• The Savage Model 110 Rifle

    The year a rifle was made can be determined by the inspector's stamp. This stamp was one or two numbers followed by a letter; all being enclosed in an oval. The letter is the clue:


    After that it was realized that the code was unnecessary as the records could show the exact date a gun was numbered. Proof marks were originally an SP in an oval. Later the oval was discontinued and the SP was followed by a number to indicate the tester. Caliber marks to be found on the chamber area of the barrel were as follows:


    Some model numbers are followed by a series designation such as "112V Series J". These series letters were for the benefit of the service department when filling part orders and indicated a change in some part or parts. Occasionally small design changes were made that required different parts. There is no other significance or meaning to a particular series.

    In 1975 a landmark rifle was introduced - The Savage Model 112V. This rifle had a short single-shot action, a heavy 26" barrel, and a stock designed for its intended use - varmint hunting. It also had Unertl style scope blocks for target scopes with their higher magnification. The rifle was a varmint shooter's delight although a lot of them were used on the bench for paper shooting. It was available in 222 Remington, 22-250 Remington, 220 Swift, 243 Winchester, and 25-06 Remington. Today these original rifles bring a premium. A short single-shot action is a desired commodity.

    The most distinctive features when first looking at a Savage Model 110 rifle are the barrel locknut and the top tang safety. The barrel locknut allows several manufacturing advantages. Since the barrel has no shoulder the largest diameter is that of the shank - 1 1/16" - so smaller bar stock can be purchased and there is less to be turned off when contouring the barrel. A double savings results. The locknut permits precise setting of the headspace when the barrel is screwed into a receiver with a breech bolt in place. With a special "swing gauge" in the chamber the locknut is tightened; when the barrel will turn no further, the shoulder of the gauge has contacted the shoulder of the chamber. There is no tolerance in the headspace. It is at SAAMI minimum. That may cause a problem as the SAAMI maximum cartridge is .004" longer. This makes closing the bolt a bit difficult especially in a rapid-fire stage of the National Match Course. The barrels are finish chambered and the chamber polished before assembly.

    Top tang safeties are common on two-barreled shotguns but less popular on rifles. The Savage Model 110 safety is unique because of its location. It is shrouded in the tang rather than being exposed as on the Model 20 and some later rifles of some other makers. Shrouding the safety button or switch is important as it prevents the safety from being inadvertently moved to the fire position. The safety has three positions: forward to fire and rearward to block the trigger and immobilize the bolt handle; a mid-position frees the bolt handle to allow unloading the chamber without fear of a discharge.

    Close examination of the breech bolt reveals differences with its main competitors. The bolt is an assembly of easily made parts. There are no forgings used. Occasionally the bolt handle was a screw machine part but in recent years precision castings suitably heat treated are used. The bolt body was for years made from bar stock but now is made from tubular material. The bolt head is machined from chrome-moly steel as are other parts that require elevated physical properties.

    The striker is also an assembly of many parts, seven to be specific. This permits certain adjustments to be made easily rather than holding small tolerance length dimensions and is more economical. The firing pin stop nut controls firing pin protrusion. A quarter turn changes the protrusion about .008" but is not something to be done without experience and knowledge.

    Probably the most unusual design feature is the position of the cocking piece pin. It is a round button on the right side of the bolt body instead of being on the bottom as on a Mauser and most other high-power bolt guns. The side location is common on .22 rimfire rifles. The question is...why did Brewer put it on the side? The answer appears to be because of the location of the safety. It interferes with the usual bottom mounted cocking piece. This is an example of a compromise favoring safety. The safety could have been moved further to the rear and lower on the grip, as on the Model 20, but the risk outweighed the mechanical benefit.

    The position of the cocking piece pin necessitated an unusual sear design and both Brewer's and the 1966 version share certain characteristics. The part serves as both primary and secondary sears, bolt stop, and cocking indicator. The cocking indicator is on the right side of the receiver bridge and must be depressed to allow bolt removal. Using the sear as a bolt stop is not unusual but often causes stress on the trigger. On the Model 110 when the rear of the right locking lug impacts the bolt stop surface the sear moves away from the trigger and rests against the bottom of the receiver.

    Nick Brewer's magazine was a punch-press part that snapped into slots and grooves on the receiver. At the rear of the magazine was a small punch-pressed box that housed the ejector and its spring. As the bolt neared the end of its stroke to the rear the ejector rose in a slot in the bottom of the bolt head and did its job. How far the empties were thrown depended on the velocity of the bolt itself. The later 110s use the ubiquitous spring urged pin in the bolt face.

    The rear of the bolt has an assembly screw that serves several functions. It retains the bolt handle on the bolt body and also acts as the seat for the rear of the mainspring with the use of a slotted sleeve in which the cocking piece reciprocates. Brewer's assembly screw worked well but was an assembly of eight parts itself. In the 1966 version this was reduced to two - the screw and a nylon slug.

    Perusing the 1996 Savage catalog reveals a dazzling array of variations all based on the Model 110 action. The 116 series or "Weather Warriors" are stainless steel rifles. The 114 series are chrome-moly rifles with detachable box magazines and classic styled stocks. The 112 series has a competition rifle, two "Long Range" rifles and a "Varmint" rifle. Fluted barrels and pillar bedding are available on some. The 111 series are all chrome-moly rifles with either hardwood stocks or composite stocks. They are offered in ten calibers ranging from 223 Remington to 338 Winchester Magnum, and there are two left-hand versions. There are Model 110 and Model 111 "Package Guns" which include scopes, rings, bases, sling, etc. in up to ten calibers. There is a Model 110FP "Tactical" rifle and a Model 111FAK "Express" which has an adjustable muzzle brake that is also available on certain other rifles. What to the various letters mean? The following table should help:


    There are over two hundred variations available so a person should have no trouble finding one to suit their needs.

    Every now and then this writer is asked just what makes the average Model 110 or one of its variations so accurate. Is it the barrel? Is it the bedding? Just what makes it shoot better? I have a theory or hunch, so here it is. We all know that for years now the PPCs, almost without exception, win the benchrest matches, especially the 100 yard and 200 yard events. What really makes the PPC superior is the case head construction. It is a semi-balloon head design. This allows the head of the cartridge to flex or move slightly in relation to the axis of the case. This in turn makes the locking lugs (in a two lug bolt) maintain constant pressure against the receiver as the barrel vibrates during a shot.

    A free-floating barrel can be considered to be a cantilever beam, that is, it is supported only by the shank in the receiver ring. A barrel droops or is deflected at the muzzle by its own weight. This can be calculated if you like to work with the third and fourth powers of diameters or it can be measured with a dial test indicator. The axis of the chamber, when the gun is horizontal, is not exactly in line with the axis or centerline of the bolt and receiver. Therefore when a cartridge is fired the thrust is greater against the lower lug and back and forth several times until the barrel stops vibrating. Most cartridges do not have semi-balloon heads but are more robust and therefore do not flex as the PPCs do. The bolt head of the Model 110 is an easy sliding fit into the front of the bolt body and it can move slightly in relation to the bolt body and receiver. This results in the condition that is similar to the PPC cartridges in a gun with a rigid bolt head/bolt body construction. Is this theory far-fetched? It was discussed with that renowned sage, Creighton Audette, some years ago and he felt there was no obvious flaw in this thinking.

    It might be asked "How can the barrel move in relation to the receiver when it is screwed in tightly?" Well, it really isn't! There is tolerance on the pitch diameter of the two parts that allows angular motion. That angle can be as much as seven minutes and we are trying to shoot sub-minute angle groups. That accounts for most of it and the rest is due to plasticity of the materials.

    That covers the Savage Model 110 saga to the present. It can be said with some certainty that more variations and improvements are on the board or are being considered. Over one hundred thousand of these rifles leave the plant in Westfield, MA every year now. That figure will surely continue to grow as more shooters opt for a really good value.

    The Savage Model 110 Rifle
    by Bob Greenleaf
    Originally published in Precision Shooting Magazine
    July 1997, Volume 45, No. 3
    Republished with permission of author