Savage LRP 260 Rem Review

[Sam Millard]

I'm going to do a shake down on a Savage LRP in 260 Rem I picked up a couple of years ago. I just got around to shooting it yesterday. So far, with 10 shots down the tube, it looks promising!

 

[mtswampfox]

looking forward to your review been a savage fan for decades. quit prairie doggin and sold off all my rigs cept two both savage......

 

[Sam Millard]

The Savage LRP (Long Range Precision) is built around Savage's beefy Model 12 receiver and is marketed as part of their Target series. It is offered in 243, 6.5 Creedmor, and 260Rem. I'm a big fan of 260 rifles and can't pass one up when I see it! I saw this particular rifle sitting on the rack at a Tri-State in Moscow,ID while attending a competition my kids were involved in at U of I. New price was $889 in March of 2012. I brought it home, cleaned the bore, took it apart to give it a look over, then stuck it in the safe so it could bond with it's new friends


I finally had time for a rifle project in December, so I pulled it out for it's debut. I left it completely stock with the exception of a couple of important things. For the test, I wanted to mount a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 scope on it. I ordered a 20 MOA Nightforce rail for it. The rail had some flex across the receiver, so I bedded the rail with Marine-Tex. The 56mm scope sat perfectly with medium height Nightforce Ultralight rings. I lapped the rings and mounted/squared the scope. The comb of the H-S Precision stock was too low for a proper cheek weld, so I drilled the stock and installed a Defensive Edge adjustable cheek piece.




This rifle is beefy! As stated before, it is built on Savage's Model 12 action. It wears a 26" chrome moly target barrel. The barrel tapers to 1" at the muzzle, with 6 flutes. The barrel is target crowned nice and deep. Savage lists the rifle at 11 pounds. With the Nightforce mounted and bipod on, my scale shows just shy of 15.5 pounds. While not fun to carry, weight like this makes a rifle a pleasure to shoot. Factor in a mild cartridge like the 260, and it's a great shooter for even the most recoil sensitive folks. The rifle is a center feed action, using a 4 round detachable magazine. They built this smart, with the magazine length allowing the seating of long Berger VLDs to the lands if desired.




Savage use their Target Accutrigger on this model. It's lowest settings measure in ounces! I adjusted it to my preferred 2.5 pounds. The trigger breaks cleanly with minimal creep. Not bad for a factory trigger. It also comes with an oversize bolt knob which provides excellent leverage when shooting prone.


More to come...

 

[Zbowman1]

In for more. I am doing a similar build on a model 111 LRH.

 

[Sam Millard]

This rifle now has 200 rounds down the tube. Looking at the targets and notes kept, average 5 shot group worked out to .580". The smallest group was a smoker shot by Ryan Avery that came in at .180" This 260 will shoot! H4350, Rem brass, and CCI BR2 primers were used for all load testing. Bullets included Hornady AMAX, Sierra SMKs, and Berger VLD Hunting & Hybrids. All were 140 grain pills. Loads ranged from 42-44 grains with no problems and higher than expected velocities. At 44.0 H4350 with a 140 SMK .010" off the lands, velocity hovered just under 2900 fps with no signs of pressure.


I ended up skim bedding the HS Precision stock simply to make sure the recoil lug was snug in the stock. Trigger was adjusted down to 1- 1 1/2 pounds. No malfunctions occurred at any time. Rounds fed through the magazine flawlessly and smoothly. Several people shot this rifle, including my 9 year old son. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a factory precision rifle!

 

[brushape]

sweet rig, how do the 260s run out of shorter barrels? seems like you could make an awesome mountain rifle from one

 

[Sam Millard]

I have a Defensive Edge Sheep Hunter in 260. With a 2.5-10 Nightforce, it comes in at 7 something pounds. With a 24" Hart, it pushes 140s @ 2800 fps. Balances really nice with that #4 taper and McMillan Edge stock. My 13 year old daughter carried it quite a bit last year.

 

[Takeem406]

Any new updates to this? I need a 260 Ackley for praire dogs this summer. Either gunna be this or a build off my old 308 Win action.

 

[Sam Millard]

Any new updates to this? I need a 260 Ackley for praire dogs this summer. Either gunna be this or a build off my old 308 Win action.

It's still shooting well. I'm getting ready to fit a muzzle brake to it, and use it for some competition this year.

 

[Takeem406]

Nice! Whatever I get I plan on getting a Thunder Beast can. Sick of the noise. Ear protection is a hassle and uncomfortable.

 

[Sam Millard]

Nice! Whatever I get I plan on getting a Thunder Beast can. Sick of the noise. Ear protection is a hassle and uncomfortable.

No doubt! I'll probably fit a short .308 and some flavor 6.5 barrel to it for suppressor use. Having a can hanging off a 26" barrel gets old when you're trying to negotiate barricades and such.

 

[Takeem406]

What kinda of brass are you using? My buddy is trying to tell me Lapua won't work well in a Savage action.

 

[Sam Millard]

I'm using Lapua in mine with no problems. It's thicker than Rem brass, but there's plenty of room in the chamber for the necks in mine.

 

[Takeem406]

My buddy knows a lot, but at times he's full of it. LOL he was trying to get me to get a 308 or a Creedmoor. The 308 is horrible compared to a 6.5 bullet and the Creed seems good but when you Ackley a 260 your about at 6.5-284 speed...