Hunting rifles with straight pull locks were previously only available from good old Europe. J ow also mixes the largest US long arms manufacturers, Savage, with the pulses. We have extensively tested one of the first available models.
Straight-pull bolt action rifles are not only enjoying increasing popularity for driven hunts. They are not subject to any legal restrictions on magazine capacity and have a very fast rate of fire if one can handle them. The choice is with models of Blaser, Heym, Rössler, Strasser, Merkel, Browning, Steel Action, and Lynx been very good.
Up to now, straight-pull repeater did not play a major role in the USA; hunters there had to buy an expensive European model for better or worse if they wanted to repetition at lightning speed. Savage was probably tired of leaving the huge US market in this segment to the Europeans.
Over two years ago, Massachusetts began designing a completely new rifle – at least as far as the breechblock is concerned. Many other parts have used proven technology found on other Savage rifles. 13 (!) Patented design features of the new impulses show that things were not made easy for themselves.
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The Hexlock Closure
Savage calls the new straight-pull lock Hexlock. It is locked using six steel balls, symmetrically arranged on the bolt head, which acts in a positively controlled manner. The barrel is screwed into a steel case, the distance between the locks is set using a barrel nut, as with the Savage 110, and the balls grip into this steel case.
Of course, the wheel was not reinvented; Heyms SR 30 also locks with six steel balls – only these grip the sleeve head. This Heym patent further develops the breech block for biathlon rifles by Peter Fortner from 1984.
Steel ball closures are very sturdy and secure, so betting on them wasn’t a bad choice. When the pressure rises, the steel balls are pressed further into the locking grooves so that such a lock can withstand very high gas pressures. The lock is guided in a system box made of light metal, which also has a steel insert to ensure that the lock is neatly guided.
The top of the lockbox is an integrally manufactured Picatinny rail with a front inclination of 20 MOA, which theCan make optimal use of the height adjustment range of a riflescope. This means that nothing stands in the way of quick and inexpensive assembly – every major assembly manufacturer has different versions of suitable upper parts in their range.
He is not only without any tools to remove. Still, He can also be mounted at different angles, so you head to his – at bolt handle very end of the lock chamber has to think of something innovative taste on the front or back positive can tioning.
The head is screwed on and can easily be exchanged; the mount for the stem is even present on both sides so that the bolt handle can also be attached to the left. Since the plastic stock is straight (without cheek), the Impulse becomes a fully-fledged left-handed weapon.
If you slide the bolt forward, it locks automatically – when you fire, this lock is released. A push-button is located on the rear of the locking chamber to manually unlock the lock during loading and unloading.
When triggering, Savage uses its adjustable AccuTrigger. With the Impulse, it can even be adjusted from the outside without having to dismantle the shaft. For this purpose, the trigger guard has a small slot at the back through which the adjusting screw can be reached.
The withdrawal of the RWJ-test weapon was off work at 1 320 set g – the owed US product liability laws, after a few turns on the little screw he dissolved in 970 g dry without noticeable anticipation of. The catch for the lock on the left of the rear sleeve bridge has an additional safety device. It can only be pressed in to remove the lock if you have previously operated a small slide in front of it.
The closure head can be a tool- change -loss when a run-in is loaded caliber that one ande ren required thrust base diameter. The lock was racing for the closure head is designed so that you can operate them only in the locked state.
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Three Fuses
What you look for in vain is hand tension. This feature, which is very popular in this country, does not play a role in the USA, but the Impulse has three independently working fuses:
- A mechanical shear locks the firing pin automatically until the bolt is completely closed,
- The little tongue in the AccuTrigger acts on the sear and only allows a shot to be fired when the trigger is fully pulled,
- A two-position safety device placed in the middle behind the lock determines the trigger in the locked state.
This means that the impulses should be fall-proof even in an unsecured state. The chamber can also be opened by pressing the release button when the slide lock is in the rear position. Loading and unloading are thus possible in a fully secured state.
Insert Magazine and Interchangeable Barrel
The Impulse has a magazine made of sheet steel with a shoulder stop for four cartridges (10 round magazine optional). The trigger is recessed directly in front of the magazine in the solid light metal base plate. Our test model Predator had a 51 cm barrel with a 19 mm muzzle diameter. The barrel with 1-8 twist has a 5/8 “-24 UNEF muzzle thread, covered with a protective nut. The barrel from in-house production is fixed in the system box with a threaded sleeve.
To change the barrel, you have to dismantle the shaft and loosen four locking screws; the front and threaded sleeves must be removed. This insert engages in a milled barrel and ensures a constant fit in the longitudinal axis. The barrel is thus secured against twisting at the same time. The barrel change is very quick; the clamping system has very little play and makes a good impression of high repeatability.
The weak point is that you have to remove the shaft, and loosening and tightening system screws often lead to a shift in the point of impact. Particular attention was paid to this concern during the shooting test.
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Accufit Plastic Shaft
The length and height of the buttstock of the AccuFit stock with an aluminum chassis system bed can be individually adjusted. For this purpose, three spacers (6, 12, 18 mm) and four back inserts of different heights are included. The original shaft length is 35 cm. To mount a different back, first, remove the butt plate – then the back part can be pulled back and another one pushed on. Repeating is no problem even with a high back; the chamber only comes up to the nose of the shaft.
The fastener can also be removed with the high back-mounted, as it is flat enough at the front. A higher back does not have to be removed every time for cleaning.
At the Shooting Range
A Leupold VX 5 HD 4 – 20 x 52 was attached to the impulses with a quick release assembly for a precision test. It delivers a crystal clear image with parallax adjustment and a very fine reticle. With these high-magnification target optics, the shooting frame can be used to determine what the rifle can do. A Bushnell 1 – 6 x 24 driven hunt glass was installed for the handling and functional test in the shooting theater:
- In the cinema, the impulses were convincing.
- They can be repeated quickly and easily.
- The breechblock is neatly guided.
- The cartridges
- The empty tubes are fed in and ejected without any problems.
The rifle is a bit top-heavy due to the semi-weight barrel and swings well. After a few attempts, it turned out that the best position for the adjustable bolt handle is when the ball is approximately at the trigger height – it is not without reason that the designers of most modern rifles choose this position. You can, however, experiment and look for the most favorable individual position. The bolt handle can be adjusted very quickly.
On the 100 m track, the RWJ test rifle showed very good precision with Hornadys 120 grs. GMX was supplied by importer Helmut Hofmann and with which the test rifle was shot (five-shot range: 19 mm). But also Hornadys heavier 143 gr. ELD-X shot very consistently and precisely.
Then the stock was removed, the barrel removed and reinstalled, and the stock reattached. The scattering circle did not change, but the point of impact shifted slightly – 4 cm to the left and 4 cm lower. Despite the three-dimensional aluminum stock bed, the point of impact changes slightly after changing the barrel.
In order to possibly rectify the problem, the system was removed again, and the screws tightened with a torque wrench at 5 nm. Then the rifle shot in again, the stock and barrel dismantled, reassembled, and the system screws tightened again to 5 nm. This time the point of impact remained constant!
We repeated this three times to be on the safe side. So if you want to get an Impulse with an interchangeable barrel, you should also invest a few euros in a good torque wrench with which you can save yourself the test shot after changing the barrel.
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Summary
The handy rifle works without any problems, can be repeated quickly, and shoots excellently. With removable and clip magazine is it with contemporary furnishings, offers interesting extras like the stock- cash, angularly adjustable bolt handle and the individual adjustment of the shaft in height and length. Inexpensive assemblies are possible with the Picatinny rail, and there is nothing to complain about on the trigger.
The Predator is available in the typical US precision calibers .22-250 Rem., .243 Win., 6.5 mm Creedmoor, and .308. Big Game and Hog HunterStronger calibers such as .30-06 and .300 Win are also available in the other models. Mag. Available.
The Savage can become a permanent fixture in German territories, even if it is a typical US rifle. Due to its price, it scores well below the competition from Germany and Austria, especially young hunters will feel addressed. In addition, it is to be expected that Savage will expand the model range quickly.
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