The Savage 110 BA is a bolt-action sniper/tactical

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

manufactured by

Savage Arms Savage Arms is an American gunmaker based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with operations in Canada. Savage makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns. The company is best known for the Mo ...

. The rifle is designated with an "LE" code; "Law Enforcement". All 110 BA series rifles are configured with AccuTrigger, matte-blued barreled action, fluted heavy free-floating barrel, muzzle brake, oversized bolt handle, external box magazine (holding 5 - 6 rounds), magpul adjustable stock, adjustable pistol grip, and three swivel studs for sling and bipod mounting. The Savage 110 BA is similar to the Savage Model 10 rifles (10 BAS-K and 10 BAT/S-K). Whereas the Model 10 rifles are short actions rifles the 110 BA uses a long action.

Stock and grip

The 110 BA also comes stock with a

Heckler & Koch PSG1 The Heckler & Koch PSG1 (''Präzisionsschützengewehr'', German for "precision shooting rifle") is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed and produced by the German company Heckler & Koch. Development This rifle is said to have been developed i ...

style pistol grip. The grip is a target-type grip which contains an adjustable palm shelf. A hex bolt rather than a rotating dial tightens or loosens the palm shelf. Loosening the bolt allows for the palm rest to move up and down to accommodate the shooters hand size. Tightening the bolt locks the rest into a set position that is now customized to the shooters hand size.

Sights

The Savage 110 BA rifle is provided with pre-drilled holes for attachment of a

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...

system; which the rifle comes with. The picatinny rail allows for a variety of add-ons. The rail is long enough to mount a scope towards the receiver end and can accommodate such devices as night vision in "front" of the scope. The rail system also has two side mounts for additional devices such as flashlights or laser sighting. The lack of iron sights is because Savage expects users of this rifle to utilize telescopic sights as opposed to iron sights. Telescopic sights are not only more precise, but a "must" for the extreme long distances that this rifle is capable of achieving. A scope is not included because the choice of a particular scope can be a very personal selection that involves a shooters particular taste, comfort, and opinion which are all subjective. Factors that some shooters use to determine a particular scope are: weight, magnification, size, clarity, and many other features.

Trigger

The 110 BA comes with the Savage Arms developed " AccuTrigger". This trigger is intended to give a shooter the flexibility to set trigger pull to individual preference without having to pay a gunsmith to adjust it. The trigger can be adjusted from 6.5 to 26 N (1.5 to 6

lbf The pound of force or pound-force (symbol: lbf, sometimes lbf,) is a unit of force used in some systems of measurement, including English Engineering units and the foot–pound–second system. Pound-force should not be confused with pound-m ...

). Savage claims that even when adjusted to its lowest setting, the AccuTrigger is completely safe and cannot accidentally discharge during normal use from being jarred or dropped when maintained and adjusted as intended. The AccuTrigger offers a relatively short

lock time Lock time or action time refers to the time interval (often measured in milliseconds) from when the trigger of a firearm is activated until the firing pin strikes the primer, and depends on the design of the firing mechanism. A long lock time inc ...

of 1.6

millisecond A millisecond (from '' milli-'' and second; symbol: ms) is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth (0.001 or 10−3 or 1/1000) of a second and to 1000 microseconds. A unit of 10 milliseconds may be called ...

s favoring accurate shooting.

Adjustment

Savage claims adjustment of the AccuTrigger is a simple process. Removal of the stock is necessary where rotation of an adjustment spring is required. This is accomplished utilizing the Savage supplied tool. The AccuTrigger has a single adjustment location and is designed so it cannot be adjusted below the minimum setting. This adjustment feature is yet another example of the built-in customization design of this rifle. Customization allows users to adjust the rifle to their own personal comforts and preferences which can equate to accuracy improvement.

Heavy barrel

The 110 BA includes a fluted heavy

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

that is free-floating which provides high accuracy. Thicker barrels are generally stiffer, and thus deflect less when a force is applied, such as when a forearm touches a barrel. A heavier barrel also tends to vibrate less when fired, thus sending bullets more consistently in the same direction. Their greater weight (within reason) makes it easier to hold the rifle steady. For all of these reasons, heavy barrels are generally more accurate than lighter barrels. The "flutes" are essentially grooves that are cut into the length of the barrel to help it dissipating heat. There are many arguments for and against fluted barrels; but whatever the take Savage decided that fluting this barrel on the 110 BA was a good idea.

Free-floating

A free-floating barrel means that the barrel does not touch the stock that is connected to it except at the very end near the receiver and bolt end; where it is attached. The advantage to this design is that there is less vibration resonance. This means that as bullets are fired down the barrel their energy is usually channeled down the edges of the barrel. If the barrel were touching the stock throughout its entire length the energy traveling down the barrel would be transferred to the stock. This transference of energy to the stock would thus cause resonance which results in prolongation of vibrations by reflection. The effect of this is that the entire rifle tends to vibrate which causes inaccuracy as accuracy is a product of stability and not movement. A barrel that is free-floating thus eliminates these problems.

Muzzle brake

The 110 BA comes with a 3.5" inch

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

that is threaded to an industry standard 5/8x24 (5/8-24 UNEF-3A) thread pitch. Savage felt that a muzzle brake was essential in the rifle design as the .338 Lapua Magnum round generates recoil that most shooters find unpleasant. The muzzle brake has no bottom gills, forcing the expanding gases to channel up and out. This feature eliminates any "dust cloud" when firing from a prone position which would normally give away a shooter's position in a tactical situation. By channeling the expanding gases upward and backward muzzle rise and recoil is reduced by what Savage claims is 35 percent. Project designer Steve Danneker claims the 110 BA has felt recoil comparable to that of the .308 Winchester round.

Rate of twist

According to project designer Steve Danneker of Savage Arms, the rate of twist for the .338 Lapua Magnum was chosen to be 1 in 9". Most rifles in this calibre use a 1 in 10" twist. A 1 in 9" twist allows a bullet to rotate along its center axis at a faster rate than a 1 in 10". Faster rotation helps stabilize longer bullets at their maximum range. This allows new bullet designs such as the all-copper and

Very-low-drag bullet A very-low-drag bullet (VLD) is primarily a small arms ballistics development of the 1980s–1990s, driven by the design objective of bullets with higher degrees of accuracy and kinetic efficiency, especially at extended ranges. To achieve this, ...

(VLD)-style projectile to remain stable through the very long travel distance. Most bullets are not designed for the extreme ranges provided the .338 design; thus a 1 in 10" twist is adequate. The

rifling In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the pro ...

rate of twist is: * 1 in 9" for all 110 BA .338 models * 1 in 10" for all 110 BA

.300 .300 may refer to: * .300 AAC Blackout, rifle cartridge * .300 Winchester Magnum, rifle cartridge * .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, rifle cartridge * .300 Winchester Short Magnum, rifle cartridge * .300 Whisper, subsonic rifle cartridge * .300 Lapua ...

models

Magazine

Savage utilized the

Accuracy International Accuracy International is a British firearms manufacturer based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The company produces the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare series of precision sniper rifles. The company was established in 1978 by Britis ...

detachable five-round, single stack box magazine for the 110 BA. This magazine box is utilized in their

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in th ...

sniper rifle but not the same magazine used in the

Accuracy International AWM The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...

(Arctic Warfare Magnum) model. Utilizing an already existing box magazine facilitates the availability of extra magazines for shooters of 110 BA. An important note on the 110 BA magazine is that it adheres to the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges loaded to the C.I.P. (

Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anothe ...

) maximum allowed overall length of 93.50 mm (3.681 in). It actually accepts up to a 95.50 mm (3.760 in) overall length round, though most factory ammunition doesn’t exceed 3.600 inches. This is an important distinction because some rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum such as the

does not adhere to CIP standard and thus does not function properly due to a lack of internal magazine length.The New AX rifle shown at the Shot Show 2010, Las Vegas
/ref> The reason for this problem is that the AWSM bolt-action is not specifically designed for the fat and long .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. Because of this, ammunition manufacturers produce .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges that are loaded short enough (≈ 91.44 mm / 3.600 in) to fit in the AWSM magazines. As long as .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges that will fit in the magazines are used, the AWSM rifles can be used as repeating rifles instead of single shot rifles.

References

External links

AccuTrigger review
by Dick Metcalf in ''Shooting Times'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage 110 Ba Bolt-action rifles of the United States Savage Arms Sniper rifles of the United States .338 Lapua Magnum rifles