Savage (Dept ST, 118 Mountain Rd., Suffield, CT 06078; 413-568-7001; www.savagearms.com) has improved its smokeless powder in-line. A change in model designation to 10ML-II reflects those improvements.

In the new Model 10ML-II propellant gas is now contained by a close fit between the hardened surface of the breechplug and the face of the bolt. Obturation of the primer battery cup during firing also plays a role in preventing propellant gas leakage, and it works in the same manner as when the brass case of a cartridge seals off the chamber of a centerfire rifle. This change results in a shorter flame travel from primer to the powder charge.

Savage's AccuTrigger is standard issue on the Model 10ML-II, and the review sample was adjusted to 3 1/2 pounds.

In the new rifle a 209 primer is placed into a slot in the boltface and carried into a pocket in the breechplug when the bolt is closed and locked. Misfires caused by rainy weather should disappear with the new rifle as the primer is all but totally sealed off from the elements when the bolt is closed.

Cam surfaces on the bolt and receiver provide primary extraction of a fired primer when the bolt is opened. Because the new design eliminates the need for locking lugs on the bolt, the Model 10ML-II is classified by the BATFE as a muzzleloading rifle. (The original Model 10ML had been classified as a modern rifle.)

SPECS SAVAGE MODEL 10ML-II .50-CALIBER IN-LINE MUZZLELOADER
Manufacturer:	Savage Arms
Operation:	Bolt action
Caliber:	50
Barrel Length:	24 inches
Overall Length:	44.25
Weight, empty	9 pounds
Safety:	Three position on receiver tang
Sights:	Fully adjustable
Stock:	Brown laminated hardwood
Rifling:	8 grooves, 1:24-inch twist
Finish:	Brushed stainless steel, satin wood; or blued steel, sythetic stock
Price:	$667

Other changes are also quite evident. The breechplug in the Model 10ML-II can be easily replaced by simply screwing out the old and screwing in the new. Four slots on the face of the breechplug allow it to be easily removed with a (provided) wrench, even when the rifle is wearing a scope. The newly designed vent liner is also more easily replaced than the one on the original rifle. Loosening the rear action screw allows the bolt to be removed from the receiver for cleaning.

Some owners of in-line rifles prefer to unload them by removing the breechplug and pushing the powder charge and bullet from the barrel from its muzzle end. This is easily accomplished with the Model 10ML-II because the end of its ramrod is threaded for acceptance of the handle of the breechplug wrench. That lengthens the ramrod just enough to allow it to reach through the receiver and push a bullet from the barrel.

The AccuTrigger is now standard-issue on the Model 10ML-II, and when the sample rifle came to me its trigger was adjusted to 31/2 pounds with less than two ounces of variation from pull to pull. I plan to leave it that way for hunting.

The Savage Model 10ML-II also has a three-position safety on the tang of its receiver. With the safety in its extreme rear position, the rifle is on “Safe,” and the bolt is locked from rotation. Sliding the safety to its middle position allows the bolt to be rotated for extracting the primer, but the rifle is still on “Safe.” Pushing the safety all the way forward readies the rifle for firing.