Savage’s justly acclaimed Target AccuTrigger can be user-adjusted down to 6 oz. On some hunting and varmint models the external sear extension seen here has been eliminated.
styling, with a meaty fore-end that is 2¼" wide, nearly fl at across the bottom, and ventilated by three elongated holes on each side. Embedded in the bottom surface of the fore-end is an 11" long T-slotted aluminum rail to which an ad- justable bipod swivel stud freely slides fore and aft. Once the bipod is attached, tightening the bipod at the desired loca- tion along the rail binds the slide to that position.
With the Weaver bases already in
place, I used a set of Warne QD lever rings to mount a Sightron 16x42 scope with a modifi ed mil dot reticle; this is a fi xed power glass on a 30mm body tube. It’s an excellent scope, but with an MSRP of $715, it should be! Given the twist rate, I decided to stay with the 55- to 77-grain bullet weights. I fi gured the only surprise that could surface at the range was if the gun did not produce itty bitty groups. As it turned out, the gun shot ev-
The combination of a small ejection port and a solid bottom make for a very stiff receiver. Note the three holes for the action screws that mate the barreled action to the stock.
erything I put through it with sub-MOA accuracy. The worst 15-shot average for three five-shot groups was 0.98", discounting one fl ier that could have been my fault. The best 15-shot average was turned in by Black Hill’s 69-grain MatchKing load; it averaged 0.61". And that was under range conditions that could have been better. It was overcast and a comfortable 60 degrees, but there was a fi ckle almost-headwind of some 5-10 mph, and I’m not the best at dop- ing. In fact, I tend to ignore it, and if it had gotten any worse than what it was, I would have gone home and come back when conditions were better! I’d say the wind accounted for at least ¼ MOA in group size so that best aggregate could have been in the low 4s for sure. As always, the AccuTrigger was
a pure joy to use; light, crisp, and with no discernible creep or hitches of any kind. The loading ramp lifts the nose of the cartridge as you push the bolt home
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so that you can literally throw a round into the port and it slides smoothly into the chamber. The only criticism I have – and this applies to all models – concerns the three-position tang-mounted safety. It of course is located at the most ergo- nomic location possible – right under the thumb – but it moves forward from the Safe to Fire with so little effort that the middle position, which unlocks the bolt but retains the safe mode, is easily bypassed. I’ve actually met Savage own- ers who didn’t know they had a three- position safety because the thumb piece moves so easily through that middle position. You really have to concentrate and push forward slowly to feel when the middle position is reached. It should have more of a defi nite and tactile detent that’s less ambiguous. Other than that, there’s nothing
negative I can say about this gun. I personally would not choose it because I fi nd its 30" spout too unwieldy, even though it would not be a great inconve- nience given typical prairie rat scenarios. For competitive shooting, however, it would be the obvious choice. Being one of Savage’s elite Preci-
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www.shilen.com 205 Metro Park Boulevard | P.O. Box 1300 | Ennis, Texas 75120
Page 52 Spring 2012
sion Target series rifl es, the Model F/TR carries an MSRP of $1,341, which some folks might consider as being rather pricey for a Savage. That attitude might have been warranted 20 years ago, but this company has long since established itself as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to producing accurate rifl es. And the test gun was one accurate rifl e!
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