Savage 110 Elite Precision

[Pappasniper]

Hey fellas, any peeps with time behind the trigger on this gun. I am not a Savage fan but I have been looking for a 26 inch .223 tactical bolt gun. Has MDT stock, ARCA rail and some interesting features, but how is reliability ( feeding) and accuracy?

Any feedback appreciated.

PB

 

[TexT-Rex]

I am between 400 and 600 rounds through my 110 Elite Precision in 6.5 CM. The rifle is fantastic. I had the normal reported feed/eject issues which seem confined to the 6.5, but hit the ejector pin with a dremmel and shaved off at a 45° angle toward firing pin. 5-min fix and feeds/ejects flawlessly now. Haven't heard of any .223 feed/eject issues. The bolt is not "Tikka-smooth" but it isn't bad. It has eased up some over the course of firing. Love the ACC chassis! Have an Arca mounted bipod and it is too easy to reposition along the rail or just remove entirely. The adjustability of the stock still amazes me. The rifle cleans up easily after some serious range time. I did get rid of their stock brake as it is black nitride and solvents were discoloring it some. It was a snap to remove and replace with a stainless brake. I don't have a trigger pull guage but am guessing mine is somewhere in the 1# range. I am shooting hand loads that are consistently <0.5-minutes at 100-yards, and have first opportunity to shoot out to 1-mile coming up on Friday. Maybe someone with .223 experience can weigh in on any feed/eject issues, but I love shooting this rifle, and am looking at getting one in 300 PRC.

 

[Pappasniper]

Tex, appreciate you man. This rifle has me sooo tempted.

PB

 

[fdkay]

Not sure why you would want a 26 inch barrel on a .223, but two things to consider.
1) It's a Savage.
2) The short action Savage is very close to a medium length action, so there is a block on the bolt to shorten the bolt throw. Just increases the slop factor.

It will likely shoot pretty damn well.
I would find it difficult to spend that kind of coin on a Savage.
I would much rather spend the money on a 24" Tikka CTR and put it in either a Oryx or KRG Bravo.

 

[MarinePMI]

Savages tend to shoot (that's what I started with many years ago). Of that, there is no arguing. In .223 they tend to function fine (no issues with extraction or feeding, aside from having to use a shortened bolt baffle, which I'd think is already done on the model you speak of).

As long as you don't try making a sow's ear into a silk purse, the Savage 10 series rifles are fine beginners' rifle.

In the past few years there have been reports of some occasional shoddy QA (bolts not torqued down, pic rails working loose, etc.), but they otherwise work. Now, putting one in an ACC chassis...refer to my sow's ear comment. I have a hard time justifying the cost of an ACC chassis for a Savage action. But, that's just me.

If that's what you can afford, and you like it, go for it.

That being said, there are (IMHO) better options out there for a gun that is intended to be kept for the long run.

As to the Oryx, I have mixed feelings on that. The only one I have used was a Howa Oryx .223, and while it worked, those mags truly, and utterly...sucked balls. Also, I'm tall, so the Oryx always felt like a toy to me; too short and too small (fore end was really short). But, to each their own.

The KRG Bravo is a good starter chassis, and very comfortable to drive IMO. Lots of add-on's and adaptability. Again, a good starter chassis.

As you probably already know, long range shooting is not a poor man's sport. So you tend to pay more for the higher quality stuff.

I guess the short answer is pick the rifle you want/can afford, and match the chassis appropriately. An ACC on a Savage though, just seems like custom exhaust on a Honda Civic. It improves performance, but you're still ultimately constrained by the fact that it's a Honda Civic. A Porsche it will never be. If this is just a plinking/range gun, I'd think a Savage would be fine, I'm just not sure I'd spring for the model with the ACC chassis.

 

[TexT-Rex]

Someone mentioned the bolt baffle on Savage .223s. In addition to the 6.5 CM 110 EP, I also have a Savage 12 in .223. My only complaint with it is it came with a 9-twist barrel, and I'm stuck with <69-grain bullets. The bolt baffle just shortens the bolt throw. I get the Savage haters, I'm just not one of them. If you like the way the 110 EP looks, I recommend laying hands on one. Nothing about that rifle says "sow's ear" or cheap. Is it a custom rifle, nope, but you cannot buy a custom rifle for $1700 either. There are a ton of good youtube videos that I watched before I bought mine. I bought it knowing it would likely have feed/eject issues, but also knew it would not cost me anything to resolve that issue. The other thing I'd point out is the 110 gets you the ability to change barrels/calibers with pre-fit barrels, so that .223 could easily be morphed into a 6, 6.5 or .308. Good luck regardless of what you end up with!

 

[MarinePMI]

Someone mentioned the bolt baffle on Savage .223s. In addition to the 6.5 CM 110 EP, I also have a Savage 12 in .223. My only complaint with it is it came with a 9-twist barrel, and I'm stuck with <69-grain bullets. The bolt baffle just shortens the bolt throw. I get the Savage haters, I'm just not one of them. If you like the way the 110 EP looks, I recommend laying hands on one. Nothing about that rifle says "sow's ear" or cheap. Is it a custom rifle, nope, but you cannot buy a custom rifle for $1700 either. There are a ton of good youtube videos that I watched before I bought mine. I bought it knowing it would likely have feed/eject issues, but also knew it would not cost me anything to resolve that issue. The other thing I'd point out is the 110 gets you the ability to change barrels/calibers with pre-fit barrels, so that .223 could easily be morphed into a 6, 6.5 or .308. Good luck regardless of what you end up with!

Need I say more?

BTW, the Savage design I have always liked (I'm not a Savage hater), it's the execution of the design in this day and age that leaves it less than desired for matches.

As to pre-fits, there's a lot of actions these days that have that capability (which used to be just Savage). Tikka, Howa, Origins, 737's...there's a lot of them that someone can order a shouldered pre-fit barrel (without the barrel nut). The Origin actions are really what the Savage actions should have become...

IMHO, Savage sat on their laurels for too long, or just didn't have a clue what they were sitting on. I lean towards the latter, because when they released their first Tactical Mag fed rifle, I asked them at SHOT, where they had the release, why they didn't use AICS magazines instead of a proprietary Savage magazine. You could see the confusion and lack of understanding on the BD guy's face. Totally clueless as to what was (and had been) going on in the community at the time.

They continue to produce, low cost, durable hunting rifles, that just about anyone can afford. They can be cleaned up into a fairly reliable competition rifle, but I emphasize "fairly". At some point, fixing/tweaking a Savage rifle becomes a game of diminishing returns, and overall cost wise, the person would have been better off purchasing a better actioned platform.

And this is coming from someone that started with a Savage rifle, back when 6.5 Creedmoor was this "new fangled metric competition cartridge", and a barrel had to be ordered from Pac-Nor to screw onto a Savage. That rifle served me well, but had intermittent issues, and had to be mod'ed to accept AICS mags (PTG bottom metal fiasco), and got to the point where it just wasn't reliable enough for me. Back then, if the trigger malfunctioned, I had time to lift the bolt to recock. But course of fire stage times are much shorter now than they were 10-15 years ago, so reliability has a much greater impact these days.

 

[b6graham]

for not a lot more you can have a Zermatt Origin with a 26" Proof prefit in the stock of your choice

 

[308pirate]

Nothing about that rifle says "sow's ear" or cheap. I bought it knowing it would likely have feed/eject issues

 

[TexT-Rex]

Need I say more?

BTW, the Savage design I have always liked (I'm not a Savage hater), it's the execution of the design in this day and age that leaves it less than desired for matches.

As to pre-fits, there's a lot of actions these days that have that capability (which used to be just Savage). Tikka, Howa, Origins, 737's...there's a lot of them that someone can order a shouldered pre-fit barrel (without the barrel nut). The Origin actions are really what the Savage actions should have become...

IMHO, Savage sat on their laurels for too long, or just didn't have a clue what they were sitting on. I lean towards the latter, because when they released their first Tactical Mag fed rifle, I asked them at SHOT, where they had the release, why they didn't use AICS magazines instead of a proprietary Savage magazine. You could see the confusion and lack of understanding on the BD guy's face. Totally clueless as to what was (and had been) going on in the community at the time.

They continue to produce, low cost, durable hunting rifles, that just about anyone can afford. They can be cleaned up into a fairly reliable competition rifle, but I emphasize "fairly". At some point, fixing/tweaking a Savage rifle becomes a game of diminishing returns, and overall cost wise, the person would have been better off purchasing a better actioned platform.

And this is coming from someone that started with a Savage rifle, back when 6.5 Creedmoor was this "new fangled metric competition cartridge", and a barrel had to be ordered from Pac-Nor to screw onto a Savage. That rifle served me well, but had intermittent issues, and had to be mod'ed to accept AICS mags (PTG bottom metal fiasco), and got to the point where it just wasn't reliable enough for me. Back then, if the trigger malfunctioned, I had time to lift the bolt to recock. But course of fire stage times are much shorter now than they were 10-15 years ago, so reliability has a much greater impact these days.

Gotcha. Just a quick question: have you handled the model rifle the OP asked about? Have you shot the model of rifle the OP asked about? I am always fascinated at people who ask for opinions on a given model and opinions are given based on history and experience other than what was asked. I appreciate your opinion. What I have works for me, and I conveyed that opinion based on first-hand experience with the model the OP asked about. Cheers

 

[MarinePMI]

Gotcha. Just a quick question: have you handled the model rifle the OP asked about? Have you shot the model of rifle the OP asked about? I am always fascinated at people who ask for opinions on a given model and opinions are given based on history and experience other than what was asked. I appreciate your opinion. What I have works for me, and I conveyed that opinion based on first-hand experience with the model the OP asked about. Cheers

Yes. Actually, I have. We see them occasionally at our range/club, and in our matches. They don't usually last long though, and the shooter ends up "upgrading" it in short order. In fact, I just tore one down recently to fix a few problems. Ever take one of those accu-triggers apart down to springs and parts? Well, one of our shooters did...he just couldn't get it back together. A real PITA putting back together, even with pin punches as cheater pins. That little scissor spring that is buried into the groove on the underside of the receiver is a real bitch. But I digress...

Like I said, they work. And they're accurate. But they tend to be clunky, and at some point, most shooters just upgrade. The more you learn to keep your head on the gun, the more noticeable the clunkiness of the action. Again, it's not a bad rifle, especially for a beginner that isn't sure if they want to drop $10k-$30k in this sport. But if a shooter finds a passion for this type of shooting, in my experience, they tend to upgrade a year or two later.

Savages used to be the default "If you're just starting, go get a Savage Model "x"". But these days, there's a much wider choice of options, that will provide a longer period of satisfactory performance.

The OP can decide on their own. I'm just giving my opinion based on, oh I don't know, 20+ years of owning, shooting and working on Savage rifles. Even have an old 110 "E" serial number, back when Savage put in a fully adjustable trigger (weight, overtravel and sear engagement) with an .039" piano wire spring, and Fred Moreo (Sharp Shooter Supply) was the only game in town for Savage aftermarket parts. He provided the Douglas barrels for my .20 Tactical and .17Mach IV (back when Douglas was the only barrel maker that made .20 caliber barrel blanks) that were built on Savage actions. But yeah, I don't know what I'm talking about...

<shrug>

 

[JMGlasgow]

Friends don't let friends shoot Savage

 

[Gohring65]

What’s the deal with the feed and extraction issues. I have a 308 giving me some fits. Dremal where? And what exactly is happening?

 

[MarinePMI]

Feeding is clunky, especially if the chassis/stock has bottom metal that doesn't allow adjustment of how the magazine is present to the bolt face. Stacked tolerances (action to chassis and/or mag latch, and magazine ) have some rifles rougher than others. Extraction is an issue with the tiny extractor that is held in by a spring loaded plunger and is pinned perpendicularly through the bolt face. Savages do not tolerate hot loads or cases with worn or beveled rims. The .338 Savages were notorious for stuck cases because of this. A case would just expand up against the chamber walls so tight, that the extractor couldn't physically pull the case from the chamber. Just not enough, and strong enough, purchase on the case rim because of the small extractor. It's just a weak part of the design.

Dremeling was usually done on the ejector, IIRC. Then there was the ball bearing and 38 Special case trick, to smooth bolt lift. IIRC, they have kits these days that do the same thing.

 

[Gohring65]

The 308 is the only mag fed savage I have and it’s a bear to cycle. Adding the glades armory bolt handle made it worse because of the added leverage. My 112 mag target 338 did have trouble with the early Hornady brass, but no problems now that they improved it. Admittedly I don’t push it real hard. 300s @2800 fps.
I did have a 6.5 Creed long range Hunter with the savage proprietary mag, after a feed rail adjustment it fed every bit as good as my Remmage 700. I actually regret getting rid of it because after doing the semi custom remington, I didn’t improve anything. Both shoot great, savage probably shot a little better.

 

[Rob01]

for not a lot more you can have a Zermatt Origin with a 26" Proof prefit in the stock of your choice

That's the answer.

 

[Pappasniper]

See that's my problem, I have always been a Savage hater. But this gun got me thinking, but enough bad reviews here having me think maybe not. My LGS has Chrsitensen Arms which I dig, I just wish it had a longer barrel. Im wanting to stretch this mother out, and dont want to buy a rifle that my Rem 700 5R (upgraded a bit) can out shoot. bc my Remmy is lights out and has a 20inch barrel. Love the gun, just wanted to try and upgrade. Not confident the Savage will get that done.

The 20' Christensen is pretty fckn nice. I'll check out the Tikka someone referenced. I have owned Tikka / Sako's and they dont suck.

I hate to sidetrack as the OP, but does the Tikka come with threaded barrel ?

PB

 

[fdkay]

See that's my problem, I have always been a Savage hater. But this gun got me thinking, but enough bad reviews here having me think maybe not. My LGS has Chrsitensen Arms which I dig, I just wish it had a longer barrel. Im wanting to stretch this mother out, and dont want to buy a rifle that my Rem 700 5R (upgraded a bit) can out shoot. bc my Remmy is lights out and has a 20inch barrel. Love the gun, just wanted to try and upgrade. Not confident the Savage will get that done.

The 20' Christensen is pretty fckn nice. I'll check out the Tikka someone referenced. I have owned Tikka / Sako's and they dont suck.

I hate to sidetrack as the OP, but does the Tikka come with threaded barrel ?

PB

You know, you could rebarrel the remington.

 

[Pappasniper]

You know, you could rebarrel the remington.

I know, but the Remmy still shoots lights out. I have been looking for the 24 inch Tikka tactical rifle, it has my attention.

PB

 

[Wannashootit]

110 Precision (not the Elite) in .338 LM.
Under 3/4 minute with 300 A-Tips and shoot it as far as we can spot it (1500 so far).

I can't complain about the Accu-Trigger, I've never had a problem with them.
Smiths like to debate the suitability of Savage actions for the LM, but IMO that's a justification for an action alone that costs as much as the entire Savage rifle (I've never seen lug setback, nor any documented cases of it, not to mention any other sort of failure). Then again, it's not a duty rifle seeing thousands of rounds per year. If you like the feel of a custom action- and are happy to spend the coin on it, that's what makes the world go round.

A 20 year old pickup and a new 'Vette will both get your from your door to work. The Savage hits the steel just like a stick costing three times as much- and that's good enough for me.

 

[MarinePMI]

Let everyone know when you get your first LM case stuck. With Savages and LM, it's a matter of when, not if.


BTW, a lot of folks shoot out to 1500yds...and do it without a LM.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Let everyone know when you get your first LM case stuck. With Savages and LM, it's a matter of when, not if.


BTW, a lot of folks shoot out to 1500yds...and do it without a LM.

Ain't that the truth.
1500 yards can be done with 30 grains of VarGet and a 105 grain bullet.

With most of the 338LM shooters I've seen, I'll have a much better hit ratio too.

 

[MarinePMI]

Ain't that the truth.
1500 yards can be done with 30 grains of VarGet and a 105 grain bullet.

With most of the 338LM shooters I've seen, I'll have a much better hit ratio too.

<chuckle> Yeah, it's that "LM flinch". Might as well be burning $20 bills...Boom ($5)..."Re-engage!"....Boom (another $5)..."Re-engage!"...

 

[Wannashootit]

 

[Gohring65]

<chuckle> Yeah, it's that "LM flinch". Might as well be burning $20 bills...Boom ($5)..."Re-engage!"....Boom (another $5)..."Re-engage!"...

Good lapua shooters have to have the fighters mindset. Once you been punched a few times you realize the reality of it and it only hurts for a little while. So laying prone and a 300 grain Berger you have to think about maybe getting a black eye but learning to be ok with it. A smart shooter only does it once and they adjust. lol

 

[Mike Casselton]

<chuckle> Yeah, it's that "LM flinch". Might as well be burning $20 bills...Boom ($5)..."Re-engage!"....Boom (another $5)..."Re-engage!"...

I watched a guy burn up 26 rounds of 375 CT without even hitting the 1K berm.

(I won't even go into the number of misses at the mile before he decided to try something easier.)

I asked what his 100yd zero was and I got the deer in the headlights look.
He said, "Um, I don't know".

 

[Mike Casselton]

Good lapua shooters have to have the fighters mindset. Once you been punched a few times you realize the reality of it and it only hurts for a little while. So laying prone and a 300 grain Berger you have to think about maybe getting a black eye but learning to be ok with it. A smart shooter only does it once and they adjust. lol

I hear ya.
I've been shooting a 700 mountain rifle in 7mm Mag lately.
Lighting off 79.5gr of H-870 under the 162 ELDM.
Feels like shooting 3-1/2" Turkey loads.

 

[Gohring65]

I hear ya.
I've been shooting a 700 mountain rifle in 7mm Mag lately.
Lighting off 79.5gr of H-870 under the 162 ELDM.
Feels like shooting 3-1/2" Turkey loads.

Getting comfortable behind a rifle like that takes a few years of experience doesn’t it?

 

[Mike Casselton]

It's been in the family since the early 90s.

My Dad and I shot magnums for a lot of years. The 338 Win Mag and the 375 H&H had a little kick to them.

The 7 mag weighs 7-1/2 lbs with the hunting scope on it.
Hits hard on both ends, but the worst is my 16"TC Contender in 45-70.

Typically, it's fired with 400gr Speer flat nose bullets.
I tried a red dot on it last year and it broke the internals, and the front lens nearly came completely out. Ouch.

 

[MarinePMI]

It's been in the family since the early 90s.

My Dad and I shot magnums for a lot of years. The 338 Win Mag and the 375 H&H had a little kick to them.

The 7 mag weighs 7-1/2 lbs with the hunting scope on it.
Hits hard on both ends, but the worst is my 16"TC Contender in 45-70.

View attachment 7868449

Typically, it's fired with 400gr Speer flat nose bullets.
I tried a red dot on it last year and it broke the internals, and the front lens nearly came completely out. Ouch.

My shoulder hurts just looking at that thing. Uhhh....ouch.

 

[Mike Casselton]

My shoulder hurts just looking at that thing. Uhhh....ouch.

Just let me know when you're on this coast and I'll let you shoot it.

 

[a.12]

After owning the savage 223 I’ve had 2 issues one can’t get an ES lower then 10 unlike all my other rifles even after trying multiple powders but I stuck with Varget, 77smk, neck turned lapua brass with about 2760 fps but I do average about 15-22 es with 10 shots and a harrell tuner break with my best group being .282 3 shots but under half MOA with 10 shots every time! So far no issues an amazing trainer and have taken it out to 1000 yards no issues besides the wind lol killed 3 coyotes with it! Only mod I had to do was file down the magazine on the accurate 10 rnd mags

 

[b6graham]

its a 223. an ES over 10 shots around 15-20 is quite acceptable

 

[PBGEAR]

I know this is an old thread but thought I'd throw in my $0.02.

I have one in 223 and shoot 90 grn HSM ammo exclusively in it - and it is the most accurate rifle I own. Consistent, consistent 0.2-0.4 ctc 5rds at 100.

My 223 Tikka is close - but only with match 77 grn loads.

My AI-AT isn't as good, nor is either of my scar 20's, GAP 10 or my various sig's.

Don't love the accutrigger but it is fine, bolt feels cheap - but the results downrange speak for themselves.

Btw, I know my office is a mess - my wife tells me daily. I tell her she wasn't invited.