Savage Revel Tactical .22LR

By
On Target Staff
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Savage Revel Tactical .22LR

By: William Hunter

Photos by: Ben Battles & William Hunter

Classic lever-gun fun with modern twists

There is something inherently fun about a lever-action rifle. The simple act of working the lever, chambering another round, and getting back on target has a rhythm that makes shooting feel less like a chore and more like an experience. The new Savage Revel Tactical takes that classic lever-action experience and combines it with a modern stock and features designed for today’s shooter.

The 18-inch carbon-steel barrel on the Revel Tactical is threaded to 1/2×28 to take advantage of the excellent suppressor-host characteristics of a lever gun. An easy-to-load 12-round tubular magazine keeps the fun rolling; however—food for thought if you plan on running a suppressor—the knurled end of the follower rod will not clear some of the larger-diameter rimfire cans.

Built around an MDT Tactical stock, the Revel Tactical is designed to deliver modern performance without sacrificing the classic feel of a smooth-cycling lever-action. The stock features heavy grip touchpoints, M-LOK slots on the forend, and a redesigned pistol grip, giving the rifle a distinctly modern configuration while maintaining the familiar operation of a lever gun.

Along with the enlarged loop lever and very smooth cycling action, the Revel can be broken down into two sections for packing or travel by pushing the two captive takedown pins at the bottom of the receiver and separating the front half from the rear. A Trijicon RMR RM06 red-dot was mounted to the rifle’s factory Picatinny optic rail for testing. An adjustable leaf-style rear sight pairs with a hooded front post.

One of the first things that stands out about the Revel Tactical is its versatility. The rifle features a one-piece Picatinny rail for optics mounting, while an adjustable rear sight with a hooded front are also factory equipment. The stock also incorporates a spacer-adjustable length of pull and interchangeable comb height with a clip-on cheek riser. These features let the stock accommodate a range of shooter dimensions and optic heights.

The Revel Tactical gets MDT polymer furniture front and rear. The buttstock features a textured palm swell, rubber buttpad, interchangeable clip-on comb height attachments, and spacers for length-of-pull adjustments.

With a Trijicon RMR red-dot optic mounted, I took our .22 LR version (also available in .22 WMR and .17 HMR for $30 extra) of the Revel Tactical to the range to see how it would perform. The .22 LR model features an 18-inch medium-profile barrel with a 1:16-inch twist rate. It has an overall length of 36.5 inches, a 12-round capacity in its tubular magazine, and a listed weight of 5.9 pounds. The muzzle threads are 1/2×28, ready for a muzzle device or suppressor.

Up front, the textured-polymer forend gets M-LOK cuts at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, opening the door to all the accessory mounting capability one could possibly require for a rimfire rifle. For us, the fun of shooting a rimfire rifle at reactive targets doesn’t stop when the sun goes down, so the ability to attach a white light is pretty handy.

The RMR has zero magnification, keeping the setup simple and giving me a straightforward aiming solution. When shooting groups, a solid platform is key, so I used a Tricer Tripod to stabilize the rifle while shooting my groups at 25 yards. The best five-shot group of the day came from Winchester 40-grain Black Copper Plated Round Nose ammunition. That group measured 0.82 inches.

Winchester’s 40-grain Black Copper Plated Round Nose ammunition printed the best 25-yard five-shot group during testing. That group, shown here, measured 0.82 inches. We still had some adjusting to do on the RMR, but were extremely pleased with the Revel’s downrange-precision capability.

From the first shots, the Revel Tactical ran great. I experienced zero issues throughout the range session, and the smooth lever action made it easy to keep rounds moving downrange. That is probably one of the biggest draws of a rifle like this. Shooting a .22 LR is already a low-recoil, enjoyable experience, but combining that cartridge with the reliability of a lever action adds another level of fun.

Again, there’s something satisfying about running the lever. It is quick, natural, and keeps you engaged with the rifle between every shot. The Revel Tactical retains that classic lever-action character while pairing it with a stock and accessory-mounting system that feel much more at home in a modern shooting setup.

Another feature I was interested in was the threaded barrel. I did not shoot the Revel Tactical suppressed during this range trip, but the 1/2×28 threading means the rifle is ready to accept a suppressor. Since the .22 LR was already so enjoyable to shoot, adding a suppressor would make an already fun range session even more enjoyable.

There’s nothing like the visceral experience of cycling a well-tuned lever-action rifle. Running the lever on the Revel Tactical was smooth, quick, and positive, making for an exceedingly fun shooting experience. Malfunctions were nonexistent; one of the handy things about a lever-action .22LR is that it generally doesn’t care what you’re feeding it or if you’re shooting it suppressed.

The Savage Revel Tactical is ultimately an interesting mix of old and new — the “new” being the MDT Tactical stock with adjustable features and a polymer forend with M-LOK slots, a Picatinny optic rail, and a threaded muzzle. After spending time behind it at the range, my biggest takeaway was simple: the Revel Tactical is incredibly fun. It ran without issue, the lever was a blast to operate, and the .22 LR chambering made it easy to spend plenty of time behind the rifle without the shooter or shooter’s wallet getting beat up. The 0.82-inch five-shot group at 25 yards with the Winchester ammunition was a nice way to finish the session, too. For more information, contact Savage Arms; Tel.: (800) 370-0708; Web: www.savagearms.com.

Specifications:

Caliber: .22 LR

Action type: Lever action

Barrel:18 inches

Rate of twist: 1:16

Finish: Black

Length of pull: Spacer Adjustable

Furniture: MDT, Polymer

Magazine/capacity: Tubular, 12+1

Sights: Semi-buckhorn, Picatinny Rail

Overall Length: 36.50 inches

Weight:5.90 pounds

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