Originally Posted by
Delfuego
I have both, and both are good guns out-of-the-box. It is hard to say if the R700 will be a consistent 1k gun out of the box, probably not.
Most X-mark trigger are not great, but neither are Accu-triggers.
Both will need good stocks and both may need trigger work and a high-end barrel to create a consistant.
A lot of people buy an off the shelf (Dick's/Gander/etc) Remington and throw everything but the action itself in the junk box.
Remington will benefit from "truing and blueprinting" Savages don't usually need this, but can benefit from a little love on the action.
Remington are great for tinkerers because their is tons of parts and upgrades for them.
Unfortunately there is no cheap way to get into LR shooting, if you're really interested you should plan on where you want to end up and don't start cheap.
Don't forget glass, bipods, bags, spotters, LRF, ballistic computers, databooks, shooting mats, match ammo, etc, etc, etc...
If you are really looking to get into long range you may want to build something from scratch, or buy from someone who is upgrading or bored with LR shooting.
I don't want to discourage you at all, long range shooting is fun! But you should be ready for the long haul and big paycheck.
Not to mention if you get hooked, all bets are off! You will quick be considering $2000-$3000 scopes....