From reading/watching reviews, the Kimbers can be hit and miss. And because the barrel is SO thin, you get maybe 3 rounds before throwing shots. I've never handled one either and been like "Wow, this is awesome!" They're always kindof a let down.
Savage of today is nothing like Savage of 10 or 15 years ago. Yes, they're accurate still, but so is EVERY rifle on the shelf today, so that's not enough reason to buy a sub-par rifle. Lots of feeding issues with two that my buddies own, and the 4 that my F.I.L. owns. None of them feed reliably from the magazine, and all of them just feel like they're about to fall apart. The bolts are chincey and the whole action and everything feels like it's on the verge of falling apart.
The Tikka is noticeably nicer than everything else. It does have a cheap plastic stock, but it's like the high end of the cheap plastic stocks on the market. they are stiff enough that you can actually brace against it without issues, and the triggers are money. The bolts don't bind but fit tight and smooth, and they lock up super tight. Working part time at Sportsman's Warehouse, I sell 3:1 Tikkas to other Sub $750 rifles. Above that, I sell more Bergara than anything else, but the Tikkas are the cream of the crop for the "entry level."
Also, people come in and ask me how much they need to spend on a hunting rifle. I tell them that they can buy a cheap Savage or something, and then I'll see them in a couple of years when they need to upgrade because the trigger is janky or the stock flexes too much for them. Then I tell them the Tikka is the gun that you'll never NEED to replace. You can if you want to, but it has all the features and functionality that you'll ever need, so you'll never have a super valid argument to ever replace it other than "I want to." There's good arguments to upgrade something like a Savage, but not the Tikkas. They're just superior in every way.
