The Mercedes of Muzzleloaders: The 10ML-II

There exists a body of facts that have impressed me about the Savage 10ML-II, and though I certainly own and shoot some twenty other muzzleloaders, and over fifty rifles, shotguns, pistols, air rifles, and I have a lot of good things to say about many other frontloading rifles-- I am admittedly enthusiastic about the Savage 10ML-II. It is no accident; there are reasons why this gun stands out. Here are a few:

1) The design of the breechplug features a metal to metal sealing surface that protects the threads-- that is why it exists. This design has endured for the last 15 years of smokeless muzzleloading use. In fact, just now a few other muzzleloading companies are beginning to tout the same thing. Thompson Center Arms has this to say about their new Contender G2 209 x 45: "The G2 209x45 features a universal breech plug, which is easy to remove for cleaning purposes. The unique shoulder sealing design prevents fouling from making its way into the threads; all fouling is contained in the barrel." It was a good idea when Henry Ball first employed it in his custom guns over 15 years ago, and it is a good idea today. Thompson apparently has just caught on.

2) Ask any muzzleloading manufacturer if their guns are 100% proof tested and 100% test-fired prior to shipment? You'll find none of them are, except for the Savage. The first time other muzzleloading rifles see any pressure at all is when the new owner pulls the trigger. Not the case with the Savage 10ML-II: it is built and tested to a far higher standard than any muzzleloader ever offered.

3) Ask any muzzleloading manufacturer what steel their guns are made from? Most won't tell you, some importers really don't know. The Savage 10ML-II is made from the very same, identical 416 Stainless Steel (or 4140 Chrome-Moly) that their high-power center fire rifles are made from, using the same machines and quality control standards. And, they are not ashamed to say so.

4) The SAAMI standard for the "safety drop test" of a cocked trigger is six inches. The Savage Accu-Trigger has been shown to be safe-- at a drop of twenty feet. In an industry lacking standards, the Savage 10ML-II has the tightest barrel tolerances in all of muzzleloading: rifling depth +/- .00025, and an action with a locktime of 1.60 milliseconds.

5) No Savage recommended load exceeds 40,000 PSI, most running in the low to mid 30,000 PSI range. SAAMI calls for a 1.3X proof load for their centerfire rifles, which every Savage 10ML-II sold passes. However, the Savage alone has withstood torture testing to 129,000 PSI-well over 400% of any allowed service load. No other muzzleloader can say that.

6) External blowback and primer sticking in a breechplug has been the bane of many muzzleloaders for years. Only the Savage has bolt-controlled primer feed and primer extraction from its breechplug. It is the most weatherproof action ever put on a muzzleloader, with nothing added or taken away. No plastic primer holders or jackets, just a totally sealed action. You can believe the bolt primer feed is patented-- no other muzzleloader has anything like it, or will.

7) We all grew up with the safety and convenience of .22 rimfires and 20 ga. shotguns that feature totally corrosion-free smokeless powder as a matter of course. Smokeless powder is safer to handle, use, and store than blackpowder. It is not extremely toxic like Pyrodex, and does not destroy or weaken your barrel like many blackpowder substitutes can do. That is why the world has known for over 100 years that smokeless powder is the best blackpowder substitute available-- the muzzleloading community is finally catching up to the safe, clean, simple part of smokeless powder. Smokeless powder means nothing by itself; you just use the right propellant for the application. Any shotshell reloader has known this for decades, and shotshells are most certainly "smokeless loads," loaded to a pressure normally not exceeding 12,000 PSI-- fully half the pressure produced by many Pyrodex and Triple Seven muzzleloading combinations. It never was meant to be hard to understand-- with a little thought, it just is not.

8) It is what muzzleloaders have longed for, and screamed for years: a muzzleloader that needs no daily maintenance, is economical to use, and is built to last several lifetimes. By giving the hunter an unobstructed view of game after the trigger is pulled-- it has already proved to be a more humane, ethical way to hunt.

9) It is the safest muzzleloader ever made, the strongest muzzleloader ever made, the most reliable muzzleloader ever made, the most tested muzzleloader ever made, and has the repeatable accuracy and energy required to humanely, quickly harvest game as well as any muzzleloader ever made.

For game departments and hunters alike, it is the most humane, safe, competent, high quality hunting tool and game management tool ever made available to the fraternity. It is the Savage 10ML-II.