Savage's new Stance line of pistols definitely won't set the world on fire with any notable new design or styling innovations. Featuring an all too common molded polymer frame with stainless steel slide and barrel, the design of the Stance mirrors that of most any other popular striker-fired pistol currently on the market whether it's a Glock, Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson M&P, etc. As such, breaking down the Stance is all but identical to those other pistols as well. In short, it's a design that's proven itself for decades now and Savage saw no reason to try and change it.
The exterior aesthetics and ergonomics of the Stance pistol is where Savage did make some changes, and in my view they did an exceptional job. Visual styling is very subjective so I won't go into that other than to say I was happy with how it looks. In terms of ergonomics, all of the controls are well placed within easy reach and where you would expect them to be. The reach to the trigger is a little shorter than other pistols making it a good choice for smaller framed shooters, but other than that it felt pretty normal in the hand and nothing negative jumped out at me.
While there is currently only one size offered for the Stance, it is offered in several different configurations to suit your needs. The standard model offers no safety, but models with a manual safety are available for those who like that added level of security. The standard (base) sights are a 3-dot arrangement with white dots at the rear and an orange dot in the front. Optional sights include TruGlo night sights or a Viridian laser sight at additional cost. The Stance uses the same sights as a Glock 43 so changing them out with your preferred aftermarket set should be a breeze. The Stance is also offered in three different polymer frame colors are available as well: black, grey and flat dark earth. All models come with two single-stack magazines, one flush-fitting magazine holding 7-rounds and one extended 8-round magazine. Overall there are currently 14 combinations to choose from.
I specifically requested a manual safety model with laser sight so I could evaluate all of the available options (sans the TruGlo night sights of course).
The MSRP for the Stance ranges from $479 to $561 depending on sight options at the time of this writing. Additional details, specifications and model options can be found on Savage's website: http://www.savagearms.com/stance
Range testing the Stance got off to a very rocky start - soo much so that I almost boxed it up and sent it back to Savage. On my first outing I had roughly a 70% failure rate with the sample I received. This was "as delivered" right out of the box, no cleaning or lubricating on my part. Failures consisted of three types: failure to return fully to battery, failure to pick up the next round, and an occasional stovepipe. To make matters worse, Savage apparently never sighted this unit at the factory as my groups were consistently 8-10 to the right of my aim point with the irons.
My second range trip faired a lot better, but was still far from perfect. The number of failures to fully return to battery were greatly reduced and now just a rare oddity, but I was still getting a stovepipe or a failure to pickup the next round once every few magazines. Either condition could easily be ammo related or just be a break-in thing with the gun itself, but both remained fairly consistent through my roughly 300 rounds of testing.
The third and final range trip pretty much mirrored the second. By the end of that third session though I had become familiar enough with the Stance that I felt comfortable commenting on a few things I had noticed.
While the sights were a plus, the trigger on the Stance left a lot to be desired. It's far from horrible, but it's not exactly great either. The trigger on this sample had a very long and gritty take-up, eventually hitting a firm wall before giving you a clean break. Trigger pull averaged right around 6.5-pounds on my Lyman digital scale which is ok, but not great. Additionally, the reset for the trigger is a mile long - as in all the way back out to rest long.
The other negative I found was Savage's rather poor attempt to incorporate an interchangeable backstrap to allow customizing the grip fit on the Stance. I'll just be blunt and honest here - Savage really half-assed the execution as the changeable piece is only maybe two inches or so long by maybe a half-inch wide, and only two options are offered - flat and nearly flat. The feature really looks and feels like it was an afterthought compared to the systems found on other pistols on the market, and I wasn't able to discern any noticeable difference in feel or fit when swapping between the two pieces.
Any seasoned pistol shooter knows that the fit and feel in the hand is key to picking out a handgun, so I'm just going to assume that me and the Stance just weren't going to be two peas in a pod in that regard. It's the same reason I prefer M&P's over Glocks - they just feel better in my hand and I shoot them better - but doesn't make the Glocks bad guns.
Overall I think Savage did a very good job with the Stance, especially given that this is their first foray into the compact handgun market in over 100 years. I wouldn't say it's perfect as no product ever is, but it's a solid foundation for Savage to build from and improve upon with minor tweaks and refinements in the coming years. As for whether or not you should buy one, that really depend on you and your needs. I don't expect to see many gun owners running out to sell their current carry guns to get one of these, but if you're new to the game or just looking for the next addition to your collection I think the Stance is well worth giving a good hard look and even a test drive if possible.
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