Well I do not know what bad experiences your friend has had with Tikkas,but my T3 Lite SS 270WSM shoots 5 rounds under 1" with almost any bullet weight.Weighs 6lbs. 6 oz. bare naked.I have 3 Tikkas right now.However I do not know the Savages weight ,but can verify they are excellent shooters out of the box.

Its all right to be white!!
Stupidity left unattended will run rampant
Don't argue with stupid people, They will drag you down to their level and then win by experience