• Savage Action Lengths

    The following measurements depict the various screw spacing on Savage 110 centerfire actions over the years. All measurements are center-to-center.

    All Long Actions = 5.062" (1958 to present, staggered and center-feed magazines)
    1st. Gen Short Actions = 4.522" (1959 to 1987, staggered feed magazine)
    2nd Gen Short Actions = 4.275" (1998 to 2007, staggered feed magazine)
    3rd Gen Short Actions = 4.400" (2005 and up, center-feed magazine, not in photo)
    3rd Gen Palma/Dual-Port = 3.440" (2009 and up, single-shot only)
    Axis/Edge = 4.800" (2008-present; spacing same for long or short action cartridges)


    First Generation Short Actions:
    The 1st Generation short actions are often incorrectly referred to as "Series J" actions or Intermediate Actions. These actions will have a three digit model number (110, 112, etc), but are approximately 0.540" shorter than the standard long action.

    Savage used series letters (i.e. Series J) solely to identify small changes to individual parts over the years. These series indications were only used to identify what parts to use on the rifle should it ever come back to the factory for repair or warranty service. Think of it as a version or revision number. As such, it's common to find a long action rifle with the barrel marked "Series J", and as such it's not a good idea to simply refer to the 1st Generation short actions as "J-Series" as the series has no bearing on the actual action length. Additionally, a rifle can be marked with a series letter other than "J" and still be one of these 1st Gen short actions.

    The 1st Generation short actions were discontinued in 1988 when Savage went into bankruptcy. From 1988 to the launch of the 2nd Generation Short Action in 1998, all rifles offered in a short-action cartridge were built on long actions with a shorter magazine well cut in the bottom of the action.

    2nd Generation Short Actions:
    The 2nd Generation short actions were introduced in 1998 and remained in production through the better part of 2007 which was the final transition year to the new 3rd Generation short actions. The 2nd Generation short action is approximately 0.850" shorter than a long action, or approximately 0.310" shorter than the 1st Generation short action.

    3rd Generation Short Actions:
    The 3rd Generation short action is what came about with the introduction of Savage's new detachable magazine arrangement on the Model 14 American Classic, 16FCSAK, 16FCSS, 10FCM Sierra and 11GCNS models in 2005. The new detachable magazine setup required that the front action screw be moved forward approximately 0.125" to allow room for the magazine release lever. (NOTE: The above listed models were the only ones to have the different screw spacing in 2005. All other short action models retained the 2nd Generation short action screw spacing.)

    In 2006 Savage introduced their new hinged floor-plate magazine arrangement, and also started phasing in a new center-feed blind magazine. The hinged floor-plate assembly required the same screw spacing as the detachable magazine arrangement. Rather than having to offer stocks with two different screw spacings (HFP/DM and blind mag), Savage simply moved the front action screw forward on the blind magazine models as well. Thus all the short actions now feature the 3rd Generation screw spacing of 4.400".

    The only exception may be rifles chambered in .204 Ruger or .223 Remington, as Savage had yet to develop/release a new center-feed magazine to feed these cartridges in 2006. By the start of 2008 Savage had started shipping the new center-feed magazine for these smaller cartridges and thus switched to the 4.40" screw spacing accordingly.

    NOTE: Overall short action length did not change any from the 2nd Generation to the 3rd Generation. Only the screw spacing changed.


    Long Actions:
    The action screw spacing on Savage long actions has remained the same since it's introduction in 1958. However, this does not mean they are all the same as the magazine port length in the bottom of the action can be one of three different lengths depending on the cartridge the action was originally made for.

    From 1988 to 1997 all Savage bolt-action rifles were made on long-actions. Those chambered for short-action cartridges have a shorter magazine port cut to work with the existing short-action magazine boxes from previous years. As such, even though the action is technically a long action you can not mount a long-action cartridge magazine to it without having the magazine port lengthened.

    Additionally, larger cartridges such as the .375 H&H and the Remington Ultra Mag cartridges required a longer magazine box and consequently a longer magazine port in the bottom of the action. As such, changing from a .30-06 length box to one of these cartridges will also require that the magazine port be lengthened.


    Dual-Port and Palma Actions

    With the introduction of the new Model 12 Dual Port Benchrest and Model 12 Palma Match rifles in 2009, the action screw spacing has once again been changed. The center screw remains the same as the target actions and the LRPV, but the front and rear screws have been moved towards the center to take advantage of more thread contact. Eventually all of the target style receivers may be switched over to this new spacing, so make sure to measure your spacing before ordering a stock.




    Model Designation Changes

    In 2018 Savage Arms decided to revert back to using the "Model 110" for all new models being introduced to the market. This change has resulted in a lot of confusion as rifles chambered in both long and short action cartridges would now have a three-digit model number whereas in the past short-action chambered rifles had a two-digit model number (i.e. Model 11). To make this even more confusing for their customers, Savage Arms also continues to offer various models in their lineup that still utilize the two-digit/three-digit designation for short and long actions (i.e. the Model 10 BA Stealth and Model 110 BA Stealth).

    Aside from the model designation changing, nothing else has changed on these models. As such, A Model 110 Hunter in .30-06 Springfield still uses the same Gen 3 long-action receiver and a Model 110 Hunter in .243 Winchester still uses a Gen 3 short-action receiver.

    Savage Axis/Edge Actions

    The Savage Axis/Edge is a completely different action and design from the 110-series and uses a unique screw spacing of 4.800" center-to-center. The Axis/Edge has one action length and screw spacing for both long and short action cartridges. This is because on the factory synthetic stocks Savage uses a different trigger guard piece that is dependent on the magazine length for a short or long action cartridge.

    When ordering a replacement stock from Boyds, SSS, etc. they will ask "short or long action". What they are referring to is the cartridge/magazine length. This will determine what magazine length the stock is inlet for.


    Comments 14 Comments
    1. Rlbol's Avatar
      Rlbol -
      Has anyone measured the spacing on the 110 ba specifically 338 lapau? I am curious if that is a different beast all together verses a regular long action?
    1. eas1949's Avatar
      eas1949 -
      I purchased a new in box Savage 18184 STD target action recently, RBRP .

      However it has the 3.44 screw spacing and came with a .223 bolt head.
      It may be a 18185 but for sure its not a 18184 as the box shows. When I enter the SN on the Savage web site it comes up a RBRP STD.

      I wonder if Savage is going to the 3.44 for all their single shot actions?

      Eric
    1. RC20's Avatar
      RC20 -
      There is a 10 year date gap between 1st and 2nd Gen lengths.

      Is that a typo?
    1. Robinhood's Avatar
      Robinhood -
      Quote Originally Posted by RC20 View Post
      There is a 10 year date gap between 1st and 2nd Gen lengths.

      Is that a typo?
      No it was not. If you read the complete aricle you will find this paragraph under "Long Actions":

      From 1988 to 1997 all Savage bolt-action rifles were made on long-actions. Those chambered for short-action cartridges have a shorter magazine port cut to work with the existing short-action magazine boxes from previous years. As such, even though the action is technically a long action you can not mount a long-action cartridge magazine to it without having the magazine port lengthened.
    1. cchgn's Avatar
      cchgn -
      Hmmm, interesting.....
    1. hacker's Avatar
      hacker -
      Can someone tell how long a cartridge can be used in Axis magazines, long and short?
    1. GaCop's Avatar
      GaCop -
      Is the action used for the 338 Lapua cartridge larger than the long action used for standard and belted magnum rounds? Screw spacing the same?
    1. J.Baker's Avatar
      J.Baker -
      Quote Originally Posted by GaCop View Post
      Is the action used for the 338 Lapua cartridge larger than the long action used for standard and belted magnum rounds? Screw spacing the same?
      Same as a standard long action.
    1. GaCop's Avatar
      GaCop -
      Quote Originally Posted by MrFurious View Post
      Same as a standard long action.
      Thanks!
    1. DrThunder88's Avatar
      DrThunder88 -
      I notice the link is broken in the first post. The correct url is http://www.savageshooters.com/conten...Action-Lengths
    1. J.Baker's Avatar
      J.Baker -
      Fixed. Looks like the older articles that were published on the old site and transferred over to vBulletin during the development stage all have /test in the link which was the directory we used to populate the new software at the time.


      Update: All article links should be fixed now. Fortunately there were only about 30 that needed updated.
    1. CHPerdue's Avatar
      CHPerdue -
      Hi All
      Hope you all had good Christmas. Mine was great, we had a White Christmas for the first time e inmany years. What I need to know for sure is what size barrel shank does
    1. Bottleneck Jimmy's Avatar
      Bottleneck Jimmy -
      Quote Originally Posted by J.Baker View Post
      Fixed. Looks like the older articles that were published on the old site and transferred over to vBulletin during the development stage all have /test in the link which was the directory we used to populate the new software at the time.


      Update: All article links should be fixed now. Fortunately there were only about 30 that needed updated.
      if it was fixed in '17 it's busted again now, sorry buddy
    1. PhilC's Avatar
      PhilC -
      If you go to the top menu bar and select "Savage FAQs" you'll find every existing article by navigating the main menu there.