Hi Drew...For a guy who needs but one hunting rifle, a 7mm Remington Magnum chambered in whatever factory rifle you may choose, be it a Remington 700, Kimber M 82, Savage 110, Winchester Model 70, Ruger M 77, or what have you, is a really good choice. So many options are available for factory loaded ammunition, from light weight bullets for long range varmint shooting to the long 160 to 175 grain offerings for serious big game hunting.

The 139 / 140 grain bullets will knock the chit out of any deer or antelope you will encounter at extremely long ranges. The 160 and 175 grain bullets, placed in the right spot will anchor most of the very large game animals you might encounter here in the Continental US.

The many reloading manuals I have say that the 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge has basically the same power as tried and trued .30 - 06.

The usual comparisons between the two rounds tends to go back and forth as to which cartridge has the most knock down power or which one has the best bullet flight characteristics.

For me, and just my personal opinion, I'd buy a Remington 7mm Magnum rifle and it will do all you want it to do. As a plus, if your wife ever decides to shoot it, sheese, it will not knock out the dental fillings in her teeth if she has any.