Todd,you never said what cal. you decided on.Also get prices from Beikirch,I find their prices and service tuff to beat.Also I find Remingtons quality not what it once was.

Todd

I think you are doing the correct thing by going to shops and looking around. I read your recoil thread and I strongly believe that recoil has nearly everything to do with how well or not a rifle fits you.

Also, everyone has an opinion and favorite and guess what, they are all correct. To them the best rifle is the one they own. Can't argue with that and its a true statement. Ultimately you are the one that will be plunking cash down and have to be happy. Is a Weatherby worth more than a Remington? Only you can decide that. If it fits you well, you like it, and will shoot it then a Weatherby most certainly is worth more than the Remington.

As the others have said, there are a ton of nice rifles out there. Any of today's manufactures make dogs and you have to look and be careful. Personally, I think it is hard to beat the Tikkas, Savage's, and/or Weatherby Vanguard in their price ranges. Remington has a ton of aftermarket stuff and you can really tweak them out. Most accurate rifle I have ever seen was an older Ruger M77 that I foolishly sold. Least accurate rifle I've ever owned is a Ruger M77 in 250 sav. So is Ruger good or bad?

So I guess my advice is to read what is here as there is a ton of knowledge, go to a shop informed about the pros and cons of each, and then make a decision based on your preference. Not much help am I?

Todd, Tikka is made by Sako, and imported by Beretta. The T-3 is a nice rifle, but it's just not the same rifle as the Whitetail Hunter. The WH doesn't use all the plastic components that the T-3 does. They are phasing out the WH, so if you can find one (and there are still some out there) jump on it. About the only real difference in the Tikka WH, and Sako, is about $400.00 to $600.00. I'm sure there's more difference than that, but the average hunter, like me, won't be able to see it.

take a look at the browning a-bolt series firearms.

i used to be a remington man. but once i bought my first a-bolt i never turned back. also look into the savage rifles. some say they look ugly. but are you gonna impress a deer ( or whatever game you hunt ) in the woods with your gun?
i have had awsome luck with both. great shooters out of the box. my a-bolt medallion is top of the line but they have other less expensive models like the hunter series and others.