Savage Mark ii - Good for NRL22?

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kentuckyMarksman

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May 7, 2018
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#1
Just found out a local club is going to hold NRL22 matches. Problem is, I don't currently have a 22. I'm interested in shooting Base Class. I know the Tikka T1x is really popular right now. I could get a T1x and a Bushnell Match scope and still qualify for Base Class. I already have a SWFA 3-15x sitting on my AR. I could pull that scope ($700 MSRP), and buy a Savage Mark ii BV, and still qualify for Base Class, and only be out the price of the rifle ($300) in order to get started.

How does the Savage rifle compare to the Tikka? Outside of this, my other use for the rifle would be shooting at the local range, it's max distance is 325 yards.
 
#3
I had the extractor issue also. Got a new part from Savage and bent the retaining clip to tighten it up. It works well now, but this is a common issue that is inexcusable.

Other than that, I added a Boyd’s stock and it shoots very well. Usually I get groups under 1” at 50yds which is outstanding for me. This with a 3-9 Crossfire II and CCI SV or Gemteck subsonic ammo.

Still, I keep eying the CZ 457.....
 
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#6
I have a MkII, and I've only experienced the extractor issue once. A brief chamber cleaning (more of just a wipe down, really) resolved the issue, and I haven't seen it since (though I'm keeping an eye on it).
 
#7
I have a MkII also in a Boyds laminate. I find it's the one 22lr I have that really needs to be kept clean. Otherwise I have extraction issues and also light hits resulting in a failure to fire. It's not bedded, bedding these actions appears to be a pain. An aluminum bedding block sounds like fun. Is that an after market thing?
 
#8
Actually made it out if aluminium c- channel. Cut out for the mag. Epoxied full length of the tacticool stock. Really helps strengthen around the inlet and front screw. There was a thread on here with pictures I drew inspiration from
 
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#10
Picture without the can a couple of years back
 

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#12
Same here, MK2 FVSR, has some extraction issues with CCI SV. Cleaned it, had savage send me an extra extractor and C-clip for free. What I did was put the 2nd c clip over the first basically doubling the force on the extractor and that has worked flawlessly across 4-5 different ammos, for the last 600-700 rounds. Very accurate rifle.
Put it in a Boyd’s AT-One stock. Love it.

it’s not as pretty, or has as much finesse as a CZ but it was also 1/2 the price. I shoot all my local matches with my Savage.
 
#13
I had a Savage MKii FVSR that I put in a Boyd’s stock that I started with. I was plagued with reliability issues. If it wasn’t the extractor it was the magazines giving me problems. I eventually just gave up, sold it and bought a Tikka. I haven’t regretted the decision for a minute.
 
#14
I do not shoot any comps. However, I have owned a Savage Mk II BV for a good 7 years now. Never had any reliability issues but it's not the smoothest feeding either. Shoots CCI SV .5 MOA at 50 yds. but does open up to more like 1.5 MOA at 100 yds, the farthest I've taken it.
 
#16
PAYDIRT said:
My nephews is super good, all the others I've seen had serious ejection problems.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't overlook it as helpless. My rifle, and many others I've either heard from guys on forums, or saw at my gun club..have been easy fixes. I made a phone call to Savage, looked on forums for 10-15min, and played around with the 2nd C-clip I got and problem was fixed.

I think its also important to realize that there were two reasons I bought my savage mk2:
1.) it had a 16" bull barrel already threaded, and came with a scope rail already on it. (CZ now offers this setup as well)
2.) it was only $250... which is all I was willing to budget at that time.

It gave me the ability to shoot over 1000rnds sooner, getting more practice in for comps and for fun. I bought the gun knowing I was going to replace the crappy stock. I had a cheap scope for it, and that gave me time to eventually upgrade to better scope. The last thing I did was this month, and that was put a Boyds AT-One stock on it. The price of the rifle and the stock together is still less than a new CZ costs. And I'm ok with that.

Theres a million things you can buy, and I have more hobbies than just shooting. And within my shooting hobby, I shoot every discipline and like to mix it up. I like to budget smaller amounts of money to shooting per month so I can feed all my hobbies, and have fun shooting in every discipline. In order to do that, I like to save money where I can.... Its so easy for guys to say.. "buy once cry once, its only $xxx". Except that its not that singular. Theres 100's of things I could buy and/or need. If I can save $20-$100 (or more) across 10-20 different items...then overall i've saved alot more than just that $20, etc.

^^ THAT is the reason I went with a Savage instead of something more expensive. If you have extra cash just lying around and a $600 CZ, plus $xxx for rings and scope and Lapua Center-X... then I would highly recommend getting a CZ lol. I LOVE my CZ 452.

End of the day.... the Savage will compete, and does compete.
 
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#18
Got one about 7 years ago when my interest in rimfires was beginning, it was a decent squirrel rifle, forget competition. No feed, fire or extraction issues, just wouldn't shoot, no matter what I ever tried, and I'm pretty determined. Would put three shots in a cluster and two somewhere 1/4" to 1/2" away, no matter what ammo, temperature or how clean or dirty was the bore. That's my experience with a single rifle for what it's worth.
 
#20
kentuckyMarksman said:
Just found out a local club is going to hold NRL22 matches. Problem is, I don't currently have a 22. I'm interested in shooting Base Class. I know the Tikka T1x is really popular right now. I could get a T1x and a Bushnell Match scope and still qualify for Base Class. I already have a SWFA 3-15x sitting on my AR. I could pull that scope ($700 MSRP), and buy a Savage Mark ii BV, and still qualify for Base Class, and only be out the price of the rifle ($300) in order to get started.

How does the Savage rifle compare to the Tikka? Outside of this, my other use for the rifle would be shooting at the local range, it's max distance is 325 yards.
Click to expand...

I've got the savage heavy barrel mkII, works great, shoots well. I don't have a problem shooting the steel chickens in the head at 200 meters if it isn't windy.
 
#21
I have a Savage MkII that I put in the Boyd's pro varmint stock. Mine has been a good rifle- good accuracy, no reliability issues. I've seen other guys at the club have similar experiences to mine and also guys with accuracy and reliability issues. I really think it's luck of the draw with these rifles.

We also have several Tikka shooters at our club and ALL of those rifles have been tack drivers without reliability issues. I believe it to be a much more consistent product. If you're looking for a recommendation between these two, get the Tikka.
 
#22
There is a fellow that routinely wins base class at our matches that uses a Mark II with an SWFA scope. The only issues I've ever seen him experience were with a mag jamming on a stage that required a mag change, and that was only because he ended up applying pressure to the mag getting into shooting position. Savages seem to be pretty decent shooters on average and the good ones can be really good.

That said, I have a B17 (a little different, but still similar bolt pattern) so I'm kind of familiar with Savage rimfire bolts. I'll take my Tikka T1x bolt operation everyday over the Savage. Savage can smoothed and optimized (I've deburred, smoothed, and polished everything within reach on my B17) and it's still not as easy to work as my Tikka. It's certainly usable, but the Savage design is just not going to be as smooth as Tikka or CZ.
 
#23
ShellShock89 said:
My brother in law uses one in competition in base class and it does ok. He had extractor issues and was jamming so he is building a CZ 457 for his next one.
Click to expand...


I'm that brother in law. Mine shoots great groups, ⅜" at 50 pretty consistently with just CCI standards. Even hits 2½" steel at 210y often enough to make you smile. If you feed her slow, she'll do fine. The problem is during competition with rapid function of the bolt, the added stresses cause the extractors to fail. I was getting partial ejections as it seemed like only one extractor was keeping hold and just flipping the casing around in the action. I had to keep tilting my gun to the right to dump out the casing before I could chamber the next round. It's a great cheap gun, but for competition you're probably going to want to look at something else. Failures during competition are no bueno.

That reliability in a competitive environment is what turned me towards something better. CZ 457 AT-ONE.
 

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#24
Medichawk said:
I'm that brother in law. Mine shoots great groups, ⅜" at 50 pretty consistently with just CCI standards. Even hits 2½" steel at 210y often enough to make you smile. If you feed her slow, she'll do fine. The problem is during competition with rapid function of the bolt, the added stresses cause the extractors to fail. I was getting partial ejections as it seemed like only one extractor was keeping hold and just flipping the casing around in the action. I had to keep tilting my gun to the right to dump out the casing before I could chamber the next round. It's a great cheap gun, but for competition you're probably going to want to look at something else. Failures during competition are no bueno.

That reliability in a competitive environment is what turned me towards something better. CZ 457 AT-ONE.
Click to expand...

That 457 AT-One looks awesome. I just put the AT-One on my mark ii and love it.

If you're looking for a possible fix to that ejection issue, try getting a 2nd c-clip from Savage. They sent me 2 c-clips and an extractor for free with a phone call. I put a 2nd c-clip directly over the c-clip on the bolt...so theres two on there. Theres plenty of rooms, and nowhere for it to go. Have had it that way for close to 1000 rounds now and now issues, ejects strong and consistently. I will say CCI SV used to give me more issues than other ammo. I used Clean-22 subsonic now.
 
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#25
Gustav7 said:
That 457 AT-One looks awesome. I just put the AT-One on my mark ii and love it.

If you're looking for a possible fix to that ejection issue, try getting a 2nd c-clip from Savage. They sent me 2 c-clips and an extractor for free with a phone call. I put a 2nd c-clip directly over the c-clip on the bolt...so theres two on there. Theres plenty of rooms, and nowhere for it to go. Have had it that way for close to 1000 rounds now and now issues, ejects strong and consistently. I will say CCI SV used to give me more issues than other ammo. I used Clean-22 subsonic now.
Click to expand...


I'll give them a call and check into that. I still have the Savage, though, I was tempted to trade it towards the 457. I have an old skinny barrel-non accutrigger-iron sights-MK II that I used to Ace nickels with with irons at 50. That's the reason I picked up a new FV-SR. Was pretty disheartened when I started having issues within the first few hundred rounds and especially at the first competition.
 
#26
Medichawk said:
I'll give them a call and check into that. I still have the Savage, though, I was tempted to trade it towards the 457. I have an old skinny barrel-non accutrigger-iron sights-MK II that I used to Ace nickels with with irons at 50. That's the reason I picked up a new FV-SR. Was pretty disheartened when I started having issues within the first few hundred rounds and especially at the first competition.
Click to expand...

The same thing happened to me. Had 500 rounds down the tube and went to my clubs .22 competition and that started happening. Worst part was the dude standing next to me who's sponsored by AREA 419 in PRS, was shooting his $5k+ setup goes, "fucking cheap ass Savages".... lol. Annoyed me, but at the same time I couldn't exactly argue.

That all being said, I bought the Savage expecting to have to do something to it. So I did some researching and found multiple things that guys had done to fix them. Since my actual extractor looked identical to the one savage sent...and it wasn't worn, I tried the c-clip thing and boom... never had a problem again. I was just happy it was that easy. Mine is a tackdriver though for what it is. Shoots CCI Clean-22 and SK Standard Plus very well.
 
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#27
Gustav7 said:
The same thing happened to me. Had 500 rounds down the tube and went to my clubs .22 competition and that started happening. Worst part was the dude standing next to me who's sponsored by AREA 419 in PRS, was shooting his $5k+ setup goes, "fucking cheap ass Savages".... lol. Annoyed me, but at the same time I couldn't exactly argue.

That all being said, I bought the Savage expecting to have to do something to it. So I did some researching and found multiple things that guys had done to fix them. Since my actual extractor looked identical to the one savage sent...and it wasn't worn, I tried the c-clip thing and boom... never had a problem again. I was just happy it was that easy. Mine is a tackdriver though for what it is. Shoots CCI Clean-22 and SK Standard Plus very well.
Click to expand...

Mine has only had 600 CCI standards through it, I've never tried anything else. I figured ⅜" at 50 would be good enough to get be through a few matches to get my feet wet. Then the failures happened. I like Savage and know it'll do the job when things are running smooth. I just don't want that added stressor during a match. And I know the CZ is an upgrade with more potential at the top. And it's not a bad thing to have more guns? lol
 
#28
Medichawk said:
Mine has only had 600 CCI standards through it, I've never tried anything else. I figured ⅜" at 50 would be good enough to get be through a few matches to get my feet wet. Then the failures happened. I like Savage and know it'll do the job when things are running smooth. I just don't want that added stressor during a match. And I know the CZ is an upgrade with more potential at the top. And it's not a bad thing to have more guns? lol
Click to expand...

Hahaha, not at all! Maybe its coming off like I care a little too much about Savage rifles haha, but I promise thats not it. I own a CZ 452 Trainer, but that gun will never wear a scope. I have Williams target peep sight on it, and ironically actually used it for my first .22 match before I had the savage. I love that rifle, and it is definitely an upgrade in every category excluding accuracy...at least via my testing, they are both very accurate.

And I will definitely own another CZ in the future. Really like what they've done with the 457 series. I love seeing companies take what the firearm community likes and asks for, and runs with it.

Do you like the AT-One stock on your CZ?
 
#29
kentuckyMarksman said:
Just found out a local club is going to hold NRL22 matches. Problem is, I don't currently have a 22. I'm interested in shooting Base Class. I know the Tikka T1x is really popular right now. I could get a T1x and a Bushnell Match scope and still qualify for Base Class. I already have a SWFA 3-15x sitting on my AR. I could pull that scope ($700 MSRP), and buy a Savage Mark ii BV, and still qualify for Base Class, and only be out the price of the rifle ($300) in order to get started.

How does the Savage rifle compare to the Tikka? Outside of this, my other use for the rifle would be shooting at the local range, it's max distance is 325 yards.
Click to expand...
I had a FVSR, it shot very well. In the .4's at 50yds and an occaisional sub moa 100 yd group, but the constant extraction and magazine issues finally got to me.
I sold it and got a Bergara trainer and dropped it in a KRG Bravo stock. I shot two 5 - 5 round groups with Eley Ten-x and Gemtech at 100 and they both averaged around .8 with the Eley doing slighty better.

I could have gotten a screaming deal on a new CZ in a Manners stock, but I wanted a full size AI style magazine.
 
#30
Gustav7 said:
Hahaha, not at all! Maybe its coming off like I care a little too much about Savage rifles haha, but I promise thats not it. I own a CZ 452 Trainer, but that gun will never wear a scope. I have Williams target peep sight on it, and ironically actually used it for my first .22 match before I had the savage. I love that rifle, and it is definitely an upgrade in every category excluding accuracy...at least via my testing, they are both very accurate.

And I will definitely own another CZ in the future. Really like what they've done with the 457 series. I love seeing companies take what the firearm community likes and asks for, and runs with it.

Do you like the AT-One stock on your CZ?
Click to expand...

I'll find out this weekend! 5 day hold because the closest place that had one was out of state. Unless the NICS comes back before then. I felt it and handled it and adjusted it. Everything felt great. The quality was excellent. I have the pro varmint on my Savage, was torn between it and the AT-ONE. Now I get to try both! I know the 457s are shooters. My brother in law has the varmint model and is stacking them with SK Rifle Match. I really like the new Savage B22 precision...... It looks really nice.
 
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#31
Medichawk said:
I'll find out this weekend! 5 day hold because the closest place that had one was out of state. Unless the NICS comes back before then. I felt it and handled it and adjusted it. Everything felt great. The quality was excellent. I have the pro varmint on my Savage, was torn between it and the AT-ONE. Now I get to try both! I know the 457s are shooters. My brother in law has the varmint model and is stacking them with SK Rifle Match. I really like the new Savage B22 precision...... It looks really nice.
Click to expand...

I was torn between the Pro Varmint and the AT-One and glad I got the AT-one. It looks badass on my rifle (to me), and the adjustability is great. I did purchase the target grips and wide forearm, which I'm glad I did. Overall very pleased with it.
 

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#33
I have a MKii FV in an At-One Boyd's stock. For past 2 years, I shot it in base case with an Athlon Argos BTR with Wolf match target. This year I gave it to my wife to shoot and threw an Athlon Ares ETR on it (same scope as on her CF match gun) after I got a Bergara B14R. The MKii out shoots the B14R everday of the week and twice on Sunday's.

Throw an Appachee Trigger in a MKii and it makes it mo betta.
 
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#34
A&8's said:
I have a MKii FV in an At-One Boyd's stock. For past 2 years, I shot it in base case with an Athlon Argos BTR with Wolf match target. This year I gave it to my wife to shoot and threw an Athlon Ares ETR on it (same scope as on her CF match gun) after I got a Bergara B14R. The MKii out shoots the B14R everday of the week and twice on Sunday's.

Throw an Appachee Trigger in a MKii and it makes it mo betta.
Click to expand...

Next question.... how do you justify the cost of Wolf Match Target? or is that the ammo thats cheaper than Wolf Extra? I shoot so much .22, I just can't seem to justify to buy anything more expensive than SK Standard Plus. I just bought 2k of CCI Clean-22 subsonic and even that I choked on a little. I guess I could always just us SK plus for matches, but then I'm working off two different dope charts.

That trigger looooooks interesting lol. Under a pound...phew
 
#36
Gustav7 said:
.

That trigger looooooks interesting lol. Under a pound...phew
Click to expand...

The owner of Apachee Triggers (Dale Siebert) lives about 15 miles from me. Super good guy. He’s a bench rester at heart. He runs indoor 50 yards BR 22 matches weekly. His triggers go well below a pound reliably, if you want them to. I run mine (now my wife’s) at about 18oz. Mainly for the crispness of them.
 
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#37
A&8's said:
The owner of Apachee Triggers (Dale Siebert) lives about 15 miles from me. Super good guy. He’s a bench rester at heart. He runs indoor 50 yards BR 22 matches weekly. His triggers go well below a pound reliably, if you want them to. I run mine (now my wife’s) at about 18oz. Mainly for the crispness of them.
Click to expand...

.22 benchrest would be fun as hell lol. That may be the only bench rest event I'd ever get into. At least its nice to know a guy like that realizes Savages can shoot lol....otherwise I doubt he'd make a trigger for it. Sounds awesome though.

Definitely added to the list of "wants"...
 
#38
A&8's said:
The owner of Apachee Triggers (Dale Siebert) lives about 15 miles from me. Super good guy. He’s a bench rester at heart. He runs indoor 50 yards BR 22 matches weekly. His triggers go well below a pound reliably, if you want them to. I run mine (now my wife’s) at about 18oz. Mainly for the crispness of them.
Click to expand...


I have a couple of Dales trigger kits, great guy and a great product.
 
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