Everyone -

I want to say thanks again for everyone' s responses to my original post asking for opinions on a first rifle. After much debate and thinking, I ended up choosing a Ruger M77 7mm Rem Mag in composite/stainless, with a Nikon Pro Staff 3-9x scope. The decision on this was driven a lot by price (I actually found this cheaper than some savages that I looked at). To all the savage fans - don' t think I ignored ya - it was a tough call.

Thanks again for your help.