Need help choosing a new rifle

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PTS1

New member
Going to get a new bolt action just because I can right now. I am going mainly for looks and have found two for the same price. The first is a Kimber 84M Classic in 338 Federal and the other is a Ruger M77 ultralight in 308win special edition with a circassian stock. Have been toying with the idea of a lightweight rifle just because. The different callibers are not that much of a concern as I reload and have bullets in 308 and 338, as well as suitable powders for both. Would just need dies. The Ruger has the nicer wood and the Kimber, well, is a Kimber. I have owned M77's before but have never owned or handled a Kimber. I live in BFE and there are no Kimbers to be handled in my area, closest being 3 hours away. Would love to hear from anyone who has owned both. By the way, the ruger has had a trigger job performed and is at 2.5 pounds (claimed in the ad anyway). Both are NIB and $795.00. Thanks in advance for any replies.
 

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pilothunter

Moderator
Need help choosing a new rifle

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Going to get a new bolt action just because I can right now. I am going mainly for looks and have found two for the same price. The first is a Kimber 84M Classic in 338 Federal and the other is a Ruger M77 ultralight in 308win special edition with a circassian stock. Have been toying with the idea of a lightweight rifle just because. The different callibers are not that much of a concern as I reload and have bullets in 308 and 338, as well as suitable powders for both. Would just need dies. The Ruger has the nicer wood and the Kimber, well, is a Kimber. I have owned M77's before but have never owned or handled a Kimber. I live in BFE and there are no Kimbers to be handled in my area, closest being 3 hours away. Would love to hear from anyone who has owned both. By the way, the ruger has had a trigger job performed and is at 2.5 pounds (claimed in the ad anyway). Both are NIB and $795.00. Thanks in advance for any replies.

I bought a Kimber 84M in .308 the first year they came out, before they had 3 position safety. It was a very nice rifle, nothing to badmouth it about, but not a favorite of mine. I bought a Ruger 77 S/S in .338 Fed when it was first introduced. Also a very nice rifle, at least after I replaced the ugly synthetic stock. I'm a big fan of both calibers, owning several.308s and really liking the performance of the .338F, which is way more than you'd expect, and significantly better than the fine.358 Win in a factory load.

You didn't say exactly what you'd use the rifles for, but either caliber is a good choice for CXP2 or 3 game, IMO. The .338F does have a bit more recoil, but when fired back to back with a 30/06 180gr in similar rifles, it's indistinguishable to my shoulder. I'm a fan of bigger bullets and think the 200gr Fusion I shoot in my .338 (sub MOA) is a very stout load. I'd never gotten sub MOA from my Kimber, BTW. I guess I'd say the rifle part would be a toss-up in my book (sorry Kimber fans!), but the .338F is a really good caliber even more useful than the .308, or even 30/06, in my book.
 
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GeauxTide

New member
I think the Ruger is overpriced. I paid 650 for a 77 Compact SS in 260 four months ago. For the same price, I'd buy the Kimber and I own two Rugers.
 
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5RWill

New member
Nice rifles in my opinion go like this.
1) fully custom
2) dakota
3) cooper
4) Sako/Kimber

Sako and kimber are about the same of what i've seen. I've seen some, just some, not a lot model 85 sakos that didn't look that good. I got mine though and was fortunate enough to get one of the good stocks, and it is a sheer beauty. Now i might give a little edge to sako because my wood on my sako beats out the kimber 84m. Now the kimber super america to my eyes is just a little over my sako, but it's about 1500$ more. I was taken away when i got my sako i never dreamed the wood would be that beautiful. Then you have accuracy which i give to sako. Then the action is a chevy vs fords thing. Sako is like a push feed/mauser but it's the smoothest action i've ever operated when actually shooting. Kimber is straight up mauser. Out of those two rifles you have chosen i say kimber all the way.
 
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Doyle

New member
I personally wouldn't choose the Ruger. Don't get me wrong, I generally love Ruger weapons. However, their rifles just don't cut it. I hunt with several people that use (or have tried to use) Rugers. You might get one off the shelf that is an absolute tack driver. Yet, the next guy that buys the next one off the shelf gets one that won't group for crap. I've just seen too much variablility in their accuracy for my tastes.
 
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pilothunter

Moderator
Everyone has their own opinions and experiences. My experience is that the Kimber I bought in .308 lives at someone elses house now and the last Ruger I bought in .338 shoots 3/4". Go figure! :eek:
 
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a7mmnut

Moderator
Looks can be deceiving, no? A Ruger for $795:confused:? That must be some piece of wood. Of course, their new International is nearly a Grand:eek:! The Kimber is a much smoother rifle, factory accurized, lighter trigger, and the safety lever lots easier to manipulate. I still love Rugers, but for the same money and better "looks" (IMO), the walnut Weatherby Vanguard Sub MOA is a lot better value. Personal taste is everything here. I also love the Remington in the glossy gray laminated stainless version. Your eyeball is not my eyeball, though. Good luck.

-7-
 
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5RWill

New member
Haha ya either one of the companys aren't exactly known right now for producing tack drivers, or cosistant shooting rifles. I was making a decision between kimber and sako, kimber didn't make .260s anymore so i chose sako. But kimber had a lot of reviews about how they didn't shoot well. To this day i've never read a review about a sake not shooting well. And out of the 3 shot groups we've test every single one we've had all 3 of them touching, except for 2 three shot groups only the first 2 shots were touching.
 
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Doyle

New member
I hear you Pilothunter. My hunting partner that lives across the street has the worlds ugliest Ruger but it shoots a good 3/4" group. It was so ugly and beat up that he camo painted the whole thing.

However, this same guy bought (and then promptly traded) 3 brand new Rugers in a row in 3 different calibers that grouped like a shotgun. He tried everything a home-gunsmith could do including bedding and floating. I've seen several other people that have had similar experiences. When you get a good one, it is fantastic. When you get a bad one, nothing will make it right.

The ideal situatuation is to have a dealer that will let you buy a rifle and take it to the range and then return it if it doesn't work for you.
 
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jmr40

New member
I like the standard size Rugers very much. But not the ultralight. They start with a standard action and reduce weight mainly in the barrel. To a lesser extent in the wood.

If you want a lightweight rifle the Kimber uses a full 22" barrel that is thicker. They built an action sized around the 308 family of cartridges. The Kimber just balances better and looks like a well thought out rifle.

The Ruger ultralight looks like an afterthought. In my experience a standard size Ruger will shoot just as well as a Kimber. But the Kimber will most likely shoot better than Ruger ultralight. As well as being lighter and look much better, at least to me.
 
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PTS1

New member
Skull, wish I could get them both! Thanks for everyone's input. I do think the Ruger (second photo) is nicer looking. (Can't beat a nice piece of circassian). Just wondering if the Kimber is overall that much nicer a rifle.
 
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dgludwig

New member
According to some posters, I must be very lucky! All four of my 77s (two older, tang safety models, chambered in .257 Roberts and 30-06 Springfield and two newer, three position safety models, chambered in .308 and 7X64 Brenneke) are plenty accurate-the '06 exceptionally so. The nicer looking wood would be the deciding factor for me in this instance.
 
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