Thanks for everybody's suggestions and experiences but after a lot of thinking I'm going to go in a different direction.
No that I don't love these older (and newer) rifles which are still capable of stacking bullets, and with new eyeball lenses thanks to cataract surgery I can use peep sights again like I could 25 years ago, but in the past few years there has been a real renaissance in super accurate rimfire rifles that are generally available (maybe not right now but they will be again) and have lots of options for scoping, stocking and easily found aftermarket accessories.
Still drooling over a few of the old classics I've seen (Dan, this means you
) but I figure it's time to move on to the 21st Century.
Just starting the research, reading and watching reviews etc., but the Tikka T1x and Bergara B14R are mostly what I'm looking at since they both come in a left handed version and are "reasonably" priced. A CZ 457 is certainly a contender but still figuring out which configuration might suit my needs best, e.g. the MTR gets high praise but the grip is set up for right handers only.
