I appreciate all the info and suggestions. To explain my situation a little more, the rifle is not something I "Need". I have quite a few hunting rifles I use on regular basis, some more than others. I've never been able to really get into the bow hunting because I like my rifles to much I guess. I have 243, 270, 308, 30-06 that are great for deer size animals as well as a 7mm, 300 WM/WSM that work good on bigger game. Although the 300 WSM seems to get used the most. The elk/moose hunting is not a daydream. I've hunted Africa a couple times as well as in Canada. And no I don't hunt all over the world all the time. My wife is a big hunter as well, so we try to plan a big hunt every 2 or 3 years and save up for it in advance. Our hunting trips are our big vacations we take every few years. As far as the gun, I guess it's more of a want than a need. I would like something that would kind of fill the gap I have. I have this receiver in my safe that's been sitting there forever, so I figured I would finally put it to use. I've never really agreed with the argument that you need a caliber that you can buy ammo for at any Walmart or mom and pop gas station. I've hunted in a lot of different places and never found myself looking for ammo at a gas station during the hunt. In regards to barrel length, I'm fine with a 24 in barrel and won't go longer than that. A have a 300 win mag with a 26 in barrel and it's just too long. I know I will loose a little with the 24 over a 26 with cartridges with larger powder capacity but not enough in a hunting rifles to make too much difference.
