I picked up a Savage stealth in 6.5 Creedmoor recently and wanted to give a review of it, show my upgrades, and go over how it shoots now that I have had it to the range.
I will break the report up into separate posts to make it easier to read and quote to comment or ask questions about.
My initial thoughts on the rifle.
They have been out for a while now and are readily available at Academy and other places for about $1000 or less if you shop around. That may sound expensive but they are designed to compete (as much as possible anyways) with much more expensive custom long range rifles. For how it shoots (more on that later) it is a steal compared to the $3k+ price tag of a custom rifle.
The rifle is an accurized from the factory model 10 action in a chassis system that free floats the barrel and uses a standard AR15 style buffer tube and pistol grip. The bolt is stamped with the last four digits of the serial number so this bolt is definitely made just for this rifle. Savage also uses the older style side bolt release lever that most aftermarket stocks are designed around.
This is a very nice chassis system with an M-lok fore end that accepts their quick attachment rails or other M-lok accessories. The rifle also uses readily available (but expensive) AICS pattern magazines. It comes with one ten round magazine.
The barrel is 24", threaded (5/8x24 w/ thread protector), heavy, fully floated, and fluted. Dollar bill to test if it is floated well? How about a 3/8" gap all around it. You would have to break something to touch the fore end to the barrel.
**A little disclaimer here. As I take it, Savage was going with a 22" barrel but their advertising misprinted and said 24". Mine is a measured 24" but some did get sent out with the original 22" barrels. As I take it, Savage will replace the shorter barrels if the customer requests it. I haven't verified any of this from Savage but know shooters that have been through the process.
The trigger is the excellent Accutrigger that Savage is known for. It is adjustable and very crisp. A tool is included to adjust the trigger from 1.5 pounds to about 4 pounds.
One weak part of the system is the buttstock. While it is adjustable for comb height and length of pull (12.5"- 15"), it has battle rifle written all over it. It does have a little storage area in it which also says battle rifle. It will do the job and must have been in the interest of keeping cost low. Also I assume most buyers already have a replacement in mind since it is very easy to swap out.
My first impression is that this is a well thought out rifle designed for a specific market, namely long range shooters. It also uses easily replaceable parts so each owner can make it their own rifle or shoot it as is from the factory.
I will break the report up into separate posts to make it easier to read and quote to comment or ask questions about.
My initial thoughts on the rifle.
They have been out for a while now and are readily available at Academy and other places for about $1000 or less if you shop around. That may sound expensive but they are designed to compete (as much as possible anyways) with much more expensive custom long range rifles. For how it shoots (more on that later) it is a steal compared to the $3k+ price tag of a custom rifle.
The rifle is an accurized from the factory model 10 action in a chassis system that free floats the barrel and uses a standard AR15 style buffer tube and pistol grip. The bolt is stamped with the last four digits of the serial number so this bolt is definitely made just for this rifle. Savage also uses the older style side bolt release lever that most aftermarket stocks are designed around.
This is a very nice chassis system with an M-lok fore end that accepts their quick attachment rails or other M-lok accessories. The rifle also uses readily available (but expensive) AICS pattern magazines. It comes with one ten round magazine.
The barrel is 24", threaded (5/8x24 w/ thread protector), heavy, fully floated, and fluted. Dollar bill to test if it is floated well? How about a 3/8" gap all around it. You would have to break something to touch the fore end to the barrel.
**A little disclaimer here. As I take it, Savage was going with a 22" barrel but their advertising misprinted and said 24". Mine is a measured 24" but some did get sent out with the original 22" barrels. As I take it, Savage will replace the shorter barrels if the customer requests it. I haven't verified any of this from Savage but know shooters that have been through the process.
The trigger is the excellent Accutrigger that Savage is known for. It is adjustable and very crisp. A tool is included to adjust the trigger from 1.5 pounds to about 4 pounds.
One weak part of the system is the buttstock. While it is adjustable for comb height and length of pull (12.5"- 15"), it has battle rifle written all over it. It does have a little storage area in it which also says battle rifle. It will do the job and must have been in the interest of keeping cost low. Also I assume most buyers already have a replacement in mind since it is very easy to swap out.
My first impression is that this is a well thought out rifle designed for a specific market, namely long range shooters. It also uses easily replaceable parts so each owner can make it their own rifle or shoot it as is from the factory.
