Savage's New B22 FV 22LR Bolt-Action Rimfire Rifle

In 1995 Savage Arms purchased the Lakefield Arms Company of Lakefield, Ont. Lakefield Arms had long been a leader in manufacturing reasonably priced rimfire rifles in both bolt-action and semi-automatic configurations. This acquisition allowed Savage to return to the rimfire market 1996, and for many years now they have been one of the top producers of rimfire rifles.

The continued sales success Savage experienced with its rimfire line of bolt-action rifles unfortunately lead to some complacency and an unwillingness to update the design or address the few issues it had. Aside from the addition of the AccuTrigger in 2006, the basic bolt-action design remained unchanged from its introduction in 1996 through today. That has changed for 2017 however as Savage has introduced an all new B-Series bolt-action rimfire rifles.

While the new B-Series rifles and the old Mark I/II/93R Series rifles may look very similar to the untrained eye, Savage made quite a few design changes that are very noteworthy and in my view make for a much improved overall rifle compared to its predecessor.

Starting at the back and working our way forward, one first notices the new and much more stylish synthetic stock on the B-Series rifles. The new design features a Monte Carlo comb, a semi-open pistol grip with slight palm swell, an integrated trigger guard, and a medium width forearm with finger grooves. Sling studs front and rear are standard.

The next thing one will notice is that the new B-Series of rifles have a rear tang safety rather than the side-mounted lever safety as found on the Mark I/II/93 rifles. This new safety is a two position on/off design and puts the safety right where it should be.

The bolt assembly also saw significant changes in that the rear half of the bolt is completely new. The B-Series rifle bolts are very similar to the Model 110 and Axis bolts in design as they feature a rear Bolt Assembly Screw (BAS) and cocking indicator. It’s a much simpler and user-friendly design than that of the previous models. See my B-Series Bolt Disassembly video for more detailed information.

Probably one of the biggest and most welcomed changes with the new B-Series rifles is the 10-round detachable rotary magazine. The old single-stack 5-round magazines were a constant source of angst and frustration for their owners as feeding issues were very common. The new rotary magazine is of the same design that was first launched two years ago with the A17 semi-automatic rimfire rifle, now adapted for the shorter 22LR cartridge.

The last big change you will find with the B-Series rifles is with the barrel, specifically the breech end of the barrel. On the old Mark I/II/93R Series rifles the breech was flat and featured relief cuts for the extractor claws at the three and nine o’clock positions. The barrels were also shouldered and press fit to the actions, meaning the headspace had to be set with the breech-to-shoulder length.

The new B-Series rifles feature a coned breech on the barrel which eliminates the need for the relief cuts for the extractor claws. The barrel also appears to be threaded into the action rather than pressed due to the presence of a barrel nut. If this is indeed the case it greatly simplifies the assembly and the headspace procedure would be similar to that of a Model 110 or Axis. We won’t know for sure until someone decides to take one apart.

With all of that out of the way, let’s take a look at the actual rifle we are reviewing today.

Savage was recently nice enough to send me a new model B22 FV in 22LR to play with. This is the basic heavy barrel model featuring a 21” barrel with recessed crown which measures 0.800” at the muzzle, as well as the previously described black synthetic Monte Carlo pistol grip stock . Naturally is has the AccuTrigger which is adjustable from 2.5 to 5 pounds and the 10-round detachable rotary magazine. Weight of the B22 FV is listed as 6-pounds, and the overall length is 39-inches. MSRP is $308.00 at the time of this writing.

Right out of the box I was very pleased with the new synthetic stock as it’s a nice improvement over the synthetic stock found on the old Mark I/II/93R series rifles – both ergonomically and visually. The angle of the semi-open pistol grip feels a little odd at first, and one can’t easily manipulate the safety without changing their grip, but once you become accustom to it it’s actually very comfortable and natural feeling. The forend also fits the hand very well for off-hand shooting while also being wide enough for a proper fit in a #1 front bag. My only complaint would be that the Monte Carlo comb is a little low for proper eye to scope alignment.

My biggest concern coming into this review was with the rotary magazine given my last experience with it when reviewing the A17 two years ago. At that time the design was brand new and clearly had some bugs that needed to be worked out in the manufacturing process as far as tolerances went, so I came into this review somewhat expecting the same given the shorter version for 22LR is brand new for this year.

The trigger felt great right out of the box and had an average pull weight of 2-lb. 8-oz. over five pulls. The break was very clean and crisp with only the slightest hint of any over travel.

The new bolt assembly on the B22 FV seems to have a slightly stiffer lift than what I remember from my old 93R17 and Mark II, but that may just be my imagination.