fit of the rifle...
assuming a wood stock...get the one you like (700 were it me), and cut the stock however you see fit to make the gun feel the way you want.
we all go to great lengths to make sure the barrels are floated, triggers tuned, and decent recoil pads...why not take a saw to the stock, and cut the rifle? all of my rifles have had their stocks modified...except for savages, most of my rifles have had their l.o.p. shortened to accomodate hunting clothes (read: bulky, cold weather stuff).
my savages, in addition to shortnening l.o.p., have had the wrist area trimmed considerably, thumb-flute carved in, the grip area recontoured, the forearm slimmed a little, and put a defined grip-cap in, instead of the ugly, blurry-lined cap that was there...
to sum...all of my rifles fit me like a glove. some just took a little longer to get that way.
part of the reason i favor remingtons so much is that the grip and wrist area need so little work to feel 'right'... part of the reason i hate savages so much is they need so much work to feel 'right'.
if you have a synthetic stock, l.o.p. can still be shortened, but you may have trouble recontouring the stock to feel better...