Everyone here has their own "special gun" that we would recommend to everyone. The best thing that you can do is get with some friends and shoot theirs if you can and get a feel for what fits for your shooting style. All my deer guns are Traditions and their service is excellent. CVA now has Bergara barrels on their MLs which are also being made on centerfire barrels for the TC models that change out. I think the top Spanish makers, CVA, Traditions, etc are making advances in barrels and I would trust any of them. Bottom line is reading the manual over and over and understanding what charges and loads are acceptable for that gun. Next I would shoot at the range with small loads and work up from that to a point that you get accurate shot placement at the range you expect to shoot at. I'll bet you anything that you'll be in the neighborhood of 100 grains with a 250 grain bullet at 100 yards. Most manuals say that you can shoot 150 grains but why? If your barrel is 6 foot long that would be the only way you would burn up allthe powder so why waste it, powder is so expensive now anyway. I too got a wealth of gift cards and I'm waiting until after all the deer hunting seasons are over as I usually see some deals. I'm curently eyeing up the new Lyman and Traditions XLT in camo barrel and stock or I might buy another Knight TK 2000 with thumbhole stock for Turkey season. There is an overwhelming amount of guns out there. Handle as many as you can stand and buy the one that fits you. One that I can recommend may fit me but not you. With this site you should be able to hear the positive and negatives about any brand. Don't forget that there is no such thing as a dumb question here, we have all been there. Good luck in your choice and welcome.