speyrjb

You can probably pick up a used Remington 700 (stay away from the 710) or Ruger 77 in that price range. Both are fine rifles.

I'm always a little leary about buying used guns because you never know what they have been through in prior ownership so you would be well served to take the gun (if you buy used) to a gunsmith to have them check it out completely with a bore scope and check the crown and everything.

I would recommend you stay with a common caliber like 270 win. Great caliber for deer and has moderate recoil. Lots of ammo choices and you can find the ammo anywhere.

I do recommend you purchase a new scope. You can get a Nikon Buckmasters 3x9 for around $200 and use good mounts. I always use Leopold scope mounts. Have it bore sighted and you are ready to take it to the range to sight it in. Many other choices out there for less money but in scopes you get what you pay for and in the case of Nikon, you get much more than you pay for. Just my opinion of course.

Like it has been said, practice is the key. Practice practice and more practice. Shooting a rifle is much different than shooting a shotgun. Making a good shot on a deer is very important as you cannot rely on your bird dog to chase down and bring in the cripple. You want to eliminate all flinching with your rifle. Shoot a 8-10 times to get used to the recoil, then have a friend or something load your rifle for you without you looking. Here's the key. Sometimes your friend puts a live round in the chamber, sometimes they don't. This will help you practice shooting w/o flinching. You will know if you flinched when you jerk the trigger and nothing happens and your eyes are closed.

Where most new hunters run into problems, in my experience and opinion, is with "buck fever". This is the shot of adrenenlyn that you get when you are about to take a shot on a deer. Most of us veteran hunters still get buck fever, hell it's why we hunt in the first place. I've always said, the moment I fail to become excited about shooting a deer is the moment I quit deer hunting and move on to something else.

If you have a way to do this, it might serve you well. You want to practice shooting with an elevated heart rate after you become comfortable with your new rifle, as this is the state that you will be shooting a deer from. Heart rate is elevated (feels like it's going to pound through your chest)..you get the shakes, hard to control your breathing, etc etc. If you can become proficient at shooting from this state then you will be well prepared when you line up that shot on your first deer.

I hope this helps. Welcome to the board. Stay curious and read everything you can about this great sport. Good luck!