Savage or Marlin

D

ddtank

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Burlington ON
Thinking about an inexpensive 22LR, maybe something like a Savage Mark II or Marlin XT if bolt action or Marlin 795 if semi.
Any comments on these two makes, one better than the other? I saw a negative review about Savage customer service in case of issues, also their warranty is only 1 year versus 5 years for Marlin. I have ignored Ruger after buying a VLEH that I had to send back due to a fault so not impresssed with them.
 
I haven't had a Marlin, a model 60 is on my want list though. I do own a few Savage, I have enjoyed them for what they are.
Savage are made in Canada if that means anything to you.
I haven't had any issues with mine, so I an't speak of their service. I seem to remember reading that someone called Savage in Lakefield and got great service, I could be wrong though, going off memory.
 
I've owned a Marlin 981T for a few years(7?) now without any issues. I believe it's similar to the XT(?) The micro-groove bbl is surprisingly accurate and more-so when scoped. Some shooters dislike the tube mag but works for me.
I just picked up a MKii TR off the EE and dialed it in (today). Really like the stock ergos and overall look. It's going to be my "bench plinker" and with the ammo I've tested so far it will be a fun gun....

I've owned semis (all gone now) but prefer bolts.....ymmv
 
Have a Savage A22 mag with several issues. It was sent to Grech Outdoors for repairs by Savage Lakefield and without getting into details I wouldn't let those guys work on a cap pistol. After researching on the Internet I'm not alone US and Canada.
 
I have a liking for tube fed 22s. Have owned Marlins, 2 x 981Ts and 2 x 60s. Still own Savage MKIGY, and a "new model" G with the bolt holes for ruptured case pressure outlet.

I really liked the functional reliability of the 981Ts (bolt action) and the 60s (semi-auto). They were pretty accurate, but not as accurate as my Savages on Winchester Bulk ammo. I'm talking fractions of an inch. But since I have limited safe space, I decided to keep only the Savages because I believe .22s should be accurate as possible to be interesting.

I prefer the build quality of Marlins, but accuracy trumps build quality in my book.

I saw a great deal on a really old Marlin 81 (tube magazine) two weeks ago and its on the way. If its as good accuracy wise as many say, it could be a keeper.
 
I have a warm spot for bolt actions, don't really care for any semis. Had a Savage MKII BTVS for a number of years, did everything I expected for the price, no issues with it. I've had a number of issues with a certain other brand that I'm sure some will recommend "stepping up" to for a bit more $$, as well as issues with Grech trying to get warranty service for them (more has gone on than what I posted about last year). I would now rather pay out of pocket for prompt, professional, and courteous service than to deal with Grech for an extended period of time to, ultimately, obtain no satisfaction towards resolving the issue. Matters such as these just scream for Canadians to be allowed access to U.S based manufacturers directly for warranty concerns, as well as U.S entities such as CZ-USA for proper warranty service.
 
haywire said:
Have a Savage A22 mag with several issues. It was sent to Grech Outdoors for repairs by Savage Lakefield and without getting into details I wouldn't let those guys work on a cap pistol. After researching on the Internet I'm not alone US and Canada.
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From the reports I've seen on this site, Gretch is absolute garbage and I wouldn't send a rifle to them unless it was my absolute last option.


With that in mind, I own a Savage Mark II and love it. Mine is the basic model, plastic stock, not a heavy barrel, shoots 5/8" groups at 50 yards with CCI standard, and I only have a 3-9x scope on it (and Im not the best shot either). Never had an issue with it. I also have a Savage Axis that has had zero issues as well.

I would recommend the Mark II to anyone looking for a budget bolt action 22, especially if accuracy is the most important feature to you.
 
Suther said:
From the reports I've seen on this site, Gretch is absolute garbage and I wouldn't send a rifle to them unless it was my absolute last option.


With that in mind, I own a Savage Mark II and love it. Mine is the basic model, plastic stock, not a heavy barrel, shoots 5/8" groups at 50 yards with CCI standard, and I only have a 3-9x scope on it (and Im not the best shot either). Never had an issue with it. I also have a Savage Axis that has had zero issues as well.

I would recommend the Mark II to anyone looking for a budget bolt action 22, especially if accuracy is the most important feature to you.
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I guess to be fair we have various Savage bolt .22s in the family and they work fine and the A22 is accurate with CCI A22 ammo buts that's all it will work with. My issue is the level of warranty response and attitude.
 
I have all three and am happy with all of them. Accurate as I can shoot, all feel pretty good, and all are mechanically reliable.

Minor problem with both my Marlin XT-22 YR and Marlin 795 is that the barrel is ever so slightly canted. The sights are just barely perceptibly tilted to one side. The front and rear sights are in line with each other, so I actually find that it's not a big deal. It bothered me at first but I decided to not let it bother me.

My Marlin 60 does not have this problem.
 
I have a Savage Mark II with the heavy barrel and a 3-9X40 scope. It is one solid set up if you're looking at anything less than 50 yards. With the right ammo, such as CCI or some good Remington ammo (yellow jackets), you can more or less drop shots in the same hole. It 100 yards, it is accurate too. With cheaper ammo, you get some flier here or there, or maybe it is just my shooting.

I have never shot it beyond 100 yards because at the range I am at (Sherwood Park Fish and Game Association) the rimfire range only goes to 100, but it is a solid performer if you're looking for a bolt action .22.

But, Marlin makes a great rifle too.
 
Wish they would start making the 39A again.
Paw was told that the msrp would have to be well over $1000 to make a profit on the gun by a guy who used to work at the ct factory. It was considered at one time.
Seems they are expensive to make.
Don't see why they'd be more expensive to make than the cf leverguns.
 
Thanks for the comments. Target accuracy is what I would be looking for and it sounds like either brand would do it although it seems the warranty issues with Savage if something goes wrong are not isolated to the single report I saw.
On the other hand, there is another post on here just at the moment from someone who got a good response from them...!
 
haywire said:
Have a Savage A22 mag with several issues. It was sent to Grech Outdoors for repairs by Savage Lakefield and without getting into details I wouldn't let those guys work on a cap pistol. After researching on the Internet I'm not alone US and Canada.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised by teething issues with the A22:

It's a new design without decades of debugging like existing designs (even the maligned Model 64) and there's going to be a lot of learning/re-learning through experience involved. The delayed blowback system used by the A22 Magnum is something that looks totally new, so there just isn't the large body of data to draw upon like there would be with a known/more conventional design.

There's a lot of stuff new to Savage in the A22/B22 series - the use of some of their centerfire assembly techniques (barrel nut), the entirely new rotary magazine design, Accutrigger being used in a semi-auto, etc.

One thing that worries me is how low-key the A22/B22 (especially the .22lr versions) roll-out has been. The Mark II/93 family seem to be extremely popular models and you'd think that at the very least, Savage would make it better known what the successor design is going to be and to get reviews/comparisons out there on how the design has been improved compared to its predecessor, but...
 
ddtank said:
Thanks for the comments. Target accuracy is what I would be looking for and it sounds like either brand would do it although it seems the warranty issues with Savage if something goes wrong are not isolated to the single report I saw.
On the other hand, there is another post on here just at the moment from someone who got a good response from them...!
Click to expand...

I have heard of very few issues with savage mk ii. Alternatively, a guy was at my range the other week #####ing about the new Marlin he bought that was going in for warranty work with 7 rounds down the pipe. I don't recall his problem, he was more complaining that the retailer wouldn't exchange or return it than anything...
 
chanman said:
I wouldn't be surprised by teething issues with the A22:

It's a new design without decades of debugging like existing designs (even the maligned Model 64) and there's going to be a lot of learning/re-learning through experience involved. The delayed blowback system used by the A22 Magnum is something that looks totally new, so there just isn't the large body of data to draw upon like there would be with a known/more conventional design.

There's a lot of stuff new to Savage in the A22/B22 series - the use of some of their centerfire assembly techniques (barrel nut), the entirely new rotary magazine design, Accutrigger being used in a semi-auto, etc.

One thing that worries me is how low-key the A22/B22 (especially the .22lr versions) roll-out has been. The Mark II/93 family seem to be extremely popular models and you'd think that at the very least, Savage would make it better known what the successor design is going to be and to get reviews/comparisons out there on how the design has been improved compared to its predecessor, but...
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You make a good point but the issues with the Canadian warranty outlet (Grech) and similar complaints from US customers are not acceptable. These are fixable problems and this A22 was sold as a .22 WRM not a CCI A22 cartridge rifle.
 
haywire said:
You make a good point but the issues with the Canadian warranty outlet (Grech) and similar complaints from US customers are not acceptable. These are fixable problems and this A22 was sold as a .22 WRM not a CCI A22 cartridge rifle.
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You'd think that with all the new models (and often on totally new actions) that they've been introducing in the last few years (ARs, Turkish shotguns, A-series semi-auto rimfires with both delayed and non-delayed blowback, B-series replacements for the Mark 1/2/Model 93, Model 42 combo gun, B-Mag, Model 25 - okay, the 25 was from a few years ago), you'd think they'd have prepared customer support to help work through the inevitable early-run bugs, but it looks more like some execs need to be turfed for mismanaging important product launches.
 
torontogungal said:
Wish they would start making the 39A again.
Paw was told that the msrp would have to be well over $1000 to make a profit on the gun by a guy who used to work at the ct factory. It was considered at one time.
Seems they are expensive to make.
Don't see why they'd be more expensive to make than the cf leverguns.
Click to expand...
They do make the 39A. It's done in the custom shop part of their website,with a very hefty price about 3,200 US plus extra frills
 
From a accuracy FIEND ... I love my annie...

When it came time to get a more economical rifle I could drag around in the woods huntin and plinkin...

I picked up the marlin 60 after A LOT of research. I can usually thump an easy 1/2 inch 10 shot group at 50. So that is PLENTY good enough for one of the cheapest rifles out there.

Plus I think it is WAY better in looks then almost all other economy 22's out there.


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