Scot_E, Moving the lever to 4X cleared the bolt handle. I need to claify that it wasn't the bolt knob, but more the handle between the end knob and where it connects to the bolt. The geometry of the whole bolt handle would appear to be the issue here. Other Savages or other brands of guns with different size and shaped bolt handles may very well not have this problem. Hopefully other owners will chime in once more of these get out there and installed?
My buddy is planning on using this gun for deer hunting where he states that 300 yds would be max. He hunts in the U.P. of Michigan and gets into some thick brush and woods from time to time, so low end is important to him for his application. He's just gonna run it without the cat tail stud installed. No harm, no foul here. I was just meaning to point out that this scope on this particular gun model set up in a Seekins 20 MOA base and Seekins/Vortex Matched low rings is a no go for the cat tail stud/lever.
Other than that minor issue, I liked the short time I had with the scope. I bore sighted it at 100 yds and thought the glass was nice and clear. I didn't compare it side by side with my SS 3-9 or 5-20 - just didn't think of doing it while I had the rifle. I certainly don't think the glass is poor or even less than my 3-9, but again, I did not do a side by side and I'm no optics anaylist.
This was also the first time I personally handled a SS scope with the classic style 3 screw turrets. After bore sighting, I adjusted them to zero just to see what the process was all about. I must say that it is very easy to zero these turret caps. How well they hold I can't say. If it were my scope, I'd probably loctite them each time just for my own piece of mind, but there are plenty of classic style SS scopes out there and this system surely has been working for those who have them. I'm partial to the splined type caps that my 3 SS scopes have, but again that's due to what I have and what I'm used to.
At the end of the day, if I needed a SS 3-15 and had a gun to put it on, I'd probably buy one. If this scope had come out sooner, I'd already own one, but after getting in on the SS5-20 / SS 1-6 group buy and putting the 5-20 on my own 10PC, I doubt I'll be changing anything. 5X may bite me on my next deer hunt, but I certainly am enjoying the glass on the 5-20.