Savage 110 FBT Hunter review: what £2,210 buys you

Savage’s carbon-stocked lightweight lands at £2,210, some £800 under the 110 Klym it shares a stock with. Ed Jackson finds out whether the cheaper barrel costs you anything that matters.

Lightweight rifles have a price problem. The things that make them light, a carbon-fibre stock and a carbon-wrapped barrel, are the two most expensive components you can bolt together, which is why the class has largely belonged to rifles north of £3,000. Savage’s 110 FBT Hunter is an attempt to get most of the way there for rather less money, and the way it does it is worth understanding before you spend.

The flagship in this family is the 110 Klym at over £3,000, built around a Proof Research carbon-fibre-wrapped barrel and an FBT carbon stock, and weighing 6.2lb. The FBT Hunter keeps the same expensive stock and swaps the carbon barrel for a factory steel one, shortened to 18in and spiral fluted. The result weighs 6.6lb and costs £2,210. That is 0.4lb heavier for roughly £800 less, which is the entire commercial argument for this rifle in one line.

Savage 110 FBT Hunter vs Savage 110 Klym

           

	110 FBT Hunter	110 Klym
Price (SRP)	£2,210	Over £3,000
Barrel	18in steel, spiral fluted	Proof Research carbon-wrapped
Stock	FBT carbon fibre	FBT carbon fibre
Weight	6.6lb (2.9kg)	6.2lb (2.8kg)
Trigger	AccuTrigger	AccuTrigger

The Savage 110 FBT Hunter handles really well and will certainly get the job done

Where the money goes

Most of the cost sits in the stock. The FBT (Fine Ballistic Tools) unit is a three-piece build, carbon fore-end and butt with a polymer centre, carrying a generous thumbhole, a vertical pistol grip with twin palm swells, a 0.75in recoil pad giving 14.5in length of pull, and a push-button adjustable cheekpiece with over an inch of travel. The fore-end is 16in long with a flat underside and an integrated Magnaswitch mount for a Spartan bipod. Note that the angled sling stud at the tip is not a bipod mount, so budget for the Magnaswitch fitting if you want legs on it.

       

Detail of the FBT’s thumbhole grip, the carbon-fibre weave and the height-adjustable cheekpiece

This Savage’s user-adjustable AccuTrigger broke at 3lb 2oz

The barrel is where the saving is. It is completely free-floated back to the reinforce, a heavy sporter or semi-weight profile at 19mm on the muzzle, cut to 18in and spiral fluted to shed a little more weight. It arrives threaded 5/8x24 with a protector fitted, so a moderator is a straight swap with no gunsmithing.

What you get for the money on test

Tested in .308 Win at Rose Hill Farm Rifle Range in Suffolk with a Delta Titanium 2.5-15x56 scope and a Wildcat Evo moderator, the rifle did what a buyer would want it to do with ordinary hunting ammunition rather than expensive match fodder.

       

Load	Average group, 100yd	Velocity
Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 150gr	0.609in	2,760fps
Hornady ECX 150gr (non-lead)	0.660in	2,770fps
Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X 178gr	Over 2in	2,493fps

Two of the three loads grouped comfortably under three quarters of an inch, including the non-lead, which is worth knowing given where ammunition rules are heading. The third was a genuine miss: the 178-grain ELD-X opened past 2in every time. Buy a box of two or three loads before you commit to a case of one.

 

What to check before you buy

Three things are worth handling in the shop. The bolt closes firmly and puts a slight twist through your hands, which some shooters mind and others never notice. The three-position tang safety is easy to reach but easy to overrun into the wrong position, so work it a few times. And the flush-fit magazine’s release button sits exposed on the front of the well, which is fine in a high seat and less ideal pushing through cover.

Note the sprung release catch on the front of the flush-fit magazine

There is also a touch of play in the adjustable cheekpiece and enough flex in the fore-end to touch the barrel, though neither shifted the point of impact on test.

Verdict

Judged as a purchase rather than a rifle test, the 110 FBT Hunter is a lot of kit for £2,210. You get the expensive stock, the AccuTrigger, a threaded barrel ready for a moderator and, on this example, sub-MOA accuracy with two of three factory hunting loads. What you give up against the Klym is 0.4lb and a carbon barrel, for a saving that would pay for a decent moderator and a season’s ammunition.

It is not the slickest action at the money, and there are two or three controls worth trying before you commit. But if the brief is a light rifle you will genuinely carry, bought sensibly, it makes a strong case.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Savage 110 FBT Hunter in the UK?

£2,210 SRP. Viking Arms is the UK distributor, so any Savage-stocking RFD can order one, and street prices are worth checking against the SRP.

Is the 110 FBT Hunter better value than the 110 Klym?

On paper, yes. The two share the FBT carbon stock and the AccuTrigger. The Klym adds a Proof Research carbon-wrapped barrel and saves 0.4lb, for around £800 more. Unless the last few ounces matter to you, the FBT is the sensible buy.

Do you need a special bipod for it?

The fore-end sling stud is angled and not meant for a bipod. There is an integrated Magnaswitch mount instead, which takes a Spartan bipod or equivalent, so budget for that rather than assuming your existing legs will fit.

Will it shoot non-lead ammunition?

Yes. On test 150-grain Hornady ECX averaged 0.660in at 100 yards, near enough matching its best lead group, which is a useful thing to know with the lead transition under way.

What calibres is it offered in?

The review rifle was .308 Win. Check current availability with Viking Arms or your dealer, as the offering changes.