Established in 1894, Arthur Savage was a prolific inventor in his time. His visionary approach to firearm design and manufacturing has endured over the years making Savage Arms innovators in the firearm industry.

We were fortunate to be able to catchup with Al Kasper, CEO of Savage Arms and Rob Gates, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Both share a profound passion for firearms and the outdoors. For Al, his commitment to creating quality products is only surpassed by his unwavering dedication to his staff.

“We firmly believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. We take immense pride in recognising and celebrating the long-term commitment of our employees. Every year, we hand out 5, 10, 15, and 20-year Service Awards. It’s the happiest day of the year for me”, said Al Kasper.

For Rob Gates, firearms and the great outdoors have been an integral part of his life from an early age. Hunting and shooting competitively have fueled his deep connection to the industry and ignited his lifelong passion. Rob said “I have been around firearms my whole life. Savage is one of the iconic brands in the global Firearms Market.”

We probably spent a good hour speaking with Al and Rob, when they introduced us to Wayne Kratochvil who is the senior materials supervisor at the Savage Arms Factory. Wayne has been with Savage for 38 years and started at the company moving parts around the factory floor. For the next couple of hours, Wayne showed Brad and I around the enormous factory. It was quite simply fascinating! From the different CNC machinery cells that took a billet of steel and created all sorts of receivers to where barrels were hand-straightened. All manner of components were being machined and then brought together to be assembled. It was a slick operation and it needed to be. Savage produce 2000 rifles a day and demand is only increasing. After the tour, we arrived at the assembly area, and it was here that Brad and I would actually get to put together our very own rifles.

For Brad, he chose to build a Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor. Jimmy, one of the assemblers guided Brad through the process and in no time at all, Brad had a fully finished quality firearm.

I had chosen the Savage Model 110 Ultralite in 6.5 Creedmoor. This firearm is slightly more complex to put together with a lot more parts than the Savage Impulse. I instinctively knew that Brad would struggle to put something like this together, so I was happy to assemble this one ☺. A big shout-out to Jake who helped me through the process!

Once we had finished, Wayne took us to an area where they tested the headspacing as well as the integrity of the safety. Both our rifles passed the necessary testing. Upstairs, we sighted in, ready for the next day, when we headed out to the local range to test our very own builds.

The next morning it was cold and snowing with low visibility. All the elements you need for precision testing your rifle ☺. Brad and I took the opportunity to get some shots on paper at 100 yards and then once we were happy, moved the targets out to 175 yards.

Brad took the first shot, eager to see what the Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter was capable of. His initial group was... well... not great. But before I criticise too much, I have to admit that the first group I shot with my Savage Model 110 Ultralight was even worse. We decided to swap rifles, and Brad tried his hand at the Model 110 Ultralight. He shot an amazing group. It was unbelievable. Feeling the pressure, I aimed for a better group and managed to deliver. We were starting to get our eye in and the performance of the Savage firearms straight out of the box really impressed us.

Brad was adamant we needed to measure the groups we just shot. Brad has many good points, but I have found his competitive nature to be a bit of a hindrance to his otherwise affable personality. No doubt, Brad has some self-esteem issues, probably stemming from his childhood, that need to be addressed by a professional ☺☺☺.

Anyway, we took the time to measure both of our groups, and by the narrowest of margins, Brad came out on top. We knew these rifle setups would perform exceptionally well in the upcoming days. It was time to pack up our gear and head to Beaverton, Oregon, on the other side of the country, to visit the Leupold & Stevens factory.