Tested: Savage Model 110 Carbon Predator rifle
The Carbon Predator is an accurate, updated, lighter version of the venerable Model 110 with a Proof Research carbon fiber-wrapped stainless barrel and a stock that allows for a custom fit.
The Carbon Predator is an accurate, updated, lighter version of the venerable Model 110 with a Proof Research carbon fiber-wrapped stainless barrel and a stock that allows for a custom fit.
While having no previous experience with a straight-pull rifle before testing this Savage, I have grown to love his design.
The world of hunting rifles tends to be relatively stable. We have single shots, bolt actions, lever guns, and a few semi-autos. Nothing crazy, and most hunters don’t seem to want anything crazy anyway. Well, Savage decided to shake things up with the Impulse. The Savage Impulse is a bolt action rifle but isn’t your traditional rotary bolt. Instead, Savage went with a straight-pull bolt.
The High Country has some other functional/aesthetic enhancements. The barrel is fluted in a dramatic spiral that runs most of its length. Savage button-rifles their barrels. The .308 High Country’s barrel is 22 inches. The long-action calibers have 24-inch barrels.
Fitted with an AccuFit Grey Synthetic Stock that allows for both comb-height and length-of-pull adjustment and an exclusive Proof Research Carbon Fiber Wrap barrel, it became quickly apparent this rifle was designed for those looking to wander off the beaten path in search of big-game nirvana.
There is nothing that I enjoy more than being in places I have not been before and spending my time there in the outdoors hunting. I recently had the opportunity to spend the first weekend in October in North Dakota with Savage Arms on a duck hunt. leading up to the event, I started out with a bit of travel anxiety (not wanting to miss flights, not quite sure where I was going to end up once I got off of the plane, etc…) but it soon led to pure excitement of the hunt and eventually reminiscent happiness once it was over.
After looking the rifle over, I was very impressed with what I saw and felt. The rifle was hefty… and I mean really hefty. The bull barrel that this gun comes with adds a lot to it, but the advantage is that you can shoot all day and not see a change in accuracy. The stock felt good to me out of the box, but with the option to change the cheek riser and length of pull (LOP from here on out) I rearranged the stock so that it fit me perfectly.
Savage is catering to all of the small caliber fans and varmint hunters out there with the launch of the 110 Prairie Hunter. This rifle is chambered in 224 Valkyrie, which is a wise choice by Savage because this cartridge is known to have less wind drift and drop than any caliber in it’s class while maintaining less recoil than any cartridge that offers similar ballistics. All of this allows the hunter to put more rounds on target.
As implied by the name, the 110 High Country’s target market is the long range hunting community. This gun is relatively light for it’s capabilities coming in around 8 pounds regardless of caliber chosen. This was accomplished by choosing to use a medium contour barrel and bolt.
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