Savage Model 25

The History of Savage Arms

Savage Arms was founded in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York. Arthur Savage held two important patents at the time: a patent for a repeating rifle with a single-column magazine lever-action rifle, which he acquired in 1891, and a patent for a hammerless lever-action design. That paved the way for Savage’s quick rise to success.

The company’s first breakthrough came in 1895 when it introduced Model 1895 – the first hammerless lever-action rifle on the market. It was modeled after Model 1892, an earlier design that never saw production due to losing a bid for a US Army contract. Model 1895, however, won the contract for New York National Guard, but it was soon canceled due to getting caught in a contemporary political climate.

Savage continued investing efforts into the production of military-grade weapons. It was named one of the two finalists in the US Army trials for a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and it lost only to the now-famous Colt M1911. Savage used the gained experience to produce high-quality pocket pistols, though, which resulted in the introduction of Model 1907, 1915, and 1917.

During World War I, Savage was merged with the Driggs-Seabury Ordnance company. The joint company focused all its efforts on the production of Lewis machine guns and heavy equipment for war purposes.

Between the two wars, Savage decided to expand its business inside the USA. In 1920 it bought Stevens Arms of Chicopee, followed by A.H. Fox Gun Co. of Philadelphia and Davis-Warner Arms and CrescentArms Co. of Norwich in 1930. Success followed and in 1939 Savage introduced the Model 24 combination gun which sold over a million copies.

When World War II commenced, though, Savage was once again ready to answer the call of duty. It focused all its resources on war efforts, producing a staggering number of weapons. It already signed a contract with Auto Ordinance Co. in 1938 to manufacture the famous .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun, and most of these submachine guns that were used in WWII were produced by none other than Savage. The company was also contracted by the US government in 1940 to produce .30 and .50 caliber Browning machine guns. On top of that, Savage manufactured one of the most mass-produced bolt-action rifles of WWII, the British No. 4 Lee–Enfield. A record of 1.2 million Lee-Enfield rifles was produced by Savage during the time of war.

Production dialed down after the war, though. In 1946, Savage closed its facilities in Utica and moved all its operations to the Stevens manufacturing premises. Even though the Model 110 was introduced in 1958, which remains one of the company’s most successful rifles to this date, Savage started to experience some issues. In 1960 all production was moved to the current location of Westfield, Massachusetts, and what followed was a series of different ownerships over the company. Savage gradually ran into serious financial problems and in 1988 the company declared bankruptcy.

The company had to cut back on its manufacturing costs to the point where it even stopped producing short-action configurations of its most successful model, the aforementioned Model 110. It wasn’t until 1995 when Savage returned to private ownership led by Ronald Coburn who sort of rejuvenated the whole company.

In 2002 Savage introduced and patented AccuTrigger – a safe and user-adjustable trigger that soon became a success. The following year, in 2003, the company was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence, further reaffirming Savage’s distinction. Four years later, on May 15, 2007, Savage 93R17 BTVS has been named the best rifle in the Best of the Best presentation by Shooting Times, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Gazette magazines.

In 2013 Savage once again changed ownership. It was acquired by Orbital ATK for 315 million dollars, and it was later handed over to Vista Outdoor which later sold it for $170 million in 2019 to a group of private investors led by Savage’s management.

The company also had its logo changed in the middle of the 2010s when it decided to retire its old logo that presumably featured Chief Lame Deer, a native-American tribesman leader. The latter supposedly approached Arthur Savage in 1919 to purchase rifles for his tribe. In exchange for a discount, Lame Deer agreed to a deal. According to the deal, Savage was allowed to use Lame Deer’s face for promotional purposes. Many doubt the authenticity of this story, however, and Savage itself removed it from its official website as well.

Savage Model 25 Rifle Review

Savage 25 Walking Varminter Camo in .17 Hornet

Figure 1: Savage 25 Walking Varminter Camo in .17 Hornet (Source: Savage Arms)

Savage Model 25 is a bolt-action rifle that is known for its lightweight and agile design.

The push-feed action of Model 25 hosts a bolt that features three locking lugs and a 60-degree throw, making the action easy to operate and quick to fire.

The rifle’s barrel measures 559 or 610 millimeters (20” and 22”) in length, is made of carbon steel, and features a medium-contour design. This gives the rifle excellent accuracy and precision, making it a great choice for both hunting and target shooting.

Its receiver is also made of carbon steel, adding to the rifle's overall durability and longevity. The rifle comes equipped with a 2-piece Weaver base on top of the receiver, allowing for easy attachment of optics and other accessories.

Model 25’s trigger is adjustable, thanks to Savage's AccuTrigger technology. This allows shooters to fine-tune the trigger pull to their personal preferences, ranging from 2.5 to 3.25 pounds. This can help improve accuracy and make the rifle more comfortable to shoot.

Savage Model 25 has a detachable box magazine that holds up to four rounds. It allows for quick and easy reloading, making it a great choice for hunting or shooting in competitions.

The rifle is available with either a wooden or synthetic stock, depending on the variant. One that potentially stands out is the Model 25 Classic, which features a satin lacquer American walnut stock with contrasting black forend tip and wraparound checkering. However, this model is currently not available in the Savage online store.

One must not look past Model 25’s beavertail varmint-style forend. It provides a comfortable and secure grip, allowing for improved accuracy and control. The forend also features a third swivel stud, allowing for the attachment of a bipod for increased stability when shooting from a prone position.

The Model 25 is available with either a Monte-Carlo or straight buttstock. Both options feature a rubber recoil pad, which helps to reduce felt recoil and make the rifle more comfortable to shoot.

The two-position safety lever is located on the right side of the receiver, behind the bolt handle. In the rearwards position, the rifle is in safe mode, and in the forwards position, it is in firing mode.

Savage Model 25 Calibers

Savage Model 25 can be chambered for:

.17 Hornet
.204 Ruger
.22 Hornet
.222 Rem.
.223 Rem.

Savage Model 25 Variants

The variants of the Savage Model 25 are:

Savage Model 25 Classic
Savage Model 25 Walking Varminter Camo
Savage Model 25 Walking Varminter
Savage Model 25 Lightweight Varminter-T (Thumbhole)
Savage Model 25 Lightweight Varminter

Savage Model 25 is drilled and tapped, but comes with pre-installed Weaver bases.

The receiver of Savage Model 25 with a visible mounting surface with Weaver bases pre-installed

Figure 2: The receiver of Savage Model 25 with a visible mounting surface with Weaver bases pre-installed (Source: https://accuracyplus.biz/shop/used-guns/zz15877-savage-model-25-varmint-17-hornet/)

Savage Model 25 is drilled and tapped for scope mounts, but those usually come pre-equipped. If you wish to replace the Weaver bases with your own mount, here are the dimensions you need:

dimensions of Savage receiver

A: 12.7 mm
B: 101.3 mm
C: 12.7 mm
BHU: 0 mm
Fi: #6-48
R1: /
R2: /

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 25

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 25

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension.

Therefore, most rifles that come with Weaver bases will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the Savage Model. You do need to keep in mind, however, that there is a small gap between each piece of the base, so the mount shouldn’t be shorter than that.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 25

There’s even less dilemma around the interchangeability of two-piece scope mounts since they don’t have to meet any of the length requirements.

Any rifle that has Weaver bases mounted on its mounting surface will have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage Model 25..

Best Scope Mounts for Savage Model 25

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage Model 25

Henneberger is a German company known for the quality and reliability of its products. If you are looking for a fixed scope mount to mount on the weaver base of your Savage Model 25, then we recommend these Henneberger 30 mm Weaver rings. They are made of aluminum and come with a 30-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Savage Model 25

When it comes to flexibility, detachable repeatable scope mounts are the way to go. Being able to easily attach and detach an optic without any tools and retaining zero at the same time can be a great advantage. If this is what you’re looking for, you might want to consider this aluminum INNOMOUNT scope mounting solution of German quality for your Savage Model 25.

Picatinny Rails for Savage Model 25

EGW is a well-known and established manufacturer of quality scope bases for a magnitude of different rifles. Savage Model 25 is no different.

If you wish to replace the Weaver bases on your Savage 25 with a Picatinny rail, then we recommend this EGW Picatinny rail that was made specifically for this model.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: [email protected]

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EGW Savage 25 Picatinny Rail

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VIDEO

Introduction

In recent years we can observe that a trend of Picatinny rail has become widespread and global. It is driven by the NATO standardized rails, more commonly known as the Picatinny rail standard. Picatinny rail being the New Jersey Arsenal that developed it in 1995.

These mounting options are revolutionary. The biggest and best advantage being that the Picatinny rail can be used its entire length and not bordered to a few pre-designed slots like for example the Weaver rail standard was before.

The other main advantage is the ease of use and interchangeability. If a product is meant for a Picatinny rail design it will fit all Picatinny-rails, no matter the manufacturer or date of production.

Picatinny/Weaver Rail

Picatinny Rail and Weaver rail profile

Design

The Picatinny rail is almost exclusively crafted from a single piece of metal (in some cases aluminum). In this manner, the axis of the Picatinny rail is perfectly straight and aligned with the axis of the firearm. Therefore the rifle scope which is mounted onto this kind of configuration is certainly aligned with the rifle / gun and the trajectory of the ammunition.

Weaver rail design on the other hand is usually manufactured in two separate pieces, greatly increasing the possibilities for the axis to be crooked, overlapping, and out of line.

It is always harder to align two separate pieces to a third line than it is to align one piece to another. In this way, the lapping of two mounting rings on a single-piece Picatinny rail is no longer required.

The single-piece rail will assure that both rings are perfectly aligned to each other and that no unwished stress is transferred to the riflescope.

Picatinny compare to Weaver Rail

The Picatinny rail itself is an evolutionary step forward from the older Weaver rail. The main difference between Picatinny rail and Weaver rail is the spacing of the slots. Picatinny rail design has them evenly placed exactly 5.23 mm from one slot to the other, 3 mm deep. For this reason, the mounting options are repeatable and the same as other firearms using the Picatinny rail standard.

Interchangeability was a major driving force in the development of the new standard as different NATO armies need to be compatible with each other.

Weaver rail has 3.8mm wide slots and these slots can be placed anywhere on the Weaver rail and in any number that the producer wished.

Advantages of Picatinny design

A big advantage for using the Picatinny rail design is the ever-present recoil stop. Furthermore, the manufacturing of the rail is not very technically demanding and can be done without the use of state-of-the-art machines which greatly reduces the cost of the finished product, making it very affordable.

The Picatinny rail is easy to mount and usually, this type of configuration does not transfer negative stresses and forces from the fired weapon to the rifle scope.

In addition, the Picatinny rail with its very long useable surface works well for mounting longer rifle scopes or to achieve optimum eye relief.

The durability and toughness are other big pluses for this solution.

Manufacturers of Popular Models

A majority of the Picatinny rings are fixed, but a number of best rated European manufacturers (EAW, MAK,..) have, in recent years, put a lot of effort into the development of detachable ring with100% repeatability, with which it becomes easy to remove the scope from the weapon without the use of tools.

No re-zeroing is needed with such mount options, but these models tend to be expensive.

Weaver and Picatinny Rings

Picatinny rail and weaver rail share one more thing. It is possible to use the Weaver ring and the Picatinny ring on the Picatinny-rails, but it is usually impossible to use the Picatinny ring on the Weaver base. The reason being the above-mentioned positioning and spacing of the slots.

Picatinny mounts have a 5mm recoil stop that goes into the rail slot and since
Weaver rail only has 3.8mm wide slots such rings do not fit on Weaver rails.

Due to this reason, the Picatinny-rails are popular and prevailing on the market in recent years and eventually, these options will completely oust the Weaver rail from the market.

Savage Model 25

The History of Savage Arms