Savage, my buddies dad got one and I boresighted it and it was shooting dime size groups at 100 from the start!

Best to worst in my experience:

1. CZ 550 American in 6.5x55 - - Out of box 100 yd 5 shot groups at or under 1" with factory loads; haven't had it long enough to experiment with handloads yet. No modifications to the rifle whatsoever. Purchased in September 2004.

2. Remington 700 BDL .30-06 - - Out of box 100 yd 3 shot groups at 1.19" avg using Remington 165 grain factory loads, 0.83" with handloads using Remington 165 grain PSP bullets. Subsequent groups tightened up a little more after using David Tubb Final Finish bullets to polish the throat and bore. Purchased in May 2004.

3. Remington 700 Classic in 8x57mm Mauser - - Out of box 100 yard 5 shot groups at <1.75" using Remington 170 gr RNSP factory loads (which suck), 3 shot groups at 0.88" avg using Remongton 185 grain PSP bullets in handloads. No modifications to rifle. Purchased in November 2004.

4. Winchester Modle 70 Featherweight .243 (Push feed) - - Out of box, rifle shot 2" to 3" groups at 100 yards with either factory and handloads.[] After free floating the barrel and lightening the trigger, handloads now average about an inch, many tighter than that. Purchased in April 1995.

5. Remington 742 Woodsman .30-06 Semi Auto - - 100 yard groups anywhere from 1.5" to 3", usually closer to the 3" mark, depending on rate of fire (barrel heat) and load used. I have not experimented much with handloads for this rifle as its accuracy is sufficient for its intended purpose as a >100 yard brush gun. Not sure that handloads would help much, but they might. Best bullet weight for accuracy is 165 grains. Best bullet weight for keeping your shorts clean whilst chasing wounded hogs in the shrubbery is 180 grains. Purchased in early 1981.

6. Ruger M77 MkII .30-06 - - Absolutely inconsistent and unpredictable grouping with any factory or handload. Had a lemon here.[>:] Tried bedding, trigger job, David Tubb Final Finish bullets, every imaginable combination of bullets and powder in handloads, prayer, drinking, denial and other methods. One 5 shot group would be 3.5", the next would be 5/8" with the exact same handload. Would have settled for 1.5" groups if it were consistent, but it was NEVER consistent. Was a science project for 3.5 years until I decided that there was no point in polishing a turd.[:'(] Purchased in May 2001, traded for Remington 8x57 in November 2004. Have now stopped drinking, but prayer continues.

If I had to choose a rifle sight unseen I would have the most confidence in Rem Model 700's and Browning A-Bolt II's. Based on experience. Seems like they need none or very little work to shoot very well.

HI
Would like to respond to out of the box accurate rifle I bought a Savage 12bvss varmit rifle with accu triger, done nothing to it. First factory ammo wasw Winchester supreme silver tips 4 5 shot groups at 100 yds. avg .750 with .5 being the best. First time I ever shot the gun. Later I started reloading got best 5 shot group at 100 yds was .218. have shot many .5 groups and under. This gun certatanly is no slouch for looks either although the new version is a little better stremlined and still weighs 10 pounds. But the accu trigger is so good and completly safe. Can not be jarred to go off even the 1.5 LB setting by the way it is a 223 caliber can't weight to some day go prairie dog hunting.
maybe I can get a digital picture of some groups and submit it for this forum has a prompt to do so. I not that good at that yet. but this forum may just make it simple I will see. Lt of peple are comenting about th savage out of the box accuracy they are not wrong.

Remington Model 700 SS 7mm,300,338 all RUMS have been Xlnt out of the box. My Savage Model 112 BVss 22-250 was also the nuts.
They all got even better with handloads.

My Browning Micro Medallion in 257 Roberts shoots factory 120gr at about 2" at 100 yards. With my handloads it prints about .5 average....44.8gr of R19 pushing a 100gr Sierra Gameking, CCI 250's make it pop.

My Model 70 in 7mm Rem Mag won't shoot the Supreme BST 150's worth a crap....about 4" at 100 yards. I thought the gun was junk. I bought it used at a gun show for a really good price, so I was thinking it was cheap for a reason! Just for sh!ts and giggles I bought a box of Super-X 150gr powerpoints.....under a MOA with cheap factory ammo! Go figure.

My 760 in 35 Rem will print about 1.5" at 100 with 200gr factory loads....I can't complain since its only got a 16.5" barrel. Won't handload for it, so I don't have much choice but to be happy with it....maybe find a better factory load, but it's not worth it for that little brush gun.

The most accurate rifle that either my family for myself have ever owned has been a Ruger M77 in 22-250. I foolishly sold that in a moment of stupidity.

Our most consistently accurate rifles have been Sakos and we own a pile of them.

What price range are we talking? I assume the average $600 or so production rifle. In that case I have several Savages. They are ugly as sin and I have tried to make excuses to get rid of them, but they simply shoot too well. They are not picky with ammo either. Not a big Savage fan but darn it they do shoot exceptionally well out of the box, especially for the price. If Savage could improve their bluing process and metal finishing in general they would really have something there. I also have a Win Mod 70 Coyote, with Win BST's it shoots a 5/8" 3 shot group and a 3/4" 5 shot group, I lightened the factory trigger. A little on the high price scale I have a Kimber rifle that will do 5/8" 5 shot groups and that is right out of the box untouched with factory Win BST ammo.

I have a browning A-bolt in 7mm-08, it is very consistent with virtually all loads, but is not really what I would call a shooter (1.5" groups).

The reason Savage guns shoots so well is that is what they are focused on... They have put all their resources into making accurate barrels and components, they seem to obviously care less what the gun looks like. But you can't beat them in terms of accuracy for the price.

The Sako is hands down the most accurate bolt action rifle out of the box. I don't really think there is any room for discussion. Now having said that it costs significantly more than the other rifles we are talking about. They guarantee their groups to be 1 moa or less. The only downfall of Sako is they tend to be heavier than most especially if you get their varmint guns... I don't like the stupid iron sights on the hunter model[:'(]

While I don't have experience with them I have heard Howa makes an inexpensive "shooter". You will hear a lot of good stuff about CZ's as well.

If you've have Sako's and Tikka's that would only shoot 1.5" at 100 yards with premium ammo, then you should send then back to be checked. Sako's and Tikka's are (the only factory rifles) guaranteed to shoot 1" 5-shot groups or better at 100 yards.

I don't have experience with sporter weight Rugers, but my VT will shoot .75MOA all day long, and has been known to print groups as small as 0.2" from time to time. This is with handloads (50gr Nosler BT, 35.7gr Varget, CCI BR-II primers, W-W cases). I'm eager to get both my new M700 ADL .243Win and my new Sako 75 synth/stainless 7mmSTW out to the range ASAP (Santa was good to me this year!). I'm waiting until after Christmas to get the dies and other handloading stuff for both, and it's just been downright too darn cold and windy to spend an afternoon at the range anyway.

I've also never seen a Savage or Browning A-Bolt that wouldn't shoot either. The next rifles I buy will be a Savage 12BVSS 22-250 for my wife (because she likes it better than the Ruger she had now), and a Tikka T3 in .25-06.

Mike