the heavy barreled savages are extremly accurate, im going to shoot mine in about an hour , the heavy barrel will stay cool longer than a regular weight barrel but i think that a heavy barrel that is heated to the max will take a longer time to cool down, im not sure about this. but if you like the savages in .243 and want a good shooter, get one . i have a model 12 fvss in .223 i just puta tasco 10-40x power scope on it and ive been waiting to go shooot it since christmas lol. with the old scope i had no problem getting 1/2 inch groups with winchester 45 gr. usa ammo. with hand loads the groups were cut in half .just waiting for a coyote to step foot in the backyard now