For a first gun I would elect for something that is going to be adaptable for any type of hunt. A 30-06 or .270 comes to mind as something you could pull out of the safe and hunt anything from chucks to moose and factory ammo for different uses are widely available. I would elect to put a low to medium power variable scope on it from one of common manufacturers like Leopold or Nikon. IMO investing on a custom gun with high end glass should come after you develop a sense of what you like and what you don't as measured against the type of hunts you have been on. What you may think today as a perfect gun/ scope could change over time as you get more experience under your belt. I would expect over time you will be adding to that first gun purchase. Good luck.