There are some variations obviously but overall what are your thoughts on which action/platform is better?

Are you talking about the sporter versions- 541T or 541S vs the Kimber 82 sporter- or the Target versions- 541X vs the Kimber 82G?

Others may have different experiences, but I have both the 541S and the Kimber 82 Sporter and both are excellent shooters and about equal in accuracy and handling. The Kimber I have is slightly better put together than the Remington but only by a small bit and that is picking nits IMO.... Ammo would be the defining difference between the two for accuracy- depending on which each one liked IMO. Also, the Kimber uses a Semi satin kind of finish rather than the Remington high gloss finish. Both will easily shoot 1/2" at 50 yards with good ammo...

Couldn't tell you on the Target versions... it's been quite a while since I had a 541X and I never shot any decent ammo through it, so never really got an idea of what it is capable of. I've shot a couple Kimber 82G's and they can be very accurate - on the order of 1/2" at 100 with the right ammo and rifle, but like most that would be a rare specimen. Most will shoot about 1" at 100 with good ammo and a good shooter...

Bob

How about the Winchester 320 compared to those two rifles with sporter contour barrels?

I don't have a Kimber 82 but I do have a similar Cooper 57M and a 541THB. The one thing I never liked about the 541 was that el cheapo plastic magazine. What a mistake! I did find someone who made nice metal ones in a small shop for it and so now my 541 is more to my liking. These magazines are not readily available tho. That alone would tip the scales in the Kimber's favor. My 541 has an interesting problem. The first couple shots out of a cold barrel is not to POA. It doesn't matter if it's fouled or not, if it gets cold, it'll throw the first couple shots. After that, it's a fine shooting rimfire. Some 541s have this issue, most don't. My Cooper is a much better designed, executed and better shooting than the Remington. I would expect the Kimber 82 to be much the same.

Now u are talking . My 320 is silly accurate even with a heavy trigger. It with cci standards outshoots every cz ive had, ruger precision, finfires, decked out 10/22s, etc, with match ammo out of them.

Ive sold more expensive 22s because of the 320.

That being said, i have a 541t sporter but have yet to shoot it.

I just checked the trigger pull on my 541THB (Heavy Barrel) Unadjusted by me, it's @ 2 lb 13oz. and is very crisp. My Cooper is at 3 lb and also very crisp. Both are excellent in that regard. The accuracy of any one particular rifle does not mean that it will carry over to another. The same goes for even the best hand-lapped custom match barrels. It's very difficult to consistently make an extremely accurate barrel. The gunsmith who built my benchrest rifles would go thru a batch of barrels from some of the finest custom barrel makers and would reject those that didn't pass his evaluation (mostly slugging them and doing lots of measurements. Even among those that passed his evaluation, some would shoot better than others. My point being, because one gun shoots really well doesn't mean the next one off the line will. Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances. However, overall quality (fit, finish etc) is much easier to evaluate

I have had both, Remington 541S, 541 sporter, 541 HB, and a Kimber 82G. In general the Kimber was the most accurate. It was also a target rifle. Of the 3 Remingtons the 541 sporter was the best. Triggers were pretty much even. The 541S only has one action screw. It also tended to send the first cold bore shot away from the subsequent shots. Didn't see that with the 541 sporter or 541HB. I now have a BSA Martini International MKIII and a CZ 452 silhouette. The CZ can hang with the Remington's all day, and the BSA is the most accurate 22 I have ever owned. It is not afraid of the Anschutz's.

As mentioned, 541s are notorious for throwing the first shot. You see it regularly on the silhouette line.

I have owned multiples of both including Oregon and Yonkers Kimbers. Of those my choice would be a Yonkers K22. Between the 82 and the 541 I would prefer the 82 in every way except I would expect the 541 to outshoot it.

Today and for the last decade my go-to 22 sporter is a bottom line Classic Cooper 57M.

You sir, know quality .22s. I have a first run 2 digit 57M Classic that is an excellent shooter. I won many local benchrest matches with it shooting in the sporter class and - - - it often out-shot several of the heavy unlimited rifles. I shot Lapua Master and Midas thru it.

My 541-S doesn’t throw the first cold bore shot.. I’ve had it since the late’70’s. No telling how many rabbits and squirrels I’ve taken with it.

They all don't do it, but it's a thing. I think it's more of a problem with the 541-T & THB. When I took mine to a gunsmith and told him what it does, he said, ya some of those do that, just shoot some shots before going to the target. The only fix is to re-barrel it. It sounds as if it wasn't adequately stress relieved or something. It's not a bedding problem cause it still did it after I glass bedded and free-floated the barrel. It's ok for a range gun. I then went out and bought the Cooper; problem solved.

I left it a little vague intentionally to maximize comparison and commentary. Various configurations of the rifles come up for sale quite a bit and I've seen, shot and handled a few of them. I have some ideas from my experiences, but I wanted some input from guys who've owned both for many years and maybe put them through their paces. I wanted to get a better idea of what the concensus is on the various features and functionalities of each... ergos, accuracy, quality, etc., especially in light of their respective pricing.

Appreciate the input

I haven't even heard of one of those... off to Google I go...

Post pics!

Supposedly, the Winchester 320 was designed by Greg Warne for Winchester in Australia and when he decided to start Kimber, he based the 82 action on the Winchester 320. If you look at them, they are very similar in many ways and have a reputation of being very accurate. Down side is now that people know about them, they go for about the same money these days as the Kimber of Oregon 82.... which are also going up quite quickly...

Bob

Interesting. I've owned a couple of Winchester 320s and still have one that I bought for myself as a 62nd birthday gift. $309.99 plus sales tax. I currently have an old 2-7x Redfield Tracker installed with B-Square rings and 3/8" groove adapters. I often use it to warm up at the range before I shoot centerfire rifles. If I can't shoot good groups with a .22 at 25 yards, it would probably be a waste of money to try and shoot groups with a centerfire rifle at 100 yards.

The sleeper of my .22 bolt guns is a Tradewinds 311A, an imported version of the Krico 301, Another blind hog find for me, $205 delivered from a pawn shop in MI that didn't know what it was. Man-sized and accurate, just wish that it was easier to remove the huge rear sight from the equally huge barrel dovetail.

I was at the range this morning with the Rem 541THB. @ 25 yrds, the first shot out of a cold bore was at 8 o'clock, about an inch away form the center. The second shot was at 6 o'clock about a 1/2" low and the third and subsequent shots were a jagged one hole group in the center. This is pretty typical for this rifle. In comparison, I had my old Montgomery Ward 842 (Mossberg 346K ) also at the range and the first 5 shots were in a small centered group.

One note on the 541S .....there were a lot of them that had bad barrels, I borescope 4 last year from different people, every barrel looked like a file inside, test fired 2 of those, very erratic accuracy, I am not slamming them just telling you what I seen with my own eyes. May want to have a look at the bore before you buy.

The standard way to fix a 541 is to thread the action. Even if you put the same barrel back on, yes a tenon is required, that fixes the first shot flyer. Rough barrels notwithstanding.

RickF & Cooper57M: I have never heard of this "first shot" throwing by the Remington 541-T's.
I currently own two of them and seldom ever shoot them at the range - they are dedicated Ground Squirrel and small game Rifles.
I will keep an eye out for this situation - I assume you are talking "cold barrel" or clean barrel situations?
The third Remington 541-T I owned some time ago was also mostly a Varmint gun but it also never made it known to me it wouldn't shoot the first bullet where it was supposed to go?
I'll make a point of "checking" for this phenomenon this spring when I verify sight-in for them.
And this, I only ever shoot high velocity, hollow-point, quality type, Hunting ammunition in these two Rifles - I wonder if you's guy's are talking standard velocity "match type" ammo?
Thanks for the heads up.
Hold into wind
VarmintGuy

I'm surprised to hear these reports of bad barrels in the 541S. I had always heard the 541S had a match chamber and hand lapped barrel, which is why they were supposedly so accurate. Can't remember if the 541T was the same but I guess I will find out soon as I just bought one off the Classifieds here to go with my 541S....

Bob

I had a 541T sporter barrel that I wanted to love but couldn’t. I had it bedded and the trigger lightened up but it shot unsatisfactory for me. Talked to several gunsmiths and they said to add a second action screw and install pillars in the stock. I just cut my losses and sold it.

It's not unusual for the first couple of shots out of a clean barrel to be away from the point of aim. The reason for this is that cleaning removes the wax lube that coats the barrel from the lube on the ammo. The lube is there to prevent leading. It takes 3-5 shots for the lube on the bullet to fully coat a newly cleaned barrel and create a consistent bore condition. It's routine for .22 competitors to fire the first 5 shots off of the target frame before going to one's sighters or record target. However, these shots aren't off by much, but, enough to screw up a target in a BR competition. Once fouled/seasoned, this shouldn't happen. My 541 THB will throw the first couple shots whenever it cools down, whether it's fouled or not. Today, my first couple of shots with it were from a fouled but cold barrel. Like I said, some 541s do it, some don't. When I want to shoot squirrels or hunt with a .22, I use my Cooper 57M, 10/22 with a Feddersen barrel or my old Montgomery Ward/Mossberg 346 rifles. My 541 is strictly a range gun. If it was the best .22 I owned or could afford, I would maybe think about having it threaded and/or having the barrel replaced, but it's just not necessary. When I want that first shot to be on the money, I reach for something else. I never competed with the 541 at any level, or hunted with it. My son used it for Boy Scout shooting but shot foulers to warm up the barrel when he shot it (I had a 'smith put Lyman target sights on it). It now wears a Sightron 6X target scope.

I have owned three 541T's and two 541S and three Kimber Classics - while that is not a large enough number to be truly representative I do have a bit of feel for both brands.

541T - You need to be careful what you are buying, some of them only had one action screw, and some on the later ones did not have an adjustable trigger.

Kimber 82 (KOO) - I had one that the trigger sear had not been properly hardened, it required constant attention because the sear would wear with use which was not a good thing because I was using it for smallbore Hunter class silhouette which requires a minimum 2 lb trigger pull.

I solved the problems on both of them by doing the same thing cooper57m did - I bought a Cooper 57M.

drover

I had a 541S that had been 'smithed by Brian Voelker for awhile. It was very accurate, but I really disliked the plastic magazines and let it go.

My 541 THB has only the one action screw, as does my Mossberg & my 10/22. Neither the 10/22 or the Mossberg throws the first cold shot and obviously the 10/22 is not threaded. I'm thinking the problem has more to do with my 541's barrel. The fact that it shoots better when it's warmed up, leads me to believe there's some internal stress in the barrel that was not relieved.

260Remguy, I hear you about that plastic magazine. What were they thinking? Did they think shooters wouldn't pay $20-30-40 more for a metal magazine? A fellow named John Reed made up some metal mags that work great that he sold for $68. I bought two.That's what it was worth to me. BTW Brian has a great reputation for his work on these rifles and is respected in the rimfire benchrest community.

Yep, I bought the metal magazines as well. The money folks wanted for the plastic was too much. Didn't like the 10 round plastic ones either.

This is NOT helpful! 😆

I added the second action screw to my 541S and it was a pretty easy upgrade and pretty cheap. I bought the second screw, which I believe is a 8-32 x 1 1/2" and a tap and you just take out the wood screw that is already existing and drill in the same place into the action with the tap drill bit. Cut the bolt to length so it doesn't intrude in the bolt channel and install it. Pretty easy and I did see a bit of added consistency once I was done. I think I found my second action screw kit on ebay, but they are also available on Brownells...

Bob

I have a Rem 540xr ( target version of the sporterized 581/541T. Used to own a Kimber 82, but in 218 Bee (sngle shot, sold it to my woodchuck hunting buddy, and he loves it). I have a Win 310-a single shot ( "pre-Kimber" Kimber). Used to own a walnut stocked Rem 580 single shot. Accurate, but too light for my liking. Sold it.

The Kimber 82 218 Bee action had a feel of precision and tight tolerances. The 540xr action is nice ( single shot, two action mounting bolts, adjustable trigger), but the 9 interrupted lugs create a bit of "catch" when closing the bolt, and has a bit of rattle to it. The Rem 540 shoots great, but just has a different feel. I don't want to say "cheaper", but they are two different designs ( Kimber has a 90 degree bolt lift, and two big lugs ( handle and rear opposing lug). The Rem 540/581 has a 60 degree bolt lift and 9 smaller lugs (and milled " grooves" for them, giving more edges to catch on. Both are good. Neither are considered "Olympic" grade to seek a gold medal, but my Rem 540xr shoots almost as well as my old Anschutz 1411.

You may want to consider CZ 452 American or Varmint. VERY nice feeling action (glass smooth, tight tolerances, accurate), and mine shoots great ( 22 LR American version ). It is a pleasure to hold, shoot, and just work the action.

To the other posts mentioning the Winchester 320, I hear you, and agree with you about how nice they are. I have the single shot configuration, the Winchester 310. It was made by Jack Warne in Australia before Jack Warne created Kimber in the USA/Oregon It is well made and accurate (5/8" groups at 50 yards with CCI standard velocity), has a good trigger, and just feels nice when you hand!e it.

Never handled, shot or owned one, but I have read that the Kimber 82G did not live up to accuracy expectations It LOOKED accurate, with its heavier barrel and target-like stock, but it wasn't a nail driver. It was "OK accurate," but no where near what shooters hoped for- especially after hype and higher price. It did not deliver the accuracy goods. Can't remember if it was a chamber issue, or groove diameter issue-or both.

There is a lot of good reading over at rimfirecentral.com about various makes/models, pros/cons.

Other interesting, potentially accurate 22 bolt guns are: Win 69A sporter or 75 target (get a grooved receiver version for easy scope mounting), Walther medium barrel weight target rifles, Marlin 880sq (as in " squirrel"), Marlin 2000, Marlin 780 series (nice walnut stocked, accurate guns), BRNO #4, "Winchester"/Browning 52 sporter, Rem 510/511 sporters or 513 Matchmaster), Anschutz 64/54 (try to find a medium weight target barrel version ). Never handled a Cooper, but they are evidently very nice.

Buttstock has a MUCH broader perspective than I do but his suggestions about the CZ452 Varmint and Win 69A ring true for me. Both very good rifles capable of satisfying levels of accuracy.

I appreciate the time you took to write all that up. Some things to think about...

Just to throw something else into the mix take a look at the CZ457 sporter. I have not shot one but in handling it feels really good, the bolt operates as smoothly as my years old 452's, it has a fully adjustable trigger - if I were in the market for another sporter I would be taking a long look at one of those, I was impressed with the overall package.
I have had numerous CZ452's and the all shot well but they also required trigger mods, some bedding work, and the bolt handle can be problematic for low scope mounting, and of course now they are no longer available everyone is asking more for them then they sold for new.

drover

This is a really good thread with lots of experience speaking. Thanks to all who are contributing. I have a 541S who thinks its a 700 as it has gone off twice when I closed the bolt on a live round. Its due for a trip to the doctor to see what's up. Also have a Browning A-Bolt which is beautifully stocked and a Winchester 320. If you look at the 320 magazine, it looks just like a Kimber 82 rimfire mag.
Interestingly, those are all RH rifles and I'm a lefty. These rimfire are the only RH rifles I have. I'll also end up with a Ruger 77/22 just to complete the set of nice, full size, bolt action rifles.