Well said. Looks like some of you are missing the point. For the time being, this will be the OP's only rifle. The only one he has to work up a load for, get the dope, hunt, practice,and just enjoy shooting. I will also add it needs to be affordable to shoot often. Most of us have a safe full, more than capable of overlapping duties. My wife accuses me of even having one for dragonflies, and she is not wrong. The perfect rifle for the OP is one that he can enjoy. Shoot often, hunt with and just enjoy shooting. He has elk on the menu. Top contenders that meet his needs are 280AI, 7RM, and 300WM. .338 is in there too, but just not as much fun to just play with. When he is more able to branch out and afford specialty rifles is when the others come into play. BTW, my answer would be very different if he had several rifles.