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Savage 12 LRP 260 for a 8yr old??

H

Hondatech19

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Full Member
Minuteman
Sep 12, 2012
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Erie, PA
Hi guys,

I was wondering what you thought about a rifle and caliber my daughter can shoot. She just turned 8yrs old and has been going with me to local shooting matches for the last 2 years and really enjoys it. She told me that she wants to shoot at the same shoots with me. She's always in the garage when I'm cleaning my rifles and enjoys being at the bench when I'm loading. She has only shot a .22 rifle and various hand guns. she does real well with them all. I want to get her a bolt gun she could shoot now and grow into over the years and still do well at longer ranges as she improves. I currently shoot a .308.

I was looking at the Savage 12 LRP chambered in Rem260 but wasn't sure how the recoil was on that rifle or the quality of the rifle. I have $1,000 to play with on a rifle purchase. I understand I still need glass, rings, etc for the rifle as well. Just doing one thing at a time but I don't want to half-ass it and get her a rifle that she will out-grow in a couple years. I can always put a muzzle break on the rifle to help if I need to.

If there's any other caliber and/or rifle that you think might be a better choice, please fill me in. Currently I am shooting 500yds and within the next 2 years plan to go to 1000 and she will gradually work her way up as well. I hand load for my rifles and will also be loading for her rifle so factory ammo isn't a concern. Just the availability of brass and bullet selection is my concern with what ever caliber is decided.

Thank you for all your info and help
 
A .260 with a brake on it should be a pussycat. It's what I am having built right now for me to shoot. The Savage 12 LRP is a good platform and is competition capable to 500 yards and beyond in stock form.
 
My shooting buddy has the 12 LRP HB in .260 and it's a great choice. Since she's not yet used to CF calibers yet, I'd get a muzzle break on it, but it's a great rifle in a great caliber IMO. Of course, the .223 would be great too, but not as much ease going past 500 yds. You can always load early rounds for less recoil if you want. I've heard of reduced recoil loads for .260, but haven't tried any.
 
Do you think the .260 has a noticeable more recoil than .223 if both guns were exactly the same other than the caliber and would the 260 be a better choice for past 500yds?
 
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Clayne, That is a awesome video of your daughter shooting. I feel a lot better knowing the recoil is more manageable than I relized. Especially for a young child.
 
Hondatech19 said:
Do you think the .260 has a noticeable more recoil than .223 if both guns were exactly the same other than the caliber
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Yes, it is much more noticeable. Bad no, noticeable most definitely.

would the 260 be a better choice for past 500yds?
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"Better" is relative. In exchange for the increased recoil you will get greatly superior ballistics than a 223 at extended ranges. That said, a 1:8 barrel running 75/80 A-Max or 80-82gr Bergers offers drop and drift superior to a 308/175gr combo, and a 1:7 with 90gr VLDs is even better at extended ranges.

If you got her a 260 you could always load 123s with Varget or a mild load of H4350 for recoil reduction, along with a brake.

A bigger concern with the 12LRP would be that its a damn heavy rifle, possibly too heavy for an 8 year old kid.
 
The Savage 12LRP is a great rifle system and will be able to grow with your daughter. I run both a .260 and 6.5 Creedmoor in this platform. Is there any reason you are looking .260 over 6.5 Creedmoor? Personally for a youngster I'd lean 6.5 Creedmoor just because it has slightly less recoil, consumes less poweder per reload, and has factory match ammo available $23-$25 per 20 rounds.

I will echo what BoilerUp stated that the 12LRP is a heavy pigglet and nose heavy to boot. It would definately be a bit much for a small kid to shoot barricades with. Prone and bench work no issues.
 
I would highly recommend starting with 223. There is no reason to endure extra recoil, muzzle blast and noise levels. Paper will not know the difference and it will give exponentially greater range than 22LR.

Buy the same Savage in 223 and re-barrel when ready for more oomph.
 
BoilerUP said:
A bigger concern with the 12LRP would be that its a damn heavy rifle, possibly too heavy for an 8 year old kid.
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thats what I thought. I can see you getting an LRP for yourself and letting her shoot it, but if it's gonna be "her" rifle it seems like there are immensely better choices out there.
 
MoBoost said:
I would highly recommend starting with 223. There is no reason to endure extra recoil, muzzle blast and noise levels. Paper will not know the difference and it will give exponentially greater range than 22LR.

Buy the same Savage in 223 and re-barrel when ready for more oomph.
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+1 on this. Once she gets used to shooting the .223 you can rebarrel to any short action cartridge by changing the barrel and bolt head. I started with a .243 when I was about 10 and remember the noise scaring me more than the recoil, so I would definitely stay away from muzzle brakes. The LRP stock is also too big for a youth. I would get a youth model .223 or at least a wooden stock so you can cut it down if needed. Buying a gun that young people can grow into is a good theory, but is not good in practice. Save money by buying used rifles or whatever you need to do personally, but plan to buy at least two rifles for her between now and 15-16 yrs old if she is still interested.
 
I picked up my 6 yr old son a Savage Model 11 youth this year for his first deer season, went with 7mm-08, he's no long rage shooter but he can connect at 70 yds with a rest.
 

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Sorry guys, got out of work late. I never took into account the weight of the rifle. Didn't even think of it. All of the shooting would be from prone and a bench.

I thought about the 6.5c but I wasn't sure how much different the recoil was between .223 .260 and 6.5 and didn't want to get her something that she was afraid to shoot because of the recoil. The noise doesn't seem to bother her at all. She wears a good quality set of electronic muffs. My shooting buddy has a 300 ultra mag with a 30in heart barrel and brake and the noise from that doesn't bother her at all. I just don't want to hurt her shoulder when she pulls the trigger. I was looking at the 260 only because I've noticed a lot of long range shooters use that caliber or 260AI and was trying to set her up for now and down the road.

It does make seance to get her a rifle now to work with and another down the road when she's older and stronger. All the more reason to add another toy to the collection.

what platform would be recommended to look at for her? I don't mind buying used, just not sure what to look at. I've always shot rem 700's and savages so I'm pretty unfimilar with any others.

If I went with the savage 12LRP in 6.5c, as long as she was on a bench or shooting prone, so she doesn't have to worry about the weight, would the weight of the rifle help with her managing the recoil and be ok with that even out past 500yds? As well as loading up some lighter bullets.
 
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I gotta vote for the 223 rem in a savage 10 or 12. Anyone who I have ever started into shooting has used my 223 bolt. It is a rem 700, 22 inch barrel HS Precision stock BDL setup, 1 inch shorter LOP. It is light enough for most to use, mild enough to not startle, and can reach out to 500 yards just fine.

Blast, recoil, and noise were mentioned. I think those are the most important considerations here. You want her to enjoy the rifle wholeheartedly, not get antsy because it kicks or is obnoxious to her with a brake on it. We all get tired when shooting a lot, and it happens much quicker the more oomph you add or the more blast you throw in there.The recoil and blast do add up, especially when you weigh 50 lbs. Hell, you can load light reduced recoil 223 and have her shooting ALL day for cheap AND she will not be fatigued by the rifle AND most importantly she will feel comfortable with it being HER rifle to shoot, that she can totally control it when she shoots.

If you go the savage route you can change the barrel yourself in about 10 minutes. I would have her shoot the barrel out of the 223, then move on up because she will be ready then. The very last thing you want to do is do too much too fast with her. I think she would be a better shooter in the long run and love to do it. Thats what we are after ya know? Besides, she'd get damn good at reading the wind with those light 55 grainers lol.
 
The Savage 223's are 9 twist and can shoot the 69 SMK's & 70 VLD's (most can shoot the 75 & 77's as well) which are a little better against the wind than the 55gr bullets. Besides a 223 is just fun to shoot!
 
I am in the same boat with my girls (same age). I am leaning towards a 6mmbr. I think with a fast twist it is the best caliber for out to 600 yards and will hang with most out to 1K. I am just trying to figure out a stock that will fit them...

So I say go 6mmbr!!!
 
You can, but you are burning a more powder with more recoil than a 6mmBR even with the heavy bullets. Also you are kinda neutering the 243 where it shines: pushing heavy bullets fast. IMO if you are not going to take full advantage of the 243 and run heavys hard then just go with the BR or a BRX. You will increase barrel life by at least 30% and have less recoil, but this isn't the only way to skin a cat...
 
I would not subject a child to any rifle that requires a brake. Her lifetime hearing is more important than the latest whiz-bang caliber that she can "grow into," and hearing never comes back once lost Regardless of ear-pro, brakes are just louder. Get her something that she can comfortably handle without a brake. I think the suggestions of a Savage in .223 are right on the money....
 
You put a steel base, steel rings on th LRP and some glass and you are looking at 13+ lbs. My LRP without a mag, a badger base and rings is 11lbs, 11 ounces, meaning it would be 12 lbs with a mag. My 7 year old didn't like carrying it to the car 2 weeks ago, and I can't imagine taking it hunting. There are much better options in terms of weight that will work better, and possibly caliber. I have a 260 in a Rem 700 that weighs in at 6lbs 8 oz, and the difference in recoil to my LRP is very noticeable. I think a 223 or 243 would be a great first choice, and the 243 has reduced recoil loads available too.
 
I agree with the 223 suggestions. I suspect that the majority of shooting will be within 500 yards which 223 handles easily. It's the most common caliber on the planet so finding components is easy and cheap. It has very mild recoil, but not so little that it feels like a toy. It also allows you to have more deviations based on wind which teaches you to read and adjust accordingly. And if you are shooting F-TR, she would qualify with it as well.
 
I would definitely go with a .223 or 6 BR. As far as the rifle, I would get a Savage or Rem youth model or a Thompson Center Encore. I think young shooters should learn the value of a single shot which is why I thing the T/C is a good choice, plus you can change calibers very easily and inexpensively, and they are accurate.
 
Thank you everyone for the great advice. Definitely pointed out some factors that I did not consider. She wont be hunting with this particular rifle unless were laying in a field shooting at chucks or similar stuff. Primarily a target gun. I think the .223 was a great idea and seems that the majority of you are really pushing the .223 so I have a .223 coming. As she gets older and stronger, I can put her behind my 22-250 and other calibers to gradually move her up in recoil as well with heavier and hotter loads.

I was looking at my reloading bench over the weekend as I was getting lost in this site reading and realized that I had my Dillon set up for .223 and some components out from our last AR shoot in November and thought about what you guys were saying and relized that the answer was right in front of me and I have everything I need to get her going other than the rifle. I understand that the AR and bolt guns are loaded a little differently so I went to the store and bought a couple boxes of factory .223 ammo so the bolt gun will have its own brass and ordered a Rem700 .223 with a 1:9 twist.

....What would be recommended for a decent one piece pict. rail for the scope and what rings would you guys recommend?

B.C 6.8-- I agree with you on the value of a single shot. Its funny you mentioned that. When I shoot my 308 at our local matches, I load it one at a time, I feel more controlled and calmer for some reason and when my daughter was shooting her .22, she wanted to load it one at a time. She said "you and your shooting friends put 1 boolit in and it goes where you want it, the other guy put a bunch in and he doesn't know where the boolits went. I want my boolits to go where I tell them to go".
 
By the time down the road comes it's going to need a re barrel. Save the money in brass and heads and go with a 223 and when she's thirteen or fourteen throw a 260 barrel on it and change the bolt head. 450$ should take care of that.

Sent from my SCH-I535
 
I've used EGW, TPS and Nightforce bases. They all work on the guns I have them on. I like the Burris Signature Zee rings, because they are a good value and you don't have to worry about lapping them.
 
I have not done a writeup on bases, but posted a rather superfluous writeup on unimounts and rings on another forum last week. I have been under the idea that it is best to use the same material for both the base and the mount. I came to this after seeing how much a 68 in lb torqued ring set (night force) left on an upper made of aluminum. Needless I like steel bases and steel rings. I have used and think that both Nightforce and Badger are at the top of the mound. I have used LaRue alum bases and found I had to excessively bed their base (in the back). The thing I point to in using expensive bases and rings is the point of impact reliability. In over a dozen removals and reinstallation's, I have never had more than .25 MOA change (and this assumes you properly torque them down). I have used Seekins and probably a dozen others, but I almost always find myself going back to Badger or Nightforce. Go ahead, call me a fanboi.
 
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