LESS ACTION, MORE SPEED!

SAVAGE’S NEW STRAIGHT-PULL BOLT ACTION ALLOWS FOR FASTER FOLLOW-UP SHOTS.

- Paul Rackley

The bolt-action rifle comes from an amazing design that combines strength and accuracy. In addition, pretty much any caliber can be used in a bolt-action rifle—all the way up to a .50 BMG—making the bolt action the preferred rifle for long-range shooters and many hunters.

The only problem with bolt-action rifles is that they’re slow to cycle, requiring four separate motions to place a new round in the chamber: Lift up, pull back, push forward and push down. This doesn’t take long, especially for trained shooters, but these motions can take sights off target and reduce follow-up shot speed, regardless of a shooter’s skill.

However, Savage is trying to change this with a straight-pull bolt-action rifle called the Impulse.

Straight-Pulls Aren’t New

Straight-pull rifles have been popular in Europe for years, but these types of actions have never really gained popularity in the United States. The reasons for this have mostly been due to strength of action and accuracy. There have, however, been some examples used in the United States over the years, including one that was the official rifle of the Navy and Marines for a short period: the Lee Rifle Model of 1895 (M1895).

Straight-pull actions have had problems in the past, particularly with the more powerful loads preferred by American shooters. In addition, these rifles weren’t generally the most accurate—or at least they haven’t been in the past.

Savage has fixed both these problems with a hexlock locking mechanism. This system consists of six steel bearings in a ring around the bolt head. A plunger inside the bolt body presses the bearings out, locking them into the barrel extension, putting the rifle into battery.

Savage Reinvents the Straight-Pull