But why pick Remington 700 over one of the countless other Mauser derivatives? Mechanically it's essentially identical to a Savage Axis, which costs half as muc

But why pick Remington 700 over one of the countless other Mauser derivatives? Mechanically it's essentially identical to a Savage Axis, which costs half as much. You can get a Ruger Hawkeye or Winchester model 70 for the same price as the Remington, but from a company that isn't having quality issues. Is parts availability really significant?