Kimber Mountain Ascent Caza review: Light is Right

No one is getting younger. If you ask my legs and hips, or lower back, I’m sure they are getting steeper. I refuse to let my native Catskills or Adirondacks intimidate me. I’ve been hunting in them for over 50 years. The Mountain Ascent Caza’s controlled round feed 84L has a miniature Mauser-style Bolt, in this case a fluted body, and skeletonized extractor and bolt handle. Photo: Massaro Media Group.Rifleweight is a major concern for those who hunt in rugged terrain. Whether it’s sheep hunters on the scree slopes of Alaskan mountains, or anyone who carries their gear on their backs when venturing to the few remaining wild areas left on Earth. If I am on relatively flat terrain, such as the Hudson Valley of New York or the Great Plains of the Dakotas, eastern Wyoming and Colorado, or even the vast majority of Africa, I don’t mind adding a little weight to my firearm. Kimber, a rifle company that was founded in my home state of New York, has long been known for its lightweight rifles. The Kimber Montana and the Kimber Adirondack, with their short barrels, felt like a helium-filled balloon on my shoulder, but were still manageable to shoot. Scaled-down actions, replete with the features required to be considered controlled-round-feed, mated to slim barrels and lightweight synthetic stocks add up to an accurate combination that will not be felt during the process of packing out a deer from those remote and rugged locations.Photo: Massaro Media Group.The Adirondack model produces a ton of muzzle blast from its short barrel–though if used as a hunting rifle wouldn’t be unmanageable–and even the Montana felt a bit like a willow wand when it came to settling down for the shot. The Mountain Ascent Caza rifle is the best of all the Kimber rifles I’ve seen over the years. It’s lightweight and portable, and has all the features that I appreciate. The Mountain Ascent Caza is balanced despite its light weight. The Mountain Ascent is a lightweight rifle with a stainless steel barrel that is fluted 8 inches ahead of the chamber. It also has a 2 inch muzzle brake and thread protector. A muzzle brake on a rifle so light is a good idea. My ears are damaged from years of gunfire and loud drummers. I wear earplugs with shooting muffs when I test a rifle that has a brake at the backyard range, but I don’t like wearing hearing protection in the field. I’m not fond of brakes but they are necessary for a lightweight rifle like the Mountain Ascent Caza. The open pistol grip gives the rifle a natural feel. Photo: Massaro Media Group.The 84L action is what I’ve often referred to as a mini-Mauser; it’s a controlled-round-feed design with the non-rotating claw extractor, just in a scaled-down configuration. I measured the bolt at 0.585 inches in diameter. A typical Mauser 98 will measure around 0.700 inches. So there is a significant reduction in the action diameter. Kimber has fluted its bolt body to reduce weight. It has a two-lug face (the Mauser 98 uses a third lug at the bottom rear of its bolt body), and a bolt throw of 90 degrees. The 84L action also features a wing style three-position safety, which is reminiscent of Winchester 70’s design. Forward to fire, the middle position is safe, but allows the user to operate the bolt safely for loading and unloading and the rearward position is safe and prevents the bolt from moving. When the safety is pushed forward, the rifle will be in battery. A small red dot is visible where the safety wing and bolt body meet, which indicates the rifle is hot. The 84L is pillar-bedded into the stock and the action and barrel have been coated with Kimber’s proprietary KimPro II non-reflective black finish. The Mountain Ascent has an adjustable trigger that Kimber says comes set at a 3.5 pound weight. My test rifle’s Trigger broke consistently at 2 lbs, 8 ounces using my Lyman Trigger pull gauge. The shoe is wider, measuring 3/8-inch wide. It offers a nice feeling during the squeeze and breaks crisply without creeping or overtravel. The Pnuma Caza pattern is both attractive, and effective. The KimPro II metal coat eliminates glare. Photo: Massaro Media Group. The Mountain Ascent comes with a blind magazine that holds four rounds. A small polymer trigger guard and one action screw complete the action and stock. The Mountain Ascent comes with an ergonomic, reinforced composite stock that is ambidextrous and wrapped in Pnuma Caza finish. The Mountain Ascent Caza stock is very comfortable to hold. It does not have any checkering, distressing, or cheekpieces to improve grip. The Kimber stock has a sloping grip that keeps the fingers of your trigger hand parallel to the barrel rather than perpendicular. It also features two sling swivels at the forend and one at the rear, allowing you to attach a rifle bipod. The.30-06 is slowed down by a 1-inch Pachmayr Recelerator recoil pads, even with the heaviest loads. I measured the rifle’s length of pull at 13 5/8″. Kimber made the Mountain Ascent Caza as light as possible, noting the skeletonized handle, extractor bands, and fluted bolt bodies. Photo: Massaro Media Group.Kimber guarantees a sub-MOA with the Mountain Ascent, and provided two test target to prove that the rifle left their shop meeting these parameters. The targets were printed using 168-grain match ammunition, but I wanted to test the Mountain Ascent with five different bullets from the.30 caliber spectrum. Due to the thin barrel and the fact that it is a hunting gun, I only allowed three shots per group. Kimber guarantees sub-MOA accuracy with this rifle. Photo: Massaro Media Group. The Kimber muzzle break tamed the recoil of the 200-grain load, and although there was considerable muzzle rising–again physics is physics, shooting the Mountain Ascent from the bench wasn’t a problem. The rifle showed a clear preference for 165 to 180-grain loads, delivering excellent precision with the 175 grain Terminal Ascent load, and keeping all load in this bullet range within 3/4 MOA. The 200-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws had an average group size around 1 MOA. The 150-grain Federal Fusion load came in last, with an average of 1.12 MOA. The 84L action was very well made and I had no problems with feeding, extraction, or ejection. The Mountain Ascent trigger had a natural feel and the Maven RS.2/Talley ring combination allowed for a good cheek weld. This rifle has a lot of features that make it a good lightweight gun. I’ve always been a fan of controlled-round-feed actions, and I’m a sucker for a good trigger.The three-position Model 70-style safety on the Kimber Mountain Ascent Caza; note the red dot visible when the rifle is switched to the fire position. Photo: Massaro Media Group. If I had to identify any issues with this rifle, I would say that the safety felt a little snug out of box – though it did smoothen out by the end of my testing – and the length of the pull is a little too short for me. The last comment is common with almost all American rifles. I find them collectively short, at the standard length of pull, which is 13 1/2- to 13.75-inches. If you’re listening, Kimber: Could you offer an extended length of pull on your stocks? I would have no problem carrying a Kimber Mountain Ascent across a prairie, into the mountains or into a blind. Speaking candidly, there might be instances where the rifle’s weight might influence me to take a different approach to getting steady for the shot, but that fact is mitigated by the gun being an absolute joy to carry.Congratulations, Kimber, you’ve done a good job with this one.Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.More Hunting Rifle Reviews:NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Storm Tactical Printable Target Pack62 Printable MOA Targets with DOT Drills – Rifle Range in YARDSThis impressive target pack from our friends at Storm Tactical contains62 printable targetsfor rifle and handgun range use. The target grids and bullseyes are measured in MOA. Subscribe to the Gun Digest newsletter and we will send you your print-at home target pack immediately. Enter your email below.