If you can wait a month or two for a Cabelas sale, you might pick up a model 12FV as your base rifle. 26 inch varmint barrel, varmint accutrigger (lighter than std. accutrigger) and pay a whole lot less if you time it with a Savage rebate offer.

Here's what I bought last November:

12FV in 223 = $349
Rebate= -$100

Add a $180 revolution laminated stock, EGW base for $50, acceptable glass for $250, bi-pod for $80.

For less than $900 got an extremely accurate rifle that will shoot hand loads in the zero's and ones at 100 yds. on a good day. Albeit in the hands of my son, with his young eyes and loads of patience waiting for the right moment to break the shot.