Back when I did my initial review on the Savage B.Mag 3 years ago, I found the accuracy to be. . . really lacking, to the point where I didn’t see the point. I tried many things to resolve the accuracy issues and none worked. I know that some guys get great accuracy out of their B.Mag’s but I couldn’t. This is not a full review since my original article is somewhat recent and pretty detailed. In a nutshell: the action is kinda poo, the mag is cheap, and the rifle is pretty lightweight. This article will just highlight the Heavy Barrel (HB) version of the rifle. The Savage B.Mag Target Bolt Action Rimfire is $719 in Canada.
Savage B.Mag HB Specs
- 5 lbs (but fairly front heavy due to the barrel)
- 22″ stainless heavy profile barrel
- 40.5″ OAL
- Savage Accutrigger
- 8 round detachable rotary magazine
- Comes with scope bases installed
Before we get to accuracy: it would have been nice if Savage made a more beefed up stock for the HB version. This rifle uses the same noodly stock and due to the extra weight of the HB, it contacts the barrel often. Inconsistent stock contact is not great for accuracy so some B.Mag HB owners end up resting the rifle on the magazine to prevent contact or they restock the rifle with a Boyd’s. Even testing this rifle for accuracy is a pain in the ass because of the stock.
Savage B.Mag HB Accuracy
To test the accuracy of this B.Mag, I mounted a 6-24×50 Sightron SIII target scope and bought some Winchester Varmint 20 and 25 grain ammo. I have not seen Hornady’s 17 WSM ammo around or I would have bought some to test with as well. The rifle was rested on the front with a Caldwell The Rock Jr. rest and the rear was on a sandbag: I tested resting the rifle at the normal location just behind the front sling swivel as well as right on the magazine.
And it worked! The rifle really like the 25 grain bullets, putting most groups in under 1″ at 100 meters. The 20 grain bullets didn’t fare so well, giving closer to 1.5″ with vertical dispersion.
Conclusion
Now I have a real dilemma: keep the trusty Savage 93R17, or upgrade to 17 WSM with this rifle and add a Boyd’s stock. With the noodle stock, the B.Mag is 1 lb lighter than the 93R17, so they’ll probably net out at the same weight when the B.Mag has a Boyd’s on it, but the 17 WSM gives more distance for the same cost. Oh man, am I making a mistake?
**Update Jan 15, 2018** Keeping the rifle. Bought a Boyd’s stock for it. Boyd’s was 1.2kg (2.64lbs) compared with the stock one at 0.77kg (1.71lbs)
