FIRST TEST: Savage Revel Classic Takedown Lever-Action Rimfire

With its heritage styling, elegant walnut furniture, stout medium-contour barrel, and takedown capability, the all-new Savage Revel Classic lever-action is going to be a hit with rimfire fans

by Rob Reaser

Some folks hail Christmas morning as the pinnacle of the year, others the NFL kickoff. From the time I was 13 or 14 years old, the gleam in my eye shined brightest when archery season drew nigh.

Several years ago (and many moons later), I was at our family camp for the opening day of bow season, as usual. But it was a tad on the warm side for me. It just didn’t feel like bow season. So, on a whim, I decided to grab my old Marlin Model 60 semi-auto .22 LR and see what kind of chaos I could cause the resident squirrels.

Around noon, I strolled back to camp with five or six bushytails swinging from a thin, green sapling branch, and said to one of my cousins, “I had forgotten how much fun that was!”

Ever since that dew-drenched early autumn morning, I have been faithful not to neglect my .22 rifles.

We tend to get woozy in the chase for long-distance accuracy or the application of the latest innovations and technology in ammunition, handguns, optics that cost a month’s wage, or what have you and forget the joy and challenge of shooting something as simple as an open-sight carbine rimfire.

First Test: Savage Revel Classic Takedown Lever Action Rimfire — The new Savage Revel Classic in .22 LR. Plain, yes…but just plain fun!

I felt that same nostalgic jolt when I spent a sub-freezing, snow-bound day plinking with Savage’s new Revel Classic 22 LR. Why? Because it really doesn’t matter whether you are ripping holes in aluminum cans, banging steel, or kicking up rabbits or squirrels for the pot; for those of us who were blessed with a traditional hunting upbringing, time spent behind a simple rimfire restores the soul and reinvigorates the passion.

Or maybe that’s just me. Whatever, my time spent with the Savage Revel was a hoot — frozen digits and drippy nose notwithstanding. That this diminutive carbine is a lever-action made it all the more enjoyable.

But I want to jump to the cool part first: this gun is a takedown model. Granted, it is not the first or the only takedown lever-action on the market. Winchester makes several takedown iterations, and the Taylor’s & Company 1892 Alaskan Takedown and Browning’s BLR Lightweight Takedown are a couple more fine examples. By my reckoning, though, the Savage Revel is the only lever-action takedown in rimfire chambering. And that means something if lever-action carbines are your thing.

There are a handful of takedown rimfires currently on the market that are pitched as survival rifles — diminutive carbines that break down so they can fit in a backpack. If “survival” were the intent, I’d opt for one of those with a semi-auto action and a two-piece configuration keeps the receiver attached to the stock on disassembly. The Savage Revel, as you can see, doesn’t work that way, as the receiver stays secured to the barrel and magazine tube. This leaves the stock and trigger assembly/lever just sort of exposed and swinging freely. That makes the Revel, when broken down, a bit awkward when stuffed in a pack since all those sharp edges are exposed and apt to rub and scratch the barreled action if not separated by some sort of padding.

Nevertheless, the Revel does stow easily in a day pack. That makes it ideal for taking on a hike, tending a trap line, or toting to your bow stand if state regulations allow for a bow and a firearm to be afield together.

One of my first impressions of the Revel was its surprising heft. The gun feels extremely solid in the hand, and much of that is credited to the medium contour, 18-inch barrel measuring 0.790 at the receiver and tapering ever-so-slightly to 0.690 at the muzzle. This is a stout piece of steel that delivers an exquisite balance when shouldered and the kind of stability you need for offhand shooting at range targets or at jittery critters.

The ergonomics are also spot-on for my tastes. The forend is deliciously narrow and is contoured so that there is a subtle shelf for the support hand fingers to grasp. Again, improved stability for greater accuracy potential. On the back end, the stock follows the classical lever-action carbine lines with ample grip length to allow for a comfortable trigger reach for folks with large or small hands.

The Revel is solidly constructed at all points. The front dovetail sight is beefy, and the barrel band supporting the front of the magazine tube testifies to the gun’s “belt-and-suspenders” construction.

The magazine holds 12 rounds of .22 LR, with an aggressively knurled cap atop the brass tube. A rubber O-ring between the cap and the magazine tube provides solid engagement to ensure the tube won’t come out unless you mean for it to be removed.

In back, the Revel presents a standard U-notch sight adjustable for elevation and drift-adjustable should you need to tweak the windage. Prior to shooting the gun, I measured from the barrel to the top of the front sight and raised the rear sight one notch to match. That was it. The gun was sighted dead-on — no muss, no fuss.

While open-sight shooting is, for me, one of the charms of shooting a lever-action carbine, some folks may prefer an optic. For that crowd, the Revel comes with the receiver pre-drilled and tapped to accept mounts from EGW, Weaver, Leupold, and Warne.

The hammer is angular in design, with a straight spur that is deeply serrated for positive traction when cocking. This is a rebound-style hammer featuring a half-cocked position that prevents the hammer from falling if the trigger should be pulled (although don’t use this as the safety) and the full-cocked position.

The safety is managed by a conventional cross-bolt. Keep right for safe mode and push left, exposing the red band, to fire. Straightforward stuff and easy to operate.

The action lever is of the large loop variety. I generally do not like large loops because the longer throw feels awkward when I’m wearing heavy clothing, but this loop presented no problems for me during cycling. Speaking of cycling, the action is velvet smooth. For some reason, the extractor had a difficult time pulling Aguila’s subsonic cartridges from the chamber, but all my Federal standard-length cases boasting high-velocity loads ran flawlessly.

Overall, the Savage Revel is a homerun in my estimation — especially for lever-action fans who can appreciate the classic looks, nimble handling, and who like to plink and hunt with open sights. The robust barrel is accurate and promotes accuracy. One downside is that this gun does not come with any sling mounting accommodations, so you will need to install your own sling swivel studs if you want that convenience.