The Savage 110 and Me

Savage has long made good rifles. Their Model 99 lever-action rifle has earned them a lot of fans over the years, but more than anything these days - especially since the 99 has been discontinued - their 110-series bolt-action centerfire rifles have become their mainstay, and a good one it is.

First Time

My first experience with such a rifle was a Model 110 "package gun" chambered for 7mm Rem Mag. A buddy had bought the rifle brand-new and needed to zero it. So he brought it to our deer camp and we headed down to the pit.

Against the advice of Dad and me, he had been talked into the 7mm Rem Mag cartridge. We advised him to get a 30-06, but a salesman had swayed him and that was that. The 7mm Rem Mag is a fine cartridge, but we prefer the '06. Anyhow, now he had the rifle and some ammo, and it was time to shoot it. Problem is, he was somewhat afraid of it.

Shooting It

We drove to a nearby clay pit and set up a target on the sandy bank. I dug out my war bag from the back and laid it on the hood of my truck, nestled the rifle into it, then removed the bolt and boresighted the scope by eyeballing down the rifle's bore. Then I fired the gun for him, since he was hesitant.

I went ahead and zeroed the scope, as he and his buddy stood off to one side, in awe of the muzzle jump. I didn't notice the recoil, though - what impressed me was the accuracy of the rifle. It was shooting nice tight groups from the get-go, and the price was a whole lot more reasonable than other popular bolt-action rifles.

About the Savage 110

The Savage 110 hunting rifle is not very pretty by most folks' standards. The blonky barrel locknut looks kind of crude; their wood stocks are plain, made from birch or similar wood rather than walnut; and exterior metal surfaces usually aren't highly polished. But man, do they ever shoot! They are tough, well-designed, and accurate right out of the box. They are built to perform in the field rather than to decorate your gun cabinet.

Next Encounter

Later, a friend bought his son a Savage 110 package gun in 30-06. Until the cheap Bushnell scope that came with the rifle suddenly gave up the ghost, he loved to shoot Hornady Light Magnum ammo in that rifle, and he'd keep it inside a minute of angle (2" or less at 200 yards) almost every time. Great performance from a relatively cheap gun, with a very cheap scope.

My First Savage

After a bad experience with a Winchester Model 70 in 30-06, I replaced it with a new Savage 110 30-06 package gun I bought from a friend who had won it in a raffle. I fully expected good performance from the Savage, and I got it. This wood-stocked rifle did very well with the Burris Fullfield II 3x-9x scope that I mounted on it, and I used it to nail a nice buck at 130 yards, with a handloaded Hornady 180-grain pointed soft point bullet.

Next!

After that, I horse-traded for another Savage 110, a slightly used synthetic-stocked package gun chambered for 270 Win. I owned it for several months before I even shot it, because I wanted to replace the cheap "package" scope with a better one.

I found a used Redfield 2x-7x wide view scope at a local gun show, bought it and mounted it on the gun just in time for my springtime trek to Georgia. A quick boresight check with my Spot Sight showed the scope was dead-on without any adjustment, something that has never happened to me before when dealing with a new gun-scope combination. I took it as a good omen.

My initial shooting of this rifle showed good accuracy and a better-than-average trigger. I'm sure accuracy will improve some with handloads or premium loads, and it will probably help if I can make myself allow the barrel to cool completely between strings. Groups from this rifle do seem to open up some as the barrel heats up, moreso than the '06. That's fine - this will primarily be a hunting rifle, so the really important shots will be fired from a cold barrel.

The Difference

Carrying the 270 was a pleasure compared with my wood-stocked '06, since it is about a pound lighter. I was wary of recoil because it's so light, and its previous owner swore it tried to take his shoulder off, but it really isn't bad at all, to me.

Latest addition

My latest Savage bolt action as of this edit is a Savage Sierra in 308 Win. It's a synthetic-stocked short-action rifle with a stumpy barrel. Nice and light and handy, and works great. During the first two seasons I hunted with it, I put four deer in the freezer and killed a few pests. It's my current favorite, because it's so handy to carry.

I Like 'em All!

My love affair with Savage bolt-action rifles does not preclude my owning other brands - not by a long shot. In bolt-action centerfires I also own Remington, Browning, Krag, and custom rifles.

I have shot and loved a number of other bolt-action centerfire hunting rifles, but for pure practicality, utility, and affordability, I haven't found a thing that matches the Savage 110 series of bolt-action centerfire rifles. And believe me, I've been looking.

Happy hunting,

- Russ Chastain

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