Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter

[Spikefrb]

Guys.
Mis-posted this in wrong thread.
My apologies.
Looking for any first-hand input on this rifle. Torn between this and a Tikka T3X. Being a leftie I've narrowed it down to these two. I have several Tikka"s and am very fimiliar with the platform. Cannot find comments on real world experience with the Mountain Hunter. Looking at either 6MM PRC or 300 WSM. If Tikka, the barrel would be subbed out with a carbon wrapped Proof Research.
Any and all input...good or bad is appreciated.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

Not sure it is helpful, but I have the Impulse in 300 WSM. It is not the mountain hunter though. My comments about it so far would be:
1. The rifle is very accurate!! 1/2 moa with generic undeveloped load.
2. Feeds better when you run it briskly than a slow push.
3. The model I have (kuiu camo stick with green ceracoted, Fluted barrel) is a little front heavy, and a little heavy in general. Not crazy, but is definately not one that I would want to tote around all day. Mountain version might be lighter.
4. I wish the mag held more than 2 WSM diameter cartridges.
5. The action is as fast as all of the internet videos.
6. The trigger was heavier than I'm used to from an Accutrigger. I discovered that savage added a second trigger spring inside the normal spring. I came to terms with that, but won't say how on a public forum.

Overall- I am very happy with this purchase. For some context, I build my own premium rifles, typically, so I know what quality feels like. For a factory rifle, I think Savage bumped up their game on this offering.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me with an additional questions.

 

[DoneNOut]

I say Tikka. I've never correlated mountain hunting with speed shooting. Kimber 84 Hunter if they make a left.

 

[neilbfree]

I too, am a lefty and compared a Savage Ultralight & Impulse, Tikka T3x and Christensen. I have a Savage Ultralight on order and with a little luck I should have it by September. The Impulse was just too heavy and there is a lot of mechanical parts that I didn't want to have to worry about when it spends the night at 2 degrees.

 

[TexasWestPointer]

You can't go wrong with a Tikka, lightweight, super slick bolt, 70 degree throw. You'll have a much more refined product and pride of ownership with a Tikka. I have owned some very expensive rifles, and a Tikka, to be honest, is just as good as a $4500 German rifle I had once.

 

[skipglo]

I say Tikka. I've never correlated mountain hunting with speed shooting. Kimber 84 Hunter if they make a left.

He's mentioned the impulse i believe because the bolt can be switched to either ĺeft or right handed.

 

[neilbfree]

The one downside to the Tikka is that to shoot suppressed, you need to replace the barrel to get more meat for muzzle threads. To keep the weight down, a carbon barrel fits this need nicely but then you also need to either hog out the stock or replace it - total cost to shoot suppressed with Tikka is almost $2,500 but the Savage UL comes ready to rock.

 

[Pauleye]

I am a lefty and bought the impulse in .308. Easy to switch to left. I have a Blaser and the lockup is similar. The bolt is not as smooth as I would like, but it works. Maybe with usage it will smooth out

 

[Greta06]

The one downside to the Tikka is that to shoot suppressed, you need to replace the barrel to get more meat for muzzle threads. To keep the weight down, a carbon barrel fits this need nicely but then you also need to either hog out the stock or replace it - total cost to shoot suppressed with Tikka is almost $2,500 but the Savage UL comes ready to rock.

Nope, i have 5 factory barrels that have been threaded that are the lightweight sporters. 243, 7mm-08, 308, are all 5/8-24. The 223's are easy if you do 1/2-28. You dont end up with a hard shoulder but i direct thread everything and have no issue with any of them. There is no comparison to be made between tikka and savage, they are not in the same league. I understand the want of the impulse, and if you really need to have the straight bolt throw then buy one...

 

[Spikefrb]

Not sure it is helpful, but I have the Impulse in 300 WSM. It is not the mountain hunter though. My comments about it so far would be:
1. The rifle is very accurate!! 1/2 moa with generic undeveloped load.
2. Feeds better when you run it briskly than a slow push.
3. The model I have (kuiu camo stick with green ceracoted, Fluted barrel) is a little front heavy, and a little heavy in general. Not crazy, but is definately not one that I would want to tote around all day. Mountain version might be lighter.
4. I wish the mag held more than 2 WSM diameter cartridges.
5. The action is as fast as all of the internet videos.
6. The trigger was heavier than I'm used to from an Accutrigger. I discovered that savage added a second trigger spring inside the normal spring. I came to terms with that, but won't say how on a public forum.

Overall- I am very happy with this purchase. For some context, I build my own premium rifles, typically, so I know what quality feels like. For a factory rifle, I think Savage bumped up their game on this offering.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me with an additional questions.

Yes. The Mountain Hunter is considerably lighter than your Impulse Big Game.
Cheers
Spike

 

[Spikefrb]

Not sure it is helpful, but I have the Impulse in 300 WSM. It is not the mountain hunter though. My comments about it so far would be:
1. The rifle is very accurate!! 1/2 moa with generic undeveloped load.
2. Feeds better when you run it briskly than a slow push.
3. The model I have (kuiu camo stick with green ceracoted, Fluted barrel) is a little front heavy, and a little heavy in general. Not crazy, but is definately not one that I would want to tote around all day. Mountain version might be lighter.
4. I wish the mag held more than 2 WSM diameter cartridges.
5. The action is as fast as all of the internet videos.
6. The trigger was heavier than I'm used to from an Accutrigger. I discovered that savage added a second trigger spring inside the normal spring. I came to terms with that, but won't say how on a public forum.

Overall- I am very happy with this purchase. For some context, I build my own premium rifles, typically, so I know what quality feels like. For a factory rifle, I think Savage bumped up their game on this offering.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me with an additional questions.

Thanks very much for the input
Spike

 

[Spikefrb]

I say Tikka. I've never correlated mountain hunting with speed shooting. Kimber 84 Hunter if they make a left.

Kimber doesn't make left handed rifles.
Spike

 

[Turkeytider]

The Impulse seems to be getting positive reviews, at least the ones I`ve seen. I fully understand why people post asking for comparisons of different brands of rifles. Just my opinion, but the only ones I think have any merit are from shooter/owners who have experience with BOTH models/brands that might be under consideration. Otherwise, it`s just fans of a particular brand promoting the guns they shoot and often denigrating other brands.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

We picked up a Savage Impulse Hog hunter the end of November. We also have 2 Tikka t3's. One righty in 7rem and one lefty in 270. I really don't get people ragging on Savage's quality. The Tikka mags are primarily plastic, the Savage one is steel. The stock on the Savage is a heck of a lot stiffer than the Tikka too. Savage always looks like a barn door (usually a bit heavy too)- get used to it or don't buy one I guess. The Tikka is a bit prettier, but I don't kill critters by showing them a pretty rifle.
I could probably go on a good bit more, but I'll surmise it all by saying I'm looking at getting another Impulse as my kid's commandeered the one we have. I'm not looking at getting another Tikka.