DMD: Understood. I have had issues myself.
Thats why most of my hunting has been done with pre 64 M70's bedded in Brown, McMillan and Bansner stocks.
(BTW flawless reliable function is the FIRST requirement for a BG rifle, not hairsplitting grouping ability. I have yet to see anything that beats a pre 64 M70 at that task, spreading the experience over many different brands over many years.) If it doesn't work perfectly it's junk no matter how accurate it is.
Agreed. The function didn't make my list. Not sure why, maybe I consider it a given. My guess is a Blaser or Tikka out performs a pre 64 in that regard but need more testing to prove. I am confident both do under normal conditions
