Kimber Hunter or Savage 116 Lightweight Hunter? .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor?

[Buckhunter28]

I'm purchasing a new rifle for this upcoming hunting season, and I'm making it a lightweight 500 yard minimum rifle(although as of now I cannot comfortable shoot that far), as I am going to hopefully be hunting in Wyoming again and my Browning Medallion is just too heavy for that. So, what I'm wondering is Should I go with the Savage or Kimber, and .308 or 6.5 Creed? I'm trying to keep the rifle $800 or less and under 6 pounds, so both these fit the bill. I already have a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50, so that is perfect for long range. I understand there is a much larger variety and quantity of ammo for .308, but what would you guys say? Any input on which rifle and caliber will be greatly appreciated! Not only do I want to use this rifle build for longer range deer hunting, but long range target shooting as well. Thanks again everyone!

[CAMPMEAT]

6.5 Creedmoor all the way. It shoots long distances, bucks the wind better and will kill anything you put in front of it in the lower 48.

I have a 116 and love it. I had a Savage Model 10 in 308, that now is a 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 308 will work, but not as good at the longer distances.

[300rum]

At the ranges you mentioned, or even anything less then 1000 a .308 will do just fine.  Ammo will be easier to find, although we may not have to worry about that in the next four years, and brass will be easy to get and much cheaper if you want to reload. 

[Buckhunter28]

6.5 Creedmoor all the way. It shoots long distances, bucks the wind better and will kill anything you put in front of it in the lower 48.

I have a 116 and love it. I had a Savage Model 10 in 308, that now is a 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 308 will work, but not as good at the longer distances.

Awesome thanks! I have been leaning towards the 6.5 based of the ballistics and what I've read So it would be fine for mule deer at say 500 yards? Alos, what load are you using? Thanks again!

[Buckhunter28]

At the ranges you mentioned, or even anything less then 1000 a .308 will do just fine.  Ammo will be easier to find, although we may not have to worry about that in the next four years, and brass will be easy to get and much cheaper if you want to reload.

That's the definite benefit I know with .308 is variety and availability of ammo, do you think it will hold its accuracy well at longer ranges as well? Thanks for the reply!

[300rum]

Like a thousand yards?  Yes it will.     At 500yds the deer will never know the difference. 

It is fun to have a new cartridge but you have to be careful, there are a lot of wssm's out there or .30-338 or.....The list goes on and on.

At the ranges you mentioned, or even anything less then 1000 a .308 will do just fine.  Ammo will be easier to find, although we may not have to worry about that in the next four years, and brass will be easy to get and much cheaper if you want to reload.

That's the definite benefit I know with .308 is variety and availability of ammo, do you think it will hold its accuracy well at longer ranges as well? Thanks for the reply!

[CAMPMEAT]

6.5 Creedmoor all the way. It shoots long distances, bucks the wind better and will kill anything you put in front of it in the lower 48.

I have a 116 and love it. I had a Savage Model 10 in 308, that now is a 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 308 will work, but not as good at the longer distances.

Awesome thanks! I have been leaning towards the 6.5 based of the ballistics and what I've read So it would be fine for mule deer at say 500 yards? Alos, what load are you using? Thanks again!

I have 3, 6.5's and my next one I'm building is a 6.5x284..if that tells you anything about the 6.5 family.

[Buckhunter28]

Like a thousand yards?  Yes it will.     At 500yds the deer will never know the difference. 

It is fun to have a new cartridge but you have to be careful, there are a lot of wssm's out there or .30-338 or.....The list goes on and on.

At the ranges you mentioned, or even anything less then 1000 a .308 will do just fine.  Ammo will be easier to find, although we may not have to worry about that in the next four years, and brass will be easy to get and much cheaper if you want to reload.

Alright awesome thank you! That was my main selling point was the accuracy difference I'd read and heard about between the two calibers, being that the 6.5 held a great advantage, thank you! All the info is definitely helping, keep it coming everyone I love hearing new perspectives and personal experiences with each!

That's the definite benefit I know with .308 is variety and availability of ammo, do you think it will hold its accuracy well at longer ranges as well? Thanks for the reply!

[Duckslayer89]

https://www.huntinggearguy.com/general/6-5-creedmoor-vs-308-winchester/

I bought my 308 mountain ascent before they had the 6.5 creedmoor option a few years back. I'm not sure what I would do now. I like having ammo readily available anywhere and it is super accurate

[Buckhunter28]

6.5 Creedmoor all the way. It shoots long distances, bucks the wind better and will kill anything you put in front of it in the lower 48.

I have a 116 and love it. I had a Savage Model 10 in 308, that now is a 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 308 will work, but not as good at the longer distances.

Awesome thanks! I have been leaning towards the 6.5 based of the ballistics and what I've read So it would be fine for mule deer at say 500 yards? Alos, what load are you using? Thanks again!

I have 3, 6.5's and my next one I'm building is a 6.5x284..if that tells you anything about the 6.5 family.

That definitely does tell me something about them, if you've put that amount of money into them there must be something special what load are using for it? 

[Buckhunter28]

Also, @CAMPMEAT , would you say that the 6.5 would do just fine at 500 yards on a mulie with the proper load? Thanks again

[opdinkslayer]

Tikka superlite in a 7mm rem mag if your wanting a budget lw lr rifle with lots of factory ammo choices to make mule deer dead.

[CAMPMEAT]

Also, @CAMPMEAT , would you say that the 6.5 would do just fine at 500 yards on a mulie with the proper load? Thanks again

Yes it would, no problem. Ammo is not a problem like everybody says, you bring enough with you just like you would for a 300 RUM.

140 grn Berger handloads. Hornady 140 & 143 ELD - X if you can find them. If you do and you know 100% you're buying a 6.5, buy all of the 143 ELD-X's. Those are hard to find and would like freight train, from the pictures I've seen.

One other thing, IF, you're going to do shooting long range ALOT, buy a bull barrel. If you're going hunting for a month say, you might shoot you rifle once or twice, maybe 3 times. The model 116 barrel heats ups because it's a pencil barrel, skinny, if you think you're going to do quite abit of long range shooting.

Order one from Davidsons Gallery of Guns (Gun Genie ) and have it shipped to the FFL you choose from their list. You'll svae some money and the gun is guaranteed for life.

[headshot5]

I would take a hard look at 7mm-08. 

[Bob33]

https://www.huntinggearguy.com/general/6-5-creedmoor-vs-308-winchester/

[Buckhunter28]

Thanks again for all the replies, definitely is helping me reach a decision on what to do here! @CAMPMEAT , good to know about the ELD-X bullets to buy as much as I can, thats what I've been currently doing for my 7mmRemMag, that ammo sells fast so it's good to know it is true for the 6.5 as well, and also glad to hear 500 yards would be no problem for deer. I've been doing as much research in my ballistics manuel as I can, and the 6.5 for sure looks like a sharp shooter that can get the job done, and alos thank you for sharing the load you're using! Also, the overheating of the barrel, is that just for the long action 116, or the model 16's as well? And how much weight do you compromise with a bull barrel? Thanks again for answering, and sorry if these are common knowledge questions, the whole light weight and long range aspect of hunting is new to me, and also thanks for the heads up about David's gallery of guns, they do have outstanding prices!! All your info is much appreciated, and the 6.5 sure looks like a mighty fine round

@headshot5, I'll definitely check out the 7mm-08 and see what it's all about, I love my 7mmRM, so I'll give it a look, thanks for the headsup!

@Bob33 , that was a great read and was full of useful info that is proving very valuable to me in my decision process, thank you for the link to that!

If anyone has any experience with the Kimber Hunter in general I'd love to hear, but as of now I think I'm leaning towards the savage, but any info or personal experience is very valuable to me, thanks again! 

[CAMPMEAT]

You are entirely welcome. Now, I'm going through a wrench in everything, everybody has told you. I'd also look at the Howa 1500 in 6.5 Grendel......

This is my custom AR 15 Grendel. $3000 as is and it's yours.

[Southpole]

I just bought a Kimber Hunter in .243. I love how it feels in my hands, nicely balanced, light as heck and very good quality for the price. I haven't got a chance to shoot it yet 

[Bluemoon]

I bought the Savage 11/111 Trophy Hunter in the 6.5 Creedmore this past September.  I put a Vortex Diamondback HP on and absolutely love it :.  I went from a 270 Weatherby Mag.  Going from $4.00 dollars a shot to $1.00.  I sighted it in with the ELD 140's before I found out they were not suitable for shooting game more for punching paper.  I contacted Hornady they recommended going to the ELD-X.  The people at Hornady were wonderful to talk with.  I highly recommend the 6.5...There is one trophy Antelope and about 7 Coyotes from this past season that disagree with me however.       

[CAMPMEAT]

I just bought a Kimber Hunter in .243. I love how it feels in my hands, nicely balanced, light as heck and very good quality for the price. I haven't got a chance to shoot it yet 

243's are smokin' good rounds too... I have a friend who shot a competition in a shoot and held his own.
 I've never owned a 243, but have thought about one seriously a while ago.

[Southpole]

I just bought a Kimber Hunter in .243. I love how it feels in my hands, nicely balanced, light as heck and very good quality for the price. I haven't got a chance to shoot it yet 

243's are smokin' good rounds too... I have a friend who shot a competition in a shoot and held his own.
 I've never owned a 243, but have thought about one seriously a while ago.

Been wanting one for awhile now. I wanted something for deer and predators. I'm old school/stick with standard rounds kinda girl, so I thought a .243 would be perfect for me.

[baker5150]

Thanks again for all the replies, definitely is helping me reach a decision on what to do here! @CAMPMEAT , good to know about the ELD-X bullets to buy as much as I can, thats what I've been currently doing for my 7mmRemMag, that ammo sells fast so it's good to know it is true for the 6.5 as well, and also glad to hear 500 yards would be no problem for deer. I've been doing as much research in my ballistics manuel as I can, and the 6.5 for sure looks like a sharp shooter that can get the job done, and alos thank you for sharing the load you're using! Also, the overheating of the barrel, is that just for the long action 116, or the model 16's as well? And how much weight do you compromise with a bull barrel? Thanks again for answering, and sorry if these are common knowledge questions, the whole light weight and long range aspect of hunting is new to me, and also thanks for the heads up about David's gallery of guns, they do have outstanding prices!! All your info is much appreciated, and the 6.5 sure looks like a mighty fine round

@headshot5, I'll definitely check out the 7mm-08 and see what it's all about, I love my 7mmRM, so I'll give it a look, thanks for the headsup!

@Bob33 , that was a great read and was full of useful info that is proving very valuable to me in my decision process, thank you for the link to that!

If anyone has any experience with the Kimber Hunter in general I'd love to hear, but as of now I think I'm leaning towards the savage, but any info or personal experience is very valuable to me, thanks again!

I have a Kimber Montana in 300 wsm.  I love it.  Light and easy to carry.  It has a muzzle break so the recoil is minimal for such a light gun.
I was going to pull the trigger on a Savage Bear Hunter, but didn't like the stock as much as the Kimber.  I couldn't tell you why, just didn't feel right.

Anyway, hope this helps.

[CAMPMEAT]

I just bought a Kimber Hunter in .243. I love how it feels in my hands, nicely balanced, light as heck and very good quality for the price. I haven't got a chance to shoot it yet 

243's are smokin' good rounds too... I have a friend who shot a competition in a shoot and held his own.
 I've never owned a 243, but have thought about one seriously a while ago.

Been wanting one for awhile now. I wanted something for deer and predators. I'm old school/stick with standard rounds kinda girl, so I thought a .243 would be perfect for me.

243 is perfect for alot of hunting animals. I've kinda got into the oddball calibers for some crazy reason.

[crabcreekhunter]

If you are lookig at the kimber hunter, might roll the .280 AI chambering around a bit.  I have a .280ai built on a remington action and love the caliber.  Ballistically it is quite well suited for what your needs are. 

[Buckhunter28]

Again, thanks to all for the input you've provided! @CAMPMEAT , haha that may throw a minor wrench into things, but that is an absolutely beautiful rifle that I would love to buy, but its just out of my price range though, thank you though, as well as for all the info you have given to me, I think I've reached my decision to go with 6.5 

@crabcreekhunter , thanks for the response, and I most certainly have given thought to the .280AI , it appears to be an outstanding caliber, and I plan on owning one at some point

@baker5150 , thanks that is very nice to hear, I'm planning to get to Cabelas this weekend and get a feel for both rifles and see how I like em, but thats very good to hear thank you!

As to everyone else, thanks a ton for giving input, and I'm definitely still open to having more input, the more the better! Thanks everyone 

[Buzz2401]

I'm partial to Kimbers and already have 308 dies so it would be a easy pick for me but seems like Savage is making some fine rifles these days.  But last thing I need is another caliber.

[CaNINE]

There is a lot of good advise here. I'll throw in a twist for you to ponder. I see the savage lightweight hunter is also chambered in 260 REM. Yes, yes, I know it's not the sexy 6.5 creedmore. When you look at who's winning benchrest competitions there is about equal representation from the 260 REM, 6.5x47 lapua and 6.5 creedmore. The 260 has a slight ballistic edge but not important for our purposes per say. The big edge is that Lapua makes brass for the 260. If you ever decide to reload that's a big deal.

[CAMPMEAT]

There is a lot of good advise here. I'll throw in a twist for you to ponder. I see the savage lightweight hunter is also chambered in 260 REM. Yes, yes, I know it's not the sexy 6.5 creedmore. When you look at who's winning benchrest competitions there is about equal representation from the 260 REM, 6.5x47 lapua and 6.5 creedmore. The 260 has a slight ballistic edge but not important for our purposes per say. The big edge is that Lapua makes brass for the 260. If you ever decide to reload that's a big deal.

The under edge is Lapua brass is really expensive. I just bought 100 rounds of Nosler brass blems and it was $113 to my door.

[BULLBLASTER]

There is a lot of good advise here. I'll throw in a twist for you to ponder. I see the savage lightweight hunter is also chambered in 260 REM. Yes, yes, I know it's not the sexy 6.5 creedmore. When you look at who's winning benchrest competitions there is about equal representation from the 260 REM, 6.5x47 lapua and 6.5 creedmore. The 260 has a slight ballistic edge but not important for our purposes per say. The big edge is that Lapua makes brass for the 260. If you ever decide to reload that's a big deal.

The under edge is Lapua brass is really expensive. I just bought 100 rounds of Nosler brass blems and it was $113 to my door.

I'd take Lapua brass over nosler blem for the added 20-30$ any day of the week.  I recently bought some blem nosler brass and on sps it is shown to be weight sorted like the regular nosler brass. Wasn't the case I had a 6 grain spread over one bag of 50 brass. That'll be the last time I buy blem nosler brass.

I thought I saw where Lapua was going to start making some creedmore brass soon but maybe not.

[jay.sharkbait]

.308 is a compromise and is a great for teaching the importance off good wind calls.

.260 is better than Creedmoor in bolt guns and I think most people like to say "Creedmoor". 6.5 Creedmoor is better in gas guns and has a place there.

I'd go .260 or .243

[CaNINE]

Just for everyone has correct information.  Lapua 260 brass in only $96 for 100 pieces available from Powder Valley (my go to source for all things reloading).

[baker5150]

Just for everyone has correct information.  Lapua 260 brass in only $96 for 100 pieces available from Powder Valley (my go to source for all things reloading).

ammoseek.com

same price.

[sumpnz]

Can't speak to .260 brass, but I have Lapua brass for my 9.3x62mm.  I have pieces up to 18 firings and still looking just fine.  I bought my rifle used and it came with the brass and dies.  If I can get 18+ loadings out of that brass then the 100 pieces it came with is easily a lifetime supply.  Granted, nobody in their right mind does high volume shooting with a 9.3x62, whereas a .260 is reasonable for that, but close to 2000 shots from one box of brass is a pretty good deal.  Even if it seems costly up front.

[BULLBLASTER]

Can't speak to .260 brass, but I have Lapua brass for my 9.3x62mm.  I have pieces up to 18 firings and still looking just fine.  I bought my rifle used and it came with the brass and dies.  If I can get 18+ loadings out of that brass then the 100 pieces it came with is easily a lifetime supply.  Granted, nobody in their right mind does high volume shooting with a 9.3x62, whereas a .260 is reasonable for that, but close to 2000 shots from one box of brass is a pretty good deal.  Even if it seems costly up front.

I sure love the Lapua brass for my 6.5-284.

[Buckhunter28]

Awesome thanks for all the extra info and insight given! Going to go handle a few rifles myself this weekend and figure out what just has the best overall fit and feel, and thanks for all the info on some other caliber choices as well!

[Buckhunter28]

Just got my Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor today, time to mount my scope on it and take her to the range! As for fit, feel, quality, and comfort, I could not be happier. The bolt is smooth as butter, the gun has a great feel, is super lightweight, and everything on it, to me anyways, has quality written on it. I'll post an update once I've put some lead down range. Thanks again to all who gave input!

[jjness11]

Just got my Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor today, time to mount my scope on it and take her to the range! As for fit, feel, quality, and comfort, I could not be happier. The bolt is smooth as butter, the gun has a great feel, is super lightweight, and everything on it, to me anyways, has quality written on it. I'll post an update once I've put some lead down range. Thanks again to all who gave input!

You made a good choice! The Kimber Hunter is a stripped down version of their higher end rifles (same action and barrel, just doesn't make it to the custom shop). The 6.5 Creed shoots lights out! I have a Precision Rifle in 6.5, and the groups it shoots makes me want to put down my 270 for a hunting version of a 6.5!

[Southpole]

You won't be disappointed with the Hunter. Like I've mentioned before, I have the Hunter in the .243. The weight and balance of the rifle is exceptional and it's pretty darned accurate too 

[Buckhunter28]

Glad to hear guys, thanks! Yea, I've heard the 6.5 is supposed to be the cat's meow so I decided to get one for myself to see, and i am already in love with this Kimber Hunter! And yea that's what I have read, its the same action and barrel as their $2000 rifles just has a different stock, I can't wait to get er down to the range!