Fist full o'fury: the new Savage Striker in .300 WSM is a one-hand powerhouse

Guns Magazine, July, 2003 by Sam Fadala

Striker! The name conjures images of coiled rattlers ready to lash out with deadly fangs. It's a good handle for the new Savage bolt-action hunter's pistol, especially when it's chambered for the 21st century .300 Winchester Short Magnum.

Sometimes companies reach out with new products strictly to grab a chunk of the market. In this case, neither pistol nor cartridge fall into that niche. The combination is viable and exciting, producing big one-hand power with accuracy. The Striker that came my way for testing was the Model 516FSAK Camo, with stainless steel barreled action and synthetic ambidextrous stock.

Sister Strikers chambered for the .243 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, and other slimmer rounds are three-shot affairs, but the magazine of the 516 handles only one fat .300 WSM cartridge, making it a two-shot repeater. While the .22 rin-ifire versions have detachable box magazines, centerfire Strikers do not.

I don't know if the Striker can be called pretty. It looks like something that might be found on the Starship Enterprise's mission into the final frontier. One thing is certain - small it's not - with an overall length of 22 1/4-inches. Weight with scope is over 5 1/2-pounds, which is good considering the powerhouse .300 WSM cartridge.

Lefty For Righties

While the Striker is built around the Savage Model 110 bolt action, it is not a short rifle. It is a pistol with a button-rifled 14-inch barrel. The bolt handle is on the left for right-handed shooters. This way, the right hand remains on the grip while the left hand works the knurled bolt knob.

A three-position, top-tang sliding safety is located directly behind the bolt. Drawn fully to the rear, the trigger is deactivated and the bolt is locked. In the mid-point, the trigger remains locked, but the bolt can be worked to eject a live round. Full forward is the fire position.

The bolt works smoothly, albeit it takes a little getting used to for a right-handed shooter. The typically massive Savage locking lugs provide plenty of strength for high-intensity cartridges. The bolt release, on the right side of the receiver, is extremely easy to work.

Designed For Scope Sighting

The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounting, no iron sights provided. The Savage mount matches the stainless steel receiver/barrel. It was simple to install with its one-piece bridge and five slots for ring location. My choice of Thompson/Center's long eye relief No. 8315 pistol scope fit perfectly. The contrasting black finish of the scope added to the overall appearance of the Striker -- a personal opinion.

All target work was accomplished with the 2.5x-7x variable set at its highest magnification. The company calls this one-inch tube scope its Recoil Proof[TM] model. That's good, because the .300 WSM does raise a little ruckus when the Striker is touched off.

The adjustable muzzle brake, which switches off or on with a single twist, was left in the "on" position to enjoy its promised 30-percent recoil reduction. Velocity is slightly higher when the brake is active. The muzzle brake is revolved to the "oft" position for reduction of side muzzle blast, as well as shooting prone, where the brake raise a mini-cyclone of dust in front of the shooter.

The Striker's action is pillar bedded, the barrel free floated. Groups with both Winchester and Federal factory ammunition varied. Considering the accuracy potential of the Striker, combined with the excellent factory ammo, clusters should have been tighter than a swollen cork. Some were, but the heavy trigger on the test gun made it impossible to wring the true potential from this handgun.

Heavy Trigger

A few 50-yard groups fell under an inch, but others were twice that size. These would shrink after a little trigger tuning by a qualified gunsmith. My RCBS trigger pull scale showed a let-off of 4.5 pounds with considerable creep. The Striker deserves a more refined trigger pull. Savage provides instructions, but the company says: "Striker trigger adjustment steps for use by qualified gunsmiths only." That's the right policy.

In the hunting field a convenient way to carry the Stiker is required -- and in .300 WSM, this is a big-game hunting pistol, not a plinker, with power similar to a .30-'06 rifle. Savage provides a means of adding sling swivel studs. Instructions are in the owner's manual. The front stud is installed similarly to the normal approach with a bolt-action sporting rifle, using a machine-threaded stud secured by a nut from inside the stock. The rear stud should be mounted in place of the factory grip cap screw. It's a simple process, and Michaels of Oregon can supply the swivel studs.

For me, carrying the pistol in the field means a narrow strap, not a military type sling, the strap retaining the pistol on a hook integral to the strut of my modified Camp Trails Freighter packframe. The Striker will be completely out of the way using this system, but ready for action in seconds.

The .300 WSM

This is about the Striker pistol; however, part of the story rests with the cartridges it chambers, specifically the .300 WSM in the test gun. Short and fat powder columns provide the best accuracy, but that rule can be taken too far. I've watched the .300 H&H Magnum print bullets into Ebenezer Scrooge patterns in spite of its long, narrow, tapered powder column. On the other hand, having worked with the 6mm PPC cartridge and other shorties, I defer to the experts who insist that shorter and fatter is the trail to best accuracy.