Savage Model 110 PPR: Professional Pursuit Rifle

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Over the past several years, Savage Arms has expanded its lineup of premium 110 rifles, and the latest addition to that family is the Professional Pursuit Rifle or PPR. Loaded with many of the features modern hunters want on their guns, the PPR marks another important evolutionary step forward in the life of the Model 110 rifle.

Since its introduction in 1958, the Savage 110 has kept pace with new developments in the rifle market. However, much of the gun’s basic mechanical geometry remains largely unchanged since its introduction—a testament to designer Nicholas L. Brewer’s engineering prowess.

At the heart of all Model 110 rifles, including the new PPR, is a push-feed bolt with dual locking lugs. However, the bolt is designed to float slightly, and this allows for two critical things to happen. First, the locking lugs bear evenly in the cutouts in the recesses in the receiver, which eliminates the need for a gunsmith to true the bolt to the action. Second, the head of the cartridge has complete contact with the bolt face. As a result, Savage rifles have enjoyed a reputation for excellent accuracy.

Aft of the forward lugs is a rotating baffle that prevents binding, and there’s also a rear baffle that acts as a gas shield. The 110 PPR’s enhanced extractor is positioned in the center of the outboard lug, and a pair of plunger-style ejectors extend through the bolt face.

The Action

The bolt body itself is spiral fluted and features a Blackout Cerakote finish. The bolt knob is oversize and is threaded 5/16x24. At the center rear portion of the bolt is a silver-colored cocking indicator; removing the bolt requires pressing down on the lever on the right rear side of the receiver and pulling the trigger.

The receiver is made from lightweight stainless steel and is relieved to help keep mass to a minimum. A Cerakote OD green finish protects the metalwork, and the characteristic Savage barrel nut is mated to a 20-inch Proof Research carbon-fiber stainless steel barrel. The 5/8x24 threads on the muzzle allow you to mate a variety of muzzle devices to the rifle, and the PPR comes equipped with Savage’s Omniport muzzle brake. Riding atop the receiver is a 20 m.o.a. Picatinny rail for mounting optics.

The barreled action of the PPR rides in a Grayboe Phoenix 2 stock with an earth tone finish (green, tan and brown) and black epoxy spider webbing. The Grayboe Phoenix 2 is an excellent choice for the PPR because it offers so many of the features that today’s shooters and hunters desire. The stock’s vertical grip is large enough to accommodate big hands while maintaining a comfortable shooting position. There’s plenty of room for the thumb-forward grip style, and since the Savage’s three-position safety is located on the tang, the grip/safety combo is one of the simplest and fastest to operate in the field.

Phoenix 2 stocks feature an adjustable comb that can be loosened and adjusted with one hand, and unlike the previous generation of Phoenix stocks, on the Phoenix 2 the comb can be lowered so you can remove the bolt without first removing the comb.

Stock Adjustment

The comb also offers some cant adjustment. The Phoenix 2’s comb is set back far enough that it doesn’t require a cutout to cycle the bolt, a feature that was included on the first-generation Phoenix.

In addition to the comb adjustment, there are also spacers that allow length-of-pull adjustment from 12.5 to 13.5 inches. There are flush QD mounting cups positioned on the right and left sides of the stock as well as on the bottom, so you can mount a sling almost anywhere you’d like—a feature that’s becoming increasingly popular on today’s hunting rifles.

The Phoenix 2’s rear side QD cups are mounted higher on the stock than on the previous version of the Phoenix. This allows the rifle to ride closer to the body with less movement when in the field—always a bonus on a hunting rifle.

In addition to the two QD cup mounts on the underside of the fore-end, there are also four M-Lok channels, another feature that today’s hunters demand. The M-Lok attachment channels allow the shooter to customize the gun to their needs, and the modular design makes it easy to switch configurations based on your shooting or hunting conditions.

Trigger and Accessories

You can attach your sling as well as an Arca rail section or a bipod, or you can keep the bottom open and uncluttered while still attaching a sling to the side of the rifle stock. This makes the PPR configurable to a variety of conditions, from shooting long-range targets to hunting in dense cover.

In 2003, Savage revolutionized rifle triggers with the introduction of its AccuTrigger. The bladed design made it safer than some other designs, and owners could adjust the trigger down to light pull weights.

Minimum pull weight on the PPR is just 1.5 pounds, and the trigger can be adjusted up to four pounds. Out of the box the trigger broke at 2.25 pounds average for 10 pulls on a Wheeler gauge, and the break was clean and well-defined. I didn’t see any reason to adjust the trigger for testing.

The trigger guard and magazine frame are one piece, made of polymer. A three-round polymer AICS-style magazine fits flush in the stock, and the paddle-style ambidextrous release is located at the front of the trigger guard. To release the magazine, press forward on the paddle and pull down on the magazine.

Versatility

Savage says the PPR was designed “for those who spend time chasing wild game.” It’s clear when you handle this rifle that it was designed with the modern hunter in mind, and its long list of features make it perhaps the best all-purpose Savage 110 bolt gun available today.

The stock certainly plays an important role in the gun’s versatility. With its multiple attachment points and adjustability the PPR is a gun that you can customize to fit your needs. The adjustable comb is one of the best I’ve tested. The side adjustment knob is rather large, although it’s not so big it interferes, and it’s easy to loosen, adjust and secure—even with one hand. I also appreciate having the ability to cant the comb as needed.

There’s also ample space on the comb so you can obtain proper eye relief without the risk that the end of the comb will jab you in the face when you fire. I’ve had that happen, and it’s not a pleasant experience.

I was slow to join in on the modern stock movement, but now that I have jumped aboard I understand the value of a stock like the Grayboe Phoenix 2. Being able to swap out bipods and other accessories and adjust sling orientation is certainly a benefit.

Modularity

For example, I like to run a bipod to shoot prone when the conditions allow. It’s stable and familiar to me, but in many cases the hunting environment precludes the use of short bipods. You might not realize this until you’re actually in the field, and conditions can change from day to day depending on the area you’re hunting.

That’s no problem with this rifle. I can lock my Warne Skyline bipod on a segment of Picatinny rail while hunting in open cover, and the next day remove the bipod if I’m hunting in a blind.

I also like having the ability to remove or reattach the sling in a variety of positions as needed. This is also a benefit for those who hunt in a blind. You can carry the rifle sling to your stand and remove the sling with the touch of a button to prevent it clanging on the rail of your stand while you’re hunting whitetails.

The new generation hybrid target/hunting rifles like the PPR offer lots of amenities, but several of these guns are impractical in the field simply because they are too heavy or too long. Not so with the PPR. The 6.5 Creedmoor version I tested weighed 7.25 pounds unloaded, and overall length is 41.5 inches. That makes this gun handy, maneuverable and light enough to carry at thin-air elevations.

Maneuverability and Accuracy

The PPR’s short overall length is due in large part to the fact that the light sendero-contour Proof Research barrel measures just 20 inches in length. A rifle like this benefits from a short barrel because so many shooters use suppressors these days, and when you mount an average-length can on a gun with a 24-inch pipe, the resulting rifle is unwieldy. With my Banish Backcountry suppressor in place, the rifle was still under 48 inches long.

The 20 m.o.a. rail makes it easy to mount optics and offers built-in elevation for shooters who want to use this rifle to ring steel at extended ranges. For testing purposes, I mounted a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44mm, which brought the overall unloaded weight without the suppressor to eight pounds, 13 ounces—not exactly mountain light but certainly manageable.

The PPR proved to be capable of excellent accuracy with loads it liked, and all the ammo in the chart was tested without a suppressor. It went under an inch for all three groups at 100 yards with Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-X ammunition, and this rifle/optic/ammunition setup would be extremely versatile for hunting a wide range of game.

The Omniport brake does a good job settling recoil, although the 6.5 Creedmoor hardly classifies as hard-kicking. When I tested the rifle, temps hovered below freezing with wind chills in the teens, so extra layers were the order of the day. Thanks to the PPR’s design I could remove or add spacers as needed to get the desired length of pull.

Function

The action functioned well and went through the entire test without any issues, but in a few instances I had to fiddle with the magazine to seat it securely. Because it fits flush there are no extended surfaces to grab and strip the magazine either, and on two occasions I had to reach through the action to pop the mag free. The bolt operation is smooth, though, and the three-position tang safety is outstanding. The barrel channel in the stock is rather large, possibly large enough to catch brush and weeds in the field in very heavy cover, but the overall design of the rifle is superb and the performance was very good.

The one bummer, at least for now, is that there is not a left-handed version of the PPR available. Then again, Savage has been building left-handed guns since 1959, so the odds of getting a southpaw version of this gun are as good as with any major manufacturer.

Suggested retail price for the 110 PPR is $2,399, which isn’t cheap. However, you’re getting a proven action with a premium barrel and stock, and with accuracy potential under an inch the Savage stacks up well against other rifles in this price category.

Following a break in production of the Winchester Model 70 in the early 2000s, the Savage 110 is now the longest-production centerfire bolt-action rifle in the U.S. From the beginning these rifles have been considered “value” guns, but what we’ve seen from Savage in the last several years—the Ultralite, Impulse, Klym—shows this is a brand that knows how to make premium rifles for discerning hunters who are primarily concerned about performance, not price.

Savage 110 PPR Specs

• Type: two-lug bolt-action centerfire
• Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 6.5 PRC, .270 Win., 7mm PRC, .28 Nosler, .308 Win, .30-06, .300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag.
• Capacity: 3-round AICS detachable box magazine
• Barrel: 20 in. Proof Research carbon fiber, 1:8 twist; threaded 5/8x24
• Overall Length: 41.5 in.
• Weight: 7 lb., 4 oz.
• Stock: Grayboe Phoenix 2 adjustable; earth tone/black spider web finish
• Finish: Cerakote OD green receiver
• Trigger: AccuTrigger adjustable; 2 lb., 4 oz. (measured, as received and tested)
• Sights: none; 20 m.o.a. Picatinny rail
• MSRP: $2,399
• Manufacturer: Savage Arms, SavageArms.com

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