Thanks for everyone’s advise. As for my $400 budget: it's not that $400 will break the bank it's just hard to justify anymore than that to the wife since I have such expensive bow, and waterfowl rigs. Plus whenever possible I try to take the bow, but in order to try and draw tags for the units and animals I want to hunt, I need to broaden my horizons. I already have a muzzleloader, just need the rifle. I'm headed to sportsman’s warehouse in Albuquerque next week to see what they have on the shelf, and for what price. Hopefully they will have exactly what I'm looking for.