Launching a rimfire lever-action rifle these days is a lot like making the third film for a popular movie trilogy. It needs to be the same, but different. Familiar, but exciting! Balancing those kinds of customer expectations is no mean feat.
This is why I will admit to being a bit skeptical when I first learned about the Savage Arms Revel line-up of Standard and DLX rifles that would be available chambered in .22 LR, .22 WMR and .17 HMR. This series would be going up against some stiff competition including the classic Henry Repeating Arms H001 series, the Rossi Rio Bravo and the Winchester Ranger line-up. How would the Revel compare?
The Savage Revel DLX is available chambered in .22 LR, .22 WMR and 17 HMR.
Any initial concerns were assuaged when I had the opportunity to handle these new models at the 2025 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, NV. The lines were pleasing to the eye, the fit and finish were clean and neat throughout, and the feature set looked inviting. It was a bold move on Savage's part to offer a DLX model (short for Deluxe) with modern cuts and vents in the hardwood stocks. But with the growing popularity of the ultra-modern centerfire tactical lever-actions, there is definitely room in the marketplace for a rimfire lever gun that leans into 21st century aesthetics a bit.
This model sports two takedown pins set into the aluminum receiver.
After looking over the options, I put in a request for a Revel Deluxe chambered in .17 HMR and then proceeded to wait. And wait a bit more. The .22 LRs were the first out the door in the spring followed by the .22 WMR midyear. But the .17 HMR would not arrive until near the end of 2025, which is why this evaluation is a bit later than expected. But in the end, I was not disappointed!
Manufactured in Lakesfield Ontario, Canada, and imported by Savage Arms, the Revel DLX is a lever-action, takedown rimfire rifle built around a uniquely configured matte-black aluminum receiver. This receiver is fitted with two captured takedown pins reminiscent of those found on an AR-15. To separate the two halves, first ensure the rifle is completely unloaded with the safety engaged. Press the two pins out of the receiver from right to left using a pin punch or similar tool. The 'upper' receiver shell remains attached to the barrel as the action, along with the lever and shoulder stock, drop down and out of the shell. That's all there is to dividing this rifle in half for easier transport or storage.
The ‘upper’ aluminum shell remains attached to the barrel with the fire control group mounted to the shoulder stock.
The steel components of this rifle are treated with a matte black finish to match that of the aluminum receiver. The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for an optics rail. Thankfully, a 5-inch long aluminum rail with hardware was provided in the box. I appreciate not having to dredge one up for testing. The exposed hammer spur is flat, wide and serrated for improved purchase. Below the hammer, set into the stock extension, is the round cross-bolt safety button.
Thankfully Savage provides an optics rail in the box for those who wish to mount a scope to this gun.
The steel bow trigger is housed inside of a rounded lever loop, which is gently curved to match the shape of the shoulder stock's textured pistol grip. The action cycled cleanly right out of the box. One always hopes for a smooth, light trigger pull and this rifle excelled on both counts. According to a Lyman Products digital trigger gauge, the pull weighed in at just 1 pound 9 ounces. Although the trigger was not as distinctive at the break as some, it was so light that it didn't distract from an enjoyable shooting experience. In fact, the light trigger definitely contributed to tighter groups down range.
The muzzle is threaded for popular accessories including compensators and sound suppressors.
The rounded 18-inch long, medium-profile barrel sports a 1/2x28 TPI threaded muzzle for popular accessories including compensators and sound suppressors. A knurled thread protector is provided. The barrel is topped with an iron sight set consisting of a fixed blade front sight paired with a height and windage adjustable square-notch rear sight.
The Turkish walnut stocks feature a more modern design.
The fixed nine-round tubular magazine is supported by a metallic barrel band. This magazine is loaded through a forward port which is exposed by twisting and pulling the brass magazine liner most of the way out of the magazine tube. The liner is topped with a knurled knob and it has been fitted with a rubber O-ring to help prevent the liner from unintentionally loosening or rattling.
The shoulder stock is capped off with a soft black rubber recoil pad.
The fore-end, like the shoulder stock, is made from Turkish walnut and treated with a deep brown matte finish. Both pieces of furniture feature stylized cutouts, vents and the Savage logo. The shoulder stock provides a 14.75-inch length-of-pull (LOP) and is capped off with a soft black rubber recoil pad. Unloaded, it tips the scales at 6 pounds 2.6 ounces with the optics rail installed.
The Revel DLX proved to be reliable with all ammunition tested.
At the shooting range, this rifle was fitted with an affordable Bushnell 3-9x40mm Rifle Scope featuring a DZ22 Dropzone 22 reticle with a Weaver Tactical One-Piece SPR (48377) scope mount. The Revel DLX operated smoothly when the recommended nine rounds of ammunition were loaded into the magazine. A tenth round fits into the tube, but causes the first round from the magazine to jam up the action and damage the cartridge. Stick to nine shots and you'll be just fine. Otherwise the gun fed, fired and ejected reliably with all of the ammunition tested.
A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was used to measure bullet velocities.
The .17 HMR cartridge's reputation for flat shooting and tight groups has proven to be true in the course of my own gun tests over the years. Punching out sub 1-inch 3-shot groups at 50 yards is not all that hard to do with a quality rifle. But this lever-action's overall performance was better than I had hoped it would be. Here are the results:
A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was on hand to measure bullet velocities for 10-shot strings. As the table shows, the 18-inch rifle-length barrel contributed to the test ammunition's bullets gaining an average of 72 to 193 fps of velocity, for an additional 15 to 36 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy, when compared to the manufacturers’ listed numbers. This is good news but it gets even better when looking at the accuracy results.
Formal bench-rested accuracy testing consisted of three 3-shot groups fired into paper targets posted at 50 yards. Hornady's 17 HMR 20-grain XTP load kept the groups hovering around a useful 1.25 inches in size. The groups tightened up to right around an inch with Remington's Premier Magnum 17-grain Accurtip-V boat tail, polymer tipped bullet. But the CCI Ammunition TNT Green 16-grain lead-free hollow point punched out a 0.32-inch and a 0.34-inch group followed by a 0.45 grouping. I've provided a photo of the first two groups because I didn't believe it myself. I'm just not this good of a shot, even from a bench rest. With groups this small, it’s the ammo, the rifle and the light trigger doing the heavy lifting.
The two best 3-shot groups of 0.32 and 0.34 inches were fired using the CCI Ammunition TNT Green load.
Working with the Savage Revel Deluxe provided some of the most satisfying rimfire trigger time I've enjoyed in recent times. The rifle itself looks great, handles nicely and operates smoothly. Its soft shooting characteristics, ammunition performance and threaded muzzle make it eminently useful as a small game hunting and varminting rig that can be shot suppressed. The takedown feature makes it even more portable for use as a camping, hiking and survival rifle. I had to wait for the better part of a year to get a Revel chambered in .17 HMR, but it was well worth the wait For more information, visit savagearms.com.
Savage Arms Revel Deluxe Specifications:
- Model: 46220
- Action Type: lever-action, repeating, rimfire rifle
- Chambering: .17 HMR
- Barrel: 18" carbon alloy steel, medium profile, matte black finish, 1/2x28 TPI muzzle, 1:9 Twist
- Receiver: aluminum alloy, matte black Cerakote finish
- Magazine: 9-Round fixed tube, forward loading port with removable liner
- Sights: fully adjustable rear, blade front
- Furniture: Turkish walnut
- Trigger: 1-pounds 9-ounce pull (as tested)
- Overall Length: 38.15"
- Weight: 6 lbs. 2.6 oz. with optics rail installed
- Accessories: knurled thread protector, lock, owner's manual
- MSRP: $659
