No offence taken @
grandpamac nor was I really stirring @
Manchester and it's better to see the bits put to good use than in a box or worse put in the scrap.
I like the martinis for their graceful lines, long sight radius and good carry.
Do you have any problems with loading or extracting with the scope their. I've seen a 22k hornet on a BSA 22 action where loading involved some interesting manoeuvres that had to be repeated getting the empty out.
Any how to get this thread back on track.
The howa is good buying as are the second hand options etc, basically anything within his budget will be fine. Whatever money you save going any of these routes spend it on ammunition and learn how to shoot with it. As for optics, the nikko stirlings are perfectly adequate but go bushnell, leuopold etc if you wish, but I think with the lower end scopes in those brands the extra you pay isn't reflected in performance.