Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Savage Straight Pull Rifle

Let's take a bolt gun and make it as complex as a lever action. Why? Everyone like Blasers don't they? Well, don't they? Anymore?

I like it. Browning had one for awhile. Acera (?)
I doubt they intentionally introduced it to replace semi’s.

Could be.

There are a couple of others that are based on semi-autos:

Browning Maral - kinda like a BAR without the gas operation. Pull back, spring return.

Verney Carron has one with gas operation for ejection, and lever toggle to close the action - the action locks open when fired.

I've seen them but haven't tried either of them. Neither has spectacular accuracy for the price.

I became interested in straight pull, SP, rifles decades ago. There have actually been quite a few designs/models, but the typical story, marketed in limited quantities. The problems to overcome are several. The typical bolt action more often achieves cocking and primary extraction by the bolt in rotational leverage. Not so in straight pull and that has been one of the problems to address in successful SP rifles. Tapered cartridge cases affording the easiest extraction forces. Cocking most typically on closing action. Needing to work smoothly & efficiently without that "turn-bolt" leverage factor. I have perhaps the three most typical and also made in greatest quantity; Ross, Steyr and Swiss models. Another concern is "durability" as in ruggedness. Such for military rifle applications. It's said that the Ross was withdrawn from Canadian forces in Great War due to its inability to function in such as trench mud. It, with serrated locking lugs and receiver, achieving most svelte design perhaps, but also least well adapted to such battlefield environs. At least compared to Allied and Axis military rifles. I have a Steyr carbine in 8x50 that a half century ago as I last fired it, worked OK. I have one converted to 8x57 that won't feed properly. I have several K31 Swiss which function well. I have a few Ross commercial Model 10 rifles. Never any ammo, but they do cycle quite smoothly!
My own "half-vast" research :), some real possibilities in such action. But a weakness often in complexity and as the Ross in battle, perhaps too susceptible to debris in the action. Factually the latter Remington pump actions beginning with the post WWII Model 760, achieved perhaps the best of the "linear" functioning world. The straight pull bolt rifles suffer from the same thing as their turn-bolt brethren, in compromised ergonomics. The straight pull, certainly less impeded movement. But still 'there'. My own 760 Rem from first year .308 production in 1957, works very well. So to the jewel-like smaller Rem Models 14 and successor 141, also in my collection & featuring .35 Remington, itself a great chambering!
The new Savage sounds interesting, but I'm tentative with those who say "potentially too expensive". My prediction and hope I'm wrong... At that price point, it won't compete well and the model likely not to last. Again, hope I'm wrong. But such rifle systems haven't tended to capture much of the American marketplace! Will be interesting to see how this new Savage performs!
The footnote that some of the best-of-breed straight pull rifles were those used by the Russians in the sixties era Biathlons, But those, made specifically for such competition and hand tuned. Brief attempts at commercialization, to my understanding, didn't work out.
Just my take,
John

I like the fact it’s ambidextrous. Maybe it will start a trend.

No reason a straight pull can’t have a rotating bolt. Every semi-auto of note has a rotating bolt and for purposes of physics, gas operating on a bolt either directly or through a piston is the same as a straight pull. The Browning Maral sold in Europe is nothing more than a BAR with the gas system missing and a handle stuck in the bolt. For that matter, lots of straight pull ARs in England as well.

Some videos on straight pulls. The Heym works like the Savage, more or less, and has been around a long, long time.

At this point in life, it’d be a foolish investment for me, but they sure are nice.

"However, the Impulse uses a new steel barrel extension with locknut that fits into the aluminum receiver and is secured with a tried and true four-bolt barrel clamp. Swapping barrels has never been easier and the aluminum receiver helps save on weight."

Not all. I would take one for free to resell but that is about it.

Just received this email.

https://gunsmagazine.com/rifles/savage-lets-go-on-straight-pull-impulse-rifle/

I'd guess that the safety would lock the bolt just like any bolt action. Being a southpaw, I like the lefty conversion feature.

I just wish they could make the guns they make now eject the empties. I like the straight pull idea if it’s smooth. For target shooting you wouldn’t rock your gun sideways to eject cases. Edk

They should but a carbon fiber barrel on it!

At almost 9lbs for most models, I'm not sure where the weight savings are...

The Mini 14 in the UK is a straight pull. Since semi autos are illegal in the UK, the owners of the Mini's plugged the gas port and use the op rod handle to eject and reload simply by pulling it straight back.

kwg

It does sound heavy for an aluminum receiver rifle.
I like Savage but I won't be the first kid on my block to buy one at that price.

I would buy one if it were a pound lighter. There really is no reason or that rifle to be that heavy.

Had both the R93 and the R8 and liked them both particularly the R93; in fact, loved it. It was the most accurate rifle I’ve owned. The R8 was beefed up for the big “African cartridges” so was heavier and the stock was thicker through the grip than the ‘93.

The Blasers had collets 360* around the bolt head that opened up into the 360* lug channel recess in the barrel when in battery. At face value that seems more substantial then the 6 “ball bearing” lug concept. But then there was the success of the Heym..so maybe not.

A big advantage to this was being able to have an alloy receiver and thus a much lighter weight...seems this was lost on Savage or they just didn’t care.

American gun makers, with few exceptions, other than the small custom shops, don’t seem to understand the concept of a light rifle..really light rifles.

If they would just put a normal contour barrel on it. Those barrels look like water pipes.