Buy two Savages! One in .243 and one in 300 Win Mag or larger. I personally am liking the .300 WSM, as a budy just got one. I'm not sure if Savage makes that chambering however. The Savage is a great gun and you can afford both for what most guns will cost you. You can practice witht he .243 as it will be lighter on recoil and the pocketbook and then you can go out and shoot the 300 b/4 season to get the feel. If they are the same gun, you won't need a whole lot of shooting time witht the 300. JMHO, FWIW