Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter - Utterly Savage

I was very fortunate to visit the Savage factory in October last year, and part of my tour involved assembling this rifle, watching it being test-fired, and boxing it up ready to ship. The most fortunate part was the rifle was engraved with my name, and it was promised that it would be sent to me in the UK. I don’t always believe the promises, but I got a call from Viking Arms six months later saying the rifle had arrived. Edgar Brothers very kindly supplied ammunition in this new chambering as well as reloading dies and powder for further experimentation in the long term.

Proof it
Savage’s Mountain Hunter starts out with a Proof Research stainless steel barrel within a carbon fibre wrap. A pepper-pot muzzle brake is supplied and attached to a 5/8”x24 thread, which will happily take a moderator. The barrel shows a straight taper, measuring 19mm at the muzzle and 33mm where it screws into the action. A barrel nut is used to precisely control the headspace. Savage barrels are interchangeable with tools. There is a steel recoil lug sandwiched between the barrel and action to transfer forces into the stock, which shows a full-length aluminium bedding block all the way to the forend stud.

Steel core
The receiver is aluminium with a steel liner, and it incorporates a Picatinny rail. The cylindrical action has a large ejection port on the right side, with a relieved flat facet on the left that shows my name as well as the serial numbers. The bolt release catch is at the rear, but the big difference about the Impulse is the straight-pull action. When someone says straight-pull, many assume it will be like a Blaser, but the Savage goes its own way and uses six ¼” steel bearings that expand and project radially from the 21mm bolt shaft. These lock into the circumferential rebate within the steel action liner.
The rear of the bolt shows an almost conventional-looking 76mm conical-tipped handle that rotates, pendulum-like, to unlock the action and draw the bolt open. The handle angle can be set in two positions, and it’s also interchangeable to the left side. There is a two-position tang safety catch that moves forward for FIRE and rear for SAFE. Once a round has been fired, grab the bolt handle, pull it back (125mm stroke length), and then drive it back forward to strip another round from the flush-fit 3-round magazine, then fire again. If you don’t fire the rifle, there is a button on the back of the shroud to unlock the bolt handle, and this soon becomes intuitive for fast operation.

Crisp and secure
Savage’s AccuTrigger is located below the action and features an inner safety blade to ensure a safe, lawyer-proof, yet still crisp and lightweight adjustable trigger. It breaks crisply at 795-grams. The 3-round magazine can be loaded singly with rounds pushed in from the front. Alternatively, the steel feed lips are actually springy enough to press ammo straight in from the top. The bolt face is a push feed design, with a right-side extractor claw and manual ejector, meaning the amount of energy imparted on the ejected brass depends on you. Unlike some straight-pull designs, the Impulse has an additional plunger above the bolt shroud. This exerts pressure on the rear of the action to ensure you have plenty of primary extraction force, and I certainly had no problems with the rifle in this regard.

Fit for all
The Accustock might look like a piece of entry-level polymer furniture, but this is certainly not the case. It has an internal bedding block that runs all the way to the forend stud, meaning no bedding stress or problems maintaining the free-floating barrel. Ergonomically speaking, it is supplied with recoil pad spacers and additional cheekpiece raisers so that you can set the length of pull and scope alignment to taste. It might not be delightful walnut, an aluminium chassis, or a customised composite, but it does work and will take the bumps and bashes without losing zero or making you cry. Also, it doesn’t resonate, and the cheekpiece inserts are slim, so they fit under your cheekbone without lateral displacement issues. There is some chequering on the grip and forend, and the copolymer moulding means the stock has a rubbery texture for additional security. The rest of the stock shows a simple matte finish with a very lightly stippled grey texture.

Reinvent the wheel
Over the past 15 years, I’ve witnessed the introduction of several new cartridges. Some, like the .17 HMR, have been genuinely innovative, while others have been variations on existing popular options, such as the widely embraced 6.5 Creedmoor. A few have just died and are virtually gone, certainly from our shores, with .17 HM2, .17 WSM, .223 and .243 WSSMs being prime examples. The thing is, when it comes to hunting, is the cartridge really giving us anything we didn’t have before in terms of the ability to project a bullet at a certain speed? Well, no. Essentially, we get evolution in terms of powder suitability for modern propellants with improved temperature stability, alterations to case geometry to better fit longer high BC bullets into conventional action lengths etc. So, what is the 7mm PRC?

Were current magnums lacking?
The 7mm Remington Magnum has been popular for decades, running close to its larger .300 (7.62mm) Winchester Magnum ‘brother’ of similar popularity. The US hunting culture/market drives the sporting rifle world, and we have comparatively few quarry species in comparison. Large elk and moose require more energy than the common UK cartridges produce, so in general, the 7mm PRC, with a 175-grain bullet, is expected to achieve 3000 fps (3500 ft/lbs). It’s certainly suitable for big Reds or longer shots, with hard knockdown potential at greater distances. Shooters must not confuse cartridge size and energy with impact damage, because you would be surprised how authoritative yet relatively delicate a large 7mm or .30 calibre can be compared to the smaller speed kings. This will, of course, be more prevalent with the encroaching use of non-lead projectiles showing differing expansion characteristics, where speed is your friend. More power can be used, but those large bullets and cases can also be used in moderation to tailor the required energy and ballistics, so don’t immediately dismiss the big stuff as grossly overpowered for all circumstances.

Steady away
Long term, I will go into far more detail, but of the two initial factory test cartridges supplied, both produced the common MOA benchmark, although velocities were significantly down on the published values. Hornady has publicly attributed this to difficulty sourcing the appropriate powder upon which the cartridge was initially developed. It’s still not sluggish, and I’m satisfied with the accuracy on offer from a rifle I have hunted with while in the USA. It’s light and tactile to carry and use, the straight-pull action becomes familiar quickly, and the Proof Research barrel has proved itself to me here and on the hot weather hunt and range days in Colorado, where I got it distastefully hot, yet it still retained MOA impacts at 1000 yards. I’m personally very suspicious of carbon barrels but the Savage/Proof combination has lived up to its name.

Run in
At first, I got a slightly lethargic feel from the bolt as the cartridge snugged up in the chamber, and the bolt needed a little jiggle. However, I’m pleased to report that this faded as the gun wore in, and it became entirely trustworthy. 80 rounds also saw the barrel bed in, and the group sizes halved, becoming 3-round cloverleaf groups and not ‘2+1’s’.

Conclusion
Everything on the rifle works as it should, and the straight-pull action is a fresh concept from Savage who makes a stupendous range of guns in the US. Thankfully, they have to make sure their designs, although a little culturally different, are able to meet the marketed criteria for a very aggressive home market. The trigger is predictable, the forend is rigid, the scope mounting is secure with adequate eye relief, and I like the bold move to the different operating system, as unlike some, it doesn’t have problems with reliable case extraction. The stock fit is easily adapted to a broad range of shooters, but the cartridge itself doesn’t really generate huge recoil. Factually, that’s partly because it’s not as powerful as advertised and not just because this barrel is 2” shorter than the test barrel. It’s thoroughly adequate for any UK deer species, but the US market generates a huge volume of internet chatter, and all the opinions start there, so look at the facts and consider your preferences and options.