110 Archives

Introduction

I’ve been a precision rifle junkie for over two decades now. Having been part of the community all these years I’ve seen a few things come and go. There has been a great deal of equipment presented by a plethora of manufacturers, and today we are going to revisit a couple of those. Today we are looking at the Savage 110 6.5 Creedmoor.

Ashbury Precision Ordnance (APO) has been a big name in the industry for some time. Manufacturing rifle chassis and rifle systems. Savage Arms is another big name in the shooting sports that has been well known for making all kinds of firearms, but particularly as it relates to today’s subject. Savage is well known for making affordable precision for those that have perhaps a tighter budget. The rifle we are discussing today is a combination of the above two companies. It is a Savage Model 10 6.5 creedmoor rifle combined with APO’s Saber chassis system.

Ashbury Precision Ordnance

APO is an international manufacturer and broker of firearms and their accessories, offering high performance shooting equipment. I was made aware of APO years ago when I began to see more and more of their rifles and chassis systems show up on the scene.

My initial impression back then was that APO’s designs were specifically focused on shooting performance. By that I mean their rifles and chassis were built quite robust. Rigid and perhaps even overbuilt is one way you could describe them. For static accurate shooting, this is not a bad approach. But for fast moving competitive shooting styles it could be perhaps a little less ideal.

In recent years APO has all but disappeared from the places I remember seeing them so often before. So much in fact I wondered if they had moved on to another market. These are of course only one man’s opinions, and perhaps I am simply less observant than most.

Savage Arms

I bought my first Savage decades ago, I was already deep into the dark art of rifling and even had custom rifles built prior. But that old Savage 10FP just hit right, and I had to have it. It quickly because my favorite due mainly to its flat-out performance. I would make some of the best shots of my career with that rifle because of the consistent use and familiarity.

This is a common thread among Savage shooters. In my opinion, despite the lower cost of Savage barreled-actions they frequently punch above their weight. A reputation like this has led to a cult-like following by many who have had the same experience I did. On many occasions I watched as my little Savage outshot rifles two and three times the cost (possibly due to the shooters skill). Today’s subject is a direct descendant of my old 10FP. The Savage model 110 being a more modern version of the same design.

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Unboxing

When I first opened the box I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it was going to be an APO/Savage combination but of what generation I wondered. As I lifted it from the box my curiosity remained, as it appeared to be of a slightly older model.

The complete rifle was quite long. Sporting a twenty-six inch fluted Creedmoor barrel that was tipped at the end with a three-prong suppressor mount. The large diameter M-Lok handguard filled my support hand , and the AR-15 styled pistol grip granted easy access to the trigger. At the rear of the rifle, a folding buttstock reminded me of times past. Mounted on an AR buffer-tube was an adjustable buttstock. The Savage action had the longer bolt handle and knob typically seen on the long-range models. It also featured Savage’s famous Accu-Trigger, and a tang-mounted safety. I ran the bolt a few times with the rifle shouldered, and everything felt right in the world. The rifle is fed by AI pattern box magazines. This rifle came with a Magpul version which was easily removed by the large mag-catch in front of the trigger-guard.

Preparation for the Range

Everything looked right, so it was time to prep this rifle for the range. I would need just a few things to see how this rifle would perform, mainly a rifle scope and a bipod. Choosing to put my US Optics FDN25X on the rifle was easy, mainly because it was close and available. I installed a Magpul sling stud in the front of the handguard so I could install a Harris SL bipod.

Once I had those two items installed on the rifle. I again tested everything for compatibility and found something I wasn’t prepared for. Even after mounting my scope as far back as I could on the scope rail. The length of pull was so long I couldn’t even get a good position to see through the scope. Despite all the adjustments on the buttstock it was incapable of getting any shorter than it already was. This was going to be trouble as I simply couldn’t shoot it as it. I could have mounted the scope differently or install another scope but it wouldn’t have completely solved the problem. I ended up having to swap out the buttstock for a shorter collapsable type, not exactly my first choice but it would work to get the rifle on the range.

On the range

It was time to get this rifle on the range and see what it would do. I prefer testing rifles in the open country of the Rocky Mountains or the wide open deserts nearby. It allows for long-range testing and there nobody there to bother you.

Once I had this rifle on the firing line with a target setup at one-hundred yards, it was finally time to feed it. I loaded a few rounds of Hornady Match 140 grain ammunition. I’d boresighted the rifle previously, so I was expecting it to be on paper. After firing a few shots, they weren’t where I expected them to be on paper. Then I discovered another unexpected predicament.

Issues?

The ejector didn’t seem to be working on the rifle, it would pull the spent cases from the chamber. But then it would drop them shortly thereafter leaving me no choice but to finger the case out of the way. While this was an unfortunate and unpleasant development, it’s not a big deal either. The ejector spring is an easy repair to make, which I would have done if I’d had the parts. But without them I just moved forward with my testing.

The rifle shot ok, I would have liked it to shoot better for sure though. Groups averaged under MOA but barely, and a rifle like this should be shooting 1/2 MOA all day long.

The more I shot the rifle the more familiar I became with its functions. This rifle fed like a dream, especially with that long bolt handle to give more leverage. Surely the low friction of the Magpul magazine were to thank for it. The 6.5CM is not a big recoiling rifle, but competition rifles are typically built for as little recoil as possible and this rifle could have used a better brake towards that end.

The chassis of the rifle was a bit cumbersome for me, it folds to reduce the overall size of the rifle which is nice. But my complaints are more regarding use, the magazine well seemed entirely too narrow. I required significantly more focus when reloading than other rifle chassis I’ve used.

Pros & Cons

Three-prong muzzle device, perhaps a brake would have been better

Pros
-Solid and very robust design
-Compatible with popular designs and accessories
-Folding stock for reduced transport
-Accu Trigger feels good as always
-Extended bolt handle for extra leverage
Cons
-Buttstock was too long, couldn’t go short enough
-Magwell was finicky
-Accuracy had degraded to sub-par
-Ejector issue

Read the Conclusion Here

CONCLUSION

In my experience, Savage rifles typically shoot better than this one did. It’s certainly possible that this rifle is in need of a tune-up after years of use with a previous owner. Or it could just be one of those occasional ones that doesn’t shoot that great.

The APO chassis was kind of a letdown too. Looks aren’t everything, obviously, but they do count for something. This chassis felt like it had fallen out of a time machine from 2003. The only thing about it that felt relevant was the Magpul magazine.

-CBM

Like Savage rifles? Here is another one.

Introduction

One of my first loves was an old Savage 10FP in 308. It had all the simplicity a guy could want, and it just plain shot. I have had a bunch of Savages over the years, and I have typically had a pretty good experience with them. So when the opportunity to shoot a newer version of the model 10/110 I was eager to see how it compared to the old FP I loved so much. Today we are looking at a more modern and similar rifle, the Savage 110 6.5 Creedmoor.

My old Savage 10FP from almost twenty years ago

Savage has been around for a long time, and they have made quite a few guns in that time. One of my initial concerns with this rifle in particular was if it stood up to the classic Savages that I’ve shot over the years, I would find out soon enough.

The Model 110

The 110 action has changed through several different generations over the decades, but this current 6.5 Creedmoor model is not too different from those of the past. Like most Savage actions, is is machined from round stock with a front and rear ring. A two-lug bolt rotates the floating head into the front ring of the action, and the twenty-four inch eight-twist barrel is threaded into the front of the action. A recoil lug is sandwiched there, and the whole assembly held together with a barrel nut.

At the rear of the action the safety and Accu-Trigger are attached, and the whole thing is set into the polymer stock. I’ve never been a big fan of the cheap plastic stocks on economy priced rifles, but some of the few that were despicable in my eyes have been Savages such as this one. On the bottom of the polymer stock, there is a detachable box magazine that holds three cartridges.
This model is obviously marketed as a hunting rifle, it’s weight and profile features are optimized for a hunter. That being the case I wasn’t surprised by some of the features, or a lack of others. I guess you could say that in my estimation this was a basic no-frills hunting rifle.

Outfitting

Being a hunting rifle, I wanted to setup the rifle the way I would use it. The open Rocky Mountains where I hunt are full of big spaces, and shots can be had from archery range to as far as you’d dare pull a trigger. I decided to mount my Gen 1 Vortex PST 4-16, perhaps a little old school for today’s market, but these older scopes always worked great for me. Way back in the day,I actually got one of the very first ones that came out, serial number four. I mounted the scope in a pair of Warne rings, and bore-sighted it on my kitchen counter. After attaching a bipod for convenience and accuracy testing, I lubed up the action before heading out to shoot.

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I wanted to give the Savage a few different ammunition options to see how it performed. Some rifles are pretty picky when it comes to shooting accurately with any given ammo. So I wanted to have as many options for success as possible. The current situation at the ammo isle is pretty sad still, I have managed to find a bunch of stuff lately but the 6.5CM is still not as common as it once was. That being the case I decide to shoot a few of the factory options I had available, as well as some of my most common handloads that have done well in my other 6.5’s. Continue Reading Here…

OPENING SHOTS IN THE FIELD

Savage 10/110 Rifle — I put a few different loads through the rifle.

After a vigorous hike that took me up to 5,000 feet, I paced off 100 yards and checked it with my rangefinder. I spent a few shots getting the rifle zeroed. Once I felt it had a good zero, I set to trying the hodgepodge selection of ammo I had brought. First off, I tried the Hornady match 143-grain ammo. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t exactly impress me either. I also tried some Desert Tech 140-grain Match, which also shot kind of ho-hum. I was really hoping my handloads did better. Otherwise, this was going to be a very quick review.

The next up was my 120-grain handloads. These are a boat-tail hollow-point round that I have used in several rifles for many years now. My son used them to take his very first mule deer as well as his first elk. Having used them quite a bit over the years, I was optimistic that they would do well in this little Savage.

The best I could get this 110 to group was just barely over one MOA with this ammunition. Which turned out to provide the most consistent groups of all the rounds that I shot. I picked out a few targets at some modest distances across the little draw, hitting 6 to 10-inch sized targets was pretty easy. I would feel more than comfortable using this rifle for deer hunting at ranges inside 400 yards.

PROS

This Savage has some great things going for it as a hunting rifle. It’s not particularly heavy. But at just shy of 8 pounds, it fits squarely in the average hunting rifle size. It’s 24-inch barrel is a fairly light profile and easily pointed, and I’m glad it’s not a 26-incher.

The Accu-Trigger never was a big selling point for me, but this one feels fine, and it’s perfectly suitable for a hunting rifle. While the magazine functioned flawlessly and fed smooth, it did feel a little cheap and somewhat finicky to remove from the rifle.

CONS

It’s hard to screw up a classic, so I wasn’t surprised with how well the 110 functioned. That said, I was left feeling a bit let down with the accuracy of this rifle. The one thing I really wanted this rifle to be was an excellent shooter, as I’ve become accustomed to that.

While I certainly feel like I could use this rifle for hunting, I would probably pick one of my other rifles over this one. Sub-MOA accuracy is a minimum “must have” for my hunting rifles, and this one just didn’t want to do it consistently. With more time and different ammo choices, perhaps I could’ve found a combo that it really liked.

CONCLUSION

The price point of this rifle seems to put it above entry level in the production market. At an MSRP of $849, it’s not exactly a slam dunk. But to be fair, with rifles in this price range, I have seen some disparity in performance. While the performance on this particular model didn’t blow me away, it wouldn’t surprise me to see better results from another example.

The reliability and function of the rifle did stand up with all the other good Savages I’ve shot over the years, so perhaps this one just needed a little coaxing.

-CBM