I'd second the vote for a 700 for the same well-stated reasons above. Also, how long is long-range hunting?
I have a bit of an issue with shooting anything bigger than gophers past 300 yards. While hitting deer-sized game at 300 yards isn't all that difficult, hitting them cleanly for the quick one-shot kill is. A decent hunter can stalk within 100-200 yards of any animal on this planet.
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Calmer than you are...
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