The 10/110 is the standard Savage rifle. It includes the 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 110, 111, 112, 114 and 116. The actions are all essentially the same with some minor variations and all come with the Accu-Trigger now. For a .223 you'll be looking at the 10 series. For prairie dogs only, you have to look at budget. On the one end of the spectrum is the 12FLV which is a varmint weight barreled 5 round repeater with a polymer stock. The stock is a piece of junk and will want replacing. It is a 1:9 twist and thus suitable for heavier bullets as well as the varmint bullets. On the high end is the 12 VLP DBM Left Hand which has a laminate stock, detachable box mag and stainless action and fluted barrel.
If he's looking for a potential deer rifle as well, portability might be an important factor which would lean more towards the Model 10 Predator Hunter. Very similar rifle with a shorter barrel and a camo finish.
I own a 12FV .223 in a new stock and I am working on a pair of customs built on Model 10 package guns from Wal-mart. My deer rifle is a Model 111 left hand that began life in .243 and now has a pair of newer barrels (both Savage factory barrels "donated" by the Model 10 project guns) in .243 and .308. It's an older model before the accu-trigger and built during a time when Savage didn't make a real short action (thus the 3 digit model number). I'm left handed but found that I prefer a right handed rifle from the bench or bipod, so only my walking rifle is left handed. The 12FV is as it came from the factory other than the stock and is turning in 3/4 MOA groups @ 200 yds with 69gn Nosler HPBTs. I'm sure it is capable of better with more load development and better shooting on my part. The 111 was a legit 3/4 MOA rifle with factory Win and Rem ammo and slightly better with handloads. A standard group with that rifle was 3 rounds of the 4 touching and the 4th opening the group up to around 3/4" @ 100 yds. I've put 20 rounds through it as a .308 and the first 10 were sighters and to get the feel of the rifle as a .308. The next 10 were fired in rapid succession into a 1" group @ 100 yds. I'm planning on using it with 165gn Accubonds and load development is getting started on that right now.
You'd be hard pressed to find a mass produced rifle that will shoot better and it isn't going to happen for the same $$$.
