"So much less than you expect." It's a clever line, a snappy lead for the centerfire rifle section in the current Kimber catalog. It's also descriptive of what Kimber has marketed in its 84M and 8400 rifles. Less means less weight, less bulk, less unnecessary embellishment. At first glance, I didn't think that minimalist image would apply to the latest Kimber rifles--a trio of tactical rifles in .308 Winchester--but a closer look showed something different.

These new rifles are built on the 84M and 8400 platforms. The 84M was originally designed to minimize weight by close attention to proportions. Its short action and trim barrels kept overall weight to 53⁄4 pounds in a sporting rifle configuration.

The 84M has a Mauser-style claw extractor, steel bottom metal (a floorplate with release button in the trigger guard) and a steel grip cap--features retained in the new tactical rifle series.

The 8400 is a short-action version of the 84M, albeit a heavier one originally designed for the Winchester Short Magnum cartridges. The 8400 is thicker through the receiver ring than is the 84M.

"The ring is bigger because we wanted it stronger," says Kimber's Dwight van Brunt.

The three new tactical guns are built on these actions. All wear Kimber's own four-groove barrels rifled with a 1:12 twist. Mil-spec Picatinny rails are attached with 8-40 screws. Actions are glass bedded; magazine boxes hold five cartridges. While lacking the trim profiles of Kimber sporting rifles, the tactical models share the mechanisms many hunters have come to prefer over all others.

The 84M LPT, or Light Police Tactical, has a 24-inch medium-heavy fluted barrel and laminated wood stock with black finish and stippled grip and fore-end. Bottom metal is the same as on Kimber sporting rifles. The bolt knob, however, is conical and oversize.

Metal surfaces are matte black. The 81⁄2-pound LPT retails for $1,258.

The 8400 Tactical, based on Kimber's heavier short action, couples a heavy 24-inch barrel with a McMillan A-5 stock, stippled fore and aft. Metal finish and bolt knob are identical to those on the LPT.

A third swivel stud accommodates a bipod (not included), and the Picatinny rail incorporates 20 minutes of elevation. The 8400 Tactical weighs 91⁄4 pounds and lists at $1,836.

For eye-catching, few rifles beat the new Kimber 8400 Advanced Tactical. While its bottom metal and bolt have standard matte-black finish, the barrel and receiver are sheathed in KimPro II Dark Earth, an extremely tough, self-lubricating coat the color of wet sand. The McMillan A-5 stock is painted to match, in a light and dark desert camo pattern.