My recommendation on a caliber would pretty much rest on how much target shooting you plan on doing with the rifle. Its hard to beat .308 for the price and spectrum on rounds available. For deer hunting I prefer faster, lighter, flatter shooting rounds. I made the decision on a 270 and bought one last year that said it wont be my big target gun as I am spending close to $2 per round. Cheap walmart ammo for the 270 is still a bit over $1 per round. If that is acceptable, there is a Winchester m70 in the classifieds, that's a great gun and a good price.