How times change....
Savage was a pretty poor product years back and it took them to bankruptcy. The reborn Savage came at this QC from a view of the shooter. Their rifles were not only made better, they started offering features that shooters actually wanted.
You can market till the cows come home but if the product does not perform, it will not sell. Sales at Savage have surged since the rebirth due in large part to the holes in paper many many many shooters have made. Out of the box, Savage rifles now garner a stirling rep for a reasonably priced factory rifle. And you see these reports on a GLOBAL basis.
How often do you see a factory rifle on the line at a big F class match? The only ones I have seen have been Savage.
HOW the Savage receiver is made has impressed even some die hard US gunsmiths. For a time, their action runout was near match quality. Can you get a dud, of course. That is simply the problem with mass production. But Savage has retooled to make the QC as good as can be at a moderate price.
In fact, they have done so well at this, they have literally changed how rifles are produced in order to retain both price AND performance.
The up side is that the many quirky build steps that Savage uses to reduce costs and streamline their production have no downside to making a gun shoot. Arguably, it helps. Now that the sales are talking, other companies have looked, reviewed and copied these same steps. Why not? Better rifle for less everything and consumers are gobbling them up at staggering rates.
The factory Savage bolt lift can best be described as clunky. But proper bolt timing and this becames a joy to use.... better then what many Rems can be tuned to.
The triggers are really very good especially for a hunting weight pull. Like it or not, the Accutrigger IS the new standard for a factory trigger. Think of that tab as a first stage.
For match shooting.... at least F class, go to any match and you will see many Savage or Stevens now being used. They aren't there to just fill the roster. They are competitive.
We build many Rem custom hunting and competition rifles so I have no dislike for them at all. I also offer a wide range of parts to support the Savage and compete with one.
But the philosophy and budget of each "brand" is markedly different and appeals to different customers.
As shooters understood what the Savage could offer them AND the aftermarket stepped up to offer quality products, the synergy has grown to include some very large brands/manf.
If sales and copying are a true measure of success, Savage is at the top of the heap... today.
Who knows what will dominate tomorrow?
YMMV.
Jerry
