Received my Impulse predator .243 April of 2021.
I'm a sucker for straight pull rifles and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the first American made straight pull rifle that uses AICS magazines.
After sighting it in with my XP38 and XG50 scopes, I decided to make it my primary rig for the late 2021 and early 2022 varmint season.
NY's coyote season runs from Oct 1st to almost the end of March.
Out of the box, the bolt was slow and also barrel heavy.
After break in, lubrication and some range time, the bolt is very smooth.
I got the barrel spiral fluted and although the fluting made it a little lighter, it's still barrel heavy.
I'm anxiously waiting for the carbon fiber X barrel to arrive to alleviate that issue.
Performance wise, the rifle operated flawlessly in weather conditions ranging from -30 to 100 degrees, during flash blizzards and rain storms.
No issues with feeding from the AICS magazines, as would be expected and I'm glad Savage made the decision to add that feature to the Impulse predator.
Accuracy wise, it's a tack driver with almost every weight projo I tried in the 65-95grn weight range, but was a one ragged hole wonder with 70 Grn NBT's, so I procured a lot of them.
Hopefully it'll shoot just as good with the X barrel that has the same twist rate as the factory barrel.
Savage has upped their game with the Impulse rifle line, but they've taken care of all of the issues that Savage rifles are known for with the Predator model using AICS magazines.
They just need to offer it with a carbon fiber barrel option to alleviate the weight concerns of hunters.
With the barrel extension and swappable bolt head features, Savage has added the ability to make it even easier to change barrels and calibers.
That's as soon as they have barrel extensions and bolt heads available for purchase.
In conclusion and after a years time of lugging it over hill + dale in upstate NY, I'm keeping my Predator.
Once the X barrel arrives, It'll be my go to varmint rifle for the foreseeable future.
I'm a sucker for straight pull rifles and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the first American made straight pull rifle that uses AICS magazines.
After sighting it in with my XP38 and XG50 scopes, I decided to make it my primary rig for the late 2021 and early 2022 varmint season.
NY's coyote season runs from Oct 1st to almost the end of March.
Out of the box, the bolt was slow and also barrel heavy.
After break in, lubrication and some range time, the bolt is very smooth.
I got the barrel spiral fluted and although the fluting made it a little lighter, it's still barrel heavy.
I'm anxiously waiting for the carbon fiber X barrel to arrive to alleviate that issue.
Performance wise, the rifle operated flawlessly in weather conditions ranging from -30 to 100 degrees, during flash blizzards and rain storms.
No issues with feeding from the AICS magazines, as would be expected and I'm glad Savage made the decision to add that feature to the Impulse predator.
Accuracy wise, it's a tack driver with almost every weight projo I tried in the 65-95grn weight range, but was a one ragged hole wonder with 70 Grn NBT's, so I procured a lot of them.
Hopefully it'll shoot just as good with the X barrel that has the same twist rate as the factory barrel.
Savage has upped their game with the Impulse rifle line, but they've taken care of all of the issues that Savage rifles are known for with the Predator model using AICS magazines.
They just need to offer it with a carbon fiber barrel option to alleviate the weight concerns of hunters.
With the barrel extension and swappable bolt head features, Savage has added the ability to make it even easier to change barrels and calibers.
That's as soon as they have barrel extensions and bolt heads available for purchase.
In conclusion and after a years time of lugging it over hill + dale in upstate NY, I'm keeping my Predator.
Once the X barrel arrives, It'll be my go to varmint rifle for the foreseeable future.
