My (New to me) 541T

[kevinbear]

Good points tenx9, I {maybe wrongly} assumed that his gun having had the barrel and trigger work was bedded as well but the gun could have been sent in without the stock. BTW all the T series I've had have two action screws. Also the barrel looks tapered so if the trigger is 2 pounds there should be no problem qualifing for hunter class.

[BCloninger]

My 541-T came with a single action screw, but my HB has two. I have read that later production T's also had two action screws but don't know when or even if the change was actually made. Adding the second actions screw seems to have been a popular modification for a long time.

[Innocent]

tenx9, tough to believe but I have had some better groups out of several of my rifles with Laupa and SK than 10X in the last few years.

Mary

[kevinbear]

[quote="Innocent"]tenx9, tough to believe but I have had some better groups out of several of my rifles with Laupa and SK than 10X in the last few years.

Mary[/quote]


It happens to most of us on occasion, if one buys enough ammo you'll get a "lucky" lot that shoots as well as the ammunition a grade well above what you paid for. The trouble is it doesn't happen often enough! I have a carton of Eley yellow box that groups 9 out of 10 shots on the target like 10X. That was prior to the EPS bullet, now they just put reject 10X in a black box and lower the price by 30%.

[steveyacht]

A couple of questions and observations. How action screws does an original 541T come with? I know 40x's have 2. If its now 3 there could be a problem torgueing the action. How is the action bedded? Is it on aluminum bedding blocks? Some type of Devcon bedding? Very important for accuracy. What "inch/pound" is the action torqued to? Anywhere from 30-35 inch/pounds is the norm for Anschutz or Walthers. Lastly, we all know that TENX shoots the best and would normally should under an inch at 100yds if the bedding and torqueing is right. I always felt that custom rigs with match grade stainless bbls should shoot 1 1/2" with less quality ammo. I get 1 1/4" groups at 100yds with the cheap Wolf ammo. More than acceptable for silohuette shooting. Unless your loaded or a master shooter it doean't pay to shoot TENX or the real high end stuff. Buy cheaper stuff and practice more.

Very good questions. I just purchased this gun and am in the process of contacting Brian Voelker to see if he has any record of what modifications he made to this particular gun. The Barrel is Stampled Voelker Broughton, so I am making the assumption that he ordered the barrel to his specifications for this rifle. I do knwo that it is free floating and that there is an additional action mounting bolt. I have not removed the stock to check any internals. I do know that the trigger is VERY light with NO creep and is VERY crisp. As good or better than any other competition trigger that I have experienced.

[tenx9]

I actually ran into a guy on my club that had the "Voelker" treatment done to his 541T. And the reviews were rave. He does indeed add an action screw, so you should have 3. My guess is that its a completely finished rifle and its done in high quality. My only thought is to get Mr. Voelker on the phone and ask what torque specs he requires as this is his rig. Just enjoy, its a quality piece.

vito

[BCloninger]

He does indeed add an action screw, so you should have 3.

vito

This is the first time I have heard of three action screws in a 541. Where would it fit?

[kevinbear]

You have to sink one in place of the wood screw that holds the floor plate in place!

[BCloninger]

You have to sink one in place of the wood screw that holds the floor plate in place!

I've seen that done on the middle of bottom metal screw and that's where the 541-T HB has the second screw, but a third would go - where? In place of the rearmost bottom metal screw? That looks like a close fit with the trigger assembly, but I haven't checked it out yet. Fitting those screws is tricky because too short of a screw won't engage enough threads to hold while too long will penetrate the receiver and foul the bolt.

[kevinbear]

I was kidding, I have not removed my action from the stock in quite a while, I'll take a look tomorrow after work. If I remember right the rear screw goes in just like a 700 BDL. It would be pointless to have a third screw on a 541, the only reason ADL 700's have them is to attach the trigger guard.

[malinois]

Your torque settings will vary gun to gun and ammo to ammo...let the target be your guide...set it low then start putting the presure on as you shoot groups once the groups start to open up you know you have passed that sweet spot. diffrent ammo lots will also change the required torque setting.

[Daddio!]

Nice rifle steveyacht!

For those who are interested the attached price list shows most, if not all, of the things that Voelker does to the 541's. Some of the items are optional but I think most folks go all the way when they have Brian rework their 541's.
From what I've read, Voelker uses a Winchester 52D match chamber reamer which produces one of the tightest chambers. I know the chamber in mine is pretty tight but I don't know for sure what reamer was used. I forgot to ask Brian what reamer he uses when he reworked my 541-X a few years ago. I'm not sure it matters at this point, the rifle shoots well and that's all that matters to me.

Brian Voelker Price List 2010.jpg

[SquirrelAssassin]

Problems with the 504 had nothing to do with the twist rate and everything to do with ill-advised cost cutting in design and production. The 541 is remarkably different - to me, it looks like there's a lot of hand work in the locking lugs and then there are gunsmiths like Voelker with a reputation for coaxing great things from them.

So what do you think was the problem wit the 504's?

[BCloninger]

Problems with the 504 had nothing to do with the twist rate and everything to do with ill-advised cost cutting in design and production. The 541 is remarkably different - to me, it looks like there's a lot of hand work in the locking lugs and then there are gunsmiths like Voelker with a reputation for coaxing great things from them.

So what do you think was the problem wit the 504's?

"So, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"

Strictly my opinion, the single biggest design flaw in the 504/547 design is turning the receiver into a barrel clamp. Remington cut a slit in the receiver so the barrel would just drop in, but then they needed a set screw and a pinch bolt to hold it in place. I think that sets tension into the receiver and barrel that constantly looks for relief, so you get frustrating shifts in POI. If your 504 shoots well - some of them do shoot almost MOA at 100 meters out of the box - you hit the jackpot, so leave it alone. If not, there are several things you can try but there's no certain fix.

There are several 504 threads in the Remington forum of Rimfire Central you might look up. There's way more information there than anyone here wants to see.