• Savage Mark I-FVT Review in .22LR

    It's no secret that Savage has been doing a lot in the target rifle market in recent years. They make some of the most accurate rifles on the market so it should be no surprise that they would venture into this very specialized realm.Along with the varmint and tactical rifles, they offer two rifles for F-Class, a new rifle for Palma and a rimfire training rifle. The rimfire trainer is what we'll be discussing here.

    Savage basically took their existing Mark 1 single shot rimfire rifle and added a heavy barrel and Williams target sights. It's primary use is as a target training rifle for shooting clubs who are on a tight budget (aren't we all?). The rifle can be bought through a regular FFL dealer or through the Civilian Marksmanship Program ( www.odcmp.com ) if you belong to an affiliated club that has a junior division. The prices are very reasonable compared to other .22LR trainers on the market today.

    Williams rear aperture sightThe basis of the Mark 1 FVT is the venerable Lakefield designed rifle that has been the Savage standard rimfire for quite a few years. It is a blued metal with a typical black plastic stock. The single shot required a cover plate to fit over the magazine cut out on the Mark 2 rifles. The stock has an integral plastic trigger guard, that is it's made as part of the stock much like a Remington 710. Rounding off the stock is the standard Savage grip cap, sling swivel studs, and plastic butt plate. The trigger is the ordinary AccuTrigger which I found to be a perfectly capable trigger for this application. The blued barrel is a heavy contoured and features a recessed muzzle.

    Where the folks at Savage veered into a new direction is with the sights. They use Williams front globe and rear aperture sights. These are a good choice as they are finely adjustable, decent quality and affordable. The sight package comes with several different post and aperture (peep or ring) sight inserts for the front so the user can change them easily to suit his/her application. The left rear side of the receiver is drilled and tapped for the Williams rear sight while the front of the barrel has a dovetail notched into it to hold a base for the front globe to attach to. The base is secured with a set screw that pushes down on the barrel. The front globe then compresses the base with a large screw that goes through the globe bottom, similar to a Weaver style scope base and ring but with no cross slot.

    Accuracy was quite good. It really liked the Federal 40gr Auto-Match and Federal Gold Medal 40gr ammo. It also shot well with cheaper ammo such as the American Eagle 40gr and Winchester Wildcat 40gr. I performed the ammo testing at a distance of 50 yards. The rifle was fired on cement rifle bench and rested on a Caldwell Rock front rest and Protektor leather rear bag. I swabbed the bore with a clean patch between each brand so powder fouling wouldn't interfere with the results. The following are 10 shot groups using the Williams target sight with a front aperture.

    * Federal Gold Medal Match, 40gr solid = 0.93" @ 50 yards
    * Federal Auto-Match, 40gr solid = 1.13" @ 50 yards
    * American Eagle, 40gr solid = 1.32" @ 50 yards
    * Winchester Wildcat, 40gr solid = 1.39" @ 50 yards

    The small port on the Mark I-FVT can make loading a little difficult if you have large fingers.For the most part the rifle was a decent gun for what it was intended for. I used it for shooting rimfire silhouette matches and also in some informal prone shooting since that is what it will get used for. It's accurate enough and balanced enough to do well in these events. The only serious drawbacks to using this rifle was 1) the small port which makes loading difficult and also makes the chamber hard to see and 2) the ejection failures of about 10 to 15 percent with all brands of ammo used. Extraction was fine but it sometimes would not kick the hull out for no apparent reason. This was very frustrating when shooting in prone because I couldn't see the chamber all that well to begin with. When a hull is still in the port you have to move from your position and pick it out or turn the rifle over so the hull can drop out. This is not something that is good for teaching proper shooting techniques or something a shooter should have to contend with when he/she is in a timed event and every second matters.

    All in all, it's a decent little rifle but the ejection issue along with the small port leave much to be desired. If you want a good plinker it's okay but I can't recommend it as a good trainer until the flaws are solved.

    Additional Photos:
    Front globe sight Base for the front globe sight Savage includes an assortment of inserts for the sights.
    Mounting rail for the rear aperture sight Target shot at 25 meters with Federal Auto-Match ammunition


    Contact Information
    Savage Arms
    100 Springdale Road
    Westfield, MA 01085
    (413) 568-7001
    www.savagearms.com