I have a Light Weight Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor. The original barrel was a pencil-thin 20" . For me, recoil was not a major problem but muzzle jump was. Sometimes in order to have a light weight rifle, manufacturers go too far and the Savage LWH is an example of this. I took off the 20" inch barrel and replaced it with a standard 22" barrel from a Model 11 Predator Hunter. It made a very positive difference in how the rifle handled and responded when fired. Personally I would not recommend any of the Savage Light Weight models in any caliber greater than the 223 for young shooters.