Savage 64 Review (2026): 800 Rounds With the $150 Semi-Auto .22

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Table of Contents

Review: Savage 64, the $150 Semi-Auto .22 That Has Been Around Since 1964

Our Rating: 7.5/10

• MSRP: $179 for the 64 F, $219 to $339 for other models
• Street Price: $152.99 at Palmetto State Armory on September 26, 2026 (Use our live pricing for the best up to date deal)
• Caliber: .22 LR
• Action: Semi-auto, straight blowback
• Capacity: 10-round detachable box magazine, 20-round on some Precision models
• Barrel Length: 21 in. on the 64 F, 16.5 in. on the FV-SR, Takedown and Precision
• Twist: 1:16 in.
• Overall Length: 40.5 in. on the 64 F
• Weight: 5 lb on the 64 F, 4.5 lb on the Takedown, per Savage
• Length of Pull: 13.5 in.
• Sights: Bead front, open V notch rear on the 64 F
• Stock: Synthetic in black and five colors, or hardwood on the 64 G
• Magazine Release: Ambidextrous

Quick Take

The Savage 64 is a plain semi-auto .22 LR with a 10-round box magazine, a 21 inch barrel and a synthetic stock, and it costs about $150. It started life as the Cooey Model 64 in Canada in 1964, and Savage still builds it there. It’s a first rifle, a truck gun and a squirrel rifle, and it does not pretend to be more.

I put 800 rounds through a black 64 F. With CCI ammo it never missed a beat, and with the cheapest bulk ammo it jammed four times. Off a rest at 25 yards with the iron sights, CCI Standard Velocity went into 0.9 inches. The trigger is the weak spot, heavy and gritty.

The short answer: feed it decent ammo and the Savage 64 is one of the best cheap .22s you can buy.

Best For: New shooters, kids, left-handed shooters and anyone who wants a light, inexpensive .22 for plinking and small game. Skip it if you want a big aftermarket, since the Ruger 10/22 owns that. If you want a .410 barrel as well, see our Savage 42 review.

Design Intent: A Cheap .22 That Lasts

Hubert Cooey designed the rifle, and it came to market as the Cooey Model 64 in 1964. When the Cooey plant closed in 1979, people and machines moved to Lakefield Arms, and Savage bought Lakefield in 1995. That’s why a Savage-branded .22 is still built in Canada.

The design is as simple as a semi-auto gets. It’s straight blowback, so the bolt is held shut only by its own weight and spring, and it feeds from a detachable box magazine rather than a tube. The barrel and receiver are carbon steel with a 1:16 twist, and the magazine release works from either side.

One thing sets it apart. Savage makes a true left-handed 64, with the controls and ejection on the other side, and it costs the same as the right-handed rifle. Very few cheap semi-auto .22s do.

Savage 64 Variants

The Savage 64 is a family, not one rifle, and the letters matter. Here’s what each model is, with Savage’s list price and what Palmetto State Armory charged on September 26, 2026.

Here’s what the price tags hide. The five colored 64 F stocks all list at the same $179 as the black one, yet PSA had them anywhere from $142.99 for orange to $174.99 for purple. Same rifle, a $32 spread for the color. The flag-stock 64 F lists at $219, $40 more than any other color.

There’s a second catch. Savage’s own site marks the 64 FSS stainless, the hardwood 64 TR-SR, the 64 FVXP and the 64 Camo as out of production, but they’re still on retail shelves. On September 26, PSA had the FSS at $218.99 and the TR-SR at $249.99.

If you want one of those, buy it before it’s gone. The hardwood 64 G is still current at $289 list and $239.99 at PSA.

Competitor Comparison

Every cheap semi-auto .22 gets compared with the Ruger 10/22, and that’s fair. Here’s the 64 against it and three other rifles a new shooter is likely to look at.

Ruger 10/22 Carbine (from $299.99)

The 10/22 costs about twice as much and runs an 18.5 inch barrel and a rotary magazine. What you’re really buying is the aftermarket, since almost every part of a 10/22 can be swapped.

If you want to build a rifle up, get the Ruger. If you just want to shoot, the Savage does the same job for half the money. Our Ruger 10/22 review covers it in depth.

Savage A22 (from $245.99)

Savage’s own step up. The A22 lists at $359, weighs 5.6 pounds and gets the adjustable AccuTrigger, 4.5 to 6 pounds, which fixes the 64’s worst feature. If the trigger matters to you, spend the extra. See our Savage A22 review.

Winchester Wildcat (from $234.99)

The Wildcat is the modern polymer option with an 18 inch barrel. It costs about $80 more than the 64 and looks more current. The Savage is the more traditional rifle, and it’s about $80 cheaper.

Rossi RS22 (from $156.99)

The Rossi is the only rifle here that costs about the same, and PSA’s model comes with a threaded 18 inch barrel. It’s a fair alternative if you want to add a suppressor cheaply. The Savage has the longer track record and the left-hand version.

Verdict: The 64 is not the fanciest .22 here. It’s the cheapest proven one, and the only one with a true left-hand model at the same price. For more options, see our best .22 LR rifles guide.

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Testing Protocol

My test rifle was a black 64 F, SKU 40203, shot with its factory iron sights. I used four range trips in August and September, from 61 to 88 degrees, shooting groups at 25 and 50 yards off a rest and plinking steel. I used only the single factory 10-round magazine.

Ammunition Log

• Federal AutoMatch 40 gr lead round nose: 325 rounds
• CCI Mini-Mag 40 gr copper-plated round nose: 200 rounds
• Remington Golden Bullet 36 gr hollow point: 175 rounds
• CCI Standard Velocity 40 gr lead round nose: 100 rounds

Phase 1: Break-In

I wiped the factory oil out of the bore and put the first 100 rounds of CCI Mini-Mag through it at 25 yards while I learned the sights. Every round fed and ejected. The bolt felt a little rough at first and loosened up by the end of the box.

Phase 2: Reliability

Rounds 101 to 800 mixed all four loads with no cleaning until round 600. I logged six stoppages. Four were failures to feed with Remington Golden Bullet, the rounds nosing into the top of the chamber. Two were failures to eject with Federal AutoMatch between rounds 500 and 600, when the rifle was at its dirtiest.

After a cleaning at round 600, the last 200 rounds ran clean. Neither CCI load caused a single stoppage. That is the pattern with a lot of blowback .22s, and it’s worth knowing before you buy a 500-round bucket of the cheapest ammo.

Phase 3: Accuracy

I shot five-shot groups off sandbags at 25 yards with the iron sights, five groups per load. CCI Standard Velocity averaged 0.9 inches, CCI Mini-Mag 1.1 inches, Federal AutoMatch 1.4 inches and Golden Bullet 1.9 inches. At 50 yards, Mini-Mag opened to 2.3 inches, which is mostly my eyes and the bead front sight.

Tracking & Observations

By round 600 the action was filthy, which is normal for a blowback .22 fed lead bullets. The bluing showed a little wear at the magazine well and nowhere else. The hollow synthetic stock rattles slightly when you tap it, but nothing worked loose.

What This Means for You

• Upgrade Impact: A spare magazine and a small rimfire scope help most.
• Reliability: Near perfect with CCI; expect a few jams with bargain bulk ammo.
• Ammo Preference: CCI Standard Velocity grouped best.
• Maintenance: Clean it every 400 to 500 rounds.
• Accuracy Expectation: About an inch at 25 yards with good ammo and irons.

Performance Testing Results

Reliability (7/10)

Six stoppages in 800 rounds is fine for a $150 .22, but all six came from the two cheapest loads. With CCI it ran perfectly. I’d call it reliable with decent ammo and a little fussy without it.

Accuracy (8/10)

Under an inch at 25 yards with iron sights is good for any .22, never mind a cheap one. It’s more accurate than its sights, and a scope would show more of what the barrel can do.

Ergonomics & Recoil (8/10)

At 5 pounds it’s easy for a kid or a small adult to hold up, and the 13.5 inch length of pull fits most shooters. The trigger is the problem. Mine measured about 5 pounds on my gauge, with creep before the break. Savage lists 3.75 pounds for the Takedown and publishes no figure for the 64 F.

Fit, Finish, and Quality Control (7/10)

The metal is clean and evenly blued. The stock is thin, hollow plastic, which is exactly what you’d expect at this price. Nothing broke and nothing came loose.

Value (8/10)

At about $153, it’s half the price of a 10/22 Carbine and about $4 cheaper than a Rossi RS22 on our cards. You give up the trigger and the aftermarket. For a first .22, that’s a good trade.

Features (7/10)

Ambidextrous magazine release, a detachable box magazine and a true left-hand option. The 64 F comes with a bead and open V notch and nothing else. If you want a threaded barrel or a scope base, step up to the FV-SR.

Technical Deep Dive

Straight Blowback Action

With straight blowback, the cartridge case pushes the bolt back and the spring closes it again. There’s no locking and no gas system, which keeps the rifle cheap and simple. It also means the action gets dirty fast and cares about ammo power, which is why weak or dirty bulk loads are where the stoppages show up.

Barrel and Sights

Every 64 uses a carbon steel barrel with a 1:16 twist, the standard for .22 LR. The 64 F’s 21 inch barrel carries a bead front sight and an open V notch rear. The FV-SR and Precision get 16.5 inch barrels threaded 1/2×28, and the Precision’s is a heavy contour.

Model	SKU	Barrel	Weight	Overall Length	MSRP
64 F	40203	21 in.	5 lb	40.5 in.	$179
64 FXP, 4×15 scope	40000	21 in.	5 lb	40 in.	$239
64 FV-SR	45110	16.5 in. threaded	5.42 lb	38.13 in.	$219
64 G hardwood	30000	21 in.	5 lb	40.5 in.	$289
64 Takedown	40207	16.5 in.	4.5 lb	36.25 in.	$309
64 Precision	45114	16.5 in. heavy, threaded	5.47 lb	35.5 in.	$339

Parts, Accessories and Upgrades

Upgrade Category	Recommended Component	Why It Matters	Cost Estimate
Magazine	A spare factory Savage 64 10-round magazine	Mine came with just one	$13 to $19
Scope	A small rimfire scope, 3-9x or fixed 4x	Shows the barrel’s real accuracy	$50 to $150
Sling	A simple nylon sling	Easy carry in the woods	$15 to $30
Ammo	CCI Standard Velocity or Mini-Mag	Ran without a stoppage	$0.08 to $0.15 per round

Our best .22 LR ammo guide covers the loads that run well in blowback rifles, and the youth hunting guide is a good read if the 64 is a first rifle for a kid.

Common Problems & Solutions

• Failures to feed with bulk ammo: Switch to CCI or another quality load. Mine never jammed on CCI.
• Failures to eject when dirty: Clean the bolt face and chamber every 400 to 500 rounds.
• Heavy trigger: Dry fire practice helps. If it bothers you, the Savage A22’s AccuTrigger is the real fix.
• Only one magazine: Mine came with one. Spare factory 10-rounders run $13 to $19, so buy one early.

Who Should NOT Buy This Gun

The 64 is a great cheap .22, but it’s the wrong rifle for some buyers.

• Tinkerers who want to build a rifle up: The Ruger 10/22 Carbine, from $299.99, has the aftermarket.
• Shooters who care about the trigger: The Savage A22, from $245.99, has the adjustable AccuTrigger.
• Buyers who only shoot the cheapest bulk ammo: Budget for better ammo, or look at a bolt gun from our best .22 bolt action rifles list.
• Anyone who wants a suppressor host out of the box: Skip the 64 F and buy the threaded 64 FV-SR at $179.99, then see our best suppressors guide.

Final Verdict

The Savage 64 does what a cheap .22 should. Mine grouped under an inch at 25 yards with iron sights, ran every round of CCI, and weighs 5 pounds. It stumbled only on the cheapest ammo, and its trigger is heavy.

For about $150, it’s hard to beat as a first rifle, and if you’re left-handed it may be the best cheap semi-auto .22 there is. Buy it, buy a spare magazine, and feed it CCI.

Specs and list prices in this Savage 64 review come from Savage’s own spec sheets for the 64 F, 64 Takedown and 64 Precision. Street prices are what our live cards and Palmetto State Armory showed on September 26, 2026.

Final Score: 7.5/10. A cheap, accurate, left-hand friendly .22, as long as you feed it decent ammo.

FAQ: Savage 64