I would purchase a Winchester Model 70 Classic Sporter LT in .300 Win. Mag., and a Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x44 MC. Good luck.

First off the 700 trigger is stiff OofB but that doesn't mean it requires a comp trigger like a timney for most hunters! If your at all enclined with guns it can be adjusted downward to a very crisp hunting trigger within a few minutes. If you would rather not tackle this job a good gunsmith will do it quickly and inexpensively for a simple adjustment of sheer, pull and travel. If you want it polished then it will cost you a bit more. By the way I haven't found a of the shelf rifle that didn't require trigger adjustment to my liking, some can be done by myself easily and others require a professional. All I am saying is don't let the trigger adjusting bother you to much, you'll find guys with every brand paying for this to be done on a daily basis.

As to which rifle only the man or woman holding it can make that choice. Buy fit, features and what you want. Cartridge chambering same thing many will do the job, so buy what fits your situation, you can handle and really want.

Scope and rings to me are a part of the equation few consider when laying out a budget. Simply put don't spend the farm on the gun and skimp on what often makes a difference in the field..buy as much scope as you can. Personally after much comparing and research I bought my first Zeiss Conquest. I am so impressed I just mounted my second one in lieu of my 4200 elite.

Newguy - the 04 VX II has the same coatings as the previous Vari X III, so yes it is now fully multi coated. Not an endorsement for this product in anyway just FYI.

Get out do some touching and pick the one that just won't let you put it down.

Good luck.

According to Natchezs the VX-II has the same coating, not on all the lenses... It is "multi-coated" (multi-4 coat), but it does not say anywhere that it is "fully multi-coated" meaning on all of it's lenses... I am pretty sure it is not fully multicoated.

I asked the same question about Leupolds (Differences between the 03 and 04 models). This is the response I received from Leupold. I cut and paste this out of thier email to me.

"The big difference between the '03 model and the 04 VX-II is that in '03 only the outer lens surfaces were multi-coated. Now all the lens surfaces throughout are Multi-Coat 4. This results in a little more brightness."

My choice would have to be a quality, light weight rifle. It would be comfortable to shoot off a bench, but balance well off hand. The gun must shoot minute-of-bambi, and I must have complete confidence in the cartridge. If I had the money to spend, it would be a Weatherby MKV UltraLight in .270 Winchester. If I did not have the extra cash, I would look for a Browning A-Bolt in the same calibre. Perhaps a 30-06. Both will kill out to 300, (My max on game) and capable of target shooting out to 500 yards, and beyond. The .270 is easy on the shoulder, and with a quality pad like a decelerator, you won't mind the recoil a bit. A 130 grain Partition will kill any elk or moose, and be flat enough with a 200 yard zero, to hold dead on the vitals, and be confident of a hit out to my range. Good luck.

I wouldn't call my self an "expert", but i have shot more than my share of big game, includeing moose, deer, caribou, brown bears, ect....

When you included moose, and longer ranges, it made me skip oner the 280, 270, 308 ect... In a non magnum, the 30-06 is the one i'd pick!! Others have stated how easy ammo is to get ect..

In a magnum, i'd pick the 7mm Rem. mag over all others. The reason is, it has lighter recoil by quite a bit over the 300 mags, and is more than enough gun for anything in the U.S.

The big thing is, you HAVE to pick the loads with the "proper bullet" for your intended use!! The 7 mag will flatten a brown bear with 175 Nosler partitions, as will the 30-06 with 200 grain NP's... How do i know this?? I've done it or seen it done more than once.

Anyway, for everything up to and includeing moose, they would be my picks.

The pict. is one of three bull caribou i shot that day with my Valmet 412 combi gun in 12 ga-30-06.

Drilling Man

opfor, I might as well throw my $.02 worth in this mix. From the list you gave, I'd vote for the 7mm Mag. I'd buy it in a Remington 700 with a synthetic stock. I'd disagree with the writer who said to replace the trigger. IMHO, Remington has one of the best factory triggers out there. They may come from the factory alittle stiff, but they are easily adjusted, and they will hold their adjustments very well. As far as the stock, I think you'll find that the synthetic, aside from the obvious weather advantage, will eat up some of the recoil. The 7mmMag round, IMO, can be one of the most versatile rounds out there today and able to harvest most anything you care to hunt, shy of the most dangerous game. In addition, compared to the new 'short mags', you won't have problems finding ammo most anywhere you are in this country, should you have a need. I'm not a big fan of the Ruger mainly because of the intrigal scope mounts. I have a hard time spending $70 for a set of quality scope rings. Anyway, that's my nickles worth. Good luck.

Newguy, your right nowhere does it say fully multi coated but it does say the lens Multicoat 4 used on the 04' VXII was previously only found on the Vari X III line which was/is fully multi coated on all lense surfaces. Basically the NEW VXII is the old Vari X III optically minus the 1 piece tube construction.

Thanks for everyones input. I had really not thought about the 30-06 but makes since with all the grain selection you have to choose from. I think I might lean toward this, based on the this feature, which makes it an all around hunting rifle for various game. On the scopes, I will take your advice and look at the ones you have mentioned. Now I just have to go out looking at various manufacturers and see what feels right to me. Again, thanks everyone... you all have been a great help.

Let us know how you make out!!! Enjoy whatever rifle/scope you get... I think we all have our preferences. I thin you can't go wrong with really any rifle out there from the major brands, the gap in quality isn't what it used to be. The same goes for scopes, the major difference in prices there is probably reputation and customer support. In other words pick the one you like, you will never regret making a decision on your own merits. By the way I think your right about the 30-06.