Talk about pretty, the Dakota rifle, especially the higher grades, are tough to beat.
You know it's interesting....quality generally yields better accuracy. I think that the overall quality of Savages are below average, but their accuracy is above average.
I say this because there was an article once on various rifles, and the Dakota, with its highest price tag and best looks, had the absolute worse accuracy. Yes, Yes, Yes, I know, it could have been the bullet weight, design, and/or load. However, the accuracy in that particular Dakota was so bad that I just couldn't believe my eyes.
I particularly don't care about "pretty rifles" and I personally don't necessarily think that Savage rifles are ugly. The main reason that I don't buy Savage rifles is because, in my opinion and experience, they just seem to have poor fit and finish, and, more importantly, I just can't get over that crappy bolt action. Compare a Tikka action to a Savage, and I buy the Tikka every time. (Then again, the Tikkas are every bit as accurate as Savages - generally speaking.).
As I said, I don't care about the Savage "nut." However, if Savages were built with much better quality and overal fit and finish, and thus if the bolt action was held to tighter tolerances and was thus smooth, then I would buy a Savage.
Oh, I absolutely hate the Savage accu-triggers. It sounded like a great idea, and it does work, but in all practicality, I just can't stand having essentially two triggers in one. Just build it right the first time like Tikka.
Zachary
