Savage Model 110 (SA/flat-back))

The History of Savage Arms

Savage Arms was founded in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York. Arthur Savage held two important patents at the time: a patent for a repeating rifle with a single-column magazine lever-action rifle, which he acquired in 1891, and a patent for a hammerless lever-action design. That paved the way for Savage’s quick rise to success.

The company’s first breakthrough came in 1895 when it introduced Model 1895 – the first hammerless lever-action rifle on the market. It was modeled after Model 1892, an earlier design that never saw production due to losing a bid for a US Army contract. Model 1895, however, won the contract for New York National Guard, but it was soon canceled due to getting caught in a contemporary political climate.

Savage continued investing efforts into the production of military-grade weapons. It was named one of the two finalists in the US Army trials for a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and it lost only to the now-famous Colt M1911. Savage used the gained experience to produce high-quality pocket pistols, though, which resulted in the introduction of Model 1907, 1915, and 1917.

During World War I, Savage was merged with the Driggs-Seabury Ordnance company. The joint company focused all its efforts on the production of Lewis machine guns and heavy equipment for war purposes. 

Between the two wars, Savage decided to expand its business inside the USA. In 1920 it bought Stevens Arms of Chicopee, followed by A.H. Fox Gun Co. of Philadelphia and Davis-Warner Arms and CrescentArms Co. of Norwich in 1930. Success followed and in 1939 Savage introduced the Model 24 combination gun which sold over a million copies.

When World War II commenced, though, Savage was once again ready to answer the call of duty. It focused all its resources on war efforts, producing a staggering number of weapons. It already signed a contract with Auto Ordinance Co. in 1938 to manufacture the famous .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun, and most of these submachine guns that were used in WWII were produced by none other than Savage. The company was also contracted by the US government in 1940 to produce .30 and .50 caliber Browning machine guns. On top of that, Savage manufactured one of the most mass-produced bolt-action rifles of WWII, the British No. 4 Lee–Enfield. A record of 1.2 million Lee-Enfield rifles was produced by Savage during the time of war.

Production dialed down after the war, though. In 1946, Savage closed its facilities in Utica and moved all its operations to the Stevens manufacturing premises. Even though the Model 110 was introduced in 1958, which remains one of the company’s most successful rifles to this date, Savage started to experience some issues. In 1960 all production was moved to the current location of Westfield, Massachusetts, and what followed was a series of different ownerships over the company. Savage gradually ran into serious financial problems and in 1988 the company declared bankruptcy.

The company had to cut back on its manufacturing costs to the point where it even stopped producing short-action configurations of its most successful model, the aforementioned Model 110. It wasn’t until 1995 when Savage returned to private ownership led by Ronald Coburn who sort of rejuvenated the whole company.

In 2002 Savage introduced and patented AccuTrigger – a safe and user-adjustable trigger that soon became a success. The following year, in 2003, the company was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence, further reaffirming Savage’s distinction. Four years later, on May 15, 2007, Savage 93R17 BTVS has been named the best rifle in the Best of the Best presentation by Shooting Times, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Gazette magazines.

In 2013 Savage once again changed ownership. It was acquired by Orbital ATK for 315 million dollars, and it was later handed over to Vista Outdoor which later sold it for $170 million in 2019 to a group of private investors led by Savage’s management.

The company also had its logo changed in the middle of the 2010s when it decided to retire its old logo that presumably featured Chief Lame Deer, a native-American tribesman leader. The latter supposedly approached Arthur Savage in 1919 to purchase rifles for his tribe. In exchange for a discount, Lame Deer agreed to a deal. According to the deal, Savage was allowed to use Lame Deer’s face for promotional purposes. Many doubt the authenticity of this story, however, and Savage itself removed it from its official website as well.

Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back) Review

Savage Model 110 bolt-action repeating rifle was first introduced in 1958 by Savage Arms and has been in continuous production to this day. It was designed by Nicholas L. Brewer, who was tasked with designing a cheap alternative to the pricier contemporary hunting rifles on the market. Brewer surpassed the original expectations and designed a rifle that would get Savage Arms through its darkest times.

During its long history, the Model 110 saw a lot of changes that altered the rifle in various, sometimes significant ways. This makes reviewing this Savage model sort of complicated and special naming needs to be adopted for different periods of the rifle’s production. This is why we differentiate between 5 different versions of this model:

• long-action flat-back Savage Model 110

• medium-action flat-back Model 110 (pre-1988 short-action)

• short-action flat-back Model 110 (also known as flat-back Model 10)

• long-action round-back Model 110

• short-action round-back Model 110 (also known as round-back Model 10)

If you are unsure which one you own, you can read this article: How to know which Savage Model 110 you have

In this review, we’ll be focusing on the flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA), a short-action version of the Model 110. It was introduced in 1997 when Savage Arms finally managed to dig itself from the financial pit it found itself in back in 1988, and it was produced until 2003 when it was replaced by a short-action round-back Model 110.

Flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) is also known as a flat-back Model 10, and it is a direct successor to the older medium-action flat-back Model 110. The latter was produced from 1959 to 1988 when it was retired due to Savage’s financial difficulties. Flat-back Model 110 (MA) was actually the original short-action configuration of the legendary Savage Model 110, but it has a slightly longer action than the newer short-action model.

Furthermore, Savage introduced its patented AccuTrigger in 2003 and consequently started manufacturing all Model 110s with a round-back receiver. Therefore, flat-back Savage Model 110 is sometimes also referred to as “pre-AccuTrigger” Model 110. At the same time, “flat-rear” and “pre-2003” are also used at times. You can read more about how Savage Model 110 changed through the years here.

Figure 1: Round-back Model 110 on the top and flat-back Model 110 below it (source: https://savagearms.com/blog?p=how-to-find-the-right-bases-for-a-savage-centerfire-rifle)

Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back) features a steel receiver with two gas ports and four drilled and tapped holes for mounting purposes. The receiver is rounded in the front and flat at the back, hence the “flat-back” mark. It hosts a smooth and fast-working satin-slide bolt with two locking lugs. The bolt-release catch is found on the right side of the action behind the bolt handle (the newer Model 110 versions, however, have a bolt-release catch located in front of the trigger guard on the bottom of the rifle).

The action is usually of the push-feed style, although some of the variants that are chambered for magnum cartridges and were made before 2009 have a controlled feed action. Those are usually the long-action variants that were meant for big game hunting, such as Savage 116SE (Safari Express), for instance, so it’s unlikely there’s any controlled-feed short-action Model 110 out there. 

The barrel of the flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) is button barreled and free-floating. It usually features two iron sights – one in the front and one in the back, with the latter one being adjustable. The barrel is made of chromed steel and its length also depends on the variant and/or intended use, but it ranges from 420 to 711 mm (16.5 to 28-inch).

The very first Model 110s produced had a fixed magazine, but in 1966 the model saw some upgrades that, among other things, introduced a new ejector that allowed the use of detachable box magazines. Therefore, most flat-back Model 110 (SA) variants have a detachable magazine. Most of them come with a capacity for up to 4 cartridges, although there are a few single-shot and muzzle-loading variants as well.

Figure 2: Flat-back Savage Model 11GC as seen in the Savage print catalog from 2000. Model 11 is a hunting variant of Model 10 which is also known as a short-action Model 110 (source: https://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?308-Savage-Arms-1983-Print-Catalog)

Up to 2005, all versions of Savage Model 110 were made with a staggered feed magazine, but then Savaged introduced a centerfeed one. This didn’t affect the long-action Model 110 much since all its important dimensions stayed the same, but the action screw spacing on the short-action version changed once again. This time the changes didn’t affect the mounting surface since the distances between the four mounting holes at the top of the receiver didn’t change, but it was enough for the short- and medium-action Model 110 to lose stock interchangeability with post-2005 versions of the rifle. This is why centerfeed round-back stocks won't work on flat-back Model 110 (SA) variants with the staggered feed magazines. 

The 3-position safety catch of flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) is located on top of the rifle’s tang. Both the trigger and the bolt are locked in the rearmost position. In the middle position, the trigger remains locked while the bolt can be cycled, and in the forward position, the rifle is in firing mode. Due to stricter US laws that were introduced in the second half of the 20th century regarding the safety of rifles, most of the rifles on the market back in the day featured triggers with a fairly weighty trigger pull-weight. The same goes for flat-back Model 110 (SA), which has a pull-weight of approx. 2.72 kg (6 lbs.).

The stock material of flat-back Model 110 (SA) depends on the variant, as does the buttstock style. All variants, however, come with a recoil pad.

Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back) Calibers

There are quite a few calibers short-action flat-back Savage Model 110 is chambered for, but there is some confusion since Savage stopped producing short-action 110s from 1988 to 1997. During this period, long-action versions could also be chambered for shorter calibers such as .243 Winchester and .300 Savage, for instance, which made things a bit complicated for the buyers when short-action Model 110 came back into production. Generally speaking, though, flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) can be chambered for:

• .223 Remington

• 22-250 Remington

• 7mm-08 Remington

• .243 Winchester

• .260 Remington

• .270 WSM

• .308 Winchester

• .300 Savage

• .300 WSM

Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back) Variants

There is a lot of confusion surrounding Savage Model 110 variants. Initially, Savage opted for a pretty unconventional naming system for their rifles. Instead of giving them different names and sticking to them, they decided to use letters to mark the variants, with letter combinations corresponding to different specifications the rifle featured. There are a lot of possible letter combinations and each variant that subsequently occurred was often just slightly different than the previous one, but they all operated on the same mechanism and were fairly similar. You can use the image below to make some sense of these markings.

There was another layer of confusion added to Model 110 when Savage decided to introduce a new numbering system somewhere in the late 70s or early 80s. Savages 111, 112, 114, and 116 were gradually introduced, but they are essentially just different variants of the base Model 110 with slightly different features, such as stainless-steel barrels on 116s and American walnut stocks on 114s, etc.

On top of that, when Savage fell into a deep financial hole in 1988, they decided to cut back on resources by producing one action length for all calibers, effectively retiring the short-action version of the Model 110. When the financial difficulties were finally behind them in 1997, Savage decided to re-introduce short-action versions of the rifle. They opted for a numbering system that was intended to simplify the distinction between short actions and long actions. Short-action models adopted a shortened name, so a short-action Savage Model 110 simply became Savage Model 10 (short-action 111 became 11, etc.). This numbering system persisted until 2018, but it, too, is now obsolete. Except for the few select models, every 110 variant nowadays features a 110 number and a designated name. Each of them can either come in a long-action or short-action configuration.

Here are some of the most popular flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) variants found on the market:

• Savage Model 12BVSS

• Savage Model 12FVSS

• Savage Model 12FV

• Savage Model 10FP (also known as Tactic)

• Savage Model 12VSS (also known as Varminter)

• Savage Model 16FCSS

• Savage Model 16FSS

• Savage Model 11GC

• Savage Model 11G

• Savage Model 11FC

• Savage Model 11F

• Savage Model 11GY

Flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) has four drilled and tapped holes on the receiver for mounting purposes. You can find all the dimensions below.

Figure 3: The receiver of flat-back Savage Model 110 (LA) on the top and the receiver of flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) on the bottom. You can see the flat surface at the back of the receivers which indicates that both models depicted in the image were made prior to the 2003 changes when Savage started to make round-back receivers. You can also notice that both magazines are of the staggered-feed style. (Source: https://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?259-Savage-Arms-2000-Print-Catalog) 

A: 21.84 mm
B: 99.82 mm
C: 21.84 mm
BHU: 3.0 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: Flat
R2: R17

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) are the following:

• Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 111 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 112 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 114 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 116 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 10 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 11 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 12 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 14 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 16 (Flat-Back)

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary (distance B on the image above). This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA) are the following:

• Savage Model 110 (LA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 111 (LA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 112 (LA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 114 (LA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 116 (LA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 111 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 112 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 114 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 116 (SA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 110 (MA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 111 (MA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 112 (MA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 114 (MA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 116 (MA/Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 10 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 11 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 12 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 14 (Flat-Back)

• Savage Model 16 (Flat-Back)

Should you have any additional information regarding possible mount matches, please contact us. We will gladly accept your help and expand our database accordingly.

Best Scope Mounts for Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

It can be a bit difficult to find fixed scope mounts for older Savage 110 models nowadays since every model produced after 2003 has a round top at the back of the receiver. Weaver bases, on the other hand, are still fairly easy to come by. This is why we recommend you combine these 30 mm Rusan weaver rings with this 2-piece Warne Maxima base which is perfect for the pre-2003 Savage Model 110 (SA):

Order Rusan Weaver Rings

View Warne Maxima 2-Piece Base for Flat-Back Savage Model 110

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

Henneberger one-piece scope mount earned our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount for a short-action flat-back Savage Model 110. It is manufactured in Germany, is made of aluminum, and has a 30-year warranty attached to it.

It will, however, need to be coupled with a Picatinny rail. We recommend the EGW Picatinny Rail.

Check out Henneberger HMS Swift Mount

Order EGW Picatinny Rail for Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

Picatinny Rails for Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

When you’re looking for a Picatinny rail for your rifle, you need to pay special attention to the length between the rear and front holes on the receiver (distance B on the image above). You can hardly ever go wrong with EGW when it comes to Picatinny rails, and this is why we recommend this EGW Picatinny rail for your flat-back Savage Model 110 (SA).

Click here for EGW Picatinny Rail for Savage Model 110 (SA/Flat-Back)

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu