Got new B.mag today..................hmmmm

Got the new Savage b.mag rifle today. Not a real good first impression. Entire rifle was dirty, greasy. Really dirty bore. Working the bolt cocking the rifle is not what I'm used to. Easy to open, Very hard to close. Maybe just needs to be used a lot. At least there is a shell ejector which some people seem to missing. There is so much plastic on this rifle that I bet I could go through any airport in America without tripping any metal detectors. I put the Weaver scope on it using the extra high rings and the bolt comes very close when all the way back but it does clear the scope. Wish the ammo would get here.

Unlike most centerfire and rimfire bolt guns, the B-Mag cocks on close rather than cocking on open. Also, the firing pin spring on the B-Mag is a lot heavier than your typical centerfire or rimfire as it needs to be to set-off the new nail gun based cartridge.

As for all the plastic, that (and the overall aesthetics) are what have turned me off to the B-Mag since the first time I saw pictures of it. Goofy doughnut hole bolt knob, goofy looking shroud on the back of the bolt, plastic trigger group assembly, yet another ugly synthetic stock with horrible ergonomics, etc.

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Originally Posted by MrFurious

Unlike most centerfire and rimfire bolt guns, the B-Mag cocks on close rather than cocking on open.

As for all the plastic, that (and the overall aesthetics) are what have turned me off to the B-Mag since the first time I saw pictures of it. Goofy doughnut hole bolt knob, goofy looking shroud on the back of the bolt, plastic trigger group assembly, yet another ugly synthetic stock with horrible ergonomics, etc.

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After reading several peoples comments on how the rifle is cocked, all I can add is this: Mine cocks when I lift the bolt knob up. I hear a 'click' when I do that. If I just lower the bolt knob down, without sliding the bolt open the closed, the rifle is cocked.

As for all the modernistic plastic crap, I agree with you. When I get some ammo for it, I hope it will be accurate or I will really have to badmouth Savage.

They all cock on closing...yours is no different. The click is the sear re-setting.

For 300$ and a brand new design what do some people expect? As long as it shoots straight and functions properly. Yes some have had issues but not hard to get them worked out. I bet boyds will have new stocks for them soon and might even see a custom bolt handle also in the future.

I agree with leo 158, new rifle and we are part of the testing. You have to start with # 1 before you get to # 2,3,4 and so on.
The more I handel mine the more I like it. I have the rifle, 12 boxes of ammo and a new Leupold scope. Just have to get the scope rings and see what height they need to be, I am guessing tall from what others have said.

Frank

I think you will find the bolt will get easier to close as you break it in. Of course, if you just send it to me, with 2,000 rounds of ammo...I'd be more than happy to break it in for you. :) I'm not a .17 rimfire fan, as I just bought the Savage .17-Hornet and have been shooting a .17 Rem for about 2 years. But....I'll suck it up and take one for the team!!!

Just for kicks.....here's a Savage link with a video at the shot show about the rifle: http://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/sava...hot-show-2013/

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Originally Posted by leo158

For 300$ and a brand new design what do some people expect? As long as it shoots straight and functions properly. Yes some have had issues but not hard to get them worked out. I bet boyds will have new stocks for them soon and might even see a custom bolt handle also in the future.

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Well, the FV-SR usually sells for a good bit less than that and at least looks and feels like a substantial firearm, word is Boyd's is working on it, hopefully hard at work. Time will tell but its not off to rousing start so far.

There are a couple things I have noted with my B.Mag. 1st, if before you assemble it you clean the bolt real well and the inside of the receiver and then apply some quality synthetic gun lube to the lugs of the bolt & the rear of the bolt the cocking effort will not be as strong. Then before firing it work the bolt a few hundred times and then re-apply the lube it makes a world of difference. The other thing is if after firing you set the safety before ejecting the case & loading a new round the bolt is not able to "cock". If then you disengage the safety and lift and press the bolt back down it is ready to fire.

The 1st time I discovered this, less than 5 shots, I thought the bolt broke LOL.

Accuracy is good

50yd =
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...psc639b7aa.jpg

100yd = http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps6d63a6db.jpg with 25 grain. With 20gr it shoots 4" high @ 100yd.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps64bcd269.jpg

Plinking,

Nice groups for a rimfire!!! The clean the bolt\grease it thing that you mentioned is very similar to what I had posted about my Model 25 .17 Hornet. However, I simply applied some lithium grease to the bolt where it engaged the internal's and worked it that way. I wasn't in the mood to catch "flying springs" in my garage that day.

But the application of (in my case) lithium grease, or perhaps a quality gun grease on the bolt does seem to help during the break in period of these Savage guns.

As for the accuracy of my Hornet....well, It's just great.

Good shootin!!

Dave

I need to do that to my M25 .204 Dave. My 17H is very accurate too even with factory loads.

I see there's a less than stellar review of the B-Mag in the latest issue of American rifleman. Sample rifle shot and grouped fine, but the fit, finish and quality were all less than perfect - big gap in the mag to stock fitment, front sling swivel fell out of stock while using a bipod, and comments on the ridiculous bolt handle design are just a few of the demerits mentioned. Lots of quotes from Bill Dermody in the article trying to explain away the faults of the rifle by touting it's "manufacture-ability". Someone needs to remind the folks at Savage that being able to make something cheaply and easily means nothing if the end product isn't a quality product.

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Originally Posted by MrFurious

I see there's a less than stellar review of the B-Mag in the latest issue of American rifleman. Sample rifle shot and grouped fine, but the fit, finish and quality were all less than perfect - big gap in the mag to stock fitment, front sling swivel fell out of stock while using a bipod, and comments on the ridiculous bolt handle design are just a few of the demerits mentioned. Lots of quotes from Bill Dermody in the article trying to explain away the faults of the rifle by touting it's "manufacture-ability". Someone needs to remind the folks at Savage that being able to make something cheaply and easily means nothing if the end product isn't a quality product.

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I guess mine is a keeper. I must have the only one that made it out the door trouble free.

Hi. Just received my B Mag today. Really been looking forward to it's arrival. I put a Weaver Kaspa (uggg!) 4-16 on it for now, until the new Redfield gets here.
My first thought was that Savage forgot to put the rifle in the box! It's that light. Out of the box, the only negative observation was the flimsiness of the stock's forearm. Maybe it's just the 90+ degree weather here in Florida. I felt like immediately putting Devcon the entire length of the stock. Don't even think of putting a bipod on this rifle...
The effort of the 'cock on close' bolt is a non issue for this old fart, but a even a youngster (old enough to shoot) should have no problem. I've read both the Shooting Times and American Rifleman articles and did not let them cloud my judgement. This should be a VERY popular firearm. Yes, I have paid from $16/50 to $50/50 for ammo. NO, I am not hoarding, only have 250 rounds.

I have a lot of Savage rifles and this one was priced about $75 MORE than an Axis, while the Axis is still a flexi-flyer, it is much stiffer than the B Mag. I've reinforced several of the Axis rifles, especially the 7mm-08, as the weight helps with recoil!
Oh well, as long as it's a good shooter, there's always time to "play" with it....

have fun

ron

Fired the new B Mag yesterday. I am also going to post a thread on the 'optics' section, since I was unhappy with my new Weaver scope.
The rifle shot as expected. NO recoil, but a pretty loud 'crack' when fired. I had ear muffs on as usual. Although I have sensitive ears and always try to protect them as much as possible, my .17 HMR rifles are MUCH quieter.... As well they should be.
I had one fail to fire, and one fail to eject. The fail to eject could well be my fault. It was 95 degrees and high humidity (no breeze). I was perspiring into my eyes, and hands were wet. Only fired 12 rounds. Nice little group < 1/2" at 50 yards, where I left my bench from last outing. Too hot to move!! ha ha

On to the optics section.........

ron

Did a little benchrest shooting this afternoon. My 700 Rem HB in .223 printed a 200yd group of 0.687 inch using some random reloads I had with match grade Nosler BTHP's. That is typical for this excellent rifle which is capable of groups smaller than 1/4 inch at 100 yds. But the most impressive results was my little Savage B-mag in .17 WSM grouped 0.53" at 50 yds and then grouped 1.41" at 200 yds while the wind was starting to pick up. This little sucker is tight for a rimfire. I was sighting it in with a new BSA 8-24x mil-dot scope that is also impressive for the modest price of $64. I went on to slaughter several small potatoes at 100 and 200 yds for practice since they are about the size of squirrel heads. Now if I could only find more ammo...[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...17WSMphoto.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...17WSMphoto.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...700HBphoto.jpg[/IMG]

Nice!:cool:

irish,
What gr. ammo were you using?
Frank

The 25g ballistic tip ammo. Am looking for some of the 20g ammo for hunting & testing but cannot find it so far. I was very impressed with the el-cheapo BSA scope. As most know, good optics are one of the requirements for high accuracy. The little BSA was far better than its price suggested. It has 1/8" per click adjustments (at 100yds) and the scope was dead on after each adjustment without the need for a shot to seat it in. I did not have enough ammo to waste on post adjustment shots or 5 shot groups. Will do that later when ammo is more plentiful.

Irish

Hi Irish,

My problem is I have plenty of 20 gr ammo and can not find 25 gr. When we go on a squirrel shoot you can shoot 400 rounds a day real easy and I have enought 20 gr for a good one day shoot. I have been wanting to find 25 gr and see if the rifle will shoot as well or any better than the 20 gr.

Frank

I am told that the B-mag likes the 25g'ers better than the faster but less accurate 20's. Comes down to how accurate is enough? The gray squirrels that we shoot are rarely more than 50 yds away. 1/2" groups at that distance is good enough for me.

Irish

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Originally Posted by JG26_Irish

I am told that the B-mag likes the 25g'ers better than the faster but less accurate 20's. Comes down to how accurate is enough? The gray squirrels that we shoot are rarely more than 50 yds away. 1/2" groups at that distance is good enough for me.

Irish

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My B.Mag likes the 25's better than the 20's. Like I said before though, once I weighed out everything the fliers became minimal. I am looking forward to shooting the weighed 20's. I am betting the 20's group better now.

The squirrels we shoot are ground squirrels and they are on the small side, most around 6 to 8 inches. They are in hay fields and if the new crop is 2 or 3 inches tall that does not leave much squirrel to shoot at. In the a.m. you will get a lot of shooting around 50 yards but as the day moves on you can be shooting over 100 yards. I am using a Leupold VX-1 3x9 scope with Leupold mounts on my Savage B Magnum. I am using the same setup on 2 Magnum Research 22 Magnum automatics and a Savage 17 HMR.

Frank