Savage 110 PEL (??) 30-06 Bolt Action Rifle

**Red Hill** · 09-14-2015, 12:43 PM

Picked up a left hand 30-06 Model 110L this past weekend that was described as a factory engraved with the designation 110PEL.

It is engraved with some 'gold' wash on the action and 'gold' plating on the trigger and bolt release.

Fancy Monte Carlo stock with a Savage buttplate.

Google has not turned up much information. So any help would be appreciated.

Will get some pics up later tonight, or tomorrow.

Thanks!

**Red Hill** · 09-14-2015, 06:01 PM

**Robinhood** · 09-14-2015, 06:11 PM

Google; Savage 110 Premier or Presentation.

**J.Baker** · 09-14-2015, 08:29 PM

110 Presentation Grade, made from 1966-1969. Had the exact same gun in the same caliber for awhile. The left-hand ones are very rare, and less than 500 total (LH and RH) were ever made (456 or thereabouts IIRC). They were offered in .243, .30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag.

First year models (1966) were engraved in Germany, whereas 1967-69 models were engraved in Japan and the engraving wasn't quite deep and the details were slightly different. The serial number on the one I had (52XXX) dated to 1962 but had 1966 build date stamps on the barrel indicating it was one of the early ones that were shipped to Germany. The turn-around time for the engraving with the Germans was quite lengthy and is why after the first initial batch they started having them done in Japan. Based on your serial number and the difference in detail on the bottom plate engraving I would say yours was one that was engraved in Japan. If you can find a stamp on the barrel with a number and letter inside of a circle I can tell you exactly what year it was assembled.

Only the trigger, safety button and sear (bolt release) should be gold plated. The action, barrel nut, bolt handle, trigger guard and bottom plate are all nickel plated and the gold hue on them is likely just tarnish that's built up over the years. I would recommend giving it a good cleaning with a mild jewelry cleaner and small nylon brush. Stock should be stamped Sile of Italy in the barrel channel. Butt plate looks like it's been blackened, whereas it should be raw cast aluminum.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of your bottom plate to the one that was on the one I had. Notice the differences in the detail around the deer (below belly, above back, etc).

You can find more specific details on these rifles in the 1966 and 1967 catalogs we have documented here on the main website. Check the last two scanned pages of either.

The 110 Premier models featured the same stock, but just had a plain blued barreled action (no engraving or nickel plating).

**243LPR** · 09-14-2015, 08:37 PM

That's purdy.

**Robinhood** · 09-14-2015, 11:57 PM

Thanks Red Hill and Jim. Good stuff.

**Red Hill** · 09-15-2015, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by J. Baker

If you can find a stamp on the barrel with a number and letter inside of a circle I can tell you exactly what year it was assembled.

Only the trigger, safety button and sear (bolt release) should be gold plated. The action, barrel nut, bolt handle, trigger guard and bottom plate are all nickel plated and the gold hue on them is likely just tarnish that's built up over the years. I would recommend giving it a good cleaning with a mild jewelry cleaner and small nylon brush. Stock should be stamped Sile of Italy in the barrel channel. Butt plate looks like it's been blackened, whereas it should be raw cast aluminum.

You can find more specific details on these rifles in the 1966 and 1967 catalogs we have documented here on the main website. Check the last two scanned pages of either.

J.,

See pics below. Appears to be '14U' in the circle.

The gold hue is the remnants of the grease the rifle was covered in. Interior of barrel and action still greased. Entire collection was given that treatment.

Thanks for the links to the catalog pages!

**yobuck** · 09-15-2015, 11:33 AM

My first Savage bolt gun was a lefty premier grade in 06. Mine had a rosewood tip and grip cap otherwise the stock was identicle.
Mine also had a ramp front sight and a folding sight on the barrel bulge. Around the mid 60s when i bought it new.
About 2 or 3 years later i bought a lefty 110 barreled action in 300 win mag for $85 new.
With handloads i could hit a 50 gal barrel with 3 out of 5 shots at a hundred yds.

**Robinhood** · 09-16-2015, 07:27 AM

With handloads i could hit a 50 gal barrel with 3 out of 5 shots at a hundred yds.

A real shooter.

**Red Hill** · 10-06-2015, 05:47 PM

The following is 'Worth what you paid for it....!'

I sold this PEL on Gunbroker last week. In conversation with the buyer, he mentioned that he owned three other 'PE' 110's, and that this was his first PEL.

The detail that he mentioned I found interesting is that he said one of his PE's is accompanied with a 'factory letter'. The letter explains that Savage produced 418 PE's and 109 PEL's. That information is different than I had seen previously when researching this rifle.

I thought I would add it to this thread for someone else in the future who is surfing the internet for information.

Thanks again for your help!

**J.Baker** · 10-06-2015, 06:06 PM

Yep, 527 total was the right number (my memory isn't as good as it used to be).

The "factory letter" really isn't a factory deal, but rather a letter put together by Savage Arms historian John T. Callahan based on the records/info he has. Basically it just gives a history of the firearm as best as possible based on what he has access to. Details on how to get a vintage Savage lettered can be found here.

The information I posted above regarding the engraving came from Robert (Bob) Greenleaf who was an engineer at Savage Arms from 1962-1988. When I bought the one I had I gave Bob a call and he gave me the full skinny on the numbers produced and the engraving. Bob also wrote for Precision Shooting Magazine for a good number of years, including this piece on the history of the Savage 110 rifle.