Savage Arms is beefing up the Stevens line again, with a new semi-auto shotgun and bolt-action rifle.
The Stevens 560 is a gas-operated 12 gauge shotgun, chambered for 3" shells. It comes into the lineup for a lot less money than the Savage Renegauge that was introduced back in 2020. For next season, the 560 Field and Field Compact both carry a $499 MSRP in the US, compared to a $1,592 starting MSRP for the Renegauge.
How does Savage keep the Stevens 560 price so low? Easy. The shotgun is made in Turkey, imported and rebadged. That doesn't mean a drop in quality from American-made, as Turkey is perfectly capable of making well-working shotguns these days, and the 560 comes with what appear to be fairly nice walnut stocks. See the specs for the 560 Field here and the 560 Field Compact here, but there's not much difference between them except for length of pull (14.5 inches and 13.5 inches respectively). Both shotguns come with 5+1 capacity, aluminum receiver, chrome-lined barrel and removable chokes (three chokes included).
Taking a quick look, the 560's action sure looks like it's built along a similar pattern to the Remington 1100 ; we'll let you know more if we get our hands on one. We'd be especially interested to see if a 20-gauge version comes out in the future, or a tactical version. There are already several tactical pump shotguns in the Stevens lineup, but an affordable gas-operated semi might be a welcome option for a lot of shooters.
A bolt-action rifle offered in .243, .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Savage says "The rifle features a 2 staged adjustable trigger and a 60-degree bolt lift to allow faster loading on follow-up shots. The barrel is free-floating and button rifled for consistent accuracy. Offered in three popular calibers, the Stevens Model 334 is available in a Turkish Walnut stock option with a silver bolt or a black synthetic stock with a matte black action to match."
Interesting. We certainly don't see many budget rifles coming with decent wood stocks these days.
The 334 also comes with a three-round removable magazine; it will be most interesting to compare this mag to the one found in the Savage Axis, as the Axis' chintzy plastic mag system has long been that rifle's biggest bugbear.
Note that the adjustable trigger on the 334 is not a Savage Accu-Trigger.
Details on the rifle are still limited; like the 560, it's made in Turkey, but Savage says it comes with spacing for the scope mounts set to the same distance as a 110 action, and a Picatinny rail comes as standard.
Asking price in the US is $489 for all versions of this rifle, no matter which calibre or stock option you've selected (walnut here, synthetic here).
As prices for the Axis continue to climb, no doubt there will also be demand for this rifle, particularly if it upholds the standard of accuracy the last rifles in the Stevens line (the 200) held, before they were cancelled. Will this rifle also go the route of the 110 and Axis actions, eventually coming configured in a wide range of calibre, a scout rifle option and other permutations? No word yet, but you can expect affordability to be the first priority with this line.
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