To coin a phrase ‘Great Value” borrowed from the generic WalMart branded merchandise I bring to you a review on my new Savage MK II in .22LR. Savage Arms. I have never owned a Savage, not that I had anything against them, but for uniformity in my collection I have favored the Remington. I have put this though it paces for the last couple of days and have enjoyed the clean crisp winter air for shooting from a bench. Outdoor ranges do not seem to be crowded these days?
To go forward with this review we must go backward a moment. I have always loved the .22 Rifle. I have ran through many production and custom guns alike and enjoy this remarkable rimfire cartridge. Taking squirrels, rabbits, barn mice, rats, groundhogs, running trap lines, training, Steel Challenge, Bullseye, tin cans, and paper targets has been very rewarding for me for the money spent on rimfire ammunition. In this world of diminishing traits and shortcuts a good quality production rimfire rifle is a good thing to find these days.
Perhaps it is just me, but generational change has brought about a market that does not compare to yesteryear in all cases. For instance, it is hard for me to imagine tomorrows grandfather handing down his favorite plastic rubber painted cast shooter with a fresh bottle of Formbys Lemon Oil so that it may sing for a huge part of the family tree for generations to come. Take for instance the heartfelt thoughtful respectful apology from yesterday being transformed into a quick mumbling of “My Bad” today. Or how about instead of “No thank you, but thanks for offering” we get “I’m good.” Generational Change is what I call this. Not to be judged good or bad, but different. It is what we do collectively for thousands of years.
So since I was in the market for an rimfire bolt action production grade rifle I turned to this Savage Mark II. I looked at the Ruger bolt rimfires but took a chance on Savage. In shooting this thing, I was amazed at the accuracy. I liked it so well, I bought it in .22WMR. Savage Arms. Bringing this home from my LGS, I was impressed with the Licensed E.R. Shaw Fluted Barrel. Barrels | Shaw Barrels | Shaw Custom Barrels | Shaw Custom Rifles | Mk. VII Rifle | Mk. VII VS Rifle | Shaw Precision Guns | Shaw Custom Barrels | Small Arms Manufacturing | Makers of Precision Gun Barrels and the Shaw Mk. VII Custom Bolt Action Rifle. The barrel is two step crowned and the inside is like a mirror. The Boyds Home | Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks (boydsgunstocks.com) furnished stock is very functional. Fits like a dream. Not a huge fan of thumbhole stocks. If I had my druthers I would prefer a flush magazine but when shooting from the bench the 5 round magazine is perfect for my support hand to secure when actually shooting. The all steel bolt works really smooth and locks down with authority. I hate cheesy bolts and actions on some .22 rifles out there. This rifle is marked .22LR and due to the magazine it will not process shorts or longs very well. Perhaps if someone made a magazine to feed shorts, it would be cool.
I have never been a fan of butterflies on my triggers. However, this trigger adjusted down to 2 LBS with a very clean break and I can not justify an aftermarket trigger on this gun. So, I will live with this floppy thing on my trigger. The target pictured was produced using CCI SV. Standard Velocity (cci-ammunition.com) at 50 yards. The Leupold scope VX-Freedom Rimfire 2-7x33 Scopes | Leupold fit right on the weaver style mounts that came on the gun.
If one is looking for a “great value” in a quality made rimfire, the Savage does the job and should last for many generations.
To go forward with this review we must go backward a moment. I have always loved the .22 Rifle. I have ran through many production and custom guns alike and enjoy this remarkable rimfire cartridge. Taking squirrels, rabbits, barn mice, rats, groundhogs, running trap lines, training, Steel Challenge, Bullseye, tin cans, and paper targets has been very rewarding for me for the money spent on rimfire ammunition. In this world of diminishing traits and shortcuts a good quality production rimfire rifle is a good thing to find these days.
Perhaps it is just me, but generational change has brought about a market that does not compare to yesteryear in all cases. For instance, it is hard for me to imagine tomorrows grandfather handing down his favorite plastic rubber painted cast shooter with a fresh bottle of Formbys Lemon Oil so that it may sing for a huge part of the family tree for generations to come. Take for instance the heartfelt thoughtful respectful apology from yesterday being transformed into a quick mumbling of “My Bad” today. Or how about instead of “No thank you, but thanks for offering” we get “I’m good.” Generational Change is what I call this. Not to be judged good or bad, but different. It is what we do collectively for thousands of years.
So since I was in the market for an rimfire bolt action production grade rifle I turned to this Savage Mark II. I looked at the Ruger bolt rimfires but took a chance on Savage. In shooting this thing, I was amazed at the accuracy. I liked it so well, I bought it in .22WMR. Savage Arms. Bringing this home from my LGS, I was impressed with the Licensed E.R. Shaw Fluted Barrel. Barrels | Shaw Barrels | Shaw Custom Barrels | Shaw Custom Rifles | Mk. VII Rifle | Mk. VII VS Rifle | Shaw Precision Guns | Shaw Custom Barrels | Small Arms Manufacturing | Makers of Precision Gun Barrels and the Shaw Mk. VII Custom Bolt Action Rifle. The barrel is two step crowned and the inside is like a mirror. The Boyds Home | Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks (boydsgunstocks.com) furnished stock is very functional. Fits like a dream. Not a huge fan of thumbhole stocks. If I had my druthers I would prefer a flush magazine but when shooting from the bench the 5 round magazine is perfect for my support hand to secure when actually shooting. The all steel bolt works really smooth and locks down with authority. I hate cheesy bolts and actions on some .22 rifles out there. This rifle is marked .22LR and due to the magazine it will not process shorts or longs very well. Perhaps if someone made a magazine to feed shorts, it would be cool.
I have never been a fan of butterflies on my triggers. However, this trigger adjusted down to 2 LBS with a very clean break and I can not justify an aftermarket trigger on this gun. So, I will live with this floppy thing on my trigger. The target pictured was produced using CCI SV. Standard Velocity (cci-ammunition.com) at 50 yards. The Leupold scope VX-Freedom Rimfire 2-7x33 Scopes | Leupold fit right on the weaver style mounts that came on the gun.
If one is looking for a “great value” in a quality made rimfire, the Savage does the job and should last for many generations.
***************************************************
Original Thread Here
Original Thread Here
Last edited by a moderator:
