Ultralite 6.5 Creedmoor - First Impression

[geezerhood]

110 Short Action - 6.5 Creedmoor Ultralite

I was going to order a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel for one of my Savage actions in 6.5 Creedmoor, but I found a good deal on a used one with less than 40 shots through it. I couldn't build one with a Proof Research barrel and one of my regular Savage actions for less than what I paid for this complete rifle, so I couldn't pass it up. The built up gun would likely not feed the 6.5 CM and this one does 100%! Here are my likes and dislikes of the rifle.

Likes

• The Barrel! - I like the way it looks and the balance. It shoots 1/2 MOA with Hornady factory ammo. I am anxious to try some handloads.
• Threaded Muzzle with a cap. Though I have no immediate plans to run a suppressor, I do like the ability to be able to install a brake if / when I want to.
• The Action - Savage says it is "blueprinted" and Melonite treated Stainless Steel. GREAT! This has to be the best machined Savage action I have ever looked at. Very clean machine work with an excellent finish. Even the engraving is perfect. I am duly impressed. I quite like the look of the lightening bevels that make it look like a hexagonal receiver (It is round on top, not flat) and the multiple cutouts which contribute to the weight reduction.
• 8-40 Base Mounting Screws - I wish all my rifles had those. Hopefully I can find a better base than what came with it - see Dislikes below.
• The Trigger - Not a "Red Blade" but it feels like about 12 ounces with a very clean break. I don't know if the previous owner worked on it or not. It is the 2nd best feeling trigger I own on a Savage. My favorite is a decades old SSS trigger.
• The Bolt - very smooth movement through the action with no binding on closing like I experience on every other Savage I own. Bolt lift is better than most of my stock rifles. It also looks nice with the contrasting flutes.
• The AccuFit Stock - It feels good in my hands and is quite rigid. It looks much better than the old black plain ones. I like the rubber panels on the fore end and grip area plus the adjustable inserts for different cheek rest height and length of pull.
• The recoil pad feels plenty soft for magnum rounds.
• The weight - That is why I got it in the first place - about 6 pounds 4 ounces with an empty mag and an aluminum EGW rail installed.
• The bottom bolt release looks better overall than the top style and I am sure with practice I can remove the bolt just as quickly as I can now with the top release.
• I like larger opening in the trigger guard.
• The new removable magazine latch looks to be a significant improvement over the original style.
• Last in the list but one of if not the top like - It feeds the 6.5 Creedmoor perfectly!

Dislikes

• Though I like the larger opening in the trigger guard, it sure does look fragile. It is very thin and made of plastic. I am sure it weighs less than a steel or aluminum one would so I guess it makes sense vs a metal one. Hopefully it is stronger than it looks.
• I don't particularly like the gray color of the stock, though I do like it better than black. I would have preferred camo or a dark bronze color. I may paint it at some point.
• It came with an EGW economy base - the one with the cutout down the middle. I think the original owner bought it as a distributor exclusive package rifle that shipped from Savage with that base, along with a Vortex scope installed. I really don't like those bases. The recoil bearing surfaces are so tiny that even with something with the recoil of a 6.5 CM, Burris Signature Zee rings will creep forward over time, deforming the top rear corner of the lugs. The amount of contact with the cross screw is next to nothing so a full width, Picatinny spec rail is needed. Granted, part of the blame goes to the tiny round screw that Burris uses in the Zee rings, but you would think that on a $1600+ rifle you would get a fully machined, not extruded, true Picatinny base with full width lugs on it. If indeed Savage put together these package Ultralites, they made a big mistake putting that budget base on there.
  
  [Edit: Removed reference to Savage using the extruded aluminum EGW base on their 338 Lapuas. They use the also too weak Picatinny EGW base in aluminum]

[want2ride]

It looks like you overall like the rifle. Just a FYI. It does not come with any type of rail factory. That is one the other guy put on.

I have two ultralites and they are pretty nice rifles, and shoot wonderfully! They are about the same weight (6.19 LBS) as my Kimber Classic Select (6.3 LBS), and heavier than my Kimber Adirondak (4.7 LBS) and Savage lightweight hunter (just under 6 LBS if i recall)... but , the Ultralites are just WAY more accurate.

[geezerhood]

It looks like you overall like the rifle. Just a FYI. It does not come with any type of rail factory. That is one the other guy put on.

The negatives are fairly minimal for me when compared to all the positives. I am very happy with it. Now I want a Proof Research barrel on a some of my other rifles, including some for 22 Rimfire, AR-15 and AR-10 platforms. As for the base on it, I think it was a gun Savage built as a distributor exclusive package with the EGW Rail and a Vortex scope on it, but perhaps it was, as you say, added by the dealer or the original owner.

I was in error in the original post when I stated that the EGW base that comes from the factory on the Savage 338 Lapua rifles was the cheesy extruded base with the slot down the middle. The three 338 LMs I have came with their aluminum HD full Picatinny style base. Better than the extruded one but still not good enough for a 338 LM. An aluminum base of any type has no business being on a heavy kicking magnum in my opinion, formed from my experience with a bunch of them. Savage should be using a full Picatinny steel base on that 338 LM. I sometimes do use HD Picatinny aluminum EGW rails on centerfire guns with lower recoiling rounds in the 308 and less class with rings that have a beefy, flat front surface recoil lug on them, so I don't have to worry about the rings creeping forward as well as causing damage to the rail. The extruded aluminum EGW wimp-rails are only used by me on rimfires. If I am using Burris Signature Zee rings on a centerfire rifle, I stick with steel bases other than on 223 class rounds or rimfires.