Savage Axis II XP as an entry-level target rifle?

[Bruin06]

Hi all,

I'm interested in getting into rifle shooting for the first time, specifically medium-to-long range target shooting. The range near me goes out to 600 yards (300 with paper targets, 600 with steel). I'm looking for a good entry-level rifle adequate for shooting targets out to 300 and 18" steel out to 600. If possible I'd like to be getting sub-MOA groups on those 300-yard targets since the whole point for me is to see how much accuracy I can get.

I have one very general question: Could the Axis II XP, out of the box, serve as a good entry-level target shooting rifle?

And a few specific questions:

1. The Weaver Kaspa 3-9x40 scope - it's a hunting scope, but could it work as a target scope, at least for a beginner? Is there any way it could be used for shooting 3" groups at 300 yards, or is it just not that kind of scope? (I'm pretty clueless about optics, so use small words!)

2. It doesn't have a bull barrel. How much does a heavy barrel really matter for target shooting? Also, what exactly is the effect of the barrel heating up - to change the POI, to increase the sizes of the groups, or does it do both? Are any of these effects really all that noticeable at 300 yards?

3. Any thoughts about the hardwood stock? Wood looks SO much classier to me, but I don't want to make decisions based on looks alone. Is wood any better/worse at soaking up recoil? Any other major pros/cons of wood stocks? (I should mention here that I'm interested in getting a .223, so recoil won't be a huge factor).

Thanks!