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Mil-spec triggers on ARs aren’t really that bad .... they just leave some room for improvement. But so do a lot of bolt-actions, which are supposed to already have better triggers than semiautos. The good news is that you can upgrade an AR’s trigger (or bolt-action’s for that matter) fairly easily. The only question is brand and cost of your aftermarket trigger. I personally went with Timney’s because I like the way they just drop right in, already tuned from the factory, but a lot of people like Geissele triggers, and there are several other manufacturers with improved triggers that are less expensive than either Timney or Geissele.

You might want to also consider the Springfield Armory “Saint”, which entered the market right about the same time as Savage’s MSR, and at roughly the same price. I don’t know which is the better rifle between those two, but feature for feature, they seem to be roughly the same - both having melonite coated barrels, 1:8 rifling, enhanced triggers, included sights, slightly upgraded handguards with either M-Lok or Keymod slots, and upgraded buttstocks, ambidextrous fire control, etc. Savage makes excellent barrels, but as anyone who has ever owned an M1A (I have) will tell you, Springfield knows how to make excellent barrels too. Two of my rifles have 5R rifling, and it does make it a little bit easier to clean than standard rifling, but it’s not as easy to clean as my polygonal-rifled barrels.

IF I were on the market for a factory AR15 for under $1000.00, I would be equally comfortable with either of those two. Here’s a link to Gun-Tests Magazine’s review of the Saint, comparing it to a Sig and a CMMG carbine. They gave the CMMG a “B” grade, the Sig M400 an “A-“ grade, and the Springfield an “A” grade - calling the Springfield “the gun for everyone”: https://www.gun-tests.com/issues/29_4/f ... s=GRDetail. “The gun for everyone” is heady praise when matched against carbines as good as the Sig M400. Other features for the Saint included BCM’s “Gunfighter” stock and handguard, and nickel-boron coated steel trigger and hammer.

The Savage seems to have a slightly sleeker look, thanks to a lower profile handguard, but the Saint isn’t exactly a porker. I like them both.