you cant have great quality and low price all in one anymore.
I would say you're right, but I know of plenty of sub 500 dollar guns that are capable of 1moa or less groups. Almost every Savage I've ever seen will, along with most of the Mossbergs. I don't know about the Marlins.
To the OP, after reading the post above, what do you want to accomplish... honestly? Have you ever been hunting? If not, then are you really interested in trying it? What type of hunting? I would assume deer hunting as that is arguably the most popular form here in America. Are you wanting more of a target rifle that you might use to hunt if you decide to start hunting? For you I suggest the Savage Axis. My reason is this. Savage hangs their hat on bolt action rifles. They have all but perfected the art of making an inexpensive (albeit not the prettiest) rifle that is capable of sub moa groups out of the box so long as the shooter is capable.
A rifle like the Savage Axis is not perfect however. It will be accurate and inexpensive, but the scope that comes with the package deal will not be amazing. It will likely hold zero, but adjustments will probably be erratic and the light gathering ability and clarity of the glass will likely be pretty bad. Either way, it'll likely hold zero and that's enough to get you started. After all, you're going to want to shoot it as soon as you buy it. The stock on the Axis is going to be junk. It won't affect accuracy or anything until you try to put bipods on it (which you probably will if you want to shoot at 500+ yards). Forget about putting bipods on a Savage Axis. And further, it will not come with the accutrigger.
What the rifle does offer, though, is cheap accuracy. Also... Savage rifles are pretty modular and there are tons of aftermarket accessories. The action of the axis is the same action found on the most expensive long-action rifle that they sell. So, you can get trigger time in on your budget model. If you really like shooting, hunting, etc, you can always put a better stock on it that will allow the use of bipods. Also, there are a wide variety of aftermarket triggers available for Savage actions. You could also order a stock accutrigger from Savage or (likely cheaper) Numrich. Last but not least, if you are mechanically inclined you can change barrels and calibers on a Savage rifle via home gunsmithing because the barrel is mated to the action via a barrel nut. You cannot do this with any other brand of bolt rifle (to my knowledge) because they do not use a barrel nut, or at least not easily. It is possible to swap barrels, but you have to learn a whole new skill set of cutting a chamber with a chamber reamer (which is a pretty expensive tool). Let's just say starting with a Savage is far easier. So, I have articulated reasons why you should buy a Savage. With that, I have also heard that the Mossberg rifles shoot pretty good groups and are serviceable. I am an evangelical Savage fanboy, but I'm not a fanatic who can't recognize the abilities of another rifle. Get what you want, but I think that a cheap rifle is in order so you're not out a ton of money in case you decide not to hunt and shooting 500 yards isn't all you thought it was cracked up to be. If you do turn into an enthusiast, then the Savage has the potential to keep serving you because of the aftermarket support and ease of changing the rifle into what you want it to be. The Mossberg or other oddball rifle would likely be sold off or left in the safe as your taste, ability, preference, need, etc. has progressed beyond it's use.
