Savage Impulse – Big Game Round Up
Andy Husek 11.23.21
In this article, we are going to recap an incredible year of hunting with one of our favorite rifles of 2021, the Savage Impulse Straight Pull.
I have been a serious fan of Savage over the years and their new products and innovations continue to keep me hooked. Late last year in 2020 I attended a shooting event at the FTW ranch in Texas where I tested the all-new Savage Impulse, a straight pull rifle completely new to the Savage Arms lineup. There is a great deal of popularity for the straight pull design in Europe, particularly for use on one of their many different “driven” hunts. The fast-cycling action and the ability to better stay on target lends itself perfectly to this style of hunting. So how would it translate in the US? I am here to tell you that for me, I am obsessed!
Since that initial event late last year I have been on a spree using the “Big Game” edition almost exclusively on my hunts with several yet to come still this year. I started the year off in one of my favorite states to hunt, Texas. This time though, I was in a much different part of Texas than the southern ranches I was used to. For this hunt, I was in far west Texas in search of giant Aoudad and Axis deer. I was able to fill a long quest and successfully harvested my first Aoudad and was able to add a beautiful Axis deer to top that trip off!
From there the year just got better. The next trip I set out in search of a little Americana and history; we made the long drive from Michigan out to South Dakota where I would be hunting my first ever American Bison. It was a step back in time as we hunted the animal that helped shape the American west. I was in awe of these creatures, the area they live in, the story of how we almost drove them to extinction, the successful conservation efforts, and the sheer power they possess. I placed 4 shots perfectly into the vitals of this titan of the prairie, 3 of which hit the heart and was shocked at how this animal was able to absorb the energy. I am shooting the “Big Game” edition Impulse chambered in .300 Win Mag pushing 200 grain Terminal Ascent bullets from federal. No slouch of a rig at all but it took every bit of it to bring down such an animal.
Next, I was headed back to one of my familiar haunts, Mellon Creek Outfitters in South Texas. It was great seeing old friends and stomping around the South Texas coast looking for whitetails. This time though I was in charge of a little herd management and would be using the Impulse to help keep doe numbers in check. Mission accomplished and fun had by all on another successful trip to the Mellon. The Impulse proved to be a great tool to reach out to great distances to harvest does with minimal impact on their home range with human intrusion.
The highlight of the year so far though was my most recent trip to Wyoming to hunt high country Mulies! I have only hunted mule deer before in the sandhills of Nebraska and this was a far cry from what this flatlander was used to! The mountains are a melting pot of some of the coolest creatures on earth and in one day I was able to see mule deer, big horn sheep, elk, coyotes, grizzly bear (not thank you by the way…) and a WOLVERINE! Yup, that’s right we saw a wolverine in the wild, caught it on film and even got footage of it chasing big horn sheep! On the 3rd day of the hunt, I spotted an awesome, old and heavy, 4×4 buck that I knew without a doubt I was going after. When I first spotted him, he was about 650 yards out and moving away at a steady clip, pushing does and sparring with a smaller buck. This hunt and animal deserve their own story so I will be doing a full writeup and video on that hunt but wanted to share a sneak peek of the success with you here first!
The Impulse has been with me on some pretty epic adventures this year and I still have two hunts left, opening day of whitetail here in my home state of Michigan and then a whitetail hunt in Kansas in early December. I can tell you this year is going to be a tough one to beat for a long time! I will be carrying my new trusty companion with me on both of those hunts. The Savage Impulse boasts all of the features that have made me a huge fan over the years along with some great, never before seen bells and whistles.
At the heart of it is the straight pull action, this is way different than any of Savages other rifles and relatively unheard of or used here in the US. Over the three different models you can choose from one of 7 different calibers. Anything from a light weight round like a 22-250 all the way up to my favorite, .300 Win Mag.
As if the straight pull innovation wasn’t enough the Impulse still features both the AccuStock system and the AccuTrigger. I have said it before but these two systems in and of themselves allow you to completely customize your rifle to fit your body style and trigger preference. Basically, Savage is providing you with a custom rifle out of a factory box at much more reasonable prices. To get a little more in-depth, my Impulse Big Game features all of the following:
- Straight-pull rifle
- Hazel Green Cerakote® aluminum receiver and steel barrel
- KUIU® Verde 2.0 Camo AccuStock® with AccuFit® adjustable length-of-pull and comb height
- User-adjustable AccuTrigger®
- Medium contour, carbon steel, fluted barrel, threaded (5/8-24”)
- Round knob bolt handle
- Flush-fit detachable box magazine
- 1-Piece 20 MOA rail machined into the receiver
I cannot wait for my two remaining hunts this year with this rifle. It has been a wild ride this year with the Impulse, and I hope to continue that success into 2022 and beyond. For more information on the Savage Impulse Big Game, Hog Hunter or Predator please head on over to Savagearms.com for yourself and check the out! You will not be disappointed.
