Organized in 1894 in Utica, N.Y., Savage became famous for its hammerless lever-action rifle known as the Model 99. A deal between Chief Lame Deer and Arthur Savage resulted in the trademark Indian head logo that has adorned Savage firearms for almost a century. It’s even thought the image was the inspiration for the squadron symbol used by American pilots flying for France’s Lafayette Escadrille during World War I. Savage contributed greatly to both wars and, while their once flagship rifle has not been manufactured since 1998, Savage continues to innovate with products like the Accutrigger and by offering affordable package rifles that are ready to hunt, right out of the box.
Savage package rifles are rifles equipped with scope bases, scope rings and riflescopes that have been bore-sighted at the factory. Typically, package rifles are very affordable when compared to purchasing all the components separately, Essentially, Savage purchases the additional components in bulk and passes those savings along to the consumer. Savage package rifles make great first rifles for those new to hunting. This is partly because they circumvent the need for mounting a scope and simplify zeroing it. It’s also because these rifles provide trustworthy service without the need for a sizeable investment.
A Savage package rifle can also make a great back-up or camp rifle. If you’ve been to deer camp much at all it seems almost inevitable someone’s rifle or scope will break or maybe they’ll even forget their rifle or even leave their rifle bolt at home. (I did this once.) In many cases a Savage package rifle can be had for less than $500 and be kept at camp or carried along as a back up.
To get an idea of how the average, off-the-shelf, package gun would perform, I obtained three covering a price range from $400 to $612. Surprisingly, I also learned that between the first of August and the last day in November of 2014, Savage is offering a $50 or $75 rebate on these same rifles. You can find the rebate details and a downloadable coupon here. This makes for a very appealing deal, especially considering hunting season is upon us.
You must realize a rifle that has been boresighted is not the same as a rifle that has been sighted in. Bore sighting is nothing more than the gross alignment of the riflescope’s reticle with the bore of the rifle. Sometimes this can produce results on target that are reasonably close to perfect. More often than not it only means your bullets should strike somewhere on the target at 100 yards—you’ll have to fine-tune the zero. I was surprised to discover that bullets from all three rifles, as they were removed from the box, struck the target no more than 4” from my point of aim at 100 yds. This makes zeroing much easier for the novice or experienced shooter.
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