I shoot a lot of Savages. I tend to favor the Model 10,11,12, 16 (short actions) and 110,111, 112, and 116 (long actions) over the Axis and Edges. This is due in large part to the design of the components inside the bolt.
If you plan to change the stock out, you will be much happier with a gun that has a top bolt release (as opposed to a bolt release that is in front of the trigger guard). There are more stocks available for these variants for less money.
Cabelas offers a Model 12FV that runs ~$415 any day of the week. They frequently go on sale for $375 or less, and when the Model 12 rebate was available, I picked one up for $275. I have two (.308 and .22-250) that shoot 1/2 MOA with the factory barrel and jacketed bullets (I pulled the barrels and Re set the head space). Ironically, I don’t shoot either much because I have a .308 built on a Model 110 in a chassis that shoots 1/4 MOA. I only use the 22-250 to fire form brass or my 6XC.
I tend to replace the barrels, the recoil lug, and the barrel nuts