Hi Leslie and welcome. Savage is a long-known brand for quality and accuracy straight out of the box. Tikka makes fine rifles as well but the Savage would be hard to beat for the $. I own Savage rifles in 17HMR, 22 Mag and they are exceptionally well built and super accurate. Cheers, stay safe and enjoy!

Hi Leslie, like Jason, I am also biased toward the Savage, having owned one loving it. The fluted barrel and skeleton stock add a nice touch, you can't go wr0ng at that price with the Savage.
Stay safe & have a great day!

I own A Savage so I'm kinda biased on this one 🤣 I'd stick with Savage.

Good evening to you!! A Savage rifle is definitely hard to beat. Both in price and shoot ability. Tikka's are excellent rifles also. But you pay a premium for that. I'd go with the Savage and any extra you have left over from your budget I'd get ammo and spend time on the range and ring out every ounce of accuracy out of it.