Rem 541T or Win 52B?

P

ptpalpha

New member
I need a new .22LR, and am interested in both the 52B and the 541T. I'm also open to other suggestions, as long as they fall under the following criteria:
Priced at or below $500, and must be bolt action.
I'll be using this rifle primarily for squirrel and other small game, and for non-competitive target shooting in the off-season.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I have the cash and am wanting to purchase SOMETHING early next week. :)
-Paul
PS-if it makes any difference, I'll be scoping the rifle with a Leupold; either 2- or 3-9x.
 
Paul,

I can't speak to the 52B, but have high regard for the 541T. For your application, I'd look for the sporter rather than heavy barrel. You should be able to find one for WELL under $500. I picked one up new on sale at a sporting goods shop a couple years ago for about half that. I've been pleased with both its accuracy and reliability.
 
I have the Ruger 77/22 Stainless w/the laminated stock. That is another good gun. All three are very good, but I think the Remington has the edge in accuracy. I just liked the heft of the 77/22 better. Close friend has the Remington and it shoots very well.

Two suggestions - get a scope with adjustable objective. I've found that the paralex is bothersome and obvious, especially at 50 or 75 yards. The other suggestion is to assemble a bunch of different types of ammo and test'em for accuracy. My 10/22 does very well with CCI's SGB rounds and the 77/22 does better with Winchester Dyna-Points. Testing really sorts this out.

Giz
 
Thanks, Giz. I hadn't even thought about an AO for the scope. That kind of bumps up the price. Hmmmm...I'll start looking. Any suggestions for a good AO scope in the $200-300 range?
 
I have a 541T and am very pleased with it. I've had the 24" barrel cut back to 20", the trigger stoned and the action glass bedded into the original stock. With ELEY ammo it shoots 3/8" groups at 50 yards, if I do my part.
I had a 77/22, it shot just under 1/2" at 50 yards.
Hope this helps
 
If you buy the Leupold scope, it will have parallax set for 150 yds in the vast majoity of cases. Howerver, if you want to use one of their scopes on a 22, they will reset it at 60 yds. for free. When I had this done, the turn around was only two weeks.
The Remington has a reputation for being hard to beat in this catagory. You might also consider the CZ products. I have never owned either of these, but they are what I would consider.
 
Paul . . . I have a Leopold 3x9 AO on my Anshutz M54 Sporter. Use this rifle for small game hunting and the occasional indoor match where the rules say "nothing over 6X". Setting the scope to 6X is permitted and works well. Use a Leopold 2x7 rimfire special on my target 10/22. It works quite well and is less trouble than the adjustable objective on the 3x9. If I had it to do over, I think I would put a 2x7 on each rifle. Nice dilemma you have . . . good luck in resolving it. :)


------------------
ralph

Life Member NRA
 
I'll speak up for the Winchester 52B. I was fortunate to have the option of selecting from several of these rifles and I chose the one with the nicest wood.

The checkering is somewhat wanting. The fit is good in most places. The rifle is made in Japan. It is well balanced and fits me perfectly.

You'll have to tap out a tiny roll pin to take full advantage of the Micro Motion trigger and in my particular rifle, the bedding block was sunk too deep so I dug it out and pillar bedded the rear screw and rebedded the recoil lug area. Also present is a forearm tuning screw to contol vibration.

The magazine won't feed Stingers. The gun won't shoot Stingers accurately anyway... I mounted a Leupold 4x12 Matte AO with thin crosshairs in Leupold bases and rings-- looks great on the gun. I get 5/8" 10 shot groups with Eley Scorpion at 50m (it would like the expensive stuff...), pretty close to the same with Winchester Power Points except with an occasional flyer or two. I am also very fond of shooting the Remington CBee caps and listening for the firing pin snap...
 
Great advice, thank you everyone! Now I have to search the used rifle racks for a nice 541T, which is always fun! Probably won't get much REAL work done at the office this week, but oh well!! :)
I like both scope ideas; getting Leupold to dial down to 60yds, or buying a .22 Leupold scope outright. I know that Simmons has the 10/22T scope, but I want a little bit higher quality glass for this one.
Thanks again for all the great advice; it sure is nice to have a place to come and ask folks who have real "hands on" knowledge.
Ralph-great to hear from you! I'd forgotten that in addition to being a knife knut you are also a gun gnut!!
-Paul
 
P -- on the scope, consider (if still made) the Leupold Compact 2-7x. It's not AO, but I don't think you'll find that a problem. I have 4-12x L AOs, which really need it, but the 2-7x is focused closer (not sure how close, 60 yds might be right) and at the relatively lower mag (even dialed all the way up to 7x) it really isn't a problem. It looks just right on a 52 or 541 and works like magic -- and is a little more affordable than bigger Leupolds. Give it a look -- I think you'd be pleased.
 
JN-will do. I love the 2-7 range, that's what I use on my Win M70 FWT in .280 Rem. I think it's a great hunting magnification range. I'll start hunting for one just as soon as I locate a 541T.
Now....anyone have one they'd like to part with? :)
 
OK, scratch the 541S question. New question: What's the difference between the Browning and the Winchester Model 52? Anything? Any opinions on the Browning? (I've found one for a great price, and want to jump on it! :) )
Thanks,
Paul
 
Err, which Winchester? The old ones are a little different from the Browning/Winchester repros, though I don't remember how off the top of my head. I don't think it mattered much. The new "Winchester" 52B is the same as the earlier Browning, and they are very well made. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all if the price is right.
 
Paul, both my father and nephew have 541T rifles. They are very good shooters even without the expensive 22s bullets. The only thing I can fault them with is that d**n plastic cartridge clip. I can't understand why Remington builds such a fine rifle and puts a cheap clip on it. Mike
 
"Everyone" seems to complain about plastic magazines, but I have to admit that they don't rust and the lips don't get bent. For function, I like them. I have to admit that they just don't feel right, though!
 
Well, I got the Browning 52B. I'll shoot it this weekend to check it out. I also picked up a used Leupold 2-7 rimfire scope, and ordered some Warne rings. Now all I have to do is take it to the range and see how she shoots! :) (but she sure does LOOK good! ;) )
Thanks for all the great advice, everyone. It made this very enjoyable and much easier.
-Paul
Next week we'll talk ammo!
 
You will be extremely pleased with this all. One possible warning -- it's been many years but I have some distant recollection that I found out the hard way that I needed the Browning rings for that rifle -- not sure and it may be that newer rings are now available that will work on this rifle (when I bought a Browning 52B it was first issued as a -- HA! <g> -- limited production special, so the only choices in rings were generic rings and the Browning rings).
 
Actually, this rifle came with weaver bases on it, so I just ordered some Warne Maxima rings for the scope.
I'm curious as to whether my rifle is the "standard production" version. It has inletted sling swivels, a monte carlo cheekpiece with a raised comb, ebony (looking) forend tip, adjustable trigger, and a steel grip cap. The wood is beautiful with lots of figuring. Are these items standard on the Brownings?
 
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