All the pretty letters

Just picked up a previously loved 116, but i'm not sure which 116. Savages website has suffix letters that denote such specific things...ie.. an SS (stainless steel????). I can't find the cheat sheet on their web, do we have it on here somewhere? I can go to the "gunfinder" area of savage, but I have no matches after my third filter is used. I realize that not all models are built each and this may be the reason....

116
.270
stainless (both barrell and receiver)
grey synthetic
staggered feed.

116 FSS
Factory barrel
SS stainless steel

???

Punch in your Serial number on the Savage Partsfinder.......should give you all the info.

I'd forgotten about that feature. I'll try that...sitting in tree stands all these years, i've memorized my old 110's serial. I've punched its in and told me that i had to contact savage for more info., so I didn't have a lot of confidence in it. Thanks

Somewhere on the site (I can't remember where) is an article or post that has many (but not all) the letters and what they mean. My search-foo is weak today, and I can't find it. But I know I have seen it here somewhere.


Ok, found this on a couple of different sites (Some, but again, not all model types are represented below because sometimes Savage makes "special" models for larger retailers.)
I can't vouch for the accuracy of all of these, but they look reasonable:
Number types:
110 Standard or LEO long action
10 Standard or LEO short action
111 Hunter long action
11 Hunter short action
112 Varmint long action
12 Varmint short action
114 Classic long action
14 Classic short action
116 Weather Warrior long action (stainless)
16 Weather Warrior short action (stainless)


suffixes
AK -Adjustable Muzzle Brake
B -Laminate Stock
BT - Laminated Thumbhole Stock
C -Clip (Detachable Box Mag.)
F -Synthetic Stock
G -Hardwood Stock
H - Hinged Floorplate
L -Left Hand
ML -Muzzleloader
NS - No Sights
P -Police
SE -Safari Express
SS -Stainless Steel
T - (Rimfire) Peep Sights
V -Varmint (heavy) barrel
XP -Package Gun
Y -Youth


Example - Model 111FLC
F = Synthetic Stock
L = Left Hand
C = Detachable Magazine

The problem with Savage's alphabet soup is that they're constantly changing what the letters stand for so it makes it impossible to keep a list that's accurate for more than a few years. Scott's post above depicts current production but it can't necessarily be applied to guns from 10+ years ago.

And then there's just the brain-fart models they come up with - usually special runs for a distributor like the Model 93R17 BGVSS which had a Royal Jacaranda laminate stock, but when you look at the letters it has B (Laminate) and G (hardwood) for the stock type.

I had also heard that old guns (I don't know what vintage) were labeled "E" for economy and "D" for Deluxe.
However I don't know this to be true...could be an urban legend.

We all customize our rifles so much, perhaps we could come up with our own system:
For example, I suppose could say I have a Stevens 200 BTVSJB3PDNSEGWLBH. :rolleyes:

However, it is usually faster to simply describe the rifle than to try and remember the Savage (and my totally made-up) lettering system.

BT (Laminated Thumbhole)
VS (Varmint countour Shaw barrel)
JB (Bedded with JB Weld)
3(Three-screw trigger)
PD(Pachmayr Decelerator butt pad)
NS (No sights)
EGW (EGW20 min rail)
LBH (Large Bolt Handle)

my old intermediate action .308....the seriel # starts with an "E". I've also read a post on here that it stood for Economy. Wish I could find several more "E"'s that shoot as well as mine.

Just to be short a 116 FSS would be a ( 116= Weather warrior, stainless long action) (F=synthetic SS=stainless steel) I'm not sure but I haven't seen one that came with a grey synthetic stock. Maybe a store special of some sort but then again, maybe not.
Don't let the silver colored trigger fool you. It's not stainless and neither are the guts. Keep em oiled

The D & E he is referring to is not in the serial number. It was a suffix used in the model number like 110D or 311E.