GUN TESTS GRADE: A (OUR PICK)

$487

According to a national feral-hog-control organization, “The solution to the feral hog problem has not been readily apparent. The ultimate answer as to how to control these animals has not been found to date. In many ways, feral hogs are America’s most successful large invasive species. All of which means that feral hogs are a veritable nightmare for land and resource managers trying to keep the numbers of these animals and the damage that they do under control.” Scientists may not have discovered the ultimate solution to this problem, but various firearms manufacturers are trying to help. Savage is a great example with its Hog Hunter series. The company is now offering a variant of the Model 110 in three different calibers (223 Rem., 308 Win., and 350 Legend) in a configuration they believe would appeal to hog hunters. Our sample, of course, was in 350 Legend.

So, what does a hunter need to go after hogs? A decent cartridge? Check. A short, handy barrel? Check. Provision for a suppressor? Check. Good trigger? Check. Those requirements don’t differ substantially for shooters who hunt deer in the Midwestern woods.

The 223 and 308 versions of the Hog Hunter come with 20-inch barrels. The 350 Legend model ships with an 18-inch barrel installed. As with the Ruger Ranch Rifle, the shorter barrel did not seem to affect energy downrange too much, losing only about 3% to the longer Winchester. It is a thick barrel, measuring 0.75 inch slightly to the rear of the muzzle. The muzzle proper is threaded for a muzzle brake or suppressor and comes with a metal, knurled thread protector. Unlike the other two rifles in this test, the Hog Hunter is factory equipped with sights. These are not just emergency sights, but are instead tools fit for hunting. The rear sight is mounted about one-quarter of the way forward on the barrel from the receiver. The whole unit is metal. The blade sight sits in a dovetail that is mounted on a track and can be lowered or elevated as needed, giving the shooter plenty of movement to adjust for windage or elevation. The front sight is tall and actually has a brass bead on it. Both bases are mounted directly to the barrel and feel very sturdy to us. The receiver uses four screws to mount scope bases. We used a Warne Zero MOA one-piece Picatinny base along with Warne low 30mm rings. We tried the Model 110 bases only to find that this model requires short-action Model 10 bases. Make sure that you buy a base for the modern round-type receiver. Once we got the right parts, everything locked down solidly.

The receiver is the round type that you would expect on a Savage. The Savage system uses a collar to secure the barrel to the receiver that allows the precise setting of head space. A solid recoil lug is sandwiched between the receiver and the barrel, as usual. We were a bit surprised to find that the recoil lug did not abut against anything more substantial than a plastic shelf in the stock. But we were pleased to find the action screws insert through metal pillars molded into the stock, allowing those screws to be torqued properly without overstressing the stock.

The Savage Model 110 uses a smaller-diameter bolt than the Ruger or the Winchester we tested. It has a floating bolt head that is designed to allow more precise alignment with the chamber, thus aiding in accuracy. The bolt uses a pivoting extractor and a plunger-type ejector. It is a push-feed design just like our other two rifles in this project. It is removed by simultaneously pressing on the trigger and a button on the front of the trigger guard. Remember that last button. There are three screws that must be loosened to remove the action from the stock. Two of the screws are visible in the expected locations at the front and rear of the bottom material. The button in front of the trigger must be depressed to expose the third screw.

The safety is a three-position type located on the tang just to the rear of the bolt shroud. The bolt handle is oversized and easy to manipulate in a hurry. With a 70-degree throw, it also stayed well clear of the Nikon Black Force 100 1-6×24 scope we used. Optical clarity was very good on the Nikon, and its controls were easy to access. This model has an illuminated reticle with a 3-MOA dot at the center. The overall length of the Nikon, along with the magnification range, seemed to be sized appropriately for the shorter Ruger and Savage rifles.

The Hog Hunter comes with the Savage user-adjustable AccuTrigger. The unit on our test rifle broke cleanly at a consistent 2.7 pounds, and we wouldn’t change a thing. The magazine was an interesting design. Most of the working parts are plastic, but the rigid shell is metal. The magazine catch is actually part of the magazine. The base of the magazine is wide enough to allow a short double-stack of cartridges, but then narrows to feed lips one shell wide, which presents rounds from a central position. The manual says this is a four-round magazine. We were able to load five, as long as we didn’t want to close the bolt. We decided this was an easy way to load 4+1 shells, with the requirement that we start from an open bolt. We have used extended magazines made for the Savage 110 by Snyder Mags (SnyderMags.com) and have been very pleased with their performance thus far. We understand that an extended 10-round version for the Model 110 Hog Hunter should be available soon.

The stock design on the Savage had several features we liked. The dark olive-green polymer had a combination of checkering and grooves molded into the fore-end and the wrist. The overall effect was a very secure grip without being uncomfortable. There are spacers included with the rifle that allow length of pull to be adjusted. Remove two screws accessible through the very soft recoil pad, take off the current spacer and replace with your size, then remount the recoil pad with the screws — simple. Three different-sized spacers and appropriate screws are included in the package with the rifle.

Our Team Said: Accuracy of the Hog Hunter was the best of the three rifles tested, with an average five-shot group of 1.63 inches. Several of those groups were right at or just below the magic 1-inch number. This is a good-shooting rifle with an adjustable trigger for less than $500. That sounds like a bargain, and the Hog Hunter would be Our Pick of these three new chamberings.

Related Articles

Winchester XPR Hunter True Timber Strata 535741296 350 Legend
Ruger American Ranch Rifle 26985 350 Legend

350 LEGEND RANGE DATA

VALUE GUIDE: BOLT-ACTION RIFLE SCORES