I think Savage is going to find the market is saturated with AR15s. They really needed to do some innovation to stand out from the crowd, and from what I'm seeing they have not done anything really different.

If I was running their program, I'd be making a non-tactical version of their AR10 in .22-250 with a 20" or 22" barrel and a simple free float tube and a choice of fixed or telestock.



The above is basically what I'm talking about. It's my Remington R15 18" carbine in .223. No frills other than the camo dipping. It's pretty basic, and it's very accurate. This is my dedicated coyote hunting rifle. The only way it could be better would be to have it in a .22-250 version on a lightweight AR10 platform. Been hoping Remington would eventually make one. Savage should be since they are calling it a Modern SPORTING Rifle, but they've embraced the tactical bling and not what's necessary for a hunting rifle.

The real pity is Savage is has come out with some real turds lately. The 17 WSM bolt action still has not had the magazine problems fully corrected, and there is buyer resistance to the Euro look and the funky bolt handle knob. The A17 semi-auto 17 HMR requires special ammo to function under all weather conditions and still has magazine problems. And is still not made in a heavy barrel version. And it also has magazine problems. Their synthetic stock Mark II and 93R models have extremely poorly designed stocks for optics use and even most of their wood stocks have poor cheek welds. I was willing to work around these issues on my bolt action rimfire Savages and modify the stocks, because the guns are actually quite accurate. Savage should have concentrated on improving what they have instead of launching into new lines. Mossberg is eating Savage's lunch for bolt actions that use AR15 and .308 mags. Remington and Ruger are getting the bolt action .300 Blackout sales because Savage refuses to chamber that cartridge. (Savage bizarrely claims the cartridge is not accurate enough, but industry insiders have said it is because Savage found it would not reliable feed in their actions.)

That's my rant and I'm stickin' to it.