Evenin', gents. I've been kicking around the idea of getting into riflery, mostly planning on target shooting only, 100-300 yards. Problem is, I don't know which one to get. Here's what I've been looking for:

• Budget -- ~$500-ish for the gun
• Action -- Bolt. My state neuters AR15s, and $500 buys either a terrible AR-15 or a pretty good bolt-action.
• Caliber -- .223. I can reload it economically and Wise_A Sr already has a Mini-14
• Barrel -- I'd kinda like a heavy bbl

I'm checking out the used market, but it's a little light around here. I plan on looking until Thanksgiving/Christmas, before committing to new.

I started out looking at the Remington 700 ADL or SPS Varmint, but then I heard that the 1:12 twist might be a bit marginal. Not to mention the easiest way to get an ADL would involve spending money at Dick's/F&S (ugh).

I tried out both the Tikka T3 and CZ 527 at a local shop. Super-great, but both came with $600 price tags and sporter barrels. I think that without the heavy barrel, I'd be more inclined to just grab a Savage Axis II and re-stock it.

Lately, I'm thinking that my best bet might be to suck it up and make the 200-mile drive to the nearest Cabela's/BPS for a Savage 12FV for $420.

Are there any other rifles I should consider? If I end up ordering from Cabela's, is there anything funky going on with their firearms policy? In other words, if I show up and the chamber is littered with burrs and half the rifling is missing, am I SOL?

Thanks in advance.