I just went through all of it myslef !! I started off wanting a 30-06 or 7mag !!

After doing a lot of what you are doing I was inches away from buying a Browning A-bolt blued/sythetic .280 for $629 !! But I read all the stuff about the Tikka's and checked one out and ended up going with a T3 stainless .270 WSM for $499 !!

I really like the gun ! It shoots good and ended up shooting a lot flatter than I expected ! The ballistics are slighlty better than a 7mag if they both are shooting the same grain bullet but the .270 WSMkicks less !! I shot a deer 2 days after I bought mine at 125 yards and flopped it with a lung shot !! So I was impressed needless to say ! I don't know a whole lot about guns............but the Tikka is a good value IMO !! The A-bolt has a more quality feel and look to it ...........but I don't think when it gets to the meat and potatoes part of it .........that it's really any better !! Long term may tell me different but right now I am very happy with what I got for $499 !!