Looking for advice - 6.5G upper or .243 bolt gun?

[7kings]

Main holdup on a 243 besides a thin barrel is the relative slower twist and long brass body... makes it hard to shoot high BC bullets but there’s a 105, 103 or 107 that will work for you.
other possibilities if you’re going to rebarrel (which I recommend) is do a 6mm creedmoor. Plus get a decent stock on it.
but before you sink anything in re-doing the gun look at availability of brass, primers, powders and bullets. Heck even store ammo is expensive right now so ability to hand load is the way to go but not assured due to lack of components. Make sure you have the pieces you need before going one way or the other.
I have several savages, put them into an mdt or chassis, plus a ruger predator in 6 creed in a magpul stock, shoots lights out... for me anyway! But remake the rifle into the system that works for you. Lots of fun IMO.

I've got the components to do some .243 reloading (primers are tough to find, of course, but I have some) and I also have a variety of factory flavors as well. The nice thing about the Savage is that I can easily rebarrel it if I do decide that the factory lightweight 1:9.25" isn't adequate. I should be able to stabilize most rounds up to 100gr with that rate, though, so we'll see.

If I keep it, the stock is definitely getting replaced.

I say shoot what you have and see if you're going to stick with it. In my years of competitive shooting (Club and competitive) the people around you will help you out, lend you equipment to try and show you other options. Once you get going, your desired set up may change quickly based on what is competitive and working for others.

If you stick with it, you'll likely start upgrading anyway. When you do the adage is "buy once, cry once". Most everyone tries to save a nickel going with something they think they can get away with rather than something they want and know would be a better option. Looking back I would recommend saving up the cash and work the plan that you know is best - lots of money wasted trying to save money.

You didn't mention much info on the competitive format but there might be other equipment needed as well? Rest, Spotting scope, Mat, targets, timers, slings/bipods and tons of ammo .... really depends on what type of format.... point is if money is an object, you may need to factor in other items in your budget.

I'm not goal-focused on competition at this point - mostly a personal pursuit to try my hand at some precision shooting and enjoy the trigger time as well as the time at the reloading bench. That being said, my club does have regular rifle matches, so I'm sure I'll try my hand at that at some point.

[howl]

It's not really a question of cartridge. Bolt guns are easier to shoot well for what you have in mind. I wouldn't spend any money on the rifle. You'll find deficiencies in the Savage action after you've run it for awhile. Then you'll be in a position to make more informed decisions about where to spend your money.