I have had both in the same cal. The Handi may be a little lighter, but not much, the receiver part is heavier than a savage action is. I think that anyone, even on this board, will tell you that your best bet by far for a shooter right out of the box will be a Savage. Some of the handi's shoot as well as a Savage does, however chances are that you will have to do a lot more fooling around with a Handi to get it to shoot than you will with a Savage. They are both good rifles, and if I had a little more time to fool with one or felt lucky I would buy another Handi. Larry