This is my first Savage firearm.
I bought the Patrol from Grabagun.com for $610.00 delivered to local store who charged $35.00 to bring it in and do NICS check.
I was interested in this particular rifle for four reasons.
A mid-length gas system.
The Wylde chamber.
5R rifling.
Melonite barrel treatment.

I understand that this is an entry level firearm but I would like to comment and compare it to other entry-level AR type rifles.
I am not here to ding Savage.

From muzzle to buttstock:
A2 flash hider.
Proprietary front sight tower. Not pinned but attached with two set screws underneath. One screw is staked with a light punch mark, the second punch mark missed the second screw.
Sight post is not marked as to which way to turn it when adjusting elevation.
There is a hole underneath the sight base that looks like it might be for attaching a sling swivel but it's covered by the handguard.
The handguard is a Blackhawk unit and has a heat shield. There is a blank hole on each side that can accept proprietary QD swivel socket hardware if you can find it.
Handguards held on with standard delta ring
Receiver has square forge code, weaver rail on top, a dust cover and a real forward assist.
The rear sight is a plastic flip up unit similar in appearance to a Matech or Magpul BUIS.
Basic charging handle.
There is a nylon tipped set screw in the lower that contacts the bottom of the rear take down pin lug. The takes out any looseness between the upper and lower when closed.
A nice touch at this price point
Buttstock is a Blackhawk unit fitted to a mil-spec buffer tube,
The buffer is unmarked. The Patrol buttstock does not have a recoil pad but the edges are sharp.
There is a QD socket on the adjustment lever and an empty socket further back that looks like it would accept a QD socket if you can find one.
As delivered there is no hardware for simply attaching a plain old web sling.
Bolt Carrier Group:
After 200 plus rounds the carrier cam pin slot developed a burr which caused excessive wear on the cam pin, wearing it through its finish and gouging the metal throwing up a large burr on the cam pin. I have seen this before and the cure is a replacement carrier.
The bolt itself has a very rough finish. The tail of the bolt is rough. No big deal here except harder to clean off the carbon.
However the wear band (the raised ring just to the rear of the extractor pin hole) is very rough and not smooth like other bolts I have seen.
I have contacted Savage customer service about these and am waiting for a response.
I found the trigger to be quite smooth. Some creep but not gritty. The hammer and trigger are silver colored not the usual dull black. That might account for the smoothness.
Basic safety lever.
The trigger guard is a plastic curved part. Nice touch.
The hand grip is a Blackhawk Knoxx and is different from most. It is well equipped with raised surfaces all around for a non slip grip.
I cleaned the rifle and generously lubed with LSA (O158) the lube ARs grew up on and what I use.
I had a couple of hard live round extractions using the charging handle. This disappeared after a while.
Other than that the rifle ran without issue.
Ammo used was all factory FMJ from four manufacturers.
Accuracy was not exceptional compared to other similar rifles.
To sum up then:
This is a nice starter rifle (assuming no bolt carrier issues) for the money.
The basics are there. The furniture might be to everyone's liking but that is easily fixed.
Thanks