I've had very good luck with the remington 700's I've had, as well as most of the folks I know. Extremely accurate right out of the box. My suggestion would be a 700 BDL with a synthetic stock, stainless, in .30-06. That would give you an all around good hunting gun, no matter what game you desire. I've never lived in an area of real salty air, but I would think that with minor preventative maintenance, you could keep that stainless in great shape. That would save you the money on having the barrel coated(and you could put it towards a qualtiy scope). The 700 triggers are adjustable, and can be made to shoot very light and crisp. I believe they run about $600 or so...maybe less. I wouldn't spend a whole lot getting into custom work....for what your needs are, this should work just fine. Good luck!