Can 540X be competative (w/barrel)-opinions?

R

RegisG

Guest
Does anyone have experience or knowledge that will help me know if getting a Remington 540X fitted with top quality barrel (by benchrest smith) will make it competative in ARA world?

Appreciate opinions.

Regis
 
Brian Voelker

Brian Voelker would be the man to talk to about your Rem 540. Do a search and I'm sure you will find a # for him.
 
Good Question

Regis, I also have a 540X that I was contemplating re-barreling. My action has had a fair amount of use. Nice rifle though. Please keep us posted. Thanks, Peter.
 
Thanks all. I did talk with Brian. Very friendly & helpful. He said the limitation on the 540X would be trigger. There is no "jewel" or other aftermarket light trigger. And, 540x trigger can only be brought down to 8 or 10 oz. He felt it could be very competative but, probably not a winner with the custom guns (my words not his) if the barrel is good or replaced with new custom one. Again, that limitation would be the trigger. He did tell me that it had dovetail so I won't have to have it D&T as soon as it arrives.

Thanks for the input and I'll post how it shoots and if I have to ship to Brian for new barrel (and trigger work).

Regis
 
Great trigger for 540x

RegisG said:
Thanks all. I did talk with Brian. Very friendly & helpful. He said the limitation on the 540X would be trigger. There is no "jewel" or other aftermarket light trigger. And, 540x trigger can only be brought down to 8 or 10 oz. He felt it could be very competative but, probably not a winner with the custom guns (my words not his) if the barrel is good or replaced with new custom one. Again, that limitation would be the trigger. He did tell me that it had dovetail so I won't have to have it D&T as soon as it arrives.

Thanks for the input and I'll post how it shoots and if I have to ship to Brian for new barrel (and trigger work).

Regis
Click to expand...

I realize this thread is a little old, but regarding triggers for the 540x, I have one that's fitted with a Canjar trigger. It's light - benchrest light. I figure it on the order of 4oz, possibly less. I realize the company is out of business, but maybe someone out there has one squirreled away. MY limiting factor was the barrel. The gun I bought had had at least two inches taken off of it (but nicely crowned when they did so), making it too short for a tuner to do much good on it. Has anyone had a good barrel put on a 540x and can tell me approximately what it cost them? Even with a short (20") barrel in the original stock, I was able to shoot 247's or better in ARA matches.

Ray
 
I've been down that road. Way back in the 90's I bought one from MT Guns. Back then there was a lad in Newburgh, NY who was threading the receiver and barrel. I found a Canjar trigger for it but it was never a contender. My advice is, if you want to own a competative rifle, cry once and buy the best or at last a good used custom rifle.
 
Canjar trigger for use on the 540 would be the one made for the 788 series Remingtons, iirc.
 
Rebarrelled

Pete Wass said:
I've been down that road. Way back in the 90's I bought one from MT Guns. Back then there was a lad in Newburgh, NY who was threading the receiver and barrel. I found a Canjar trigger for it but it was never a contender. My advice is, if you want to own a competative rifle, cry once and buy the best or at last a good used custom rifle.
Click to expand...

No, I understand that it won't stand against custom rifles, and to be honest, I've moved to an area of the country where benchrest shooting just isn't done. I would, however, like to have the gun returned to as close to the stock configuration as possible and I really would like to have a standard length barrel on this gun. The previous owner used it for position shooting, and he shortened the barrel to about 20 inches from the original 26.
 
WxMan_II said:
No, I understand that it won't stand against custom rifles, and to be honest, I've moved to an area of the country where benchrest shooting just isn't done. I would, however, like to have the gun returned to as close to the stock configuration as possible and I really would like to have a standard length barrel on this gun. The previous owner used it for position shooting, and he shortened the barrel to about 20 inches from the original 26.
Click to expand...

A pretty good alternative, from what I have seen, is simply to buy one of the new Savage RF rifles. I have seen a couple of them that shoot prettty dern well for a $400 rifle out of the box. Not long ago I shot in a Club Match in which one of the club members shot a pair of 250's, with a pretty good x count, with his. The Acu-trigger that comes on them isn't a Jewell but it appears to be good enough.
 
Just going through the center fire forums when I noticed this thread. I bought a Spanky New 540X back in the early 70's, I think, and used it as a Standard competition rifle and even tried out for the Oylimpics with that rifle. I then proceeded to cut down the stock to get into the Sporter class, forgot the weight limit, but think it was 7lbs and you had to use a 2lb trigger. This was 3 position shooting. My Prone at that time was awsome, constant 100's and had I been out the night before, 99's. Had trouble with my legs so had to use a sitting position as compared to the kneeling and my shooting scores was higher then average. Come the standing, kiss me goodby, in a bad way. Just sold that rifle about 3 years ago. It had and still does a 26" barrel and the best amunition for it was the old C-I-L, which they do not make anymore and have not for decades. It a test some 30 years ago, still remember this, the best ammo through this barrel after the C-I-L was, this surprised me too was Lapua Match Pistol, go figure out of a 26" barrel. Sorry guys for the old memories.
 
Hey, my best indoor scores in college was when I had a slight hangover, from the night before. Nice and relaxed....until we went to I think Colgate, which had steel backstop plates that were only bolted at the top edge, so they rang like the Bells Of St. Mary and bare cement block walls! Ear protection? What, for a stinkin' .22 in 1961? Love the Closed Captioning on TV,now.
 
"the best amunition for it was the old C-I-L "

And it cost $0.65 a box at the club then.

If you were "lucky" you could scrounge up the same thing in a white DND box from the cadet stores.;)
That greased CIL .22lr ammunition shot very well compared to Lapua etc.

I also bought the orange box Eley.

This was shot in a $90 (dealer cost) with Redfield sight package CIL 190 rifle.

I had the please of shooting with a couple of Bisley shooters at the local club in southern Quebec many years ago.


Glenn
 
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