Savage’s 110 Carbon Tactical FDE

Proof Research is one of the key names in carbon barrels, so to see one paired with a Savage 110 action was quite a strong statement. This .308-chambered rifle is tipped with a 5/8x24 threaded muzzle with a neat crown under a threaded cap. Both the muzzle and breach of the barrel show stainless steel emerging from the otherwise black/grey carbon outer that reinforces and stiffens the inner steel. The 22” barrel has a 1:10” twist rate, and the matte finish carbon with bright silver accents shows a straight taper from 19mm at the muzzle to 28mm as it enters the action.

Action stations

The Savage 110 action is used in a multitude of rifles and appears here with a matte-blacked finish to its carbon steel structure. The barrel is threaded in with a barrel nut to set and maintain accurate head spacing. The action is cylindrical, apart from the recoil lug sandwiched between itself and the barrel to transfer firing energy into the stock. There is a 20 MOA inclined Picatinny rail up top for scope mounting, and the underside shows an aluminium floorplate with a detachable, AICS-compatible, 10-round polymer magazine (supplied). The AccuTrigger features an inner safety blade to prevent accidental firing, and on the review gun, broke cleanly at 960-grams, although it is adjustable from 681-1800-grams, to suit your preference.

The bolt has a 100mm stroke length and two locking lugs, so a 90º lift to cock and unlock the action. The handle is very long at 78mm, with a heavily knurled cylindrical handle measuring 40x22mm. A 3-position tang safety moves forward for FIRE, middle for SAFE with bolt operation, and rearward for SAFE and a locked bolt. The bolt release catch is on the right side of the action and requires simultaneous application of the trigger to unlock it for bolt withdrawal.

Savage uses a secondary floating lug set behind the bolt head to ease transit along the action’s inner raceways. The bolt face is a push-feed unit featuring a recessed extractor claw and single sprung plunger ejector. The bottom metal shows a spacious trigger guard with a 25mm long magazine release lever in front of it.

Furniture

This Flat Dark Earth coloured Accustock sports a matte finish and shows a ‘Law Enforcement Beavertail’, so there’s plenty of space and chequering on the forend to get your hands gripped on to. The ambidextrous grip shows more chequering, and there are twin studs up front for bipod or sling mounting. The barrel is fully floated.

The comb is black and Savage supplies five alternate height/shape combinations to accommodate differently-sized shooters. This feature is coupled to an adjustable length of pull for which multiple spacers are supplied. It can be increased from 12.75” to 15.1”. All you must do for either changeover is to remove the two recoil pad Phillips screws. With the pad off, the cheekpiece sections can then be unlocked and swapped. They latch solidly in position without any rattles. Multiple lengths of screws are supplied to fit your needs, although the longer spacer, which I would have used, didn’t have any suitable length screws supplied, so I wasn’t able to use it. The butt pad is approximately 30mm thick and very soft, to absorb recoil. Foam is fitted inside the butt to dampen noise and vibration, preventing it from sounding hollow.
Inside

The final inspection of the rifle involved removing the two action retention screws on either side of the magazine well. Lifting the barrelled action clear shows an aluminium bedding block moulded into the synthetic stock, and when re-tensioned in position, there is no bedding stress as the screws are tightened back down. The bedding block’s face meets the recoil lug exactly, so the stock-to-action interface is assured and consistent. Savage describes it as “Vice Like” along the full length of the action, and I certainly don’t doubt it.

When cleaning the barrel, the cut rifling procedure certainly left a very smooth bore, which didn’t accumulate excessive debris. Savage normally button rifles their steel barrels and it’s fairly easy to see the effort and cost that goes into the barrel alone, so it’s good to appreciate its worth. I cleaned the barrel prior to shooting and found no previous residue or untoward copper fragments.

Testing time

A Leupold scope was supplied in quick-release mounts, and I fitted a Wildcat moderator. I shot the rifle prone and bench-rested from a bipod, as well as standing from quad sticks, perhaps mostly because I found it a little tricky to precisely categorise its intended user and likely use. Is it a lightweight sporting rifle (carbon barrel & synthetic stock), or is it a Tactical/Law enforcement rifle (10-round magazine & long bolt handle)? Similarly, would a carbon barrel suit a tactical/law enforcement rifle with its alternate thermal capabilities, and would a tactical/law enforcement rifle not have a beefier stock with a vertical grip and external adjustment?

The first job was to zero the gun, and in that process, run it in, re-clean it, and get the barrel hot. I’m not personally an immediate fan of all carbon barrels and treat them with extreme caution before I can truly trust them. I must admit, the Savage really surprised me. Not only did it shoot tiny groups with factory ammunition, but the barrel didn’t seem to exhibit any thermal drift between the groups. It didn’t get much of a chance to cool either, as it was unusually warm at 28°C, with no shade from the sun either. The stress-free stock fit is undoubtedly a key part of this, but that barrel was thermally stable for multiple 5-round groups. I didn’t feel the need to dump all 10 rounds in the mag through in one go. This is because after shooting it, I felt it was ergonomically a sporter with a big mag and bolt handle, rather than a tactical rifle with a carbon barrel and slim stock.

The actual shooting character of the rifle was controlled, the trigger was predictable, the magazine was functional, and ejection was reliable. I wasn’t a fan of the extended bolt handle because I had to lift my head and face out of the way every time to cycle the action on what was for me, a quite short length of pull. Long bolt handles sound like a desirable addition to rifles but can be a bit marmite, although they do give masses of mechanical leverage for primary extraction if you ever get a tight case.

It’s of no surprise to me that the rifle shot well. Savages rarely fail to perform on target, yet I was pleasantly astounded by how good the Proof Research carbon barrel was. Not only was it accurate, but it was also thermally stable, and that’s the key factor when you essentially wrap a steel barrel with a thermally insulating outer layer that slows its heat dispersion and adds complexity, thanks to differential stiffness between the materials. Central to this is the ‘core’ of the barrel because although we know the outer diameter, we don’t know the secrets of what Proof Research is doing within the diameter and the overall shape of the stainless-steel barrel. Perhaps that is where their secrets lie.

I’d have no hesitation in using one of these barrels on a stalking rifle to shed weight, but I’d also want to see it with a 5-round magazine and a shorter bolt handle. Savage has always done the large, tactical, target, and competition rifles so well, often striding far ahead of the competition, especially with factory F-class and FTR rifles. However, you can’t make one rifle suit everyone without compromise and frankly, those extra five rounds in the magazine probably weigh about the same as the weight saving over a regular steel barrel. Thankfully, because the magazine is AICS compatible, it’s easy to buy a 5-round unit. This would clarify the gun’s identity and improve its looks. Similarly, if you want the thicker recoil pad spacers, you can get screws easily enough, and the rimmed spacer design makes them stack together securely to get the dimensions required.

Conclusion

The 110 Tactical FDE is certainly a capable rifle for putting rounds on target, but its design ethos seems a little confused - who is the rifle’s intended buyer? If you like the looks, the accuracy and precision certainly won’t disappoint, and the Accufit stock enables great versatility from a single rifle, without any mechanical compromise or weight penalty. Similarly, the Accustock, with the secure bedding block, is totally reliable, and the barrel will draw looks.