By: Warren Gray

Copyright © 2024

“Savage is taking innovation and accuracy to new heights at faster speeds

with the 110 Ultralite Elite. With its exclusive Proof Research carbon

fiber wrapped stainless steel barrel and…folding carbon fiber stock,

the 110 Ultralite Elite can achieve lighter weights for higher altitude

hunts and longer treks for big game.”

— Savage Arms website, 2024

Savage Arms recently unveiled their new, bolt-action Savage 110 Ultralite Elite hunting rifle, which tips the scales at a mere 5.8 to six pounds, depending upon the caliber. It’s offered in either 6.5mm Creedmoor (6.5CM), 6.5mm PRC, 7mm PRC, .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, or .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM), with an 18-inch barrel in 6.5CM or .308, or a 20-inch barrel in all other calibers.

I’ve always been a great fan of compact, lightweight firearms, and I recently wrote about the Bergara Premier MgMicro Lite rifle, which is similar in many aspects to this new rifle from Savage. Both weapons feature a super-lightweight magnesium chassis. The Savage 110 Ultralite Elite uses an MDT (Modular Driven Technologies) chassis system (just 26 ounces) with a carbon-fiber pistol grip and forend, and a Gunmetal Gray, Cerakote finish on the magnesium section. Magnesium, the lightest metal found on Earth, is actually 34-percent lighter than aluminum, has a greater strength-to-weight ratio, and is more resistant to heat and vibration, but it’s more expensive to manufacture than aluminum.

Scott Murdock wrote for Pew Pew Tactical on January 12, 2024, that, “There’s plenty of room for customization, too…The carbon-fiber forend of the chassis has M-LOK, QD, and ARCA mounting points, in addition to traditional sling studs…[and] you can unscrew it [the muzzle brake] to install a suppressor…The 110 Ultralite Elite is built to match the conditions of any extreme outdoor trek and can provide hunters with a tool to tackle any big-game pursuit.”

The weight of the rifle is further reduced by a PROOF Research, carbon-fiber-wrapped, free-floating, stainless-steel barrel (up to 64-percent lighter than a traditional, steel barrel), threaded at the muzzle, and fitted with an Omniport muzzle brake, also exactly like the new Bergara MgMicro Lite. This results in a custom barrel that’s exceptionally straight, rigid, lightweight, and rapidly dissipates the heat generated from multiple shots, which greatly improves accuracy.

Savage 110 Ultralite Elite carbon-wrapped barrel, with muzzle brake. Photo credit: Savage Arms

There’s a foam-filled, carbon-fiber buttstock that folds neatly to the side to reduce space, with adjustable length of pull and comb height, and a carbon-fiber bolt knob to further reduce weight. The Savage AccuTrigger is fully adjustable from 1.5 pounds to four pounds of pull weight.

The scope mount is compatible with standard Remington 700 bases with 8-40 screws, for ease and simplicity when fitting any desired scope, the bolt is diamond-fluted, with Blackout Cerakote finish, the receiver is stainless-steel, and there’s a low-profile, three-round (five-round or 10-round optional), AICS-style (Accuracy International Chassis System) detachable magazine.

Hunter with Savage 110 Ultralite Elite rifle. Photo credit: Savage Arms

The Savage 110 Ultralite Elite is clearly marketed toward back-country hunters, but military applications remain a distinct possibility. This is a custom-tuned, super-lightweight, exceptionally accurate (most PROOF Research barrels shoot as accurately as .5-MOA in actual testing) rifle, already available in .308 Winchester or 6.5CM, with the latter being the U.S. Special Operations Command’s latest cartridge of choice for their sniper rifles, and a compact, 18-inch barrel and folding stock.

Savage 110 Ultralite Elite rifle. Photo credit: Savage Arms

Just like the brand-new Bergara MgMicro Lite, the Savage 110 Ultralite Elite is already much shorter, lighter, and less expensive than any existing military sniper rifle, shares most of the same innovative features, and costs exactly the same amount, with a lofty MSRP of $3,299, a bit steep for ordinary hunters, but not for the Armed Forces. It already has everything that a special operations sniper could ask for, being exceptionally rugged, reliable, lightweight, compact, portable, comparatively inexpensive, and extremely accurate, all the way out to 1,500 yards.

It’s extraordinarily noteworthy that a variety of Savage sniper rifles are serving in active combat with Ukrainian snipers in their ongoing war against the Russian invaders, including the Savage 110 BA Stealth, Savage 110 Carbon Tactical, and Savage 110 Elite Precision bolt-action rifles in .308 Winchester, .300 Win. Mag., or .338 LM, and the new Ultralite Elite may also draw their interest, for fast-moving special operations teams.

Whether backpacking in on foot to hunt huge bull elk in the mighty Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming or serving rough duty with a Ukrainian commando team on the front lines, the new Savage 110 Ultralite Elite is certainly up to the task at hand, providing a lightweight, compact, ultra-modern weapon for the most demanding of circumstances.

*                    *                    *

Warren Gray is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer with experience in joint special operations and counterterrorism, and is an NRA member. He served in Europe and the Middle East, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter.