Hunting what?
For mule deer and whitetail (and the various littler critters) :
Long to medium Range
.308 Win is hard to beat
.30-06 is classic
.270 is a good choice
.243 nice easy shooter
.223 Easily knockdown to 250 yds.
6mm Rem good all around cartridge
Short Range:
.30-30 Enough said
.44 Rem Mag great short range brush buster
Elk to moose sized game:
.45-70 Shorter range gun
.300 Magnums Excellent knockdown power
7mm Magnums nice flat shooters
.375 H&H Mag, a bit of a beast to shoot
.338 Win Mag beats smaller shooters like the proverbial red-headed step child
There's a short list of cartridges that will cover damn near anything you wish to hunt. Most of those cartridges are easy to find at any wal-mart and every gun shop will have them. The only exception being the 6mm Remington. I love that cartridge. More powerful than the .243 Win but just as easy on the shoulder.
As for rifles, Price to Performance you really cannot beat the Remington 700. If you think you need a more accurate gun as time goes on, a Remington is great. Parts are extremely easy to find, and most every competent gunsmith can work on it.
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