Savage lightweight vs Lady Hunter

[Ncsavage]

I am interested in purchasing one of these two rifles in 6.5 or 260 but wanted to know what everyone's thoughts were. Let me first say that I am interested in the Lady hunter even though I am a MAN. Maybe that sounds weird but the darn thing felt good with the cheek piece. I am also short (5'6") and my LOP is 12.75" so my LOP is right in the middle of these guns.

So is there any negative to the Lady hunter for a man due to the cheek piece? I also really like the lightweight but may need to cut the stock to fit me. I am new to Savage (normally a Sako 75 fan or Ruger's) but have really been impressed with the new lightweight & Lady hunter. Plus the Savage would allow me to save a lot of money from my normal Sako route (plus custom Sako stocks cost a fortune). The weight and balance of these two new Savage's are wonderful.

Any suggestions on which to pick and why? Any men using the Lady hunter as well?

Thanks!

[David_4]

Nothing wrong with the Lady Hunter it's LOP was a little short for me. I have the LWH in 6.5, but had to shorten it to a 13" LOP. If you like the Lady Hunter go for it.

[Ncsavage]

Thanks David 4! I like the LWH and would be fine with cutting the stock. The advantage to the Lady is it's already cut and if I don't like it would be easier to sell if I didn't like it (since the stock hasn't been cut).

How does the 6.5 do in the LWH? Does it group well and why did you decide on it over than the 260 other than more room for bullet seating. Also, does the fluted bolt smooth out over time? The only one I tried was a tad gritty.

Thanks!

[woodbnek]

I have never handled the "Lady Hunter" but I do own a Savage LWH in a .260 Remington. It is a one hole shooter with hand loads. I cut the stock down to fit my teenage son when he is hunting with heavy clothes on. Here is a shot of my boy with a 210 yard shot on a Caribou that went right through the heart. He has made many other kills with this rifle. Get either one and you can have it fit to you by any competent gun smith. I recommend it.

http://woodbnek.smugmug.com/Hunting/Matthews-Caribou-Hunt-2012/i-XjT7pdJ/0/M/PB190214-M.jpg (http://woodbnek.smugmug.com/Hunting/Matthews-Caribou-Hunt-2012/26633201_jg7963#!i=2227232921&k=XjT7pdJ&lb=1&s=A)

[David_4]

I really like the 6.5 Creedmoor and have it in a 10 Predator also. Very accurate, mild recoil in the Predator and mild to moderate in the LWH. I like the longer neck on the 6.5 and there is plenty of quality factory ammo for it. Copper Creek has a 130 gr Berger VLD that is sweet. The bolt will smooth out a bit with some use. Here shortly I am going to have my LWH Cerakoted, just want to get some more rounds through it, the Predator is already done.

[Ncsavage]

Looks like a one proud parent and a great shot! My daughter will be 9 by next season so I'm hoping she can do the shooting this time.

Same question to you if you don't mind. Why the 260 over the 6.5 Creedmoor? I was all set on the 260 but the 6.5 Creedmoor seems to get a lot of good feedback as a hunting round. I'm more familiar with the 260 but it sounds like the Creedmoor may be less finicky than the 260.

[Ncsavage]

Thanks for the info on the 6.5 Creedmoor. Sounds like I'm going to stick with the LWH. I just need to decide on 6.5 vs 260. I'm leaning towards trying out the Creedmoor at the moment.

[woodbnek]

Looks like a one proud parent and a great shot! My daughter will be 9 by next season so I'm hoping she can do the shooting this time.

Same question to you if you don't mind. Why the 260 over the 6.5 Creedmoor? I was all set on the 260 but the 6.5 Creedmoor seems to get a lot of good feedback as a hunting round. I'm more familiar with the 260 but it sounds like the Creedmoor may be less finicky than the 260.

I chose the .260 because I already had other rifles in the .260 Rem and did not see any advantage by switching to the Creedmore. Yes the 6.5 CM has a longer neck and if you are going to shoot the longer/heavier bullets it might be the better choice. For me I wanted light weight and low recoil rifle so I choose to shoot the the 120 grain class bullets and specifically the Barnes TTSX. I get 3000 plus fps from my 20 inch LWH barrel. (Yes it is a carefully worked up hot hunting load) This recipe gives the energy of 1000 Ft lbs out to 600 yards that I personally require for a clean kill on big game. The recoil for this setup at a rifle weight of 6.5 lbs is 13.79 Ft lbs.
Maybe you plan to shoot the Berger 140 grain vld hunting bullet that has a G1 BC of .612 in the 6.5 CM. For hunting I see no advantage by going this route. Assuming you get to 2700 fps with this bullet. It will still only carry 1000 Ft lbs of energy out to 600 yards. The recoil for this set up assuming the same 6.5 lb rifle would be 14.75 Ft lbs. Target shooting is another matter.
Accuracy wise I consider them equals. For the light weight 120 grain class bullets you will get better performance out of a .260 Remington. For the longer/heavier high BC class bullets the 6.5 CM with it shorter case length and longer neck might be the better route to take. I can't get enough of the 6.5 bullet. Welcome to the 6.5 club and good luck with your choice.

Btw......... I just finished putting together a bolt rifle in 6.5 Grendel. It weighs under 6 lbs with scope. With the same 120 grain bullets I should easily get 2500 FPS without a problem. The recoil on this rifle should be around 9 Ft lbs.

[Ncsavage]

Thank you for the detailed specs on your 260! My plans for this rifle are totally for hunting applications. Near this middle range I already a 257 Bob, 25-06, 7mm-08, 308 and 270 (I find I use these middle range calibers MUCH more than my more powerful ones...well I still like my old 35's but that's another story). I'm looking to fill the "gap" a little in a low recoil quick handling hunting round. The 260/6.5's fit this gap to a tee. I also plan to load 120g Barnes so the information you provided was perfect. I normally prefer the Barnes or Nosler so one of those two will most likely be my primary pick in this rifle.

Thanks