Savage’s Model 110 is probably the oldest model of rifle still currently in production, having started in 1958. Since then, it has gone through many guises in the more than six decades, but the basic design principles have remained the same. The company can trace its beginnings back to 1892 and is famous for its Model 1895 and Model 1899 lever-action rifles.
The subject of this test, the Model 110 Tactical Desert, is intended as a competition/tactical rifle and not a hunting rifle. However, as you will see later in this article, it can be tweaked slightly to serve both purposes. The rifle weighs in at 4,02 kg (unloaded and without a telescope or suppressor fitted) – slightly heavier than the standard “carry all day” hunting rifle, mainly due to the weight of the magazine and the semi-bull barrel measuring 19 mm in diameter at the crown.
The straight-profile carbon steel barrel is 24” long and has a 1:8 twist rate with no Knox form. The barrel finish is exactly
