The qualities that have endeared .22 rimfires to me since my childhood remain the same. They are just plain fun, cheap to feed, and tremendously useful for pest control, target practice, training new shooters, and so forth. There is more fun and utility contained in a decent .22 rimfire and a brick of .22 long rifle ammo than you can easily find elsewhere.

Over the years, dozens of rimfire rifles have come and gone around here. Most of them have been lever guns and semi-autos, for decent bolt actions have been too pricey, in large measure, for my tastes. And all too often the reasonably priced .22 bolt guns I've used have suffered from horrid triggers, poor fit and finish, and accuracy that is less than stellar.

As supplied, the Savage Mark II-BV's Accu-Trigger broke at a crisp, clean 3 lbs. with no grit and no take-up. The function of the rimfire Accu-Trigger is the same as the acclaimed Savage center-fire Accu-Trigger. Savage had to redesign the trigger to properly fit their rimfires, tooling up for the downsized components. I'm delighted that they did and you will be as well. It is a fabulous trigger, and elevates the Savage rimfires to a whole new level.

The Mark II's heavy barrel has a recessed semi-target crown. The rifle weighs about 7-1/4 lbs., and the laminated stock is very attractive featuring functional cut checkering. Savage's metal finish is striking, showing no tooling marks at all. Savage metalwork and bluing continues to impress.

Cosmetically, it is an attractive rifle with one exception, that being the poorly done plastic trigger guard. A metal trigger guard needs to be substituted, and it can't be too soon.

The accuracy of the Savage Mark II-BV is no less then astonishing. This is absolutely the most accurate .22 rimfire I've ever fired. The test target supplied by Savage with this rifle was fired on May 1, 2006, with Federal Gold Medal 40 gr. target ammo. It measures an incredible .400 inches at 100 yards.

The Savage Mark II BV comes with aluminum Weaver style bases installed. The supplied bases measured undersize in width at .811 inch, which can create a problem with many Weaver style scope rings, so choose your rings judiciously.

The Savage Mark II-BV has a 5-round metal detachable box magazine. My understanding is that the 10-round Savage rimfire clip magazines also work in this rifle.

At the range the Savage Mark II-BV was 100% reliable. No matter what I did, there were no failures to feed, no failures to extract, no failures to positively eject. The brass was all positively, crisply dented. The safety is a dream to get on and off, as smooth as can be. The magazine locks into place with an audible click. The rimfire AccuTrigger on this rifle is nothing short of remarkable; no grit or creep. It is a delight to use.

The 2006 Savage Mark II BV is a standout rifle. I can't imagine anyone who will not thoroughly enjoy it. This .22 is highly recommended for anyone and everyone. You'll not find a better performing .22 LR repeater for the money.

Note: A complete review of the Savage Mark II-BV .22 Rifle can be found on the Product Reviews page.