The action has the big advantage of not needing any space to operate. However, what the A22R does is allow the shooter to maintain a sight picture for subsequent shots – the review rifle was fitted with a Leupold VX Freedom 3-9×40 sight and the combination proved a good one indeed. It soon becomes apparent the lever release requires quite a stiff pull to activate and can’t be reached with the trigger finger without taking it out of the triggerguard (and away from the trigger to do so). The A22R is lightweight, weighing in at 2.26kg and shoulders well, although I found the synthetic stock a touch shorter than was ideal for me. 22LR, to the test to see how it would perform both on the range and in the field. Importer Nioa and Ipswich gunshop Queensland Shooters Supplies arranged for the SSAA to put the Savage A22R, chambered in. The rifle looks good and handles well but those are secondary to the important questions for the discerning shooter, namely, is it accurate and is it reliable? Yes on both counts. While initially seeming a bit complicated for a rimfire rifle, the design works well and allows for 10 rounds to be held in a magazine flush in the stock – aesthetically pleasing while meaning one less thing to potentially catch on branches and brush when out in the field. The magazine is a 10-round rotary-style affair similar to that found in the Ruger American. 22 rifle was being made before World War One using the principle – and although the draft fell out of favour for a long time it’s now making a reappearance, the A22R the most recent incarnation of the venerable idea. Lever release designs have been around for more than a century – the Pieper-Bayard single-shot. From a safety perspective this is marvellous – it’s immediately clear if the gun is loaded or not and if there’s a round in the magazine. A catch holds the action open and the gun cannot be fired again until the user manually operates the lever just forward of the trigger, which closes the action and feeds a round into the chamber, readying the rifle for the next shot. When the gun is fired the recoil opens the action and ejects the spent round. 22s, the latest offering from Savage is something different – a lever release rifle. While we’re all broadly familiar with bolt, lever and pump-action.
22 in our youth and whether it’s a beloved favourite like the Brno Model 2, the highly-regarded Henry Model 1 lever-action or classic single-shot Lithgow 1A, many have a special place in our hearts (and gun safes) for a reliable. Rimfire rifles come in all shapes and sizes with something on the market for everyone.