Just a quick little story. When I was younger all I wanted was the big bad ultra maximum super duty magnums. I was going to shoot a deer anywhere from 40 yards to 400 yards. Well, the more hunting I did the faster I found out that very, very rarely did I ever shoot a deer over 150 yards. I've never shot one over 200 yards. I have a .338 win mag, a .300 win mag and a 7mm rem mag. Guess what? They never leave the safe anymore. I have a 7mm-08 Rem. Mountain Rifle and If I had to do it all over again I would have saved alot of money on buying guns. It's perfect for deer and plenty adequate for bear and even elk with the proper bullet. Buy what you like, heck I did but remember, the older you get the less you worry about flash and the more you care about simple results. Side note: A detached retina will make you a fan of low recoiling rifles very quickly. My eye was not damaged due to shooting a big gun but the Dr said if I didn't want to go blind I better lay off the big guns. Enjoy whatever rifle you decide on and as others have said, practice, practice, practice.