Savage A22 (Weaver)

The History of Savage Arms

Savage Arms was founded in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York. Arthur Savage held two important patents at the time: a patent for a repeating rifle with a single-column magazine lever-action rifle, which he acquired in 1891, and a patent for a hammerless lever-action design. That paved the way for Savage’s quick rise to success.

The company’s first breakthrough came in 1895 when it introduced Model 1895 – the first hammerless lever-action rifle on the market. It was modeled after Model 1892, an earlier design that never saw production due to losing a bid for a US Army contract. Model 1895, however, won the contract for New York National Guard, but it was soon canceled due to getting caught in a contemporary political climate.

Savage continued investing efforts into the production of military-grade weapons. It was named one of the two finalists in the US Army trials for a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and it lost only to the now-famous Colt M1911. Savage used the gained experience to produce high-quality pocket pistols, though, which resulted in the introduction of Model 1907, 1915, and 1917.

During World War I, Savage was merged with the Driggs-Seabury Ordnance company. The joint company focused all its efforts on the production of Lewis machine guns and heavy equipment for war purposes.

Between the two wars, Savage decided to expand its business inside the USA. In 1920 it bought Stevens Arms of Chicopee, followed by A.H. Fox Gun Co. of Philadelphia and Davis-Warner Arms and CrescentArms Co. of Norwich in 1930. Success followed and in 1939 Savage introduced the Model 24 combination gun which sold over a million copies.

When World War II commenced, though, Savage was once again ready to answer the call of duty. It focused all its resources on war efforts, producing a staggering number of weapons. It already signed a contract with Auto Ordinance Co. in 1938 to manufacture the famous .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun, and most of these submachine guns that were used in WWII were produced by none other than Savage. The company was also contracted by the US government in 1940 to produce .30 and .50 caliber Browning machine guns. On top of that, Savage manufactured one of the most mass-produced bolt-action rifles of WWII, the British No. 4 Lee–Enfield. A record of 1.2 million Lee-Enfield rifles was produced by Savage during the time of war.

Production dialed down after the war, though. In 1946, Savage closed its facilities in Utica and moved all its operations to the Stevens manufacturing premises. Even though the Model 110 was introduced in 1958, which remains one of the company’s most successful rifles to this date, Savage started to experience some issues. In 1960 all production was moved to the current location of Westfield, Massachusetts, and what followed was a series of different ownerships over the company. Savage gradually ran into serious financial problems and in 1988 the company declared bankruptcy.

The company had to cut back on its manufacturing costs to the point where it even stopped producing short-action configurations of its most successful model, the aforementioned Model 110. It wasn’t until 1995 when Savage returned to private ownership led by Ronald Coburn who sort of rejuvenated the whole company.

In 2002 Savage introduced and patented AccuTrigger – a safe and user-adjustable trigger that soon became a success. The following year, in 2003, the company was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence, further reaffirming Savage’s distinction. Four years later, on May 15, 2007, Savage 93R17 BTVS has been named the best rifle in the Best of the Best presentation by Shooting Times, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Gazette magazines.

In 2013 Savage once again changed ownership. It was acquired by Orbital ATK for 315 million dollars, and it was later handed over to Vista Outdoor which later sold it for $170 million in 2019 to a group of private investors led by Savage’s management.

The company also had its logo changed in the middle of the 2010s when it decided to retire its old logo that presumably featured Chief Lame Deer, a native-American tribesman leader. The latter supposedly approached Arthur Savage in 1919 to purchase rifles for his tribe. In exchange for a discount, Lame Deer agreed to a deal. According to the deal, Savage was allowed to use Lame Deer’s face for promotional purposes. Many doubt the authenticity of this story, however, and Savage itself removed it from its official website as well.

Savage A22 (Weaver) Rifle Review

Savage A22 FSS in .22 LR

Figure 1: Savage A22 FSS in .22 LR (Source: Savage Arms)

In 2016, Savage introduced its A17 model, which is in many aspects a revolutionary model. It was the first semi-automatic rimfire rifle specifically designed for the 17 HMR cartridge. This was possible due to the delayed blowback mechanism that Savage Arms engineers spent years working on, and the results speak for themselves.

At the same time, Savage also presented the A22, which works on the same system as the aforementioned A17 but is instead chambered for the .22 Long Rifle.

Today, Savage A17 and A22 are known as excellent choices for small-game hunting. They combine semi-automatic speed with the famous Savage accuracy and precision.

There might be some confusion regarding the mounting surface of the Savage A22, though.

Savage A22 is drilled and tapped for scope mounts, but it usually comes with either a 2-piece Weaver base or a Picatinny base already preinstalled.

This is why we think it’s important to point out that this page is dedicated to Savage A22 models that come with one-piece or two-piece Weaver bases pre-installed.

Figure 2: Savage A22 Varmint Pro in .22 LR (source: Savage Arms)

Savage A22 features a synthetic rugged composite stock that significantly cuts on the rifle’s overall weight, which depends on the variant, but usually totals up to around 2.55 kg (5.63 lbs.) without a scope. The buttstock is straight on most variants and comes with a rubber, rather comfortably designed recoil pad.

The barrel of Savage A22 can measure 419 mm (16.5-inch), 533 mm (21-inch), or 559 mm (22-inch) in length, and is made of carbon steel. It offers a remarkable level of high-performance precision, especially considering the relatively low cost of the rifle. A lot of accuracy for a relatively low sum of money should become Savage’s official motto at this point since it’s been its mantra from the earliest days of Savage rifles.

It comes as no surprise that A22, a rifle Savage spent so much time developing, also features one of the main features the company has to offer. That is, of course, the patented AccuTrigger^TM, which allows the user to easily adjust the trigger’s weight of the pull while still ensuring the complete safety of the rifle. A22 thus offers a crisp, user-adjustable light pull of the best possible accuracy.

The design of Savage's patented AccuTrigger

Figure 3: The design of Savage's patented AccuTrigger (source: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BwSpbbhIIAE0hUO.jpg:large)

The trigger guard features a cross-bolt safety. The red line on the side of the button indicates the rifle is in firing mode.

A22 owes its existence to the unique delayed-blowback action with a custom locking mechanism that keeps the bolt shut long enough to time the loading of the next cartridge just right. This system provides a safe and reliable operation with the .22 caliber.

The action hosts a hard-chromed bolt and, as opposed to the A17 model, doesn’t feature an oversized cocking handle. The case-hardened receiver of the rifle is also made of carbon steel and comes with a high-luster finish.

Savage A22’s magazine is rotary and has a capacity for up to 10 rounds. It is detached by pressing a lever which is found in front of the magazine.

Savage A22 Calibers

Savage A22 model can be chambered for:

22 LR
22 WMR

Savage A22 Variants

Savage A22 is currently available in eleven additional variants:

Savage A22 Magnum
Savage A22 FSS
Savage A22 Target Thumbhole
Savage A22 Pro Varmint
Savage A22 Magnum Pro Varmint
Savage A22 VF-SR
Savage A22 Precision
Savage A22 BNS-SR
Savage A22 Magnum Target Thumbhole
Savage A22 Precision Lite
Savage A22 Takedown

If you happen to know of any other variant that we forgot to include, please let us know at info@optics-trade.eu. We will gladly update our database.

The receiver of Savage A22 is drilled and tapped for scope mounts, but those usually come pre-installed. To our knowledge, A22 models normally come with Weaver bases.

The receiver of Savage A22 FSS with a visible mounting surface that comes with a pre-installed 2-piece Weaver base

Figure 4: The receiver of Savage A22 FSS with a visible mounting surface that comes with a pre-installed 2-piece Weaver bases (Source: Savage Arms)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage A22 (Weaver)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage A22 (Weaver)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension.

Therefore, most rifles that come with Weaver bases will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage A22 which has Weaver bases installed on the receiver. You do need to keep in mind, however, that most A22 variants come with a 2-piece Weaver base that has a small gap between each piece of the base, so the mount shouldn’t be shorter than that gap.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage A22 (Weaver)

There’s even less dilemma around the interchangeability of two-piece scope mounts since they don’t have to meet any of the length requirements.

Any rifle that has Weaver bases mounted on its mounting surface will have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage A22 (Weaver).

Best Scope Mounts for Savage A22 (Weaver)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage A22 (Weaver)

Henneberger is a German company known for the quality and reliability of its products. If you are looking for a fixed scope mount to mount on the weaver base of your Savage A22, then we recommend these Henneberger 30 mm Weaver rings. They are made of aluminum and come with a 30-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Savage A22 (Weaver)

When it comes to flexibility, detachable repeatable scope mounts are the way to go. Being able to easily attach and detach an optic without any tools and retaining zero at the same time can be a great advantage. If this is what you’re looking for, you might want to consider this aluminum INNOMOUNT scope mounting solution of German quality for your Savage A22 with Weaver bases.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu