• Savage Model B22 Magnum G .22 WMR Review


    In 2017 Savage Arms launched the then new B-Series of rimfire rifles. While not an entirely new design as they share many similarities with the older Mark I/II/93 Series rimfire rifles, the new B-Series incorporated several significant design changes that in my opinion makes them far superior to the rather dated and sometimes problematic previous models.

    Some of those significant changes include:

    • Coned breech face for better extraction
    • Threaded barrel attachment with nut (rather than pressed and pinned)
    • Easy to disassemble modular bolt assembly
    • Flush-mount rotary magazine
    • Rear tang mounted safety
    • Greatly improved synthetic stock design

    The initial launch of B-Series rifles all came equipped with a black synthetic stock, which given Savage's history of lack-luster synthetic stocks in the past left many potential buyers waiting on the sidelines for something better. In 2018 Savage added a new "G" model to the B-Series fitted with a walnut stained hardwood stock of the same design as the synthetic stock. The rifle we are looking at today is the magnum version of this very rifle, the B22 magnum G.

    When the new B22 "G" models were introduced last year I immediately wanted to get one as I was very impressed with the B22 FV in .22LR that I had reviewed in 2017. However, the new "G": models were only being offered in right-hand versions for 2018 so I opted to hold off in hopes that left-hand options would be added for 2019. When the new models were announced in early January of this year I was quite disappointed that no lefty "G's" were added, so I bit the bullet and put in a request for a right-hand model.

    As already touched upon above, the new B-Series rifles have some significant differences from their Mark I/II/93 predecessors. Starting with the receiver itself, rather than being a plain and rather boring tube, the B-Series receiver has flats machined into the sides to give it a little more visual appeal. Functionally they do nothing, but to me it looks a lot nicer.

    One of the biggest changes for the new B-Series is the relocation of the safety to the rear tang. I much prefer this location over the old flag-style safety lever found on the Mark I/II/93 models that's on the side of the receiver.

    Another significant change with the B-Series is the easy to disassemble modular bolt design. The old Mark I/II/93 bolt was a bit of a pain to break down for cleaning, whereas the new B-Series bolt breaks down with a simple hex wrench the same as a 110 or Axis bolt. This allows the owner to easily disassemble, clean and inspect their bolt as needed with minimal effort or frustration.

    A big complaint many have with the old Mark I/II/93 series rifles is poor extraction of spent cases. This extraction issue is mostly due to those rifles having a flat breech face with machined slots for the extractors to grip the rim of the case. These slots can often get fouled up with powder residue and cleaning solvents to the point where the extractors can no longer properly grip the rim resulting in failures to extract. The B-Series rifles feature a coned breech face which allows for much more consistent and reliable extraction.

    The other big complaint with the older Mark I/II/93 design was the stamped steel magazines. Those magazines almost always had to be tuned to the rifle for reliable feeding, and often the spot welds holding them together would fail. The new 10-round rotary magazines used in the B-Series rifles are the same magazines used in the A-Series semi-automatic rifles and have proven to be much more reliable and don't require any fiddling with to get them to work properly (assuming the stock's inlet depth is correct - more on that later).

    One complaint some had with the original version of these new rotary magazines was that they used a plastic spring-like clip for retention much like the Axis magazines. As you will note in the included photo's, Savage has updated the rotary magazine (and the Axis mags) with a new retention mechanism. The rotary rimfire magazines now feature a spring loaded magazine catch that pivots on a roll pin. It's still plastic (glass reinforced nylon from the look of it - the same thing polymer pistol frames are made from), but it locks up very well and should appease those who didn't care for the old design.

    Like most all of the Savage rimfire rifles in production today, the new B-Series rifles come equipped with an AccuTrigger. On this rifle the adjustment range was roughly 2.75 pounds to about 6 pounds which is plenty sufficient for a hunting rifle such as this.

    The "G" models all come with a 22-inch sporter weight barrel fitted with iron sights, and both sights can easily be removed from the barrel by removing a couple hex screws. The front sight is a simple fixed blade sight. The rear sight is a ramped design and is adjustable for both elevation and windage. My assumption is that both sights are of Savage's own design and made in-house as they're not similar to any of the more common iron sights I've seen on other rifles from the bigger name sight makers (i.e. Marbles, Williams, NECG, XS Sights, etc). The front sight is more than adequate, but I found the upper portion of the rear sight (that's adjustable for windage and has the actual slot in it) was quite narrow and small making it a little more difficult to use than a the larger sized Williams or similar rear ramped sights. Note that the rear sight will likely have to be removed if mounting a scope with an objective lens larger than 24mm.

    Comments 3 Comments
    1. Monkeymaster's Avatar
      Monkeymaster -
      Me want
      Me no find anywhere
      How did it shoot ?
      Thanks
    1. J.Baker's Avatar
      J.Baker -
      Quote Originally Posted by Monkeymaster View Post
      Me want
      Me no find anywhere
      How did it shoot ?
      Thanks
      Maybe try reading the article and looking at the included targets on page 2?
    1. Monkeymaster's Avatar
      Monkeymaster -
      Hey
      There's a 2nd page !
      Thanks
      Me not so fast once in awhile !