Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires T-bolt? Kimber?

So I'm thinking about getting a higher end .22 rimfire for plenty of practice instead of shooting up my centerfires. I have been looking at the Kimber Hunter on Gunbroker, and also handled a new Browning T-bolt at Gander Mountain the other day. Obviously the Kimber is more money, but I'm thinking it more closely matches my Kimber 84's so would be willing to pay a bit more. On the other hand, my buddy has an old T-bolt that is an absolute tack driver...

So this is one of those polls - for a higher end rimfire, with cost not to exceed $700, which one do I choose?

Being lefty, my experience is with the Kimber of OR and the Belgian T-Bolt so I cannot offer first hand advice on the two you mention. But I support your interest in a high end .22lr--they are one of life's joys. The 541S is one heck of a shooter that you ought to consider as well. You are also starting to get into the price range for an Anschutz.

So I guess I tend to favor the somewhat older ones as opposed to recent manufacture. The nice thing about .22lr is it is relatively rare to see them with trashed barrels. Part of the reason I like the older ones may be the triggers--they seem to be less lawyered up.

Another question - what is the difference between the 541S and the 541T? sporter vs target model, perhaps?

I just reviewed the Browning T-Bolt Varmint/Target. It will be in the October issue of "Varmint Hunter" magazine. It might be an exclusive, as I am not aware of anybody else who tested one.

It is a fabulous rifle. To be offered in .22LR, .22WMR and .17 HMR, it has a heavier than normal barrel but still weighs in at under six pounds. Delightful in the field and at the bench. Street price should be under $700.

I have the Kimber of Oregon Mod 82 Left Hand in 22 Lr , Cooper Mod 57 Left Hand in 17 HMR , Anschutz 1517 Left Hand in 17 HMR , Anschutz 64 Left Hand in 22LR , Browning Left Hand T-Bolt in 22 Magnum, Remington 541 Left Hand in 22 LR re-barreled with a heavy Shaw Barrel . All of these rifles are tack driver and i would have a hard time picking a favorite.

The Remington 541S was the first high end version of Remington's 580, 581, 582, etc line. They introduced it in the early 70s. It has a glossy "BDL" type Remington stock with a rosewood (imitation plastic I think) forend tip. In the 80s they switched to the T model. The T had a satin finished and more tasteful stock. Both models have fully adjustable triggers. The S was only offered with a sporter weight barrel. The T was initally offered with only the sporter barrel but Remington added a heavy barrel model later (some are marked 541T-HB but mine is not). The S models and most of the T and T-HB models have single action screws. But, the last of the Ts (90s) gained a second action screw but lost their predecessors' match chamber.

The 541S models are the most accurate (scary accurate sometimes) and the most sought after inspite of the gaudy stocks. I could have picked one up new at the "House of Guns" in my home town for $129.95 in 1974 but there were really nice centerfire rifles that sold for less at that time and I simply could not rationalize the cost. This from a man that now owns one Anschutz 1710, one Kimber Hunter, five CZs, and a Voelker customized 541-THB (pic below).

That's a beautiful rifle!