Kimber Marias

Depending upon your age the name "Kimber" will conjure up two very different images. For older guys like me, a very classy bolt-action .22 springs to mind, but for most, the mind picture is one of a 1911. At one time Kimber created a market for the upscale .22 and today they deserve much of the credit for the phenomenon we call the 1911. But they've also brought us a couple of shotguns definitely upscale and strongly reminiscent of British game guns of days long gone by. Awhile back we told you about a classy little side-by-side 20 gauge. Now there's an over/under they call the Marias and it will knock your socks off. The name comes from a pass in Glacier National Park near Kalipsell, Montana, a major feature on Lewis and Clark's path to the Pacific. Both guns are made in Turkey in the town of Huglu with a tradition very much like the guilds of Europe going all the way back to the 16th century. The guns are built in a small factory with a sign saying "Hatfield Gun Co" and a working relationship exists between Kimber and Hatfield.