The stocks are machine-inletted at the McMillan factory to accept the 8400 action, but when assembling the rifle, Kimber goes the extra step and glass beds the receiver, the lug, and a few inches of the barrel with a hand-applied skim coat.

Hand-matched to the receiver, the bolt's lugs are handlapped, and the claw extractor is beveled to allow single loading of a cartridge without using the internal magazine. The boltface is also trued to the barrel.

As a final step before accuracy testing the complete rifle at the factory, the crown is touched up by hand. Then, with a bedded and fully assembled rifle in hand, it's to the test range the Kimber engineers go to verify each and every production rifle will hold a half-inch three-shot group at 100 yards with both Federal Match 168-grain BTHP and Black Hills 175-grain BTHP--guaranteed.

Myth Busting And Paper Punching
Shortly after my T&E sample of the Advanced Tactical arrived, complete with a color-matched Leupold 3.5-10X 40mm LR/T M2 TMR IR scope, it was off to the PASA Park rifle range I went. In addition to the two types of ammunition used in the factory tests, I brought along two loads of Hornady TAP ammo with 155-grain and 110-grain bullets. But even before I started shooting my five-shot groups, my previously mentioned predispositions started to crumble.

The first to fall was the idea that you have to have a detachable box. With the large window between the Picatinny rail and the action opening, the Advanced Tactical's magazine was very accessible. It was also extremely easy to feed, which is not always the case with the tight feed lips on some detachable magazines. Further, considering the intended purpose of this rifle, it would be a really bad day for a tactical shooter who needed to fire more than one round--much less the five available in the Advanced Tactical. Having experienced unintentionally dropping a detachable magazine on more than one occasion, I began to realize that a dropped detachable box actually could be a liability in a tactical situation. Also, considering the law enforcement community's need for absolute ammo accountability, a shooter can simply pop open the magazine trapdoor and pull the bolt to the rear for a full round-count in hand.

Next to fall was the absolute need for a push-feed-style bolt because of the single-loading issue associated with Mauser-style claw extractors. With the beveled extractor on the Advanced

Tactical, you simply toss a round into the action and close the bolt. Except for a slight "click" at the end of the bolt stroke as the extractor slips over the case rim, you probably won't even notice it isn't feeding out of the magazine. Since single feeding is possible, with a little manipulation to hold down the top cartridge in a loaded magazine, a sixth round can be dropped in and chambered--a 5+1 rifle.

Another interesting aspect of the Advanced Tactical is the function of the fixed ejector, which allows the shooter to eject his brass either as far or as near as he might like, depending upon the speed at which he pulls back the bolt. Generally, with a plunger-style extractor on a push-feed bolt, the best you can hope for is to catch a case as it's flung out the ejection port.

At the range, the fixed ejector proved especially helpful, as I really didn't need to police up my brass. It was all on the bench beside the rifle. So there I was, free of my misconceptions and able to concentrate solely on the task at hand: precisely firing my groups.