I have decided that I want a gun that I can shoot to 500-600 yards but I also want to hunt with it. I was thinking 300 win mag, that way if I want to go out west I will have a gun that has the nock down power. my budget is around 1500 dollars for rifle and scope. Thank you for your help. Also why can I not comment on the classified ads?
The classifieds are restricted till you hit a certain post count I believe. To keep scammers and bots away I assume.
Do you reload, and if so, are you experienced at it and/or willing to study the process? It's a critical question for determining what's best for your situation.
For factory ammo, 300 Win Mag or 7mm Rem Mag are almost "no brainer". Plenty of power, outstanding ballistics, and billions of ammo choices. 500-600 yds is not a huge distance, but IMO, ~2000 fps and ~1700 ftlbs are necessary for elk. There are very few rounds below 0.284 that will do that at 600 yds. 30-06 certainly won't either.
For factory rifles, the Savage 110 and Browning X-Bolt seem to have the most "shoots good out of the box" reports. I'd recommend something with a medium contour barrel, that weighs 8.5 lbs or less, and has a muzzle break or threaded barrel for aftermarket break. I like Savage, because the barrels are easy to swap if you decide to upgrade later.
For scopes, if you spend around $400-$600 on a clearance/sale scope (or good condition used), with min power from 3X-5X and max power from 15X-20X, you'll have good glass capable of what you need. Finger adjustable turrets and a measuring reticle (hashed in MOA or MILS,
not BDC generic ones), are almost essential. Don't let crazy feature lists sell you. If it has "all the features" of a scope 2X more expensive, then it probably has durability or clarity problems. No such thing as a free lunch.