Savage 110 Bolt Body and Bolt Handle Swap

So, I haven’t even shot the thing yet, but I’m already messing with it.  It’s really just pure laziness on my part, but I really should test the thing before modding it too much. 

I don’t have a photo of it, but what I’ve got here is the barreled action in an AR vice-block.  I took the factory Savage muzzle brake off and spun on the GRG .338 Lapua Magnum muzzle brake.  It performed well on my Savaeg 10TR in .308, but it was really designed for .338 so I figured I’d give it a try. 

I really didn’t need to change the bolt body on the 110 as it was already an excellent fit from the factory.  My 10TR on the other hand had a bit of slop when working the bolt back and forth, so the PTG botl body did come in handy.  For my 110, it’s purely for cosmetic reasons because I’m easily amused by shiny objects, lol!  I also ordered a Glades Armory bolt handle for it.  Again, nothing wrong with the factory Savage bulbous bolt knob, just got it purely for cosmetic reasons.

For some reason, the calipers here measured nearly the same outside diameter however the fluted PTG model did not fit into the action.  I had to stand it down a bit, starting with 220 grit, then 320 grit, then finally 400 grit.  I could have gone finer, but I wanted a slightly rough finish instead of the high polish gloss look.

So, as always, youtube is your friend, and I looked up a quick disassembly video.  I found out quickly that a simple allen key probably didn’t provide enough leverage to crack it off, so I ended up throwing the whole thing in a vice and cranking it off.   

After getting it off, the rest of it was fairly simple to disassemble.

A side by side comparison between the factory 110 bolt handle, the 10TR unit and the handle from Glades Armory (from left to right).

Overall, it was a fairly easy installation.  Hand sanding the fluted bolt body was a bit of a pain, but not impossible, just time consuming without the proper tools.  I’m pretty happy with the end result.

Still waiting out for a few parts here and there, but I may just cave and take her out sooner to see how well she shoots from the factory.