about which shoot best. No one promises accuracy with any/every load. Custom builds don't either, just some are more forgiving than others.

Do what gunwriters do! Try several loads, esp those favored by reviewers or those who post on various gun forums. You don't have to be limited to any one load, unless you'll only try ONE. I haven't shot my M84 (a 7mm-08, btw) yet, but won't assume it likes any ammo before trying or loading whatever it takes. We don't choose premium tires and then try to find a car that handles best or gets the best mileage/traction with them. So I suggest you use your experience vs 'popular press' and don't assume 'your/my pet load' will also be the Kimber's.

Side note, I'm about to sell-down some nice and/or new collectible BA hunters, many unfired .. but .... buyers are happy to see groups fired with and mention of loads that performed well. If your not sure you'll keep the M84, start with Rem 'Green Box' or Win 'Silver Box' maybe shooting well with box store ammo that an average guy might like to know works before you set your price. IIRC, Kimber complaints, especially of 'older' ones like my own, have always been about them being ammo-fussy.

Secant ogive, VLD, ruby-tipped, moly coated doesn't mean accurate too if your gun just doesn't like it. Accuracy usually trumps bullet type. I'll take a well placed Cor-Lokt or Fed Power Shock in the boiler room vs a Trophy Bonded Tipped that just grazes a brisket and fills my tag with nothing but a fading blood trail to show for my $55 box of ammo. Did I miss mention of the OP's caliber or quarry? t o g

I am knowhere near as experienced as many of the folks here, but.
I did not provide a lot of detail because I did not feel it was relevant. 4" spread at 100 yards. If it were a 2" spread, ok, i can see where taking the time to find the right ammo would be worth it. But 4"? IMVHO, that is a problem that cant be solved by spending $300 on ammo, bruising my shoulder, and spending all day trying to hold my mouth right to get a decent consistent group. Again MHO, but I believe it means the rifle has a problem. Maybe I expect too much from a modern bolt action that msrps for over a $1000. I have three other 308 rifles that shoot moa with anything i feed them - a Savage fcps 10, a savage 99, and a win model 70.

But here tis - i tried federal match 168 grain, freedom munitions 168 grain reloads, win silvertip 150 grain, and browning bxr 155 grain. At that point, i figured if no group, even with an occasional flyer, i was wasting time and money.
The scope was a leupold vx-r, bases w/blue loctite, and rings torqued to spec with a torque wrench and finished with blue loctite.

 

[MossRoad]

4" at 100 yards is unacceptable. You are correct. With that many different samples of ammo, you know there's something up. Take the scope off, secure the gun to a bench, shoot it multiple times, and see if you get the same results. That'll eliminate the scope. At least give it a try, to be fair.

 

[Sigarms]

I'm pretty sure my wife's priest will tell the audience at my funeral that I gotta do some burn time before I get there..... and no one will be in disagreement. They'll all nod their heads in agreement.

Never heard one yet...

 

[Sigarms]

4" at 100 yards is unacceptable. You are correct. With that many different samples of ammo, you know there's something up. Take the scope off, secure the gun to a bench, shoot it multiple times, and see if you get the same results. That'll eliminate the scope. At least give it a try, to be fair.

+1.....

 

[shooterdon]

4" at 100 yards is unacceptable. You are correct. With that many different samples of ammo, you know there's something up. Take the scope off, secure the gun to a bench, shoot it multiple times, and see if you get the same results. That'll eliminate the scope. At least give it a try, to be fair.

Never heard of this method, or how to even accomplish it. I can see damaging the rifle if it has appreciable recoil. So much easier to mount another scope, or mount the suspect scope on an accurate gun.

Ammunition is not the issue.....as stated previously

At least call Kimber and ask what they deem acceptable before you spend money shipping it back. BTW, there is huge difference between 3 shot and 10 shot groups. Even a POS will group MOA IF THEY SHOOT ENOUGH GROUPS. That is why all the “guarantees” of MOA groups use 3 shot groups. If Kimber bases their performance on that, do not waste your time and money sending it back.

 

[the old grind]

Guys, recent reports of Kimber's newer models all seem to mention pre-2018 models' (most all) low-keyed reputation for being so ammo fussy an owner is lucky to find a load their gun likes. (your, mine, ours) As SA says reviews/previews are often given by staffers who don't load for every gun they shoot, and/or see a 3 MOA and 1.5 MOA load and say 'there ya go". (I read the reloading vs new gear bits as a rule '98s/clones ain't 'new')

My hunch is that the OP and I may well be in the same boat, ie: owning 'beauts' that can't shoot on par with fit and finish. I agree that more bucks on ammo would not be a good investment, and I agree with Moss that other things could be re/checked and/or redone. (<$) As a handloader the best I would try would be to begin workups based on seating depth above charge weight, but insist that such is for us lab rats vs normal folks. (no guess if 'freebore' is oddly short or longish, w/o measure first)

I AM saying that my hunch is as likely to be the gun itself and that I might dive in deeper than a sane man, but darn if it shouldn't shoot some available ammo. That said, since barrel length affects harmonics, and despite Kimber's usual FL bedding the geek that dared might try incrementally shortening/crowning (.500" per?) to see if 'tuning' harmonics, as much as proportionally stiffening the barrel offers some relief. It's a 'custom' after that, but so what if it shoots for once .. a long road, I fear.

At least our Ks look nice :

 

[atsah]

I was considering a Kimber when I bought my Sako, the gunsmith at the shop that I bought it from (a store in Maine that has thousands of guns in stock) informed me that the Sako was the one to buy, I asked why, he said we get many complaints of poor accuracy with Kimber rifles. That was in 2010.

My Sako shoots 1 inch groups at 150 yards in 300 short mag benched with quality ammo..

4 inch groups at 100 yards is terrible... My buddy has a cheap Savage Axis that's shoots 2 inch groups at 150 yards..

 

[CalG]

Take a look at the spent brass for signs of a loose chamber.
You might caliper some dimensions against unfired brass.
Some bolt guns shoot once fired brass reloads with only a neck resize.

These Kimbers aren't the only rifles that sometimes shoot poorly.

 

[coobie]

I would sell the Kimber and buy a good old savage rifle.IMHO you have a bedding issue or scope issue.Good luck.