Hunting the Great American Bison with the Impulse Mountain Hunter from Savage Arms
Andy Husek 12.19.22
In this review, I’m going to break down the Impulse Mountain Hunter from Savage Arms and why this is my new go to big game rifle.
Like most hunters, I see December as a time to reflect on my successes from the year and take every last minute opportunity possible to fill my freezer. This year has been an absolutely incredibly year for me, traveling around the country and hunting some truly majestic creatures. One of my favorite trips to date is the pursuit of caribou in the Alaskan tundra and I was blessed to make my second visit to the Brooks Range to harvest an absolute hammer hard horned caribou. On that hunt, I used what had been my right hand for the last two years, the Impulse Big Game Rifle from Savage Arms. You can see my full break down of that trip and the Impulse Big Game at the links below.
Late fall of this year I put my prized Impulse Big Game Rifle in the safe for a well earned break. Savage Arms dropped a brand new Impulse rifle that was something I had been dreaming of since the they launched the 110 Ultralight rifle back in 2020. Savage Arms has brought an ultralight, big bore, dream of a rifle to market. That rifle is the brand new Impulse Mountain Hunter available in 8 calibers including my all time favorite, 300 WinMag. I was fortunate to have a late season Bison hunt on the books and decided to let the Impulse Mountain Hunter do some work.
The cornerstone of the Savage Arms Impulse Mountain Hunter is the inclusion of a Proof Research carbon fiber wrapped match grade barrel. If you are unfamiliar with Proof Research, they are coveted by precision minded shooters as one of the best in the business at making lightweight and highly accurate barrels. They begin their manufacturing process with match-grade 416R stainless steel barrel blanks, which are machined using their patented process. The barrel contour is then reduced and wrapped with aerospace grade carbon fiber which is impregnated with Proof’s proprietary resin blend. The result is a barrel with 64% less weight on average, greatly enhanced heat dissipation, harmonic barrel vibration reduction, and incredible accuracy. Proof makes barrels for the shooter’s shooter.
To compliment the Proof Research carbon fiber wrapped barrel, Savage Arms married it with a light weight synthetic stock which currently comes in a gray color. With the Proof barrel and light weight stock, my 300 WinMag Impulse Mountain Hunter weighs in at an incredible 7.31 pounds. As someone who hunts in a number of states and situations including horseback and backcountry, a lightweight big bore rifle is not only nice to have but a must have.
As you can expect from Savage Arms, they have also integrated their AccuFit, AccuStock, and AccuTrigger technology in to this rifle. Setting up your rifle is incredibly important to ensure you are in the best possible position for repeatable accurate shots. With AccuFit, you are able to adjust your length of pull and comb height using the included accessories. The AccuTrigger will give you the ability to adjust your trigger pull between 1.5-4 lbs without the need for a gunsmith. The AccuStock is a prefect pairing for Proof Research barrel providing a three dimensional marriage of the action and stock.
All of these features are more than enough to set you up with an incredible rifle, but I saved the best for last! The Impulse Mountain Hunter features the straight pull action that I have absolutely fallen in love with over the past year. It’s hard to overstate how intuitive a straight pull action is over the more traditional throw lever action that hunters in the United States are accustomed to seeing. Rather than throwing your bolt at an angle and then cycling it backwards, the straight pull action Impulse rifles allow you to pull your bolt directly back and thus reducing the steps needed to chamber a follow on shot.
While the action is incredibly smooth and intuitive, the reduction in motion required to chamber a round is what I really love about this rifle. Shooting prone is one of my favorite ways to get on target when I’m hunting and if you have shot prone, you know that it can feel slightly awkward to throw a traditional bolt lever. With the straight pull action, I barley have to adjust my position to cycle the bolt which means I’m back on target faster and have a greater chance to send a follow up shot if needed.
Overall, the Impulse Mountain Hunter from Savage Arms is going to be a big player in my arsenal for 2023. I have many hunts lined up including a trip to South Africa. I am more than confident trusting the Impulse Mountain Hunter to deliver the accuracy and dependability I will need when I’m hunting half way around the world.
For more information on the Impulse Mountain Hunter and the entire line of Impulse rifles, head over to www.savagearms.com to begin your journey. The team at Savage Arms has done an incdreible job with the Impulse line and you will not be disappointed when you get behind one of these rifles.
This article was brought to you in partnership with Savage Arms.
