My first Savage! Kind of...

[UCChris]

I use the Warne steel rings like you have above. Warnes are heavy but they are probably the strongest rings made. I went towards lighter aluminum rings on my rifles after my Warne phase. Ive used a little bit of everybodies stuff I guess.
Some people hate the verticle split Warne rings because they are tough to hold together while you try to screw them together but I generally only install rings once so that was of no concern.
I stuck a 6.5-20-44Ao Simmons on top. For varmint work this discontinued scope is a great scope. They were 99$ in their day.
Most any scope can be used on a .223 because the recoil isn't gong to break a scope.

I love the Warne rings. Yes, they are a wee bit difficult to put on, but they are excellent. Especially for the money. Comparing them to the cheaper aluminum rings that are made in China is night and day!

The SWFA is up there just because it is all I had laying around. Eventually I want a variable power for hunting. Though, 12x may be fine for hunting out west. Probably not the best for hunting the whitetail woods of Ohio!

If you go to Eabco for your stock pick up a SAV-2 trigger while you're there. For the money I don't think they can be beat.

Will do. I'm going to see how this worked on trigger works out first. I have it pretty darn light and very crisp. If my accuracy is good, I may leave it alone for now. Definitely not trying to discount your advice, it's much appreciated!

Edit: Poking around Ebaco's site and I found this!

http://www.eabco.net/Choate-Ultimate...153.html#tab-2

Over the last couple days I've been flip flopping on whether I want to go "classic" (i.e., wood stock, ss barrel) or do a modern "tactical" build. I really, really like the looks of this stock. I was leaning towards classic simply because the Boyd's stock was cheap. If I'm going to end up spending $169 for the Ebaco thumbhole, I might as well pony up the extra $8 and do a sweet "tactical" build with the Choate stock.

Also, is there a way to buy Savage factory barrels? I'm thinking that a .223 barrel off of a Savage FCV would be an awesome way to finish of the gun. I realize that the barrel that is one it right now may be very, very good, but I am going to want a heavier contour for varmint/extended shooting.