Savage B22 Precision Lite - Evolutionary Thinking

If you read the December 2023 edition of Gun Mart, you will have doubtless seen my report on Viking’s range day at the West London Shooting School. The buzzword this year was Savage, as they have taken over the UK distribution for this well-known and historical US brand.

Rimfire surprise

For me, two rifles stood out. The first was the Impulse Precision Elite, which is a long-range tack driver that’s not really my scene, and the second was something that’s much more in tune with what I do - the B-Series Precision Lite rimfire. It is available in .22 LR, .22 Magnum, and .17HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire). The latter is my favourite and I consider it the most effective of the breed and well capable of punching out to 200 yards with good accuracy. I’ve lost count of the number of rabbits and hares I’ve taken with my old Ruger M77/17 All-Weather custom over the years.

Big steps

Savage offered several rimfire bolt-actions, all based around a rather plain-looking tubular steel receiver and basic pressed metal controls. Even with a laminate thumbhole stock, they still looked a bit basic. However, the launch of their B-Series took some big steps forward in terms of curb appeal, controls, and functionality for the modern shooter looking for something better. The Precision is at the cutting edge of this evolution, as we shall see.
As I said, the receiver/action is familiar and has been around for some time, but everything else has changed and is aimed at improving accuracy and ergonomics. There are two options here, and I tested the Lite, which uses an 18” carbon fibre-wrapped barrel. The standard version offers the same length and specification carbon steel tube, and both are threaded 1/2x28 UNEF for a moderator, but not 1/2x20” UNF, which would have been good too. A Picatinny rail is fitted as standard, which replaces the original grooved receiver for optic mounting. Not only does it look better but fits in with what users have come to expect for scopes these days.

Chassis

All this sits into a minimalistic, Modular Driven Technologies (MDT), L-shaped aluminium chassis system. It shows a rubber-covered pistol grip, and it looks like some aftermarket AR15 units would bolt straight on too. The forend is rectangular with an angled tip and offers a seriously massive free-float to the barrel, which is a great feature. The base and sides also show M-LOK slots, so you won’t have a problem fitting Picatinny sections for a bipod etc. There are also QD sling studs underneath and one under the butt.
The chassis fully supports and wraps around the action, plus provides a mag well for the 10-round rotary magazine. I get the impression that Savage has copied Ruger’s original 10/22 system here but improved on the release catch, which is integral to the build and mounted at the front. In use, it is far easier to insert and remove the magazine than on my M77/17. In .22 Magnum and .17HMR, it holds one more round than the Ruger’s 9-shots in these calibres. Filling, however, is a tad fiddly, but you get used to it.

AccuTrigger

This rifle would not be a Savage unless it offered their trademark AccuTrigger system. It has been around seemingly forever and uses a simple and safe, user-adjustable system, plus cannot be set too light, which is a bonus. The blade-within-blade build makes it visually recognisable, with the inner one locking operation until it’s disengaged by the first pressure of the trigger finger. Weight-wise, it goes from 1.5 to 4 lbs and offers a crisp break. Other manufacturers are now incorporating versions of this system into their own rifles due to its success. Also, the blade sits within a pleasingly large trigger guard, so no problem for gloved fingers.

Pleasing changes

Although the rather large and agricultural-looking bolt body stays the same, with its big cocked action indicator striker tail, Savage has seen fit to add two welcome improvements. First, is the tang-mounted safety catch, which is something I really like. It’s a simple design that pushes forward to FIRE (red dot exposed) and reverses for SAFE. The second improvement is that they have enlarged the bolt handle, to what I call a champagne bottle grip. It sticks out straight at a downward angle, but there’s a lot to get hold of for easy manipulation.

Axe head

The butt is a vestigial affair with a simple square bar that protrudes from the rear of the action void, with a polymer ‘axe head’ rear unit. It incorporates a short hand stop underneath and a thick rubber recoil pad, along with drop-in spacers to adjust the length of pull (LOP) from 12.75” to 13.75”. The recoil, as you might expect, is minimal, as with any rimfire calibre, however, the rubber material allows positive and non-slip shoulder adhesion, which locks the rifle in securely.
Savage has not forgotten eye/scope alignment either, with a simple yet effective, adjustable comb. This horseshoe-shaped polymer unit is supported by twin vertical rods that pass through the square stock bar. They are locked by thumb screws on the right.

Size, or price matters?

The barrel length is 18”. Now, I’m a believer that 20” works best in terms of velocity with any .17HMR rifle, but here the tube on the LITE proved me wrong. The build consists of a full-diameter, stainless steel re-enforce/chamber section that drops down to a slim, rifled liner that is tensioned by an end cap. The liner is then wrapped in carbon fibre film, with a weave, that gives it that distinctive look that we have come to know these days to improve material stability and therefore performance. Weighing in at 6.77 lbs, it does feel very handy and pointable.
The standard, steel version is naturally heavier at 7.38 lbs, with the same length, thread form, and dimensions, but will cost less for obvious reasons. So, you make the choice, light or heavy at around £700 (steel) to £1100 (carbon wrapped), ballpark. Regardless, both models show a 1:9” twist rate for .17HMR and are button-rifled.

First impressions

As I said, this is an attractive-looking and handy rifle, if you favour its modern, hi-tech build, which I do. I like what the carbon barrel has to offer, but with an average saving of around £300, the steel version will make a lot more sense to potential buyers.
The Savage came fitted with a Leupold VX 5HD 3-15x56 second focal plane scope with a 30mm body tube and zero-stop turrets. I added an A-TEC modular rimfire moddy, an M-LOK Picatinny rail, and an Atlas clone bipod. Ammo went to Remington and Winchester 17-grain Ballistic Tip/V-MAX, plus Winchester’s 15.5-grain Polymer Tip NTX (non-lead) and 20-grain jacketed hollow point. The results were interesting!
Shooting was done at 100m off the bench and with a bipod and rear bag. My Ruger M77/17 can pull 0.5” with good quality 17-grain ammo and is the yardstick I tend to use for this calibre. If the load can print around this figure, then it’s good enough for 200m use, with no wind. My old girl can pull off consistent headshots at that distance. And that’s the trick, as this tiny little bullet is badly wind-affected.

Faster than

One anomaly with the two 17-grain loadings, which are quoted by both Remington and Winchester as having a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2550 fps, is the massive speed increase through the Savage and for that matter, my Ruger. This is not a fluke, as I pulled ammo from various boxes, and it all showed similar increases. Inspection of the cases did not show any obvious signs of pressure or cracking, which was a common fault with this calibre a few years ago. The 15.5-grain NTX showed a smaller rise, with the 20-grain JHP showing a noticeable loss. (SEE AMMO TABLE)

Final thoughts

The rifle ran well, with all controls working easily, and it felt comfortable in the shoulder. The tang safety is not so instinctive to use with the pistol grip layout, as you have to break your firing hand grip, but I still prefer it to what Savage had before. The LOP came up a tad short for me and felt a little cramped, but not uncomfortable, however, I would have liked to see maybe two more spacers included. Equally so, a couple of M-LOK Picatinny rails would not go amiss either.
The 18” barrel proved it could produce some surprisingly good velocities, but as can be seen, figures and performance differ, given the make, bullet weight, and type. I’m still a bit confused as to why both of the 17-grain loadings were well over the factory figure, which is not down to this Savage. Saying that, the extra grunt on offer is to be appreciated, certainly in .17HMR.
I feel the B-Series Precision, either the Lite or standard steel version, is going to prove very popular, as it looks the business, handles nicely, offers good shootability, and pretty much has everything you need in a modern, no-compromise package.