Savag 12 LRP questions

[Matt52]

I think I'm coming down with the long range shooting bug and I feel I have decided to get a 12 LRP in 6.5 creedmoor to cut my teeth on. Id like to hear what others think about the rifle. I have heard nothing but good. Is the 6.5 creedmoor better than the 260 Remington? Also I like buying guns that serve multiple purposes and from all my research on this forum it appears that the 12 LRP is a long shank barrel that would be capable of switching to 7mm WSM or 300 WSM should the need arise simple by changing barrels, mags and bolt heads. Is that true? I hate asking the "what fits where" question. Everything I've read indicates that its possible to do that conversion I was just wondering about the ejection port and how it would handle the 300 WSM cartridge. Id just like to know all my options before I buy the 12 LRP I'll probably buy it regardless it seems to be exactly what I'm looking for the caliber conversion would be extra icing on the cake.

[243LPR]

The only way I could get mine to shoot was a new barrel,the factory one was horrible.To change it to wsm youd have to buy barrel,bolt head and a magazine. Not the route I'd go.

[Hotolds442]

The only way I could get mine to shoot was a new barrel,the factory one was horrible.To change it to wsm youd have to buy barrel,bolt head and a magazine. Not the route I'd go.

And possibly a new firing pin if yours is the non adjustable type.

[SoCal326]

With mine I couldn't get it to group with the Hornady 140gr A-Max and it should. I also found that I was missing elevation which seems to have been caused by barrel droop. With my hand loads I was getting .2 moa at 100 yards off a bipod and rear sand bag.

I sent it back to savage and they threw a new barrel on it which fixed the elevation issue. I've also done a first round of load devolupment. Average group size was .44", min was 0.12" and max was .72" at 100. The one I will be focusing on was 0.12". All were 3 shot groups though so I can't say fore sure until I load up some more and do some 5 shot groups.

I was disipointed that I had an issue but was glad that Savage was so willing to help me fix it.

[Newsshooter]

I did just what you're thinking about when I got into LR shooting. I chose the 6.5 over the 260 because I didn't reload at the time, they're pretty much a wash though in performance. Match ammo is available for less than $25/box. Mine has about 2k rounds through it and still shoots 1/2 moa if I do my part. I think you should be able to do the conversion though I'm not sure why you would want to, the 6.5 will shoot a long ways if that's what you're looking to do with it. Why the switch to the WSM?

[Matt52]

Mostly I want to shoot at 300 and 600 F-Class matches which the 6.5 is perfect it will also work to 1000. One of my bucket list items is to shoot out to a 1760(1 mile) that's where the 7 wsm would be useful it's just a bonus that the 12 LRP can switch calibers. Mostly will stick with the 6.5cm or 260. So I do reload with that being said 6.5cm or 260? I hear that 6.5 is better for non reloaders and 260 for reloaders. But I kinda get the feeling everyone would use 6.5 cm if Lapua made brass.

[Newsshooter]

There might be more people using the creedmoor if lapua made brass for it. I shoot with a bunch of tactical/precision shooters, some capable of winning national matches, and more shoot the .260 than the Creedmoor. That being said I don't think the majority of them are using Lapua brass. You can get more powder in a .260 case and some push them a bit faster which certainly helps a bit shooting to 1K or farther. At a recent match they had targets out to 1400 and a friend shooting a .260 cleaned it. :) I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

I've got more than five loads on the Hornady brass and I've only tossed a few for loose primer pockets after a couple thousand rounds. If you don't reload the creedmoor has a big advantage with cheaper factory ammo. Winchester recently started making ammo too. If you're going to be swapping barrels I'd look at one of the 6mm rounds too for 3-600. You can get the LRP in .243 win as well.

[Matt52]

Thanks for the info Newsshooter. Swapping barrels is exactly what lured me in to Savage rifles I love versatility in a firearm.

[Matt52]

Well I pulled the trigger on a 12 LRP in 260 Remington. Gander Mountain was running a 10% off everything sale which saved me 115 dollars and then I find out Savage is running a 100 rebate on model 12's so I couldn't resist!