Jason, welcome to the forum. Let me just say,
EVERYBODY needs a .30-06, no matter what other guns you have. Ya just do.
A .223 is not a bad thing to have either nor is a .308. You can usually find surplus ammo for these cheaply, not so easily for the .30-06 anymore though. If you hunt deer sized game a .30-06 or .308 will have more than enough power; they can take anything in North America, although if you hunt big nasty bears in Alaska you'd want something bigger. I could start a real fun argument on this thread if I expressed an opinion one way or another about whether the .223 has enough power for deer hunting, so I'm keeping that opnion to myself. Better to argue about politics, religion, Ford or Chevy.
If you are thinking of hunting someday, and especially if you are thinking of mounting a scope on your rifle, I would recommend NOT getting a Springfield or an M1 Garand. These are fine milsurp rifles and are capable of excellent accuracy, but by the time you spend the money to have a gunsmith drill and tap them for a scope you'd be better off buying a rifle made for hunting anyway. Besides, these rifles are getting scarce and are valuable as collectors items, not just as shooters. If money's an object look for a good quality used rifle made by Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Browning, Savage, CZ, or some of the other makers. I prefer bolt actions myself. My personal favorites are Remington 700, Winchester Model 70, and CZ 550, but that's just my tastes. The important thing is that you get one that fits you well and that you like.
If you like semi-auto hunting rifles I would avoid the Remington 7400 and stick with the Browning BAR. The 7400 is not a terribly accurate rifle and lots of guys on this forum complain that they jam. I've got an older 742 that seems reliable but it can be counted on for fairly wide groups, about 3" at 100 yards. The BAR is much more accurate. Both guns reduce felt recoil substantially by virtue of their gas operated action. There are other semi-auto hunting rifles out there too, but I'm not familiar with hthem.
Another choice if you need a quick second shot is the pump action Remington 7600. Unlike the older 760 the 7600 is reasonably accurate owing to a fully free floated barrel.
You don't get the recoil reduction like you would from a semi-auto though. If recoil bothers you get a strap on shoulder pad like the PAST Recoil Shield. They work great.
SInce you say you don't reload, you might want to stick with the calibers that you find at KMart and WalMart, the .223, .270, .308, .30-06 or 7mm Remington Magnum. There are a whole lot of really great rifle calibers out there that are often not readily available, and unless you reload you're better off sticking with the common stuff.
When you buy a scope, you may wonder why anyone would pay so much for a Leupold or a Zeiss Conquest when one can get a Simmons or a Bushnelll Sportview for thirty bucks at WalMart. Cheap scopes have come a LOOOOONG way in the last 30 years, and unless you make the mistake of looking through cheapies and quality scopes side by side you may be perfectly happy with an inexpensive scope. I made the mistake of looking through a Zeiss Conquest once and now I am spoiled.
Good optics are worth what you pay for them, but an inexpensive scope isn't nearly so bad as some folks say they are. I've had a cheapie Bushnell on my Remington 742 for decades and the scope is capable of anything the rifle is, and it hasn't broken yet either. Just make sure you've got an extra five or six hundred bucks in your wallet if you want to look through a Zeiss or Leupold, because once you do there ain't no going backwards.
Good luck and have fun!
