Sporting Classics Digital

S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 2 9 elegant rifles, Kilimanjaro turns barrel contours so they appear to be one with the action, flowing from the receiver ring as if machined from the same block of steel. Despite its African name and Pacific Island home, Kilimanjaro is very much a North American rifle company. Its genesis was Mel Smart, the Montana gunsmith/ stock-maker who perfected what he called the ACRA-Bond Laminate walnut stock. By ripping a quarter- inch-wide slab from the center of any walnut blank, flipping it over and epoxying it back in place under massive pressure, Smart created the structural stability of plywood without the multi-layered look of a laminated stock. The single quarter-inch, center layer of wood, noticeable only along the top and bottom of each stock, prevents the stock from warping, even when it's soaked for days in water. I n 2003 Rod Rogers acquired ACRA-Bond Laminates to create Serengeti Rifles, makers of fine custom bolt-actions utilizing a refined Montana 1999 controlled- round-feed, double-lug action. In 2008 one of Serengeti's customers, Erik Eike, bought the Serengeti name, model lines and patents to begin building under his newly created "Kilimanjaro Standards" quality assurance manual. The Tigercat custom 243 Winchester shown here was started under Serengeti and finished under Kilimanjaro. At 6 pounds 11 ounces with a Swarovski Z3 scope set in Talley Light Weight rings, this slim bolt-action, built on a stainless Kimber 84M controlled-round-feed short-action, represents my vision of an ideal stalking rifle. It's perfect for medium game such as pronghorns and deer. I chose the 243 Winchester chambering in anticipation of shooting it a lot. The light-recoiling round is inexpensive and a delight to shoot at targets and steel plates while training. It's ideal for the occasional marauding coyote or rampaging rock chuck in the garden. With the right bullet and careful shot placement, it will suffice for elk. The Best Grade Turkish walnut

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