Savage 110 Reliable? Weaknesses?

[JAM07Sport]

I respond with facts only. My last savage came out of the box with cracked bolt face. Sent it back Savage repaired it and all costs were covered. About 6months into it and 2-300 rounds into it the firing pin spring broke. No warranty just bought the part and made the repair myself. Sold the gun.

A friend bought a expensive 300win savage. not sure the model but it was over $1000 for the rifle. Would not fire out of the box. Sent it back savage returned it said nothings wrong. Still would not shoot. He was going to sell it but had bought if for a Elk hunt and was leaving in 3 weeks at this point. We ripped the trigger apart and figured out the trigger safety was causing the problem. Removed it and now it shoots. He also purchased a 6.5CM that had bolt issues it would not re cock after firing. Sent it back and they replaced the bolt sleeve. Seems to be ok now.

Another guy had a 308win. Savage it would fire with out the trigger being pulled it was a bolt sleeve issue. Savage replaced it under warranty.

I was all savage when I was younger and they were all I could afford. At this point I have sold all but 3 and would not purchase one. The ones I kept were a edge .223, 110 in 270win and 10FP in 308. The 308 does not eject so its next on the sell list. The 270 and 223 are the only savages I have ever had that ejected reliably. There are much better options at the same price these days.

 

[sevans1965]

I have 110 FCP (300WM), pictured on the left.
Out of the box, pretty accurate for a non custom rifle, about 1 MOA @ 1K yards. I put mine in a chassis after the first year, years of training on the AR platform, I like the familiar feel from a chassis.
Once I started playing around with trigger pull, I started having intermittent problems with the accutrigger locking up. I put a timney trigger kit in, no regrets.
then after about 1000 rounds on the stock barrel, put a custom barrel on.
now it's a repeatable sub MOA rifle @1 k yards (sub 1/2 MOA out to 200 or so, opens up from there, some of that is shooter/ammo).

short answer, I was happy with it when I first got it, but happier now :-D

 

[Jlusk]

The Savage will be fine, I live in Alaska and have several Savage rifles from 243 to 300WM. Are you coming up for a guided hunt, what species? Depending on your hunting location, the tactical might be a bit of a boat anchor, as long as you're fine with the weight and possibly lugging it over hill and dale it will be fine.

 

[nkyshooter]

Love everyone of my Savage's ... all 10/110 platform ... "most" of them are glass smooth. However, my first one (pre-accutrigger, staggerfeed model, flat rear, 4.27" screw spacing, with a Fred Moreo trigger installed) while it is my most accurate (6mmBR ER Shaw Prefit - shoots in the .2's with 105 hunting vld), it is my least smooth due to the stagger feed.

I wouldn't say "No" to another stagger feed but it would have to be a really really good deal since the centerfeeds are SO much smoother and the accutrigger has worked exceptionally well for me once I put in a lighter spring (easy job and takes the adjustment window to around 1-3 lbs - $7 spring).

I've never had extractor issues with mine but I don't fire 2500 rounds a year either ... that might make a difference - but - with a $25 replacement, that is "almost" negligible to me.

I also have Rem 700's ... don't hate them but I don't think they are any better than my savages ... and no, I didn't start with Savages ... I started on a glass smooth 1970's Rem 700 Varmint Special in 243 that an aspiring benchrest shooter had been building up for competition ... but truth be told, I hang on to it primarily because it was my first rifle ... most of my Savages are as or nearly as smooth as that "perfect" 700 ... my newer 700's are not as smooth as the savages I have - except for the stagger feed model - it feels like small marbles are in there fighting for position when I close it ... and no, it is not for sale

Not only would I feel very confident hunting with a Savage - that is pretty much all I ever take hunting ... it has never even crossed my mind if it is reliable enough for hunting.

NOTE: All the above is based on my experience solely with the Model 10/110 series Savages - I have zero experience with the Axis line.

All that said - please move me to the front of the line of someone to "dump" those terrible Savages you have ... I'll gladly take and shoot them for the next 30 years and get them all smoothed up for ya! Please include primers ...

 

[Snowboy]

They been around since the sixties and have been doing the job well ever since. Like others said, have put together and hunted/shot savages for a long time with no problems or complaints. They tend to be accurate and dependable, and like others I will take any old savage bolt guns you want to get rid of. Enjoy your hunt

Can someone tell me if they have ever seen a stock preferably tactical or varmint style for a savage 110 single shot. I have a 110 action with a 30" barrel from the 1960's which was built as a single shot right from the factory. The stock is done and I am not looking forward to carving a new one.

 

[338 dude]

Hi fellas,

I just acquired a Savage 110 Tactical in 300 Win and was considering this rifle for a possible Alaska trip but I am not real familiar with Savage. I saw on another forum folks questioning the reliability of the 110 for competition shooting so I began to wonder if it it's a great choice for out of state hunts where I cannot just run back home for another rifle or easily pack an extra. What experiences good or bad have you all had? What should I upgrade if anything?

Thank you for your time.
Bob

I have had a savage 110 FCP in 338 Lapua magnum for eight years and never gave me one lick of trouble

 

[ranger3]

Savages are great, but I have had issues show up over the years.

• I have had one extractor break
• two ejector pins get stuck.
• If you load your own and push the pressures, what would be a clicker on a Remington is a stuck case on a Savage (in my experience).
• Low drag, extra pointy bullets that are loaded long need a gentle push when feeding from the mag or they can get stuck

I question the wisdom of taking an unknown rifle to extreme conditions.

I've had bigger issues with my Remington's than my Savage's. So I think they are on par, used to replace extractor's regularly in my Remington's as well as stuck cases. Finally installed Sako extractor's which solves the problem.

 

[coyotemaster]

People online usually say something like "they're ugly but shoot good". I don't see how they're any uglier or prettier than any other bolt action. But they do shoot good

I'm my humble opinion they are the only choice out there for a working man's budget.

 

[blvette75]

Hi fellas,

I just acquired a Savage 110 Tactical in 300 Win and was considering this rifle for a possible Alaska trip but I am not real familiar with Savage. I saw on another forum folks questioning the reliability of the 110 for competition shooting so I began to wonder if it it's a great choice for out of state hunts where I cannot just run back home for another rifle or easily pack an extra. What experiences good or bad have you all had? What should I upgrade if anything?

Thank you for your time.
Bob

Hi Bob,

Have an old stagger-feed 300 win mag 110 circa early 90s, have not had any problems with it, bolt action took a while to smooth out after about 400 rounds through it if I recall. Have had it re-barreled to a 338 Win mag and hope to keep on shooting it for years to come. Swapped out the trigger to a timney, had the action pillar and spot bedded, Limbsaver recoil pad, muzzle brake. Always has been an accurate rifle, but probably will not purchase another, like the smoothness of actions of other brands I have, and of guns I have handled recently that I will purchase in the future. I was tempted to buy another at Cabella's when they had a Christmas sale but by the time I was going to purchase the caliber I was considering was sold out. Will hold out for the rifle I am waiting on to be in stock again.

James

 

[1000yrd plate pounder]

Jam07Sport when you are ready to part with that non ejecting 308 savage let me know
as i am always looking for a project

 

[JAM07Sport]

Jam07Sport when you are ready to part with that non ejecting 308 savage let me know
as i am always looking for a project

I will Pm you.

 

[jvr]

I own 6. 1 used for prs matches that functioned as well as many custom rifles. All are sub moa shooters. All wear aftermarket stocks. Hs precision, McMillan, Stockade. Would I take your savage to Alaska? No because of the weight. Would I worry about dependability. No. Would I bring 2 rifles if I did not have access to a spare. Yes. If I was hunting dangerous game, I would bring a control round feed action. Yes I have own(ed) Sako, Remington, Browning and Ruger bolt action rifles. Hard to beat a Mauser action for slick bolt work. Am I jealous you're going to Alaska and I'm not. Yes. Have a good hunting trip.

 

[Horses are delicious]

Reliable? Certainly.
Weaknesses? None you're likely to experience as a hunter/casual target shooter.
I've owned about 10 throughout the years (10's, 110's, 111's) and currently have 3. .243, 7mmRM and a 6.5 CM in the 110 Precision. (So ugly...)

I've never had one that failed to shoot WELL under an inch at 100, unmodified.

 

[Tyler Kee]

I have a 110 that I bought from my smith several years ago. Customer had loaded something majorly hot and "broken" it. They brought it in, it needed some minor small parts, and the rifle was worth less than the labor bill, so the customer abandoned it.

I bought it for $50. It had a .473 bolt and I bought a Magnum Bolt assembly for it. I put a RifleBasix Trigger in it and put it in a McMillan stock with a DBM for AICS mags. I have a 28" 7mm Rem Mag barrel and an 18" 30-06 barrel for it. It's a fine shooter with both barrels. reliable 3/4 MOA which is all I care for.

I've handled a lot of savages and remingtons and I feel that compared to a factory 700, they're about the same. Bolt lift is definitely heavier in the savages which is why they don't see a lot of time in higher level competition. I've never had any failures to feed, fire, or eject with the Savage I own, but the extractor doesn't inspire confidence. No worse than the stock 700, but certain worse than a custom action would give you.

that said - the Savage is so much easier to work on and upgrade. You can literally change a barrel with a pipe wrench. The AccuTrigger is perfectly fine, and they have great aftermarket support for everything else you'd want. You can buy barrels for a few hundred dollars and change a bolt face without much drama. Where a 700 (first time) rebarrel is a $1000+ affair, you can rebarrel a savage at home with <$200 in tools and a few hundred in parts. Beyond that, they just work. You might get a bad Remmy or Ruger, but Savages just always seem to be reliable shooters.

Any more factory rifles I buy will likely be Savages.