All,

I was in the market for a Tikka Whitetail Hunter, in .22-250,
but I guess I waited too long, as they have dried up,
and now only the Tikka T3 are in the pipeline. I DO NOT
want a T3, for several reasons. So I am going to have to
settle for a second choice. Here are a couple of
contenders, that I am considering: a CZ 550 Varmint, a
Savage 16FSS, or a Howa 1500 SS/Syn. Any comments on these
rifles, or other brands that might fit my wish list.
I am looking for a synthetic stock, and prefer stainless,
with a barrel heavier than a light contour, but not
a heavy target barrel. I am fussy about triggers,
and accuracy, so the trigger should be crisp, and light,
or be able to be adjusted to that, by me. Also, I don't
feel I should have to take guns to gunsmiths to be
made accurate...They should come that way

I am not a big fan of Remington, Ruger, or Browning,
since I have found that either accuracy, or quality,
can be a crap shoot with some of these rifles.

I currently have a .25-06 Tikka Whitetail Hunter SS/Lam.
that is the standard I hold other guns to. The trigger
breaks like glass, and the gun is under 1 MOA for a
number of bullets, and loads. I do have a Howa 1500,
in .300 WSM(won at a fund raiser), and the accuracy is
good, but the trigger is marginal even after I adjusted it
as best as I could. This might get a after market trigger,
after I take one more shot at tweaking the trigger, if I
can't get it adjusted for a lighter pull, and take up a bit
more travel. The .22-250 is for long range varmints, which
in this area means woodchucks, and coyotes. A P-Dog hunt
may be in the future, too. I do have a AR-15 Varminter,
that shoots sub MOA, and is the 200 yard, pest swatter.
The AR-15 has a Match Trigger, and a stainless bull
barrel, so this gun is a bit heavy for coyote ambushes,
in heavy snow. I use it mostly for varmints around the
home buildings. The new .22-250 is targeted for carrying
afield.

So any comments on these choices, or others that I
have not considered, based on this background info?

Squeeze

Squeeze...

Of the guns you have listed, and considering your purposes, I think only one gun fits.

While the CZ and Howa might be great guns, the CZ is about 10.5 lbs, and the Howa is about 10 pounds (assuming the 1500 Varminter). Even if you get the sporter version, you mentioned the trigger on your other Howa -- it may be good, it may not be.

The Savage is the only one of the three that will give you everything you want -- it will be MUCH better as a carry gun at 6 1/2 lbs., and it comes with a great trigger already (the AccuTrigger). My cousin used an older model 16 in 6mm/sporter configuration, I believe, and on a prairie dog hunt last year, it was deadly accurate.

The downsides...you lose a couple inches on the barrel...big deal...maybe 50-75 fps, and shots may "walk" a little quicker because the barrel heats a little faster. I would say that neither of these is a reason not to buy; in fact, the shorter barrel length actually contributes to overall portability anyway, which is what you want. The "walking shots" comment is only a general observation about light contour barrels compared with heavy target barrels, and may not even be worth mentioning for your purposes.

The one thing you may not like is the synthetic (plastic) stock the Savage comes with...I know that I quickly replaced mine, and ordered the rest of my Savages with laminated stocks. The stock issue is something easily rectified, however, and should not detract from the fact that the Savage is the best gun of the three for your specific purpose.

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=5618413

here is one for you . i have one just like this.