Savage A22 (Pre-3380376)

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 (Pre 3380376) Rifle Review

This page is dedicated to Savage A22 models that have serial numbers lower than 3380376. These models have a different mounting surface than the models with higher serial numbers.

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.

Additionally, when Savage started to produce the A17 and A22 models, the latter had a slightly shorter receiver than the former. This meant that the two models didn’t have the same mounting surface, which meant that one-piece scope mount interchangeability was not possible.

This changed in the later years of the production when the action of Savage A22 was extended to match the dimensions of A17. Consequently, Savage A22 models with serial numbers up to 3380376 have the old action length, while the models from SN 3380376 forward have the same action dimensions as the Savage A17 models. To better clarify which model are we talking about, we will sometimes use “Pre 3380376 Savage A22” and “Post 3380376 Savage A22” to name them.

This page is dedicated to the pre-3380376 Savage A22 models that come drilled and tapped for scope mounts and are without any pre-installed mounting solutions.

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.

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. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a better image of a bare A22 receiver. If you happen to own one, we will gladly replace the bottom image with a new one. Please write us at info@optics-trade.eu.

Figure 4: The receiver of Savage A22 with a visible mounting surface without the pre-installed bases (source: savageshooters.com)

Receiver dimensions for pre-3380376 Savage A22:

A: 21.87 mm
B: 73.84 mm
C: 21.87 mm
BHU: 0 mm
Fi: #6-48
R1: 17
R2: 17

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

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

Unfortunately, we aren’t aware of any rifles that would have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the pre-3380376 Savage A22. Should you have any information that could help us improve our database, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@optics-trade.eu.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed.

Rifles that have two-piece mounts interchangeable with the pre-3380376 Savage A22 are the following:

• Savage Model 110 (SA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 111 (LA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 112 (LA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 114 (LA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 116 (LA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 110 (LA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 111 (SA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 112 (SA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 114 (SA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 116 (SA/Round-Back)

• Savage Model 10 (Round-Back)

• Savage Model 11 (Round-Back)

• Savage Model 12 (Round-Back)

• Savage Model 14 (Round-Back)

• Savage Model 16 (Round-Back)

• Savage A22 (Post-3380376)

• Savage A17

• Savage Axis I

• Savage Axis II

• Savage Edge

• Röessler Titan 6

• Röessler Titan 3

• Röessler Alpha

• Stevens 200 Long

• Stevens 200 Short

• Carl Gustaf 4000

• FN Browning A-Bolt III LA (Models with 8-40 Screws)

• FN Browning A-Bolt III SA (Models with 8-40 Screws)

• Remington 783 LA

• Remington 783 SA

• Sauer 200 Kurz

• Sauer 200 Lang

• Swiss Arms SHR 970

* Sauer 200 Lang and Kurz have marginally larger front and back radii (17.4 compared to 17). This really shouldn’t impact the interchangeability, but we thought you should know nonetheless.

Best Scope Mounts for Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

Considering all the factors, with the price of the rifle included, we think these 30 mm Talley rings would be a perfect fit for your Savage A22. They offer a great price-performance ratio, are made in the USA, and come with a 10-year warranty. They are our top recommendation for a fixed scope mount for Savage A17.

* These rings will also fit on the post-3380376 Savage A22

Check out Talley Mount for Savage A22

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

This Henneberger one-piece mount earned our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount for the pre-3380376 Savage A22. It is reliable and extremely versatile and is thus a great choice for your rifle. It is manufactured in Germany, is made of aluminum, and has a 30-year warranty attached to it.

Order Henneberger HMS Swift Mount

It will, however, need to be coupled with a Picatinny rail. We recommend EGW’s Picatinny rail for Savage A22 (Pre 3380376).

Check out EGW Picatinny Rail for Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

Picatinny Rails for Savage A22 (Post 3380376)

When you’re looking for a Picatinny rail for your rifle, you need to pay special attention to the length between the rear and front holes on the receiver (distance B in the image above). You can hardly ever go wrong with EGW when it comes to Picatinny rails, so we recommend this EGW Picatinny rail for your Savage A22 (Pre 3380376).

Click here for EGW Picatinny Rail for Savage A22 (Pre 3380376)

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