Over the last 12 years I've seen no difference in the quality of the Savage 22" factory sporter barrels except in the degree of final finish with the cheaper rough matte finish replacing the more polished blued/SS finish. The difference you see today are the cheaper molded plastic and hardwood stocks with plastic bottom parts which replaced walnut stocks and metal bottom parts of the past. And then there's the sponge recoil pad vs. a quality rubber recoil pad. And over the years, I've had Savage factory barrels that are just as accurate as pre-fit custom barrels. The difference being the Savage factory barrels take more time to clean up than the more expensive custom barrels.