What rifle does anyone recommend that is accurate, looks reasonable good (well I dont need exibitation grade walnuts and jeweled bolts but I dont want rifles that looks like its been used as a sledgehammer either) and inexpensive. I was thinking savage or rem 700 ADL in 30-06. I saw a ruger bolt action for under 300 dollars in 300 win mags.. not sure what it is but something tells me its probably not very accurate or malfunctions like crazy.... I rather go private transfer route and I saw a rem 700 BDL in 7mm magnum with a leupold varix II scope on it, for about 500 dollars. Am I getting a good deal or should I pass it up?

I plan to use them to hunt deer sized games or maybe even elk/moose in the future thats why I wanted something in at least 30-06

Deer:  .270, 30-06, 7mm, .308.

Moose and elk:  You *could* do it with any of the above calibers but all of them are a bit light, I would start with .300 mag, especially for moose.

Decent rifles that are relatively inexpensive:  Ruger, Remington, Winchester, Howa, Savage.  The deal you saw on the Rem 700 is pretty good assuming rifle and scope are in nice shape.  Most people hang a Bushnell or a Tasco on their hunting rifle, a scope which usually is adequate, but it is not a Leupold and the scope, unless it is a good one, adds little to the resale value of the rifle.

I don't think Rugers are bad (I have a stainless laminate .223), but there was a recent thread (do a search) of Ruger v. Savage and a lot of people on this board said Rugers are extremely variable (some accurate, some not).

Or just forget all that and buy the Rem you have your eye on.

Savage is ugly as sin, but very accurate and reasonably priced.

If money is tight don't forget used rifles.  Almost nobody wears out a rifle.  You can buy a rifle easily with 99% of its life remaining.

I have been told by many shooters/hunters/salesmen who's opinions I greatly respect that Savage is the best gun on the market right now. I don't own one nor have I ever fired one. I bought a Weatherby instead. >gg<
FWIW, I would pass on the Ruger as their triggers are a bit heavier than necessary.

Browing A-bolt hunter or composite hunter in .270WSM OR 7mmWSM.  Accurate, flat, powerful and handles well.

I have a ruger I love.  I found a great deal on it and snagged it knowing that at that price it was a gamble.  No malfunctions and my inexperienced hand can easily make golf ball sized groups at 150 yards with a wobbly rest and the stiff stock trigger.  Once I throw a bipod on it and lighten the trigger I think I will group well below 1 MOA.  I think I got the deal because of the caliber.  It is a 22-250 which is a great varmint caliber, but people don't do much varmint hunting where I bought it.  Most people deer hunt and 22's are kinda light for deer.  It serves my purposes of paper punching and making pop cans explode into 12' clouds of mist at 200 yards:-)  

I agree that 300 win mag is probably a good caliber.  Much hotter would be painful to shoot and much cooler would be too light for moose.  If you handload, you can load it down to 308/30-06 levels for deer.

I recently puchased a new stainless ruger in .308 win.  It is a true 1 moa rifle with quality ammo made by yours truly.  I took 10 rds. aiming at the same point.  The trigger is heavy but consistent.  I will be replacing it with a Timney.  You seem to know what you need as far as caliber.

Go with your gut.

I'm not a Savage fan.  I don't think you've mentioned any bad choices IMO.  Good luck with your new purchase.  

A .338 Win.Mag. in whatever platform you get it in, shooting lighter weight bullets would work.
Bigger game: bigger bullets!

If you only have one bolt-action rifle to hunt with, a .338 is a good choice.
The recoil isn't as bad as some would have you believe, either.
Try one if you can before you buy.
Have fun shopping for your new firearm.

Edited for:  ditto what T2 said about used rifles.  Especially in .338, there oughtta be some out there.

My next rifle will be a Tikka Master Sporter.  The NRA magazine reviewed it and said it shoots 1/2 inchers out of the box... and it looks and feels great.

I have a ruger m77 in 7mm rem mag that I have had accuratized, do handloands and off of a bench shoot .6ish.

Now that I think about it, my m77 is 25 years old... I suggest that you buy nice, now, as it may be 25 years before you re-rifle.

As to 300 338 or 50's, it takes a lot of work on the shooters part to be comfortable with their roar, kick and the scope usually gives you a solid bite on the eyebrow occasionally, so get bandaids too.  

It all comes down to what your comfortable with, and everyone is comfortable with something else. So this topic will get replies all over the board, and the strange thing is, that everyone will be correct.

I suggest buy once, buy what you want and preactice.  Good luck on your selection.

Quoted: A .338 Win.Mag. in whatever platform you get it in, shooting lighter weight bullets would work. Bigger game: bigger bullets! If you only have one bolt-action rifle to hunt with, a .338 is a good choice. The recoil isn't as bad as some would have you believe, either. Try one if you can before you buy. Have fun shopping for your new firearm. Edited for:  ditto what T2 said about used rifles.  Especially in .338, there oughtta be some out there.

Funny you should say that. I have an Early Ruger 77, safety on the tang in .338 win mag I want to sell. It has been Magna-ported & is in a Bell & Carlson stock. Got it in a trade. Damn fine rifle. Bedded & floated. Great trigger. $400 bucks + ship. Can do pics.

You go ahead and get that 700. The 7mm Mag will do anything that needs doing in North America. The Alaskan Brown Bear is the only thing I'd feel queasy about shooting with it. 7mm or 30/06 - you can't go wrong.