prm,
If you can borrow a copy of RIFLE ACCURACY FACTS, by Harold R. Vaughan, it will tell you more about what actually affects accuracy than asking questions on the Campfire for a year. I wrote "borrow" because they're rare and expensive. Vaughan is an actual rocket scientist who did extensive technical lab work to put the book together.
There are some other good books that provide good information, including several on modern benchrest and target shooting, because they not only address the rifle itself but the realities of how shooting technique can affect accuracy. Three that come to mind are THE ULTIMATE IN RIFLE ACCURACY by Glenn Newick, EXTREME RIFLE ACCURACY by Mike Ratigan, and THE RIFLE SHOOTER by David Tubb.
In addition there's some good stuff to be learned from Warren Page's old reference work, THE ACCURATE RIFLE, and most of the books by Bryan Litz, though they involve exterior ballistics (especially at long range) more than the rifle itself.
