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Back in 2002, Savage Arms rocked the
world of gun owners with the introduction of their AccuTrigger.
The AccuTrigger was like a huge breath of fresh air to shooters
who had become accustomed to lousy trigger pulls on new factory
rifles from most gun manufacturers, including Savage. With the
AccuTrigger, Savage gave shooters a trigger which could be
adjusted down to a relatively light, crisp trigger release, yet
was perfectly safe in that it would not discharge if dropped.
Introduced first on their target, law enforcement, and varmint
rifles, the AccuTrigger was eventually incorporated into all of
the Savage center fire and muzzleloader line.
In June of 2005, as I was touring the Savage
factory in Westfield, Massachusetts, I was shown a new trigger
assembly that was to become the AccuTrigger for their rimfire
rifles, but was sworn to secrecy on the project. Now, Savage
bolt-action rimfire rifles are being shipped with the
AccuTrigger.
The model sent to me for evaluation is the Mark-II
BV. The BV wears a brown laminated wood stock with cut
checkering, and has a relatively heavy barrel, measuring
eight-tenths of an inch at the muzzle. The BV is an
impressive-looking rifle, with a nice even blue-black finish to
the steel. The wood to metal fit is very good. The BV is
constructed of blued steel and wood, with the exception of the
magazine follower and trigger guard, which are plastic. The BV
comes supplied with one steel five-shot magazine. The stock of
the BV is fitted with sling swivel studs, just as should be any
rifle, but sadly many are not. The barrel wears no open sights,
but Savage has thoughtfully supplied the BV with scope mount
bases which will accept any Weaver-style rings. The
twenty-one inch barrel wears a recessed target crown, and is
rifled one turn in sixteen inches. The BV is a good feeling
rifle, weighing in at just over six and one-half pounds. It has
good balance, and carries easily. Many twenty-two rifles feel
like toys. The BV does not.
The AccuTrigger is easily adjusted, and I set
the pull on the test rifle to its lowest setting, which measured
just under two pounds and two ounces, with a very crisp release.
The safety is pushed forward to fire, and pulled to the rear to
place the rifle "on safe". I like this style of safety
lever much more than I do a crossbolt safety placed in the
trigger guard, as is found on many rimfire rifles. The bolt lift
is relatively low, about sixty degrees, and the base of the
handle serves as the locking lug. Dual extractors and a
spring-loaded ejector assure positive ejection of the spent
cartridge cases.
For accuracy and function testing, I gathered
several brands and types of .22 Long Rifle ammunition, and
mounted a Mueller target scope atop the action using an
ArmaLite one-piece mount. Functioning of the Mark-II BV was one
hundred percent reliable. Every cartridge fed, fired, and
ejected perfectly. The five-shot magazine is very easy to load,
and smoothly guided the cartridges into the chamber.
Accuracy was very good with most ammo tested. I
shot five-shot groups at fifty yards; the range at which I
prefer to sight in my .22 Long Rifle chambered rifles. The worst
group of the day measured just seven-eighths of an inch. That
was the worst. The best measured just five-sixteenths of an
inch, which was repeatable with that ammo all day long.
Everything else tried fell somewhere between. The best
performance was with Olin standard velocity white-box
un-plated bullets. I was very pleased with the accuracy of the
Mark-II BV.
Savage rimfire rifles have always been a good
value, and now they are even more so, having an excellent
trigger right from the factory, that beats their competition
into the dust. For many, many years, it was impossible to
find an affordable, accurate, rimfire rifle with a decent
trigger. The Savage rimfire rifles now offer shooters a rifle
with a better trigger pull than can be found on rifles selling
for three times the price. If I were the competition, I would be
worried.
For a look at the extensive line of Savage
rimfire rifles, including left-handed and youth models, go
online to: www.savagearms.com.
To locate a Savage dealer near you, go to:
www.lipseys.com and
click on the DEALER LOCATOR icon.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
Savage Mark-II BV .22 Bolt Rifle.
The important new feature of this .22 rifle is the
excellent AccuTrigger.
The AccuTrigger makes it easy to adjust the trigger pull
on the Mark-II BV for a light, crisp and SAFE setting.
The Savage Mark-II BV features (top to bottom):
all-steel magazine box, low bolt lift, side-mounted
"push-to-fire" safety, sling swivel studs, and dual
extractors.
The barrel is of the heavy "target" variety,
with a recessed crown.
The nicely-finished laminated wood stock has cut
checkering.
Where the Mark-II BV really stands out is at the bench,
thanks in large part to the AccuTrigger.
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