handle and larger grasping ball that characterize Savage’s T/V series is present, and if it doesn’t contribute to the ease and speed required to cycle the action, it certainly feels like it does! It takes a lot of torque to loosen the
recessed, Allen-header cap screw at the rear of the bolt, but once loosened, this unit is easily reduced to its basic compo- nents. Upon doing so one can see how ingenious Nick Brewer’s brainchild that was introduced in 1958 actually is; how it was designed with ease and economy of production being the foremost con- siderations. It’s essentially a steel tube to which a separate bolt head hosting the locking lugs, gas baffle, extractor and plunger ejector are anchored, along with the bolt handle, striker assembly, cocking piece, and another gas baffle at the rear of the receiver. With the bolt removed from the
receiver, one finds there is a certain amount of “play” in the bolt head. In other words, you can wiggle it a few thousandths of an inch in any direction. Savage claims that one of the reasons for its superior out-of-the-box accuracy is that by having a slight amount of play – they call it a “floating” bolt head – it self-adjusts to any slight differences that may exist in the plane of the abutment surfaces, thus providing full contact for both locking lugs. It sounds good in theory, but if there is uneven lug contact, the bolt head cocking to adjust itself changes the attitude of the bolt face to where it is no longer square with the bore, and that’s not good either for optimum accuracy. Like the other models in the elite
Target Series, the test rifle comes with Savage’s Target version of its acclaimed AccuTrigger, which is safely user-ad- justable from 2.5 lbs. to as light as 6 oz. To adjust the trigger the barreled action must be lifted from the stock and the tool that is supplied with the gun must be used to rotate the tension screw. It’s an operation that can be easily and quickly done by anyone. On the test gun the trig- ger broke at 1 lb. even, which was light enough for me. As of this year the 2011 product
line is in the midst of a changeover from the original external sear extension that doubles as a bolt stop, to a new, stream- lined trigger system that does away with that unsightly projection at the right side of the receiver bridge. Most of the sport-
NEW for 2012
.223 CALIBER / 1:8 TWIST, 16 INCH MID-LENGTH STAINLESS STEEL CRYOGENICALLY-TREATED BARREL / LOW-PROFILE, HIDDEN GAS BLOCK / RRA DIRECTIONALLY-TUNED AND PORTED MUZZLEBRAKE / CHROMED RRA NM TWO-STAGE TRIGGER / PARKERIZED, NON-REFLECTIVE SURFACE ON TRIGGER SHOE / RRA WINTER TRIGGER GUARD / RRA FREE-FLOAT HANDGUARD WITH FULL-LENGTH PICATINNY TOP RAIL AND 2.5 INCH RAIL AT 3, 6 AND 9 O'CLOCK / OVERMOLDED PISTOL GRIP / RRA OPERATOR STOCK OR RRA 6-POSITION OPERATOR CAR STOCK / INCLUDES ONE 20-ROUND MAGAZINE (10-ROUND WHERE RESTRICTED BY LAW), HARD CASE AND OWNER’S MANUAL
MSRP: $1395
ALSO AVAILABLE WITH RRA 6-POSITION OPERATOR CAR STOCK
ing models and some of the Varmint series guns with detachable magazines have already made this transition, but all guns in the Precision Target Series retain the older system. Unless there is something about the single-shot receiver or the DM unit that makes this new fire control system incompatible, I expect all 110-series rifle to be so updated. I say that because I recently reviewed the Model 12 FCV, one of Savage’s Varmint series rifles, and it had the new fire control system, which has a sliding button just ahead of the trigger guard
bow. If you didn’t know what it was, you’d think it was the release latch for a hinged floorplate. I should mention that the new DM is top-loadable; most rifles with detachable magazines are not, so it’s a real plus feature for Savage. The stock on this model is a black
wood laminate with a silhouette that closely resembles that of the Low Profile model that Savage introduced a few years back on a couple of its varmint rifles. As such it’s a good-looking handle with a high, straight comb that’s right in the mainstream of contemporary classic
CONQUER THE FOOD CHAIN AT
www.rockriverarms.com www.varminthunter.org Page 51
SPECS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212