Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Savage Actions?

I know most here beat a different drum, but I've noticed a large contingent into tactical rifles dote on these. OTHER THAN ASTHETICS, are there any disadvantages of these actions over say a Ruger, Rem, or Win?

Dont know much about the tactical guns, but I have never seen a Savage bolt gun that was not a heck of a shooter. I could care less if a gun looks like a boat oar, as long as it out shoots all of the pretty guns on the line.

Pointer-There are several advantages to a Savage action for the average joe. One is that with the barrel nut, it is quite simple for the enthusiast that does not have a machine shop to change barrels quite simply, and to also change the recoil lug to an aftermarket item. Barrels and recoil lugs are available from several sources and the barrels are fully chambered and only needing to be headspaced to the bolt. You can also change boltheads on the bolt itself to fit the different cartridge head sizes if you decide to change to a cartridge that is not using the same size bolthead as the present chambering. I have an old 110E here that is being seriously considered for a change from .30-06 to .35 Whelen.
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<br>The Savage action is also quite safe in regards to diverting gas if a case ruptures. It has baffles front and rear, a vent in the front, and gas cannot come down the firing pin and get you in the face due to the construction of the bolt, which is totally enclosed in the rear.
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<br>To get the best out of the rifle, I recommend an aftermarket trigger, though the factory unit is adjustable. The aftermarket units are just better. There is a new factory trigger that is going to be available soon that shows some promise, though it will be somewhat different than what is typical for a centerfire rifle trigger. It is more like a Glock "Safe-action" trigger, and is supposed to be user-adjustable from 1 to 6 pounds if my memory is correct. Don't hold me to those figures, as I am relying on my memory there. (OH boy)
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<br>I have built a couple of rifles on Savage actions and have been pleased with the accuracy. But there isn't a durn thing wrong with any of the others you mentioned, either. And I will state this. If I were building a rifle strictly for competition, there is no doubt it would based on the 700 action.
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<br>By the way, my favorite action, for some reason, is the Winchester Model 70. My first centerfire bolt rifle was an M70, and I still think they one of the most aesthetically pleasing actions.
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<br>My favorite deer rifle I presently own is my Ruger M77MKII Compact in .308. It is so cute you can't help but love it, and it shoots pretty good, too.

Friend of mine has built somewhere's between a dozen and two dozen heavy-barreled varminters on the Savage 110 action (I'd have to ask him to be sure), mostly with the .532 boltface. Also a few on the .473 face, such as 6mm-06, etc.
<br>300 Win. mag Savage actions are fairly inexpensive, which is why he started using them many years ago, to build wildcat varminters.
<br>He's also built rifles on M700 and M77 actions, just prefers Savages as they're easier to rebarrel and more economical to acquire. Bottom line, the Savage actions work just as well as the others.
<br>Many of these rifles are variants on the 300 Win. case (6mm, 257, 6.5, 270), so that particular action is a good beginning.
<br>BTW, none of his rifles have aftermarket triggers on 'em. The trigger on the 22-06 he built on a 110 action for me, was at 2 and 3/4 lbs when I bought the rifle, used, for the action. Didn't fuss with it....yet.
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<br>Just saw a used 110 in 300 Win. for $285 or thereabouts, last trip to my favorite gunshop where I bought my used 243 M110E for $200 and change earlier this year.

I have never understood the aversion to Savage actions, with the exception that it is probably the cheapest rifle on the market. I had a chance to buy a lefthand in 30-06 at a gunshow a couple of weeks ago for $200. Ugly package gun stock, but that is vtry easy to fix, as is the caliber.

Vic, question I went to the midwayusa web site and looked at the a&b barrels they offer. I noticed they added a c to the 110 instead of an e does this mean anything or are all the 110's the same? tom

Pumpgun--The "C" in a Savage 110 model designation usually refers to the rifle being a removable box magazine type. This will not affect barrel fit if you have an "E" model. I have also seen "F" and "G" designations, but the receivers were the same.
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<br>The short actions are something they have brought out in the last 4 or 5 years and are proving to be quite popular. The long action came in two styles, the earlier one having a "c-clip" style extracter and the newer one having an extracter similiar to the push-feed Winchester M70. This change was made in the '60's, I believe. There was/is a "J-Series" that is different from the long action in the spacing of the action screws, 4.522" for the j-series and 5.062" for the standard long-action. I believe, but not 100% sure, that this will not affect barrel fit.
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<br>I suspect that one of those A&B barrels in .35 Whelen is going to come to Virginia soon. With two .308's, a .300 WinMag, and a strong desire for a Winchester M70 in .30-06, my 110E just may get a new barrel. .35 Whelen should be just enough gun for these overly large and very aggressive Va. Whitetales (grin)
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<br>Then there's the .416 Taylor.....