To get a good perspective on Savage Actions it would be a good thing to look at the current first line rifles. The old gun would work well. The new actions are better finished and do not have the cheap look of the old guns. Savage has more haters than Glock.
A barrel that did average .5 inch is pretty OK with me. That's average, not the best single group. I'd also have to ask if the negative stuff came from experience or stuff from a gun rag or such.
So far as I'm concerned, there is a smoking gun on A&B barrels. That's when GM put them on sale. The is no firm evidence otherwise. The A&B barrel, like Shaw, has a pretty good rep amongst
regular users. My old Savage with an A&B barrel runs just fine. Got a Savage 110 7mm Magnum for a donor gun. Along with the action, I have a Shaw barrel ready to go in 458 Magnum. So....