Mauser Model 18 “Savannah” Rifle
An Affordable Classic
In Africa, a savannah is a large grassy plain interspersed with acacia trees and shrubs. A savannah attracts and holds “plains” game because of the luscious grasses providing food and cover. Savannahs are also known for having long fields of view, providing long rifle shots on game, something the Mauser Model 18 “Savannah” excels at.
Long-Distance Call
A rifle capable of shooting accurately at long distances makes sense and used to be an expensive acquisition. Those were the old days of thinking. Today, it’s possible to build accurate rifles that are affordable — the Mauser Model 18 “Savannah” was built with this in mind.
The M18 Savannah bolt-action rifle has a distinctive synthetic green “Savannah” stock with contrasting black inserts at the grip and forearm providing a positive purchase during wet conditions. The stock also has a hidden compartment in the buttstock for cleaning supplies, knife or extra ammo, whatever you consider necessary.
The burnished black, cold-hammer-forged barrel is threaded for the easy installation of a suppressor or muzzle break and is 22″ for standard cartridges and 24.4″ long for magnum. Like all Mausers, the Model 18 is lauded for accuracy and ruggedness. Although lacking a large claw extractor and controlled-round feeding Mausers are known for, its price point makes it attractive for a cheapskate like me.
Some look down on synthetic stocks, but after dealing with the way the airlines handled my rifles on recent trips, a worry-free stock is a bonus. Lacking the looks and feel of Turkish walnut, synthetic stocks provide a stable point of impact and are “worry-free” from damage. This makes them priceless in their own right.
This rugged hunting rifle features a unique three-position trigger lug safety. The adjustable trigger is a nice feature, allowing you to set your preferred pull weight from 2.25 to 4.25 lbs. The bolt has three locking lugs, 60-degree throw allowing for smooth cycling of cartridges and positive ejection of brass from the standard five-round magazine. Ten-round magazines are also available.
An indicator to the rear of the bolt allows the shooter to know when the bolt is cocked. An oversized spring-loaded extractor is mounted in the bolt body to provide positive purchase of the cartridge rim for reliable extraction of fired cases. Twin ejector pins assure reliable ejection of spent brass.
The M18 Savannah is backed by a sub-MOA performance guarantee and a 10-year factory warranty. It accepts Remington 700 LA-style mounts and is available with a ½ x 28 threaded barrels in .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC and 7mm Rem Mag chamberings and a 9/16 x 24 threaded barrel in .03-06, .300 Win Mag and .308 Win.
The Mauser Model 18 “Savannah” is a ruggedly reliable, worry-free
rifle worthy of owning. An accurate shooter with handsome looks,
it won’t break the bank!
Scoping The Savannah
I used a Meopta Meopro 2-10X42 with Z-plus reticle. The reticle has a series of hash marks for windage and elevation allowing for fast and accurate adjustments in the field while shooting. It also has a parallax adjustment knob for the range you are shooting at.
The Meopro 2-10X42 allows 91% daylight transmission providing sharp, clear imaging. The scope was mounted using a Picatinny rail system with high sculptured aluminum rings. Sight-in was quick and easy with accurate adjustment of windage and elevation turrets.
Range Is Hot!
The Model 18 “Savannah” rifle I tested was chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. Shooting was done at 100 yards with three groups of three shots per loading.
The first load was Hornady Whitetail #82044 featuring a 180-grain Interlock bullet. Velocity is listed at 2,960 FPS. Accuracy was a consistent 1″ average. The next load was Hornady SuperFormance using Hornady 180-grain SST bullets. Velocity is listed at 3,130 FPS and accuracy averaged 0.457″ for a 3-shot average.
Lastly was some old handloads of mine featuring Hornady 180-grain Interlock bullets seated over 76 grains of REL 22 loaded in nickeled Winchester brass sparked with a Winchester large magnum primer. These loads snugged in right at 0.970″ for a 3-shot average.
The “Savannah” shot consistently, impressing me with its accuracy. There were no misfires or feeding/extraction problems. This is a working man’s rifle, through and through, made with a rugged, worry-free synthetic stock.
One would be hard-pressed finding a rifle shooting this well in this price range. It will be hard sending this shooter back…. There’s definitely room for another accurate, ruggedly reliable rifle in my household like the Mauser Model 19 “Savannah” rifle.
MSRP: $849
