Hey,
I am in the market for a good rifle to fit my hunting and shooting neeeds. I am 21 years old and an expierenced hunter but this wil be my first rifle and I want to make it a good one that will last. I have done my best to research several different brands of rifles but of course everyone has only good to say about their products, so i thought i would ask the expierenced rifleman. I have three weapons already in mind, the rem. 700 adl comp., one of the savage packages, or a ruger m77.
I am also torn between calibers. I live in appalacian hardwoods country where i hunt alot in the woods but sometimes i can get a nice 300-400 yard shot through the feilds. I like the thought of a 7mm cal. but im thinking a 30-06 or .270 caliber may be better.

I like Rugers myself, but if I were to go back to your age and situation, I would buy the savage package gun in 270 win. I just sighted in a savage tonight for a man. It was so simple. 6 shots to reach zero point, then 3 3shot groups at about .6 inches at 100 yards to check the zero. What more could you ask from a reasonably priced package. The accutrigger was very nice to work with as well. You can always add better mounts and a nicer scope at a later date. The accuracy of these guns is simply amazing. Not much for looks though. But then you said you wanted to hunt with it not look at it.

The .270 and 30-06 are great, but since you mentioned 300-400 yard shots I would suggest the 7mm. If your budget allows it, a Sako would make a nice long lasting high quality rifle. Good Luck.

Out to 300yds. the .270Win. or 30-06 are all you will ever need for any deer hunting.
Now, while either cartridge could also be used to 400yds, if the shooter is capable, I'd
probably want a little more punch for those extended ranges, and maybe go with the
7mm Rem.Mag. My personal max. is 300yds. I won't shoot at big game beyond that
range so my .270 or .308 work just fine.
As for the make/model of rifle, well there's just a bunch of good quality rifles out there.
Check 'em out, and see which feels right to you, and is within your budget. Most any
make is going to be available in the three cartridge chamberings mentioned. Personally,
I like the Rem.700 LSS Mtn. rifle (.270 & 30-06 available), Ruger 77s, and the Sako.
As noted, the Savage is hard to beat for the price, and accuracy.
Don't skimp on the optics - good quality glass is just as important as the quality of your
rifle.

I would go with a 7mm Mag. in a Winchester Model 70. Good luck.

Consider used rifles too. You can get great deals. Guys go through rifles faster than they should.

I do like Savages also. Spend your money on optics, especially if you're taking long, 200+ yrd shots.

Personlly I don't feel like there's much hunting in making a long (200-300 yrd) shot at a deer. Good shooting, but not really my idea of hunting. I just like to hunt thicker woods, swamps etc, where shots are usually less than 100.

Whatever you pick, select a bullet that will work best at the ranges you expect to shoot most. If you shoot a deer at 50 yds with a bullet that is made to perform best at long range, the results can be unpredictable, and unimpressive.

I shot competitively for some years before I started hunting, so I was used to long range shooting, my first deer was taken at 383yrds with a .30-06. Her knees buckled and she didn't move. Just so happens that that was with a Ruger M77.

I'd honestly suggest a Savage in .30-06. I've had all of the 7mm's at one time or another except a 7-30 Waters and the new 7mmWSM (which I've shot a bit anyway), and I never felt that I honestly needed the extra noise and recoil to take deer. A .30-06 will kill deer at 1000yrds if you do your part, the 7mm MIGHT give you to 1050-1100yrds, but you're a long way from that type of shooting.

Personally, since this will be your first rifle, I'd like you to stop thinking about 300-400yrds for a while. Get some shooting time under your belt before you go making extraordinarily long shots. You'll hear about guys on here making shots like that regularly, but you've got to remember a few things: you're not looking them in the eye, AND, most guys here are the upper escelon of hunting and shooting, not your average hunter, nor joe blow "Igottarifle".

Savage with accu-trigger. 270 or 30-06. Keep those shots under 300 yards. Things get pretty iffy past 400 yards no matter the caliber.

The first rifle I bought on my own was a Ruger M-77 chambered in 300-Winchester Magnum.
You are a young man & should consider your future. Do you plan on living & hunting were you do for years to come? There is nothing wrong with buying several rifles to fit your needs. When I bought the 300-win mag I bought it as a do all gun. I wanted something I could everything with in my state & never feel under gunned.
I would recommend the 7mm or 300-win mag. Either would serve you well from mice to moose hunting.

As you see everyone has their preference on their rifles they like, so it is completely up to you... All of the major manufacturers will be able to shoot accurately enough for your hunting needs, so it really comes down to the one you like for your situation. Rugged Synthetic stock vs. a beautiful piece of wood, a great trigger vs. accutrigger vs. a gun which you might want to replace the trigger later, $300 vs. $600 vs. $900, etc.

Pick the one you like the best and is at your upper limit you can afford (I have come to realize you get what you pay for in the gun world). Also know that you will also want to buy a good scope, especially in the distances you are talking about.

If it were me (and it is NOT)... I would go with a Sako 75 in 30.06 with A VX-II Scope.

Reason:
Sako has the smoothest action of any mass produced gun. It is the only gun with a guaranteed 1 moa accuracy. It is a beautiful gun. It has a great trigger. Price = ~900

Leupold has been the name in scopes and they stand behind their products. They now fully multicoat their VX-II (Cheaper than VX-III). It will last you a lifetime. Price = ~250

I waiver on the scope issue, sometimes I think the extra money for a Zeiss Conquest is worth it, sometimes I think you can get away with a Simmons Aetec...

The 30.06 is a cheap cartridge to shoot and widely available with many different grain bullets, so you can big game hunt or varmint with the same round.

My opinion is not necessarily to buy a used gun as your first gun... Especially if you are not comfortable about it's origin. If you do, take someone along to help you out, a bad experience could burn you for life.

Good Luck with whatever you end up with!!!