[Metal god]

For the price it looks like your talking about the savage 11/111 Hunter XP . If this is the one your talking about , its good but not great . My big hang up is that it does not come with th accu-trigger . A nice trigger will help you get the accurace your looking for . You can always get it and later upgrade the trigger .

Now that I see your budget I have a couple other rifles you may want to consider

The Ruger American Rifle . I have one in 308 and its very accurate . 3/4 MOA at 100 yards .I paid $400 out the door for the rifle only . The Ruger does not come in 223 but does come in 243 . It's a very light rifle 6.25lbs so carrying it on hunts is nice but with the light gun you get a little more felt recoil. It also has an adjustable trigger from 3 to 5 pounds . Another thing to consider is if you going to do alot of bench shooting . The Ruger and Savage both Have a lighter sporter type barrel .This means they heat up quickly and you will need to let them cool down a bit between mags or every couple of mags .

Here is a target from my Ruger American 308


Another one you should really consider is the Howa 1500 series. They are good accurate rifles and come in 223 with a heavy bull barrel , Hogue stock , adjustable trigger and scope for right around $600 . I bet you could get close to that $600 mark out the door . That would be a pretty nice bench set up for the money .

If it matters : The Savage is made in Canada , The Ruger in America and The Howa in Japan . ( hum I think thats right if not Im sure someone will let me know ) .All are quality fire arms .