My opinion would be how much will you be shooting it? Are you going to be shooting a couple thousand rounds a year through it or 50? Like Huntinfool said theres a reason the benelli costs more. The stoeger may be the same design but what materials are they using on the internals? My guess would...
i would start with a bell & carlson or HS precision stock, one with a full lenth bedding block, a good trigger is going to be a must, in comparison to a rifle basix or Timney triggers, 95 % of factory triggers suck IMO. 20 MOA ONE PIECE scope base will be a must, and probably 1000$ minimum...
either caliber will work well but imo i would stay away form Personal protection rounds...although they may hit hard most brands will fragment soon after impact, look for rounds that have bullets with a half jacket or even a soft nose for the best bullet weight retention, allowing for a pass...
I also have a Howa, although in 22-250 its an excellent rifle out of the box, although they are japanese made, build quality is outstanding, much better than the newer remington 700's IMO