2006
Savage Mark II-BV
Accu-Trigger Bolt Action .22 Long Rifle
It
has been over forty years since I've started enjoying .22 rimfires. The
first .22 repeater I spent a lot of time with was a Marlin Model 56 Levermatic
equipped with a clip magazine, and an old Weaver 4X scope. That rifle
and a High Standard .22 semi-auto pistol was the ".22 arsenal"
for many years. Growing up on a farm, they saw a lot of use from plinking
to crows, rabbits, and barnyard pigeons. I was astonished at what that
a .22 could do, perhaps because I am so easily astonished?
Nevertheless, the qualities that have endeared .22 rimfires since that
time remain the same. They are just plain fun, cheap to acquire, cheap
to feed, and tremendously useful for pest control, target practice, training
new shooters, and so forth. There is more fun and utility contained in
a decent .22 rimfire and a couple of bricks of .22 long rifle ammo than
you can easily find elsewhere. Over the years, dozens of rimfire rifles
have come and gone around here, but their universal appeal remains. Most
of them have been lever guns and semi-autos, for the bolt actions have
been too pricey, in large measure, for my tastes that removes part of
the whole reason for rimfires for me: bang for the buck. All too often,
the reasonably priced bolt guns Ive used have suffered from horrid triggers,
poor fit and finish, and accuracy that is less than stellar.
As supplied, the Savage Mark-II-BV's Accu-Trigger broke at a crisp, clean
3 lbs. with no grit and no take-up. To compare, I used my Lyman electronic
trigger gauge on a few other .22's. My factory Marlin 39A lever action
broke at a bit over 5 lbs.; my factory Ruger 10/22 broke at over 6 lbs.
No other .22 I own has a trigger comparable with this Savage, including
a Colt Diamondback revolver in single-action mode. At his year's SHOT
Show, Savage CEO Ron Coburn allowed me to try a couple of the new Accu-Trigger
rimfire Savages supplied as they came from the factory. They were superb,
as is this one. The function of the rimfire Accu-Trigger is the same as
the acclaimed Savage center-fire Accu-Trigger. Savage had to redesign
the trigger to properly fit their rimfires, tooling up for the downsized
components. I'm delighted that they did and you will be as well: it is
a fabulous trigger, and elevates the Savage rimfires to a whole new level.
This is a very wise addition on Savage's part.
The
Mark II's heavy barrel has a beautifully machined recessed semi-target
crown, the rifle itself weighs about 7-1/4 lbs, and the laminated stock
is very attractive featuring functional cut checkering. Savage's metal
finish is striking, showing no tooling marks at all. Savage metalwork
and bluing continues to impress, just as on their very attractive American
Classic centerfires. It is a job well-done on this .22. Cosmetically,
it is a very attractive rifle with one exception, that being the poorly
done plastic trigger guard that is like a wristwatch on a Roman Gladiator.
It has a nasty mold line, and is totally out of place on this otherwise
handsome bolt-action rifle. A metal trigger guard needs to be added, and
it just can't be too soon.
The accuracy of the Savage Mark II-BV is no less then astonishing this
is absolutely the most accurate .22 rimfire I've ever fired. The test
target supplied by Savage with this rifle was fired on May 1, 2006, with
Federal Gold Medal 40 gr. target ammo. It measures an incredible .400
inches at 100 yards.
The Savage Mark II BV comes with aluminum Weaver style bases installed.
The supplied bases measured undersize in width at .811 inch. Warne and
Weaver std. Weaver bases on hand measure about .020 in. wider, at approx.
.831 inch No standard rings clamped on them properly, so lacking affection
for aluminum bases in general they quickly went into the trash. Warne
#826M steel bases are close to the same thickness, and work fine. I opted
for a pair of higher Weaver Grand Slam S45 steel bases, and mounted a
Guns and Shooting Online favored scope, the Sightron SII 3-9x36mm AO with
Warne Maxima low steel rings.. It is a sexy looking scope that looks right
at home on the Savage Mark II-BV, as you can see in the photo.
The Savage Mark II BV has a 5 round metal detachable box magazine. My
understanding is that the 10 round Savage rimfire clip magazines work
in this rifle also. My standard .22 range fodder is the 550 round carton
of Federal 36 grain hollow point ammunition that I keep on hand in quantity.
It has done a good job for bulk ammo, accounting for a couple of hundred
rabbits and appears to be similar (if not the same) as Federal
load # 730, billed as a 1255 fps round. Out of the Savage Mark II, the
velocities ranged from 1202 fps to 1242 fps through my chronos. You can
expect match ammo to have extreme spreads less than one third of that
40 fps range.
We set up at 40 yards, with breezy 10 -17 mph range conditions. The first
three shots were all touching, low and to the left. The Sightron did exactly
what we told it to do, and we were centered in no time. Five shot groups
averaged less than one half inch. My seventy-six year old (almost senior
citizen) father happened to be in the area, and gave the Savage a
try: his first three shots were touching, the fourth opening up his group
to less than one half inch. Dad's next three consecutive 5 shot groups
were all right at one half inch as well. I could do no better; the Savage
shot sub-half inch groups all afternoon. Naturally, with more consistent
ammo and better field conditions the group size can naturally be shrunk.
This is fabulously good out of the box accuracy as far as I'm concerned:
a nickel completely covered most all of the groups.
The Savage Mark II-BV was 100% reliable. No matter what I did, there were
no failures to feed, no failures to extract, no failures to positively
eject. The brass was all positively, crisply dented. The safety is a dream
to get on and off as smooth as can be. The magazine locks into place with
an audible click leaving no doubt that the magazine is in battery. The
rimfire AccuTrigger on this rifle is nothing short of remarkable no sand,
creep, or grit . . . she just goes. It is a delight to use.
You'll not find a better performing .22 long rifle repeater for the money,
anywhere. In fact, I'm hesitant to say if you can find a significantly
better .22 bolt action at any price. A decade ago, if you were to tell
me that Savage Arms was developing into America's finest rifle manufacturer,
I would have looked confused. Even more confused than normal. Right now,
based on the performance of their American Classic, their heavy-barrel
varmint rifles, their revolutionary 10ML-II muzzleloader, and now this
AccuTrigger enhanced Mark II-BV, I would be hard pressed to say that Savage
is not America's Finest. While a few other, theoretically American manufacturers
have begun to schlock in crude Serbian, Spanish, and Russian product Savage
just keeps getting better focusing on modern manufacturing techniques,
investing in the talent of their own people and their own facilities.
The 2006 Savage Mark-II BV is a standout rifle; I can't imagine anyone
who will not thoroughly enjoy it. This .22 is very highly recommended
for anyone and everyone, with my sincere congratulations to Savage Arms.
Copyright 2006, 2010 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.
