I really like my Kimber 8400M from 2009. No experience with the Nosler. I am sure it is good too. I would bet that the Kimber would be more compact in almost every sense, they are purpose built to be minimal in dimension, no extra bulk or length. The Nosler would have good customer service if necessary I would think.
I am also considering the Weathermark in 257 or 270 Weatherby. I like the feel and function of my old Vanguard S1 257. Also like the 3/4 moa accuracy.
A valid point, though the rifles from Kimber all have longer barrels than the Noslers, so I wouldn't necessarily be getting the benefits of a minimal design. And of the Weatherby's, the Weathermark and Ultra Lightweight are the two left on the table for me as well. I've always liked how Weatherby actions felt, but I just never liked the weight of the ones I handled.
Kimber builds a nice rifle, but their niche is extreme light weight. You pay a premium to be able to purchase a 5 lb rifle. And if you need a quality 5 lb rifle Kimber's are a bargain for the money. Anything else of that weight and quality will cost you around $3000.
If you don't need a 5 lb rifle I think there are better options for about the same money or less.
I have never even held a Nosler; know nothing about them but would bet they are a quality rifle. But I do own a Kimber and like it a lot for what it is. And that is an extremely light rifle for extreme terrain. I don't use it as an all purpose rifle. While the mechanical accuracy is there, most people will shoot a heavier rifle better, including me. I've found something around 7-7.5 lbs including optics is about perfect and I'd not want to go over 8 lbs.
The difference between CRF and PF is really a non-issue for most people. But with that said I do prefer CRF. It is kinda like preferring a 4X4 over a 4X2 vehicle. You may never need 4X4, but if you do need it, you really need it. Under normal circumstances the advantages will never be noted, but if the rifle absolutely, positively needs to feed and eject after being subjected to abuse, snow, ice, or dirt a CRF action is more likely to come through.
If looking at a rifle in that price range I'd look hard at the Winchester EW. It has the same stock as the Nosler rifle, SS metal, a fluted barrel to help reduce weight and is CRF. Mine has proven to be extremely consistent. It doesn't shoot those 1/2" 5 shot groups that people brag about. But it will put 3 shots inside an inch, (often under 3/4") day after day, group after group year after year, and with just about anything I stick in the chamber.
I'd also look hard at the Nosler as well as a Sako in that price range.
Thanks for the info, JMR.
I do like Kimber's weight, that's what got me looking at them to begin with. I'm looking at .30-06 and .338 Win Mag right now for reasons that extend beyond practicality. I accept that. My current rifle is an 8.25 pound .30-06, which isn't too much to carry, but I keep coming back to it being too much
for a .30-06, if that makes sense. I also have an 8 pound .338 Win Mag with irons, which I really enjoy shooting and briefly carried this season.
So weight isn't really an issue on its own, but in the process of finding a new bolt gun, I want to find something whose weight fits its cartridge. So for a little less than the 8.25 pounds I'm lugging either way, I could jump into a fully-outfitted .338 Montana, or I could have a .338 Nosler outfitted for just a bit more weight, and have something that I genuinely just enjoy shooting and loading for when I'm not hunting. Or, of course, I could be practical and save about a pound on a .30-06 Montana.
I have checked out the Winchester EW SS, and I guess my only real hang up has been the price being too close to Kimber. I quite like the feature set, though, and I did a few searches around here to get some opinions. I feel confident that it'd be a good rifle, but it did get pushed to the side. I'll see if I can find one locally to mess with, though. They're a heck of a value. And since I was considering Nosler pricing, I did look at Sako again. While it's hard to tear my eyes away from their rifles, I'm just not into wood and blued steel enough to spend that on one. The Nosler, on the other hand, is aesthetically perfect to me. I like the stock, I like a blind mag, I like iron sights on a gun for off season fun no matter how unnecessary they are for actual hunting, I like the feel of a 22" rifle with irons, and the weight for their .338 is going to be fine with or without an optic. However, $1995 is a lot of money to spend on what essentially boils down to aesthetics when Montana's run in the $1200-$1300 range, and the Winchesters even less. And then Weatherby fell somewhere in between, offering a similar form factor to Kimber, but at a few hundred bucks
more. So they kind of got pushed to the side as well.
I do appreciate the input on CRF, as well. I've never used a push feed in the wild, but the widespread nature of PF actions gives me confidence. Though, to your analogy, look how many people drive FWD cars, and are fine until they hit the mud.
If you like the vanguard I would think you would like the nosler and find it to be familiar as the action is very similar to the Weatherby/howa. It may even be a howa action with some modifications.
I have 0 firsthand experience with either rifle other than fondling a kimber once or twice. Very respectable rifle but for me it is too light. Everyone I have met that owns one likes it though.
And, in general, I think crf is overrated unless dangerous game is on the menu. One drawback of crf rarely discussed is the extractor wear that can come from single feeding the rounds. Mauser style crf offers positive extraction but so does the sako style extractor in the howa/nosler action and even the savage style action can with some slight modifications.
Nosler simply states that they took the best features from the best actions when they built their own. I have no idea what that means, of course, but I do believe Nosler would put out a product that works, and works well. I don't know that CRF is necessarily overrated, but I agree with both you and jmr, in that for the majority of hunting situations, the differences won't show themselves.
