Savage A-22

M

msinc

New member
Just got a new Savage A-22. This is a 22 magnum semi auto version of the A-17/17HMR. It has a sort of semi locking bolt and a reasonable price, especially when you compare it to other semi auto 22 magnums.
First trip to the range to zero the scope finds that the magazine wont stay in the gun...it just falls out. In all fairness to Savage, when it does stay in the gun feeds perfectly. It is accurate enough and zeroed up easy. Biggest problem, light strikes. Just about 1/3 of the rounds in the chamber failed to fire because of a light/weak firing pin strike. I was using the CCI A-22 ammo which is made/designed for the gun. I do not care for any trigger with a big finger gunching mushy feeling blade in the middle of it and this one is no different. It does adjust and was set as low as it would go right out of the box...but "as low as it would go" could have stood to go further.
Got home and proceeded to do a take down to clean it. While it disassembles differently than most rifles it is not too bad once you get thru the first time. The A-22 ammo burned less than clean...left a bit of powder residue in the receiver, but not enough to cause any problems. I shot probably 50-60 rounds. It was shipped with what seemed like way too much lube in the action, properly oiled I don't expect this to happen as bad.
I was hoping to be able to use this thing as a predator calling rifle for fox. It is accurate enough, but no more reliable than 66%...I think I will get rid of the junk and try something else. That's too bad, because I think the delayed lock system does what it is supposed to, it's just that the rest of the gun is typical Savage.

I guess I was hoping for too much...a 22 magnum semi-auto that don't work...somebody quick call Ripley's!!!
 
I have the A 17, it has had no such issues. Just bought a CZ512 tactical for the .22 WMR. Do not have it yet (any day), but glad I didn't go with the Savage. Hoping the CZ will be in better than the Savage, but lower in price than the Magnum Research and Volquartsen.
 
my a-17 defintaly holds the mags, dunno what to tell ya about the light strikes - no issues there either.


get ahold of savage. theyve always been more than helpful over the phone and i'm sure they'll have you with a RMA and a shipping label pretty quick.



i have to agree, the trigger takes some getting used to - i hate how much travel it has. my biggest gripe about it was the AWFUL stock, which i promptly replaced with a boyds.
 
I picked up the A17 about a year after they came out. I was disappointed with the feeding issues. A dis-assembly of the mag, cleaning and (practically impossible) re-building improved that by 50%. I bought another mag recently and it works FLAWLESS now.

Accuracy: Hornady, CCI ammo shoots a really great shotgun pattern. The A17 ammo shoots tiny groups. From 50yd zero to 100yd and the group was higher than expected. However, the A17 ammo out of my Savage 93 Heavy barrel shoots just as tiny groups as Hornady, CCI, etc. Go figure....

I've always wanted a semi 22mag. I'll wait it out. With a suppressor on it, that would be a super fun little rifle.
 
it would be nice if they offered threaded options from the factory.

threading a barreled action is quite a bit more expensive than just sending a barrel in (like an AR barrel)

my a17 will end up threaded eventually, but that's a down the road project.
 
Originally Posted By: Heretic
Accuracy: Hornady, CCI ammo shoots a really great shotgun pattern. The A17 ammo shoots tiny groups. From 50yd zero to 100yd and the group was higher than expected. However, the A17 ammo out of my Savage 93 Heavy barrel shoots just as tiny groups as Hornady, CCI, etc. Go figure....



i have read many times and many different places that ALL the 17hmr ammunition is manufactured in the same facility. that is the CCI facility. it is all the same but with different packaging.

do not know if it is true or not. but saw it written by some guys seem to know a lot about it.
 
msinc,

I'll bet your light strikes are being caused by how the sear is disengaging the hammer, especially, since you mentioned the trigger has a lot of stacking or false drops during the pre-travel stage of pulling the trigger.

The hammer on these things are not finished very well at all, in fact they are terrible. I'll bet the reason you're getting the light strikes is because you are doing your best to pull that terrible crunchy trigger as smooth as you can but because the surface where the sear engages the hammer is so rough, the hammer isn't releasing clean as it disengages the sear which doesn't allow the hammer to generate the force it needs and is giving you those light strikes. I'll bet if you jerk the trigger, instead of trying to be so smooth, you'll stop getting light strikes, but jerking the trigger doesn't lead to very good accuracy so jerking the trigger to make it function properly, in my opinion, isn't an option.

Good news is it's fixable. You can go about it three different ways. 1) Call Savage Tech Support (413-568-7001) ask to speak with Joel, explain what's happening and he'll email you a prepaid label you can print out and you'll send it back for them to, hopefully, fix.

2) Take it to a gunsmith and have them square up and stone/polish the hammer notch.

3) Disassembly your gun, pull the hammer out (it's VERY easy to do) and square up and polish the notch in the hammer where it engages the sear.

I recently did the hammer on my A17 and it made a world of difference. The trigger group in the A22/A17 is very easy to work on. It's very similar to working on a AR15 trigger. Like an AR the hammer in your A22 has its own pin. After you get the trigger housing out of the gun, support the hammer with your fingers and release the spring pressure by pulling the trigger. Once the hammer is no longer cocked the hammer pin will push right out and you can pull the hammer straight up and out and proceed to cleaning up the notch. Mine was pretty bad and needed a lot of work. I used a very fine small flat file to square up the face of the notch. The notch on mine was actually a little rounded over and had a noticeable burr I could feel will my fingernail. I gently filed the surface flat, removing the burr in the process, then sanded/polished the surface with a progression of grits. Started with 400 then used 600, 1500,2000, and finished with a buffing pad on my Dremel. Put it all back together and gave it a go. First pull and, WOW!, huge difference. All of that nasty crunchy pre-travel crap was gone. No pre-travel at all, the trigger just broke clean. The trigger pull is still a little heavier than I'd like, the pull rate is more of a spring issue, but it is such a huge improvement from what it was that I can live with it being a little heavier than I'd like.

It's not nearly as involved as it sounds and start to finish was only about an hour. If you'd like I can text a pic of how mine looks now and you can compare it to the one in your gun or someone can post it here is fine too. I've been to mentally lazy to learn how post pics here.
 
Many people seem to have the problem with the mag not seating unless it is pushed in really hard.

Don't unload a lemon on someone. Send it to savage and either have them fix it or get your money back.

I have a 512 22mag. The trigger is not so good, but I have it down to just over 2lbs. It hovers right around moa. I think it could do better than that with a more powerful scope and better trigger.
 
Thanks for all the replies and info...I will have a look at that hammer. I will say that they did a fantastic job of polishing and bluing the barrel. Had no idea that Boyd's offers a stock, will be checking that out too.
 
I think you will like the 512 tactical a lot, cmatera. I got one last year. It's my dedicated fox gun as it shoots minute of fox all day long and the 22 mag is the perfect fox round for relatively short shots. I have a Spectre II in suppressor jail right now and I can't wait to put that on it. It will be even more pleasant to shoot. I have found it to be very reliable also. No malfunctions using 40 grain ammo.
 
I went with the CZ 512 for several reasons. I am short, 5"6" and weigh 130#. My preferred LOP is 12-12.5". With a collapsible stock, no need for an aftermarket. It has a Picatinny rail for mounting optics and other goodies. The barrel is already threaded for my suppressors that should be out of jail soon. My right wrist is fused from a car accident, and I am right-handed. For me, the vertical grip is great help, really a medical necessity. It does not matter that my wrist cannot bend with that grip.

I do realize the trigger is less than stellar, but I will work on it, and the positives far outweigh the one negative (they always have to mess up what could be a perfect gun with one thing, for like what $50 which I would gladly pay). Being a semi-auto makes it very useful for follow-up shots.

I live on a farm. The .22 WMR is perfect. Just that little more oomph than the .22 LR, with less ricochets. While I like my Ruger 10/22, (after Connecticut Precision Chambering did a full accurization), the CZ will be even better.

Many of the coyotes around here are shot at feet, not yards. For a pest/varmint/close range predator gun, it is perfect to me. While ammo for it has been difficult (like all rimfires) it is coming around. I will stock up on a case once I find which ammo it likes, and I should be good for the rest of my days.
 


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