Newbie to the 110 - looking for pros and cons

[BJames777]

Hello to all. Newbie to the 110BA but a long time shooter. Been a .300WM shooter for over 25 years and have been shooting the .338LM for a few years off and on. Reason for that is I have not pulled the trigger (no pun intended) on laying out the cash for a .338LM rifle. Been shooting a friends TRG-42 and a TAC-338. Nice rifles, however............$8K+ when it's all said and done, I think it's a bit ridonkulous. So all paths lead me to the 110BA even though I can afford one of the other two rifles............barely. I'd rather spend the difference on ammo. With all this being said, what has been the real world experience that all you owners and shooters of this rifle have experience as far the pros and cons? I appreciate all the help you all can give. Thanks.

[Londerko]

Just target? Or hunting too?
If so, take a look at the savage 111 long range Hunter. No knock on the 110BA, it's just king of big and awkward and clunky for hunting. I like the 111LRH better for a hunting rifle. And it's around $1K with a brake and bottom metal.

[mudpig]

I don't believe that the 110BA is the rifle that those other two are. However, I've had very good results with mine. My rifle is extremely accurate (1/4 MOA) with hand loads and I'm having a good day. On the other hand my rifle suffered the same issues most complain about with sticking brass even when loads are kept light. Finding better brass (Lapua) and making sure you resize your cases properly every firing takes care of most of that. I've been overseas and away from mine for some time now, so can't tell you if I've got all the bugs worked out yet. I've also changed to the larger sized extractor detent ball.

[WinnieTheBoom]

I've been shooting a 110 FCP .338 LM for about a year now. Make no mistake about it, the TRG-42 and TAC-338 are absolutely more rifle... but not for the money.

I've shot mine in multiple forms. HS Precision Stock, factory barrel; XLR chassis, factory barrel, XLR chassis, Barltlein barrel (still waiting on the barrel to come in). Action has been trued and I'm confident that it will hang with those expensive rigs all day. I beat up on a guy with a Sako out to 1500 yards and I can tell you with 100% confidence that accuracy, especially at those ranges, is dependent on the shooter, not the gear.

I too wouldn't recommend the BA chassis as it is really bulky and heavy. The HSP may be a viable alternative as it's considerably less expensive, although you won't get the same adjustability out of it. I opted to go that route, sold of the HSP and went to XLR... Really couldn't be any happier. But the Lapua action/rifle itself has outperformed my expectations from day 1.

[sharpshooter]

Avoid all the headaches and go with a TAC 338, they are made specifically for that round and have no "cons".

[WinnieTheBoom]

Avoid all the headaches and go with a TAC 338, they are made specifically for that round and have no "cons".

I always hear people say this but I haven't really heard any concrete 'cons' about the Savage action. It's all people speculating about different things but not actually knowing why it's "not as good." For some reason, most people that say these things don't actually have any experience with them either, it's more or less what they've heard from others.

I get that the TAC-338 was made for the Lapua specifically, and I'm sure it's been manufactured 'better' than the Savage, but that's not to say that the latter isn't a serviceable alternative for those wanting to shoot the bigger cartridges without selling the farm.

I've yet to experience any of these cons, and I've definitely never heard of any catastrophic failures, so I don't get why people feel the need to impose this info/reasoning when it's not necessarily justified.

[sharpshooter]

The 110 BA 338 LM is the most problematic centerfire rifle Savage has produced since 1995,... got that from the horses mouth. Besides that, I've probably worked on more than anyone else on this forum, and YES, they have issues and I CAN justify them.
I'm glad you have no problems, you seem to be in the minority.

[WinnieTheBoom]

The 110 BA 338 LM is the most problematic centerfire rifle Savage has produced since 1995,... got that from the horses mouth. Besides that, I've probably worked on more than anyone else on this forum, and YES, they have issues and I CAN justify them.
I'm glad you have no problems, you seem to be in the minority.

Would you mind addressing some of these issues specifically? Please don't talk about the stuck bolt / extractor problems as that issue has been well documented and long since been fixed by Savage. The majority of these issues could be traced back primarily to the quality of brass being used, although Savage did enlarge the chambers slightly on the later 110 338s.

I agree that the BA's had some 'teething' problems when they were first released, but would contest that any newly released rifle goes through the same regardless of the manufacturer. I have not, however, heard of all these problems that make it 'the most problematic centerfire rifle Savage has produced since 1995.'

[tomsgarage]

I am also still waiting on said list. Mine doesn't seem that bad..... Let's have it!