Savage B22 Timberlite Thumbhole review: a £1,050 carbon-barrelled rimfire

Photographs: Jake Potts

Like many American gunmakers, Savage keeps half a dozen rimfires in its arsenal, because the .22 and .17 calibres are as popular as ever and demand is high.

So many things are made to a price these days that when a new Savage B Series Timberlite Thumbhole bolt-action rifle arrived I was expecting the usual light, plastic, utilitarian rifle that most US rimfires offer. But the Timberlite is different – as its name suggests. The rifle has an ambidextrous thumbhole stock finished in grey and black speckled paint, but underneath it is wood, not plastic. That makes for far better handling and a more ergonomic feel – more of which later.

The Lite part of the name comes from the fact that the 18in barrel is carbon-fibre wrapped, which brings this short, 36in rimfire in at only 5.3lb. Add to that the AccuTrigger, which has been around since 2003 plus a convenient 10-shot rotary magazine and a one-piece scope rail. Priced at £1,050 it has a lot to live up to, so let’s see how it performs.

Prices are RRP at the time of publication and may have changed since.

How does the B22 Timberlite’s bolt action feel?

The Savage B series rifles are eight or nine years old now and offer a no-nonsense turn-bolt rimfire action. The receivers are long at 8in and the best way to describe the bolt operation is “reasonably smooth”. It was totally reliable on test and a few hundred rounds will slicken things up a treat.

The bolt handle sits further forward than usual, more in line with the trigger guard than the trigger blade, and has a tactical teardrop form. There is no knurling but it feels in the right place for assured operation.

As with most of these designs there is a 60-degree bolt lift that locks at the rear with a single lug. The front end of the bolt runs parallel while the rest of the bolt body is free to rotate and lock in place. Extraction is particularly good, with two large opposed claw extractors that gripped all the tested ammunition positively, while ejection is via a spur that protrudes through a slotted bolt base.

The lock time is pretty slow, so good follow-through control is needed, but this is helped by the addition of Savage’s wonderful AccuTrigger. Again, it seems a long time since its introduction offered a safe but adjustable trigger from 2.5lb to 6lb.

The initial pull from the skeletonised inset blade is imperceptible, and it then breaks cleanly. That is particularly good for a rimfire in this price range. You cannot knock these triggers: they work well and are safe.

Talking of which, the safety catch itself is a tang-mounted type, which I think is the most user-friendly location in practice thanks to the convenient nature of its operation and the easy access it gives for the thumb. It is noisy – see the video – but pushing down as you operate it does quieten it quite considerably. It only blocks the trigger, so the bolt is still operational.

The feed from the 10-round rotary magazine feed is very good, with no stoppages at all during testing. Its rugged black polymer construction makes it lightweight and it will not rust either. There is a knack to loading it, with a positive push-and-slide motion for each case, but I do like the integral release lever on the front, which ensures expedited removal of the mag from the rifle.

The carbon-wrapped barrel and hardwood stock

The stainless steel barrel is 18in long and 0.80in in diameter at the muzzle, but that is due to the carbon wrap encasing the slimmed-down barrel beneath. This lightens and, to some degree, stiffens the whole barrel, which terminates in an end cap threaded ½in x 28 UNEF for a sound moderator. These barrels are threaded into the B Series action and have Savage’s characteristic knurled headspace nut, should you feel the need to tinker. The carbon-fibre finish is lovely and contributes not only to the rifle’s fine accuracy but also to the good handling of this model.

Of equal interest is the stock, which at first glance looks like a synthetic model until you pick it up, when you discover how solid, well balanced and extremely tactile it is. Beneath the overall grey livery and black spiderweb paint finish is a hardwood stock. The coverage of the finish extends into the bedding area, so moisture ingress is prevented and consistent accuracy maximised. This finish is perfect as it gives the Timberlite a great handling feature and a much better overall feel that negates the need for chequering. The forend is semi-stepped just in front of the magazine well and has a very tactile rounded profile that is equally good whether you are shooting off a bag or a bipod.

A small squishy recoil pad is snag free and the sling swivel studs are helpful, but it is the ambidextrous nature of the thumbhole stock design that gets full marks for a well-assured hold and steady aim.

Which .22 LR ammunition grouped best?

The Timberlite came with a Leupold VX-3HD 4.5-14×50 scope and an ASE Utra ECOi rimfire moderator fitted, and I started the test at 50 yards. The optic gave a crystal-clear image, and the mod’s new two-piece internal removable baffle stack was very convenient and super quiet.

First up was one of my favourite rimfire rounds, the CCI Suppressor, with its heavier 45-gr hollow point bullet that is well subsonic and thus quiet and always accurate. Through the Timberlite barrel it shot 0.65in groups at 50 yards at a very quiet 947fps for 90ft/lb of energy.

Next up was another good subsonic round with a 42-gr bullet, the Winchester Subsonic Max, which shot a rather looser group at 1in with a velocity of 1,101fps and a decent 113ft/lb.

Norma Subsonics, with a 40-gr bullet, are always very quiet, and at 917fps they were super stealthy yet still yielded 75ft/lb and put five shots into 0.80in at 50 yards.

My choice for rabbits, because I ran out of CCI Suppressor, was Eley Subsonic. They gave a good blend of accuracy at 0.72in and quiet running at 1,023fps, with a decent energy figure of 88ft/lb.

How the Timberlite handles in the field

For the rabbit hunt I swapped the Leupold after four rabbits for a new HikMicro Alpex Pro A50PL and headed off for the warrens. Loading the magazine with 10 Eley Subsonics takes a knack, as I have said, but gave plenty of firepower without reloading for the numerous rabbits encountered.

What is really pleasing about this Timberlite is its lightweight, agile nature when stalking over the fields and crawling through bushes. I like the solid feel, to be honest, and it was not long before I had a couple of head-shot rabbits in the bag.

The AccuTrigger’s pull was light and that did help with some head shots out to 94 yards, which I managed to record, which had me really respecting how this Savage rimfire shot.

Primarily I shot the Timberlite off a bipod, but it is equally good as a walk-and-shoot rimfire off sticks, free hand or resting on a branch. In other words, the accuracy and consistency, coupled with the good handling, instilled the confidence to shoot rabbits at the ranges the Alpex Pro’s ballistic reticle indicated. After 13 rabbits at ranges from 29 yards to 94 yards, I think any potential buyer would be very happy with this little Timberlite.

Verdict: is the Savage B22 Timberlite worth £1,050?

It is obvious that Savage has stepped up to the mark with this rifle and thought about producing a great-handling gun using both retro and modern materials to achieve a terrific little rimfire. Fed the right ammunition it shot tiny groups at 50 yards and was capable of head shots on rabbits out to nearly 100 yards. It handles really well and the AccuTrigger contributed to the rifle’s excellent accuracy. The thumbhole stock design and finish are ideal for a vermin gun.