"500 yards?"
More kills are made at 500 yards on paper than in reality. It is "possible" to make a shot at 500 yards just as it it possible I will get a date with a beauty queen tomorrow.

More game is probably shot at less than 100 yards than beyond 100 yds.
Not to say that shots at 200 or 275 yard shots can not be taken if you have the right gun and ability to use it and have the right kind of opportunity.

A lot of guys do some practicing at great distances from a bench rest at the range and claim they could be confident at shooting game at similar ranges.
Shots in the field at living targets in hunting conditions are most often quite diffrent than at the range. In the time it takes to deside to shoot, squeese the trigger and the bullet to travel to a deer, a deer could move and be in a diffrent position when the bullet arrives.

When choosing a rifle I usually fall in love with a make and model, then figure out what cartrige I need it in.

There are so many good deer/elk cartridges around that I rarely recommend one. What ever you choose, your ability to put a good bullet through the vitals with it will be the biggest factor in its killing power

Robin