Savage Guns Reviews | Savage Rifles & Shotguns

One of the oldest manufacturers of hunting rifles, Savage Arms Company was opened in 1894 in Utica, New York by Arthur Savage. The first important rifle designed was the Model 99 offered the average person an affordable rifle, and started a business that has stood the test of time. By the year 1919, Savage Arms Company was producing 22 caliber rifles, ammunition, pistols and even high power rifles which were very rare at that time.

During the two world wars, Savage guns were produced in quantities of millions, converting its factories to accommodate heavy munitions. In the years to come, it produced some of the best rifles in the world, introducing several new technologies, like the AccuTrigger.

The Savage rifles selection is very wide, including almost all types of calibers and actions. Some of their most important series are the 12 Series Varmint, the Predator or the Edge Series. A couple of rifles for young hunters are also available. Savage shotguns are known for their sturdiness and reliability and for 2010 they offer the Slug Gun Series and the Steven Series available in multiple versions, each with the end user in mind for optimal precision and power.

Savage Rifles

Savage rifles are without any doubt some of the best in the world and their line of centerfire and rimfire rifles are capable of bringing superior quality to the end user without worrying too much about the budget. Some of their most important centerfire rifles would be the ones in the Classic Series, Predator, Target Rifle, Slug Gun and Stevens. They offer a couple of rimfire rifles as well, like the Semi-Automatic Series, Magnum Series, Single Shot Series, Mark II Series and the 17 Series. A Savage hunting rifle like the Mark II BRJ rimfire model is available in the 22 LR calibers and offers a rate of twist of 16”. With a weight of just 7 lbs it is one of the easiest rifles available that offers a 5 round ammo capacity.

Savage Shotguns

As far as the Savage shotguns selection is concerned, the Slug Gun Series includes the 220 F, 220 F Camo and the model for young hunters, named 220 F Young. Another Savage shotgun is the Stevens 512 Gold Wing available with the following calibers: 12, 20, 28 and 410. The latter comes with a 26” barrel and a weight of just 6 lbs. The barrel finish is satin blue and it is made out of carbon steel. It has a single shot magazine and a wood high luster stock finish with a natural color.

What would be the best Savage rifle? It must be the legendary 99 Model, often seen as a real jewel of the American firearms history. It came with an astonishing design, which was far ahead of its time when Arthur Savage designed it back in the 1890s. The gun was originally created so that Arthur could win a contract with the war department and even though he did not get it, the 99 went on becoming an epic rifle. The cartridges developed for and offered in the 1899 and 99 models were also ahead of their time, just like the rifles themselves. The rifle was originally offered with the classic .303 Savage. This cartridge was a ballistic twin to the .30-30 and some believe it was the first high velocity smokeless powder cartridge.

The next variant was the .22 High Power, developed Charles Newton and would push a 70-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2,800 fps. It is still popular in Europe today, where it is known as the 5.6x52R. The next Savage cartridge launched was the .300 Savage, and it went on becoming one of the most popular short action .30-caliber deer and elk cartridges of all time. Later on, it was to become the basis of the experiments conducted by the U.S. military when they began developing a replacement for the .30-06 service rifle cartridge. Ultimately, the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester was the result.

The Savage firearms are considered a piece of American firearm history as these rifles and shotguns introduced many new technologies which were far ahead of their time and some of the current models from other manufacturers are inspired by the breakthroughs brought by the 99 model or the models to come after it.