Corey,
You may not get an overwhelming reply here as this forum mainly deals with 100-300yd benchrest shooting. You will more likely get information on the factory/hybrid forum, or, where I would definitely recommend you try, is the savageshooters.com website. Tons of info on savages and guys who love them.
My own experience with Savage has been excellent. So much so that I built my first bench gun based on their LRPV action. The model 12 is a great action, and the majority of savage factory guns will deliver 1/2moa accuracy with handloads. That isn't to say that there aren't guns out there that will be MOA or worse, however. The .243 is a great round if you aren't shooting high volumes of ammo. It tends to burn barrels quicker than say a 6mmBR or .223rem might. The 22-250 would be another choice for longer range shooting, but again barrel life tends to suffer. It also depends on what you consider "long range". A .223 will deliver woodchuck killing power to 3-400yds with a well placed shot and the right ammo (it's also much more economical for powder volume, brass, and bullet selection).
check out the other sites as mentioned. Anyway you decide to go will be great with a savage.
Mike
