I am increasingly leaning towards the purchase of a .308 bolt-action. The gun will probably accompany a Leupold VX-I scope, and will be an appropriate rifle of lower-end price. I enjoyed the Accutrigger, and was moving towards the Savage model 10 in .308. While the rifle will primarily see time at the range, it may get some field use in the future, and my budget is limited. A recent discovery has caused me to waver in my acquisition of the Savage.
Have any of you purchased, or had experience with firearms built by private gunsmiths, ie those working under gov't contracts ect. I have little reason to question greater overall quality in this firearm. I would trust that a higher standard of excellence would be practiced, and if anything should ever need fixing, who better to take it to than the builder. It seems like a definite win situation. If any of you have experience with similar situations, I'd love to here about it.

I am not clear what you are talking about in regard to a gunsmith working under a govt. contract. If it is a custom rifle you are looking at, I would thing it would be quite expensive. There are some well known gunsmith companies that custom tune, modify and/or accurize rifles for sniper use, but those rifles are really spendy. Anyway, you did mention a limited budget. The Savage is a good value and can be slicked up by the owner if roughness is a problem. Get one with pillar bedding and the Accu-Trigger if you decide to go this way.

To clarify a little more, I am talking about match grade rifles often purchased by police/gov't. The price I am looking at is quite low, but there are special circumstances involved. I am looking for an accurate gun with little interest in aesthetics. Quality and thrift often don't go together, but Savage has a good reputation and their new trigger is impressive.

I assume you have experience with Savage. I could get a Savage package for $350, with a cheap Simmons scope. Any experience with those scopes. I don't need anything fancy, just functional and consistent. Thanks for the advice.

If a tactical rifle is indeed what you are after, the Remmie PSS is a good entry level package, as well as their VS. series.

Savage 10fp series tactical rifles are excellent too. Their barrels sport a 1/10 twist, where most Remmies are 1/12.
The Winchester stealth is getting good write-ups, but I have no personal experience with them.
from there, the sky is the limit.

then there is the big money guns.

http://www.gaprecision.net/

http://www.hsprecision.com/

http://www.mcmfamily.com/

just to name a few, but they all seem to be built around 700 actions. I have a Rem. 700 VLS that came in a HS Precision stock, aluminum pillar bedded and out of the box shoots under 3/4moa. I sent it to GAprecision to have the barrel cut down to 24" from 26", and had the action trued. the gun is a veritable tack driver, but weighs upwards of 11 pounds with the optics and bipod. WAY tooo much to carry thru the woods.

What exactly is the issue with savage, i have heard nothing but good things about them lately?

Let me get this straight You want a MATCH GRADE RIFLE but you want it CHEAP. And you are worried about getting it fixed before you even buy it?? Any of the major companies make very good rifles that will shoot good and with a little tweaking they will shoot VERY GOOD. Price should be 2 or 3 on the list.
Try several brands to see which one has the Safetey where you like and is easyiest to to work. Most rifles will group 1 1/2 to 3 in out of the box. A little trigger work and glass-bedding and it usually shrinks by 50%. If a hevay barrel is needed remington make a 20 in bull barrel 700pss or the howa varmint is a goog choice. a guy on ebay works on rem. triggers for 25-30 dollars and glass bedding is simple if you are a do-it-yourselfer. And spend a little more and get a VXII. It has better coating on the lens.

Truthfully, I am perfectly happy with the Savage. From what I've heard, and checking it out, I'm quite impressed. It fills my need as a novice shooter. However, I continued to shop around in search of a better deal. I've looked at used Weatherby's, Rem 700's ect. For the price, Savage had me. But I had an out of the blue discovery of what looks to be a literal sure shot. I don't want a police rifle, as I don't think its appropriate. I asked for your opinions on gunsmith made rifles, as its not my forte. I can only assume that this gun must be of better quality as its the mans livelihood. The major manufacturers have their names and long held reputations, others have to produce to be successful. Thanks for the reassurance and advice.