Great story by 'Outdoor-Jo' there, this is an excellent post by the way with some very knowledgeable contributions... all i'd add from my own experience is dont give up, i was after what i considered to be a decent rimfire and one eventually came up (a mint condition Sako Finnfire) apart from any obvious abuse (stock screws shabby etc.) you cant really go wrong, CF's are another matter as people have said regarding the barrels. Not sure why your local gun shop wants to talk people out of the Sako/Tikka route maybe there's more commisiin to be had with Steyr, good luck anyway
Martin