In December last year Savage announced they would be producing a Model 10 Precision Carbine chambered in .300 AAC BLK. They have just announced they no longer plan to produce it.

Their explanation …

Some time ago, Savage announced it would be chambering the Model 10 Precision Carbine in 300 AAC Blackout. Since that time, we have tested many variants of this cartridge in various barrel lengths and rates of twist. This exhaustive testing left us quite unsatisfied with the accuracy we were able to get from the subsonic loads in this chambering. Accuracy with the lighter, faster loads in this caliber was actually quite good. But we believe the real value in this cartridge lies in the use of subsonic loads for suppressed rifles. Therefore we have decided to scrap the project.

It is our understanding that pushing these heavy, slow bullets presents challenges not found in typical loadings and that our experience is not unique. Subsequently, many in the industry have simply adopted a lower standard for accuracy for these subsonic loads. While this does seem reasonable and we don’t criticize any in our industry that have taken this approach, it just won’t work for Savage.

Our brand was built on accuracy and we are too protective of our reputation for building the most accurate factory rifles available. We would rather walk away from this opportunity than sell a product that requires an explanation.

It is no secret that long bullets (such as the .300 BLK 220 grain subsonic) need a faster twist rate than shorter bullets (such as the .300 BLK 125 grain supersonic). It is reasonable for a gun to shoot one more accurately than the other. In most cases the subsonic would be used for close range work where lower accuracy is not as important.

[ Many thanks to Woodroez for emailing us the tip. ]