First rifle purchase... looking for opinions

[lefteye]

the 30 cal is inhearantly the most accurate cartridge out there

Duh, "30 cal" is a crude name for a bullet/bore diameter. A "30 cal" "cartridge" could be as small as a .30 M-1 Carbine and as large as a .300 Weatherby Magnum (or even larger wildcats). Over this range of cartridges (and rifles chambered for them) there is an enormous range of power and recoil. NO BULLET DIAMETER is inherently more accurate than others. Accuracy is a function of many variables and the strongest variable is the quality, i.e., price, of the rifle. A $15,000 bench rest rifle is more accurate than a factory production rifle regardless of the bullet diameter, and a 6mm PPC is more accurate than virtually all other centerfire cartridges.

 

[hoffbill]

consider this

I agree with many others regarding 243, 270, 30-06 and related all being excellent choices and very versatile. Also spending a few bucks for a 22 and scope to practice with will be money well spent.

I would recommend the Rem 700 or Savage 10/110 for this reason- they both have a ton of replacement and upgrade after market item readily available, and they hold their value because of that and the fact that they are just great guns. So you have a lot of upgrade options as time goes by no matter which caliber you choose. You will not regret the extra few $ you spend for one of these over a bottom price entry level gun. Happy shooting and hunting.

 

[Art Eatman]

More than enough for the OP to think about.

One thing about price: Pawn shops are loaded with good used scoped bolt-actions and they have maybe half the asking price invested. Hard bargaining can lead to a bargain...