|
|
|
Savage Dual-Port Model 12 LRPV Review |
Savage Dual-Port Model 12 LRPV ReviewBy Jon R. Sundra
©Copyright 2009, The Varmint Hunters Association, Inc.
There’s no question that under the leadership of Ron Coburn, Savage Arms has become one of the most innovative among our major centerfire rifle manufacturers. The latest example of that forward-thinking gives a new wrinkle to the right-hand bolt, left-hand ejection they introduced a few years ago in select varmint rifle models. Granted, they weren’t the first to do it, but they were the first major manufacturer to do it, and to this day they remain the only one.
As tested with the Shirstone 6-20x44 scope aboard, the test rifle weighed 12 1/4 pounds. The gun was noticeably muzzle heavy, the author says, but what do you expect from a 26" barrel that averages 1.05" in diameter. .
Now they’ve taken it a step further with the dual port Model 12 LRPV. You heard right: a rifle with a bolt handle and ejection port on the right side — just like any ol’ conventional bolt gun — but with a second port … one for loading, on the left side!
Obviously, this is a specialized rifle; specifically, one designed to meet the needs of the prairie rat shooter. Typically, you’re shooting off a portable bench, and regardless of whether you’re shooting a repeater or not, you’re loading one round at a time, e.g., single-shot fashion. It’s a safety thing. If you’re a right-handed shooter, you’re sitting on the left side of the gun, so it would be a lot more convenient to load from that side rather than having to peer between the scope and the top of the loading port to see what you’re doing.
Now granted, with a little practice you don’t really have to observe the loading procedure; you can do that by feel, especially if you have a solid-bottom receiver. In that case the gun is designed so that you can literally throw a round into the port and close the bolt. With some guns, though, you actually have to get the nose of the bullet into the chamber before you can push the bolt home, in which case you do have to kinda’ oversee things. A rifle with a right-hand bolt and left-hand ejection addresses this issue, but the new Savage dual port receiver carries it a step further by ejecting spent cases to the right while allowing you to reload from the left. In short, it speeds up the reloading process, though admittedly not by a lot. Still, it does allow one to better take advantage of existing wind conditions, or give you another shot at that rat you just missed before it moves into the weeds or dives into its burrow.
It’s kind of strange being able to look through a receiver!
This new dual port receiver is being offered in two iterations, the Model 12 Benchrest, and the 12 LRPV (Long Range Precision Varminter). The Benchrest is designed for 1,000-yard competition, and as such is chambered in 6mm Norma BR, 6.5x284 Norma, and .308 Win. This gun features a black wood laminated stock with ventilated fore-end and a heavy 29" barrel. More in tune with TVHM readers is the Model 12 LRPV, which consists of a 26" heavy-barreled action set into a black, H-S Precision synthetic stock. H-S, of course, is the company that developed the aluminum bedding block chassis for the U.S. Army’s M-24 Sniper rifle, and then incorporated that same technology into its commercial stocks and Pro-Series 2000 rifles.
Chamberings offered in the LRPV are .204 Ruger, .223 Rem., .22-250, and 6mm Norma BR. We were sent the .223 version which is offered in only one twist rate, 1-9", so it will stabilize some of the heavier bullet weights that so many AR-platform fans tend to favor. The right bolt/left port iteration of the LRPV is available with the even faster 1-7" twist, as well as 1-9". All Model 12s come with Savage’s Target AccuTrigger, which is user-adjustable down to 6 ounces.
As the Savage catalog says, this is not an entry-level rifle; it’s a serious gun for serious shooters. As it came from the box the test gun weighed an even 11 lbs. The barrel on this rifle is quite stout; it’s not a true bull barrel in that it has some taper to it, but it’s not a lot; it measures 1.1" at the receiver and 1" at the muzzle. Unlike some other Savage models I’ve seen with narrow, shallow barrel flutes, the six flutes on the LRPV barrel are wide and deep and thus more functional.
Because there are two ports, one would think the receiver would be less rigid than that of a conventional one-port rifle, but that is not the case. For one thing, this rifle is not offered as a repeater, so that huge hole that has to be milled into the floor of the receiver to accommodate a magazine is absent. Not only do you have a solid floor, but the ports on this rifle are of minimum size. The net result is a receiver that actually has more steel in it than a comparable Savage Model 12 repeating rifle. The bridge or rib between the two ports measures 0.650" wide and on it is emblazoned: “Warning: Precision Target Trigger. Point in a safe direction, then load and close bolt with extreme care."
Three action screws are used to mate the receiver to the aluminum bedding block of the H-S Precision stock. Note the extra thick recoil lug.
The receiver is mated to its aluminum bedding block with three action bolts, two in the usual fore and aft positions, plus a third smack in the middle of where a magazine would be if this were a repeater. The familiar washer-type recoil lug that’s sandwiched between the barrel lock nut and the receiver face is thicker than normally used on Savage 110-series rifles. This one measures 0.250" and is precision ground rather than just stamped from sheet stock.
Home | Next Page>
|
|
|
Rifles, Bullets, Barrels, Ballistics Forum Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
