Savage Arms A17 Semi-Automatic 17 HMR Named Rifle of the Year

Suffield, CT -(AmmoLand.com)- Guns & Ammo magazine has honored Savage Arms with its prestigious 2015 Rifle of the Year award.

The award announcement article was featured in the publication’s December 2015 issue.

“There were many excellent contenders for this award, but the Savage A17 rose to the occasion in our long-term test fire of three different production samples,” said Guns & Ammo Editor Eric Poole. “They each proved capable of one-hole accuracy out to 50 yards. The rifles also amazed us with reliability that we have never seen with other attempts at producing a semiautomatic rifle chambered for the .17 HMR cartridge.”

The A17 provides safe, reliable operation with standard 17 HMR loads. The hard chrome bolt, case-hardened receiver, 10-round rotary magazine and button-rifled barrel boost performance even further, while the user-adjustable AccuTrigger provides a crisp, light pull for the best possible accuracy.

“Besides the excellent trigger system, easy-to-use charging handle and ergonomic stock, what sealed the victory for Savage, against all other new rifle products introduced in 2015, was the suggested retail price of only $465. The editors, contributors and staff of Guns & Ammo who participated in this evaluation remain enthusiastic about the A17 and expect that it will faithfully serve shooters, plinkers and families for decades to come,” said Poole.

“We are very pleased to have earned this award,” said Savage Arms Marketing Director Bill Dermody. “It’s the first semi-automatic rimfire specifically designed from the ground-up for the 17 HMR and required a completely new delayed-blowback action to ensure safe, reliable cycling. Our engineering and manufacturing team did a stellar job overcoming the many challenges inherent in a project of this magnitude. The results speak for themselves: It’s safe, reliable, and accurate, which is what our customers expect from us.”

“A notable compliment to this rifle is the CCI A17 load, which produced more impressive velocities over other .17 HMR offerings currently on the market,” said Poole. “This fast, all-new ammunition was also pictured in the feature article.”

CCI engineers built the new Varmint Tip A17 17 HMR load specifically for the A17 rifle from Savage Arms. The round is optimized for feeding and function in the all-new semi-automatic rifle, and produces muzzle velocities 100 fps faster than other 17 HMR loads with the same bullet weight. The combination of both the A17 rifle and A17 ammunition delivers an extremely successful solution.

Visit www.savagearms.com/launch/a17 to watch a video about the A17 17 HMR semi-auto rifle. Visit www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/A17 for additional product information.

Savage Arms is a brand of Vista Outdoor Inc., an outdoor sports and recreation company.

About Vista Outdoor:

Vista Outdoor is a leading global designer, manufacturer and marketer in the growing outdoor sports and recreation markets. The company operates in two segments, Shooting Sports and Outdoor Products, and has more than 30 well-recognized brands that provide consumers with a range of performance-driven, high-quality and innovative products in the ammunition, firearms and outdoor accessories categories. Vista Outdoor products are sold at leading retailers and distributors across North America and worldwide. Vista Outdoor is headquartered in Utah and has manufacturing operations and facilities in 10 U.S. States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada along with international sales and sourcing operations in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

For news and information visit www.vistaoutdoor.com or follow us on Twitter @VistaOutdoorInc and Facebook at www.facebook.com/vistaoutdoor.