Sako under 1000 dollars???
Maybe I've just been lucky with my savage and weatherby experiences haha, no rebuilding necessary and (again, just my own limited experiences, like anyone else on here), my weatherby vanguard and my "cheap" and admittedly not so easy on the eyes
and no-comment savage, from a pure accuracy perspective right out of the box, has outperformed both a tikka t3 and a Remington 700. I can't pretend I haven't seen what I've seen. I do appreciate how smooth and pleasing to look at the tikkas are and am in no way bashing them - though I do think they're overrated but for sure they're pretty. I do understand full well why the Remington 700 has earned the reputation it has for accuracy builds (and also that buying anything Remington from the last 20 years is especially "hit and miss")
But it's pretty surprising to me that you're stating you need to rebuild the non-tikka/sako brand guns to function properly. Just hasn't been my experience at all. I think it just plainly annoys gun snobs how some basic savage rifles (again, the axis need not apply!) shoot right out of the box for cheap. I kind of derive a smug satisfaction from it personally
I do indeed need to get out more - but this is not why!
I have zero experience with Howa so can't say either way but I do hear very good things…are they identical to the weatherby vanguard action?
I will add that I have been using the boring Hornady Inter locks in 150 grain with IMR4350 for 40 years. I am a little over the book recommendation for load, but have never had a pressure sign. Average velocity is 2983 FPS. never took a second shot at a critter.
