The Reliable Savage 110 KLYM: New Leader in the Pack

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When it comes to introducing new centerfire rifles along with variations of existing models, Savage has led the pack for several years. The latest interesting member to join an ever-growing family is the Model 110 KLYM. According to the 10-year-old son of a friend, that’s short for “Kill Lotsa Young Moose,” but Savage says it is actually a play on the word “climb,” indicating the perfect rifle for carrying in country both rugged and steep. The advertised weight range is 5.9 to 6.1 pounds, depending on the caliber. The rifle in 6.5 PRC I am shooting nudges my postal scale only slightly beyond that at 6.4 pounds. This version of the Model 110 is offered in 6.5 PRC, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm PRC, .308 Winchester, .300 WSM, and .300 Winchester Magnum.

Rifle Components

True to Nicholas Brewer’s original Model 110 design, the safety slide located atop the tang of the receiver has three positions. Pull it all the way to the rear and both trigger movement and bolt rotation are blocked. Pushing the tab to its middle position frees the bolt to be rotated for loading or unloading the chamber with the trigger still blocked. Pushing the safety all the way forward readies the rifle to be fired by pressing the trigger. Important on a big-game rifle, the safety can be operated quietly.

The detachable magazine has a blued-steel body, and it holds four 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Win. cartridges. Opting for the 6.5 PRC, 7mm PRC, .300 WSM, or .300 Win. Mag. reduces capacity to three rounds. The magazine latch contained by its thick polymer floorplate holds tight and is easy to operate.

I consider the AccuTrigger introduced by Savage in 2003 to be the most important improvement of the Model 110 rifle during its 65 years of production. The absence of both creep and overtravel, along with a pull weight adjustment range of 1.5 to 4 pounds, makes it one of the best triggers among standard-production rifles from various companies. My Lyman digital scale indicated a pull weight of 3.0 pounds, with minimal variation. That’s light enough for a big-game rifle, so I left it there.

The weight of the Model 110 KLYM is reduced in a number of ways, one being deep lightening cuts in the left side of the stainless-steel receiver along with 45-degree flats machined into both sides of the receiver bridge.

The receiver and fluted bolt have a jet-black Cerakote finish. An oversize carbon-fiber bolt handle knob proved to be comfortable in the palm of my hand during rapid-fire shooting at distant steel targets. I especially like the fact that as per the original Model 110 action design, an exposed end of the sear at the right side of the receiver bridge serves as a firing pin position indicator. It plays a second role as well. Holding down its tab with the thumb while holding back the trigger with the index finger frees the bolt for removal from the receiver. The cocking piece in view at the rear of the bolt also indicates a cocked firing pin.

The Proof Research carbon-wrapped stainless-steel barrel in 6.5 PRC has cut rifling with a 1:8 twist. My Lyman Borecam revealed an uncommonly smooth bore. The muzzle has 5/8-24 threads, and the rifle comes with an Omniport muzzle brake installed. A rather unusual design, its 54 ports in 12 rows begin at the rear, with a diameter of 0.120 inch. From there each port becomes slightly smaller, ending with 0.070 inch in diameter out near the muzzle. Savage emphasizes that the brake should be removed only by inserting a T60 (6-point) Torx socket into its muzzle and turning with a wrench. Not having either one on hand, nor the time for a visit to a tool-supply store, I loosened the brake by placing it in a vise with leather-padded jaws and twisting the rifle counterclockwise. This little trick came to me long ago from custom rifle builder Lex Webernick of Rifles Inc., and I have used it to loosen dozens of stubborn muzzle brakes.

The stock is the most interesting feature of the rifle. Its Austrian maker, Fine Ballistic Tools, is famous for building top-quality carbon-fiber stocks, and Blaser, Heym, Howa, Sauer, Steyr, and Tikka are among the company’s many clients. A Tikka rifle in .30-06 I used on one of my hunts for chamois in the Austrian Alps wore an FBT stock. The variant worn by the Savage Model 110 KLYM rifle was fabricated in three pieces and then permanently bonded together. As a way of reducing weight as much as possible, the walls of the front and rear sections are only 0.060 inch thick. Even so, both rigidity and shear strength appear to be more than enough to survive the hard knocks to which big-game rifles are often subjected.

The solid center section is a 3D printed/molded carbon-fiber-based composite material strong enough to resist the violent forces of recoil generated when large magnum cartridges are fired. In addition to the usual posts for quick-detach sling swivels, a Magnaswitch socket on the bottom of the forearm accepts magnetically attached bipods, tripods, and other accessories available from Primos and Spartan Precision Equipment. Weighing 26 ounces, the stock has a very good recoil pad. The design of the stock ruled out a wrist of conventional shape, and while I have never been a fan of thumbhole-style stocks on hunting rifles, the one on the Savage KLYM fit me so well and proved to be so comfortable that the darned thing forced me to like it.

The common use of the Picatinny rail along with the huge scopes used by some of today’s hunters requires a stock with an extremely high comb. On the other hand, some hunters still prefer smaller scopes held lower on the receiver of a rifle by a standard two-piece base. Both groups will appreciate the fact that pressing a large button on the side of the KLYM stock releases the comb for six different height adjustments. Four clicks up was perfect for a good cheekweld with the scope I used.

The rifle comes with a 20-MOA rail attached, and when a favorite Swarovski 4-12X 50mm scope with a one-inch tube was zeroed at 100 yards, the reticle position ended up too far away from optical center to suit me. Very few clicks remained. Switching to a Nightforce SHV 3-10X 42mm scope with a 30mm tube in Talley MSR rings took care of that issue. Drilled and tapped hole spacing in the receiver is the same as on Model 110 rifles that come without a rail attached.

Banner-Waving Accuracy

While at the range I shot the rifle with and without a Nosler SR-30ALTi suppressor weighing only nine ounces, and either way, accuracy remained pretty much the same. That suppressor can be attached directly to the barrel of the rifle, or it can be attached over a Nosler titanium muzzle brake, which is first attached to the barrel. With the latter option, recoil of the 6.5 PRC in the Model 110 KLYM felt about the same as when shooting a rifle of the same weight in .243 Winchester without a muzzle brake.

I should mention that prior to attaching a suppressor to any rifle, my standard procedure is to use a precision-ground gauge made by Geissele Automatics and available from Brownells to make sure the bore of the barrel and its threaded shank are aligned well enough to prevent a bullet strike inside the suppressor. As expected, the Proof Research barrel passed that test with flying colors. Savage rifles have long been renowned for excellent accuracy and, as clearly illustrated in my test results chart, the Model 110 KLYM waves that banner quite high. 

SAVAGE 110 KLYM SPECS

• MANUFACTURER: Savage Arms, savagearms.com
• TYPE: Bolt-Action repeater
• CALIBER: 6.5 PRC
• MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 3 rounds
• BARREL: 24 in.
• OVERALL LENGTH: 46.75 in.
• WEIGHT, EMPTY: 6.4 lbs.
• STOCK: FBT carbon fiber
• LENGTH OF PULL: 14.75 in.
• FINISH: Black Cerakote
• SIGHTS: None; 20-MOA Picatinny rail on receiver
• TRIGGER: 3-lb. pull (as tested)
• SAFETY: Three position
• MSRP: $2,699

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