The Savage 110 Goes Rimfire: First Look

Built for precision shooting and tactical training, the all-new Savage 110 Rimfire bolt actions are worthy of your attention.

March 31, 2026 By Joel J. Hutchcroft

The legendary Savage 110 bolt-action rifle has been totally redesigned and modernized for 2026, and part of that redo includes three brand-new .22 rimfire variants. We got our hands on early versions of two of the new rimfire rifles, and we’re pleased and honored to give readers of this special publication the first look at them.

The three .22 rimfire Model 110 rifles are called the Elite Precision, the Core Tactical, and the Magpul 110 RF rifles. We received the Elite Precision and Core Tactical variants, so let’s take a good hard look at them.

110 RF Up Close

The Core Tactical rifle has an 18.75-inch button-rifled barrel with a threaded muzzle at a pitch of 1/2-28. The Elite Precision rifle has a 20.75-inch button-rifled barrel with a threaded muzzle at the same pitch. The barrels feature Bentz match chambers. As Layne Simpson has pointed out elsewhere in this publication, the Bentz chamber is a sort of hybrid chamber in between the tight tolerances of a straight-up match chamber and the looser dimensions of a standard sporting chamber.

The Core Tactical’s barrel is fluted and measures 0.76 inch in diameter where the muzzle threading begins, according to my measurements with a set of digital calipers. The Elite Precision’s barrel is not fluted, and it measures 1.05 inches in diameter where the muzzle threading begins. Both barrels come with thread protectors.

Core Tactical bolt with fluted, elongated bolt knob — The bolts have front locking lugs and switchable front baffles that allow the bolt throw length to be as long as that for a .308 Win. or as short as for a typical .22 LR. Shown is the Core Tactical’s bolt with fluted, elongated bolt knob. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

One of the most interesting features of these rifles is their full-length Model 110 actions with adjustable bolt throw lengths. They come with switchable front baffles that allow the bolt throw length to be either a .308 Winchester length or a shorter .22 rimfire bolt throw length. These rifles are intended to serve duty as straight-up rimfire competition and hunting rifles as well as rimfire trainers, hence the flexibility to have either bolt throw length.

The bolts of both rifles have front locking lugs, and they lock up with the Model 110 action just like centerfire Model 110s. The Elite Precision has a large round bolt knob, whereas the Core Tactical’s bolt knob is elongated and fluted. And the bolt handles are threaded for attachment of the bolt knob, making them ripe for customizing. The pitch is 5/16-24.

three-position safety on the Savage 110 RF rifle — The three-position safety on the new 110 RF rifles is located on the tang. Forward is the “Fire” position, and rearward is the “Safe” position, which blocks bolt lift and trigger movement. The middle position blocks trigger movement but allows the bolt to be moved for unloading. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

These rifles don’t have iron sights, but they come with 20-MOA Picatinny top rails. I certainly appreciate the ease of installing scopes the top rails afford. I used identical Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9X 40mm Rimfire scopes for my shooting sessions with these rifles. (The results are discussed elsewhere in this report.) The scopes are 12.49 inches long and weigh 12.2 ounces. They feature 1-inch tubes and matte black finishes, and they come with Leupold’s Rimfire MOA reticle, which has 1-MOA hashmarks on the lower vertical stadia. Windage and elevation adjustments are in 0.25 MOA increments. They are waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof.

Both rifles utilize L3i AICS-style detachable magazines, and the magazines hold 10 rounds of .22 LR ammunition. Loading the magazines was quite easy, thanks to the assist buttons located on the right-hand sides. The magazine bodies are injection molded from premium glass-reinforced polymer, and the baseplates are billet-machined 6061-T6 aerospace-grade aluminum finished with Type II anodizing.

Both rifles come with Savage’s proven user-adjustable AccuTrigger. The AccuTrigger features a safety blade incorporated into the trigger’s fingerpiece, and that prevents full rearward movement of the trigger until the blade is fully depressed. The pull weight on both sample rifles averaged 1 pound, 9 ounces for five measurements each with an RCBS trigger pull gauge. And they were incredibly consistent. My gauge did not detect any variation whatsoever over all those measurements.

bolt release on Savage 110 rimfire rifle — The bolt release is located on the right side of the action, and activating it requires the trigger to be squeezed. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

Besides the barrels, the other big difference between the two rifles is their stocks. The Core Tactical 110 RF comes with Savage’s AccuFit V2 composite stock. This stock is really innovative and allows adjustment of cheek rise height and length of pull. Making adjustments is very easy. Simply access the Quick Set Dial (QSD) located at the bottom of the buttstock. The length of pull is adjusted by depressing the QSD and letting the spring-loaded buttpad extend or, if it’s already extended, by pushing it against a solid surface (a benchtop or even the shooter’s shoulder). To adjust the comb height, rotate the QSD. Counterclockwise raises the comb, and clockwise lowers it.

The Elite Precision 110 RF comes with an MDT Gen 2 ACC Chassis stock. The stock is CNC machined 6061-T6 aluminum, and it is fully adjustable, including the vertical grip angle, the length of pull, and the cheek rise height. The underneath side of the fore-end has a full-length ARCA rail with M-LOK slots, and the sides feature M-LOK slots. The top, on both sides of the barrel channel, has drilled-and-tapped holes for bridges and other such accessories. QD sling cups are located on the buttstock, and the buttstock also has an M-LOK slot underneath. Obviously, this chassis system is very well built and offers a lot of adjusting and accessorizing for competition shooting.

L3i AICS-style magazine next to a box of .22 LR ammo — The rifles use special L3i AICS-style magazines made of glass-reinforced polymer and 6061-T6 aluminum that hold 10 rounds of .22 LR ammo. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

The Elite Precision rifle is 41.5 inches long, whereas the Core Tactical rifle is 38.75 inches long. Those measurements are for the rifles as they came from the factory with no adjustments to length of pull made by me. And for the record, the lengths of pull measured 13.38 inches (as is) for the Elite Precision and 12.75 inches (as is) for the Core Tactical. Without the scopes, the Elite Precision 110 RF weighs 13.4 pounds, and the Core Tactical 110 RF weighs 8.63 pounds, according to my digital scale. The MSRPs are $2,399 and $1,099, respectively. By the way, the Leupold scopes I used for this report on the new 110 RF rifles have MSRPs of $399.99.

If you haven’t read Layne Simpson’s treatise on accuracy and the .22 LR beginning on page 48 of this magazine yet, I encourage you to give it a good read. It contains a lot of valuable information. I applied much of what he discusses to my shooting sessions with these new 110 RF rifles, although I have to admit I wasn’t as thorough as he was. But I’m pleased to report that I achieved some of the best accuracy I’ve ever gotten with any rimfire rifle. The results are listed in the accompanying charts.

adjustable AccuTrigger on Savage 110 RF rifle — The 110 RF rifles come with Savage’s well-established adjustable AccuTrigger with built-in safety lever. The Elite Precision’s trigger (shown) and the Core Tactical’s trigger had extremely consistent trigger pulls, each averaging 1.56 pounds of pull as tested. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

As you can see, I test-fired .22 LR match, hunting, and plinking loadings in both rifles. A total of five different ammo types was fired in each rifle. I have to admit the results are somewhat boring—as in very precise and very consistent. I was not surprised with how well these rifles shot. I did the shooting at 50 yards, outside (see what Simpson says about shooting outside and how even a slight wind can skew accuracy with the .22 LR), but in the most sheltered part of my stand of timber. It was very still as far as wind conditions go. I’ve said it many times, but to reiterate, I am not a champion shooter. At best, I am an average shooter with mediocre skills. Still, I achieved excellent accuracy with these rifles.

The Elite Precision 110 RF averaged 0.51 inch for five-shot groups with all loads. With the match loads only, the average was 0.41 inch. The best-shooting loading for me in this rifle was the SK Rifle Match, and it averaged 0.31 inch for five-shot groups at 50 yards.

The Core Tactical 110 RF averaged 0.52 inch for five-shot groups with all loads. With the match loads only, the average also was 0.52 inch. And the SK Rifle Match turned in the best accuracy in the Core Tactical rifle too. Its average in this gun was 0.38 inch for five-shot groups at 50 yards.

By the way, I used the bolts’ front baffles so that both rifles had the shorter .22 LR bolt throw length. The Elite Precision was a bit more accurate overall than the Core Tactical, but oddly, the Core Tactical produced better accuracy with one load. It was the Eley Subsonic Hollow loading, and I don’t have a good explanation for why I shot it better in the Core Tactical than in the Elite Precision. I suppose I may have introduced some sort of shooter error when shooting it in the Elite Precision, but if I did, I sure didn’t notice it.

targets showing shot groups at 50 yards — Both rifles achieved excellent accuracy for five-shot groups at 50 yards with the match ammo, hunting ammo, and plinking ammo tested. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

In addition to the excellent accuracy results, both rifles functioned reliably. I did not have a single failure to feed, fire, extract, or eject with either gun. Empties were cleanly ejected anywhere from six to 10 inches from my shooting position. If I were forced to choose between the two new rimfire rifles to keep for my own personal use, I’d go with the Core Tactical because I am not a competition shooter. I’m more of a hunter, and truth be told, I’m actually more of a plinker when it comes to shooting rimfire guns, so the Core Tactical is more of a walking-around rifle, although, I have to point out that it is on heavy side. As cool and as accurate as the Elite Precision is, it’s just way too heavy for walking the woods with.

The shooting industry and consumers alike take notice whenever an iconic model gets updated, revised, or even totally redesigned. I think a lot of riflemen are going to like the way the new Savage Model 110 looks and performs, and I, for one, am very pleased that the company is offering these new rimfire variants.