In this article, Jeremy Tremp reviews the Samson SAS Tactical Folding Stock for the Springfield Armory Model 2020 Heatseeker rifle. The Springfield Heatseeker is a phenomenally accurate bolt-action rifle from the factory, so how much can a third party stock like the SAS really do for the gun? That’s something Tremp explores here. The folding stock was provided by Samson Manufacturing for this review.
Bolt-action rifles are in a league of their own when it comes to building, modifying and dialing them in for a wide range of uses. An often-overlooked part of this build process by beginners is the importance of a good stock. You’d be shocked at how important this piece of equipment is, I’d peg it second only to a good trigger (assuming you already have a solid, accurate platform to begin with).
I place so much importance on the stock because that is the primary way your body interfaces with your rifle. The stock puts you in the right position behind the rifle to make successful and repeatable shots. A good stock gives you an adjustable length of pull, and most importantly a cheek-riser to ensure you have a solid and perfect indexing point behind your optic.
For me, one company doing a stellar job at providing quality stocks with all the features we are looking for is Samson Manufacturing. I recently got a hold of their SAS Tactical Folding Stock and was extremely impressed with the craftsmanship, thoughtful design and feature-set. I took one look at the stock, and I immediately knew which rifle this belonged on and what the purpose would be. But more on that in a moment.
The Details
The SAS is modular, skeletonized, lightweight and foldable — all things that support an all-metal, short and agile bolt gun. I decided it would be the perfect match for my 16” 6.5 Creedmoor Model 2020 Heatseeker. My purpose all along for the Springfield Heatseeker was to make something super compact, suppressed and lightweight for a pack or my truck. It is offered in versions that attached to AR-style buffer tubes or Picatinny rail.
Springfield has a really good track record with their Model 2020 bolt guns, and for making variations for just about every use-case out there. With the Model 2020 Heatseeker being Coyote Brown and the SAS stock being FDE, it was already a match waiting to happen for me. While I love the original B5 Systems stock on the Heatseeker, I always wanted a folding stock that also matched the rifle. The SAS stock fit that bill perfectly.
The SAS stock from Samson features a spring-loaded button for easy, four-position height adjustments on the cheek riser. These adjustments come out to 0.7”. For the length of pull, there’s another spring-loaded button with five positions of adjustment at 1.25”.
Other features of the stock include ambi steel QD points for running a sling, which works perfect for my compact run-and-gun approach on this Heatseeker (which also has QD points). The folding mechanism can be set up for left or right folding, and it’s also designed to not interrupt the trigger guard when folded. The stock has a durable rubber pad affixed to the back providing maximum comfort under recoil.
The stock is made from durable yet lightweight 6061-T6 aluminum and is skeletonized to reduce weight (and just simply look rad). The finish on the SAS stock is MIL-A-8625 type III class 2 anodizing. The SAS stock is 10-11” long, 5” high, and 1.25” wide weight 19.68 oz.
My Whys
As a bolt-gun aficionado here are my favorite things about the SAS stock. First and foremost, it uses a solid yet easy-to-actuate button to fold the stock. Once folded, there are no buttons or lifting to get the stock into position — you simply swing it into position, overcoming a detent.
This makes utilizing the folding stock easy and, to be frank, it encourages you to actually fold it. I’ve had countless folding stocks that were just so clunky I never even took advantage of the feature. Not so with the SAS stock.
My second favorite feature of the SAS stock would have to be the ease and rock-solid design of the height and length adjustments. The push button is very well made, and when it locks into place that riser or butt pad is not moving out of position.
Now, I have some precision rifles set to exacting specifications that require fractions of inches of movement to dial in, then those parts are lock tightened and painted to ensure they don’t move. While I like this for certain builds, it also limits me from teaching others to shoot or having them experience my rifle since everyone has different positions behind a rifle based on facial structure and body type.
With the push button adjustments, I can dial in the perfect spot for me, ensure it doesn’t move, make a new adjustment and easily come back to my own. This creates a more versatile rifle that either a buddy or I can pick up and use at a moment’s notice.
I also really appreciate the supporting rods on the cheek riser and butt pad. These are the non-adjusting parts, but rather are there for support and stability. Other stocks I’ve used all had rods as part of the adjustment, and I’ve found issues with that. The tolerance is very tight on the SAS stability rods, so they keep everything exactly where it needs to be.
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Finally, this stock just looks awesome. The proportions really work on this stock; they didn’t lean so far into the minimalist approach that it started to look odd. I think they struck the perfect balance between light weight and rigidity, which makes the stock look sleek and strong.
Range Time
On the range, the SAS Tactical Folding Stock delivered on its promise of rigid adjustable comfortability. Dialing in a comfortable position behind the rifle was quick and easy. I found the 0.7” height adjustability just fine for getting a proper cheek weld behind my Leupold VX-5HD 3-15×44.
I’ve got the Leupold set up with low rings to ensure the scope sits as low as possible keeping sight-over-bore minimal. The Leupold VX-5 family is an awesome value, giving you excellent glass quality, lightweight and ruggedized scopes with an intuitive reticle.
Keeping with the lightweight quick set up mindset, I used a Magpul MOE M-Lok bipod in FDE. The MOE bipod is super lightweight, rugged and very fast to deploy. Simply push it down into place and you’re ready for a shot. It even has a quick press button to increase or decrease the leg heights.
To finish the Model 2020 Heatseeker off as a compact and agile precision rifle, I utilized a Jaguar Silencers CAS762 free flow shorty suppressor measuring in at only 6.5” long. The CAS762 is made from 3D printed Titanium, which makes it extremely light weight. A lightweight suppressor on a bolt gun is a big advantage as it does not disrupt barrel harmonics, keeping the rifle more accurate and repeatable.
The CAS762 is also finished in FDE, perfectly matching the brown theme I’ve got going with the Heatseeker. Even with the short barrel and the shorty can, the CAS762 was enough to tame the blast from the Black Hills 6.5 Creedmoor ammo.
A lot of people will use free-flowing cans — specifically for semi auto platforms — to reduce back pressure, but these cans are also amazing for bolt guns for one big reason. A free-flowing can stays a bit cooler than a traditional baffled can. The CAS762 is made using additive manufacturing, which allows the printing of impossible angles that a CNC machine cannot replicate. The Jaguar Suppressors Intermittent Flow System allows for very minimal back pressure while still reducing the sound and visual signature substantially.
When you are shooting a longer string of fire and the can starts to heat up, the mirage in your scope can majorly affect your ability to make accurate shots. The CAS762 did an awesome job of keeping cool enough to keep shooting throughout my range day.
With the CAS762 shorty suppressor and the folding stock, the overall length of the Heatseeker is just 33.5” folded and 42.5” unfolded. This is perfect for my goal of a backpack or truck rifle that is super accurate, yet small enough to move around with.
I grabbed my go-to Black Hills Ammo for this testing to see which load the Heatseeker liked the most. Here are my three-shot groups:
- BHA 130-gr. Dual Performance: 0.25”
- BHA 143-gr. ELD-X: 0.3”
- BHA 147-gr. ELD-M: 0.5”
This is about what I was expecting to see from these loads, as on a shorter barrel I’ve witnessed the lighter bullets performing better. However, I wasn’t necessarily expecting ¼” groups from this set up. That is incredible out of such a small platform. The rifle was extremely soft-shooting and comfortable. It was super quick to deploy and get on target with the quick folding Magpul bipod and Samson stock.
As always, Black Hills Ammo never fails on these range sessions. The loads are extremely consistent, and the accuracy I am able to achieve is unmatched. I am very grateful to call them friends and be able to test all kinds of rifles with their products.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a well-made, metal folding stock, the SAS Tactical Folding Stock is definitely worth a look. The Picatinny rail model is starts at $335, and the buffer tube version at $448. Both are offered in black or FDE. Be sure to check it out.
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