How well do the Savage rimfires shoot?

[Paddyd]

I have a Ruger 10/22 with a 30 yr old Volquartsen barrel that shoots SK ammo VERY well for any autoloader as the 5 rnd. pics show. I've long wanted a bolt action .22, but if it doesnt shoot I want to be able to screw on another barrel. Are the Savage rimfire actions and barrels threaded?

 

[dfrosch]

It would not be very easy to change the barrel on a Savage rimfire. No barrel nut and the barrel is pinned to the action. They generally shoot well, but usually need a bit of tinkering to smooth the action and feed from the mag. Mine is not quite as accurate as my 10/22 with a Kidd barrel.

While I haven't worked with one, CZ has made the 457 with the ability to change barrels, and some prefit barrels are available. You should research this on rimfirecentral.com.

 

[epags]

Yes they (mine at least) shoots very well. All factory with the exception that I did a no cost mod to lighten the trigger pull (a mod allowed by ARA and National 50)
https://www.msgo.com/threads/how-to-do-a-trigger-job-on-a-savage-mk-ii-accu-trigger.42031/

ARA - @ 50 yard you have 20 minutes to shoot 25 targets

 

[Txhillbilly]

Go with a CZ 457 all day long over a Savage.
Savage barrels aren't threaded, they are pressed into the receiver, and pinned. I changed the barrel out on my Savage 93 GL 22 Magnum because I wanted a heavy barrel, and Savage doesn't offer it in LH. I bought a Green Mountain barrel for a Ruger 77/22 Magnum, and machined the tenon to the correct length and diameter, and installed it into the Savage action.

And it shoots Winchester 30gr ammo pretty dang good!

 

[epags]

Go with a CZ 457 all day long over a Savage........

The OP had actually asked, in the original post, two questions:
How well do the Savage rimfires shoot? Which I gave my opinion.
he then asked:
Are the Savage rimfire actions and barrels threaded? Which you and dfrosch answered.

I agree with you the CZ and a number of other makes will (in most cases) out shoot the Savage. However, (Of course there has to be a However) there is an ~2X price difference between the two brands. So for the money (again depending on the OP's goals) the Savage is a good buy. But as you pointed out the conversion for the Savage would be a PITA while a barrel switch on a modern CZ is a 'walk in the park'.

 

[Tacoma]

I've never had a savage bolt gun that didn't shoot at/near MOA with (really good ammo). That said, I've found that once I got used to the actions on higher quality (and cost) bolt guns brom Bergara, CZ and Vudoo, the Savages started leaving me luke warm. ( Shooting isn't just about accuracy for me any more. It's about the quality of the total experience. ) My thoughts are that if you want a rifle to shoot, a Savage is going to be better than anything the other house brand US makers put out these days. However, if you want something a step up in quality, accuracy and fit/finish , AND something as modular as a 10/22, then get yourself a CZ 457.

 

[american_fusilier]

My Savage MK II FVSR shoots pretty good. I've never shot really good ammo with it though, so I don't know it's full potential.

I did have feeding issues with it at first that I eventually fixed.

Overall it's a good gun

 

[Nightlord40k]

Can't speak to the newer Mk1/Mk2 actions, but my 1930s vintage M19-33 will shoot on par or better than my contemporary Winchester 52s- which is to say pretty darn good.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I have a 93 17HMR with the bull barrel. And a A22 target with the bull barrel. They shoot great. I don't have a pic of the 93.

 

[Felchmiester]

My markll is the wallymarts special an I have only made the smoothing mod on the extractor and striker an tuned the contact portion of the striker which has improved the ignition rate and timing but other than that it's a good shooter and probably could be improved.

 

[SavageTamer]

Go with a CZ 457 all day long over a Savage.
Savage barrels aren't threaded, they are pressed into the receiver, and pinned. I changed the barrel out on my Savage 93 GL 22 Magnum because I wanted a heavy barrel, and Savage doesn't offer it in LH. I bought a Green Mountain barrel for a Ruger 77/22 Magnum, and machined the tenon to the correct length and diameter, and installed it into the Savage action.

And it shoots Winchester 30gr ammo pretty dang good!

That's the best shooting 22 mag I've ever seen target pics of. I've owned half a dozen mags and none shoot under one MOA at 100 yards. 50 yards was where I could get under an inch group but barely. I gave up and went to the 17HMR. Never shot a CZ rimfire or realized they offered a 22 mag.

 

[Txhillbilly]

That's the best shooting 22 mag I've ever seen target pics of. I've owned half a dozen mags and none shoot under one MOA at 100 yards. 50 yards was where I could get under an inch group but barely. I gave up and went to the 17HMR. Never shot a CZ rimfire or realized they offered a 22 mag.

Yes, It shoots that ammo really good, but others not so much.

 

[Frontiersman]

We are talking about a lot of different models manufactured with the savage name over the past century. But I have had excellent luck with accuracy.

Most of their barrels are pressed and pinned. They can be hard to remove without the proper tools.

There are a lot of other contributing factors that affect accuracy. Trigger, bedding, floating, skill, sights … I would look to those before I replaced a barrel.

 

[Felchmiester]

Yes I totally agree there's a lot of things in play that affect accuracy and it sure seems like people tend to fall down different gopher holes 🕳 when they get caught up in a niche of this or that in discussion about what makes a accurate firearm...the guys and gals that normally give each other a hard time about this brand of vehicle is better than another stop and watch the fireworks.

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

My 93R17 lefty is a real tack driver.
And, especially likes Federal 17gr Speer TNT. @50 yards

 

[John Henry]

I bought this 93R17 several years ago on a Whim. I’m glad I did because it shoots like a laser beam. It really likes Hornady 17 gr the best.