Preview: Savage A22 FSS .22 LR

With the A22 FSS, Savage’s latest entry into the rimfire market, the company has produced a versatile rifle that’s sure to satisfy the needs of a wide range of shooters.

A sleek semi-automatic, the A22 FSS is designed in the style of its sibling, the A22 FSS Magnum, but at a smaller scale. Its straight blowback action is magazine fed, and as smooth as it is reliable. In fact, to that last point, testing by Savage engineers indicates the A22 FSS action to be around three times as reliable as the actions found in their competitor’s brands. For anyone familiar with shooting rimfires, a reliable autoloader is nothing short of a legitimate miracle.

The other half of this reliability equation, the magazine, is the company’s proprietary 10-round, flush fitting rotary. Simple to use, the flush design is a real boon to hunters, as it prevents snagging on every single piece of brush when closely stalking elusive and skittish game. Keeping versatility in mind, Savage additionally partnered with Butler Creek to introduce a second magazine for the rifle, a 25-round spring-feeder—perfect for any instance in which a slim-line profile is not required.

Moving to the more “glamorous” components, the A22 FSS features Savage’s flagship “AccuTrigger”, a fully adjustable trigger that allows shooters to set their pull poundage to personal taste, without the need to consult a gunsmith. The key to this trigger’s crisp, clean, and light break, is the AccuRelease system inside. Most triggers cannot be factory set to too low a poundage, due to safety concerns over accidental discharge if jarred or dropped. With the Savage AccuTrigger, this concern is a thing of the past, as the AccuRelease provides a safety catch to prevent firing should the sear come dislodged from the notch unintentionally. This innovation provides the shooter access to peak accuracy potential.This trigger is standard on the A22 FSS. There is no upcharge.

Housing all these precision apparati is the A22 FSS’s case-hardened steel billet receiver. Much like its trigger, though not quite as much of an “innovation”, this component lifts the A22 FSS head and shoulders above other entries in the rimfire marketplace, which generally feature inexpensive, die-cast receivers.

In keeping with the “total-upgrade” theme, Savage has threaded a 22-inch, stainless steel, button-rifled barrel into the aforementioned receiver, with a 1:16 twist and zero tolerance headspacing. Paired with its well balanced, black matte synthetic stock, this makes the A22 FSS a precision tool for sending lead downrange. To encourage these sorts of exploits, Savage has attached two-piece bases for easy scope mounting, instead of open sights.

Overall, the A22 FSS tips the scales at a light 5.63 lbs, with a 41½-inch profile, and a similarly light price tag of $414. These dimensions, combined with the exceptional features the rifle is replete with, make it an excellent choice for the competitive shooter and amateur plinker alike.

For more information on the A22 FSS, and a video on the AccuTrigger system, visit: www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/A22FSS