I would be more concerned with getting a quality scope than a high dollar rifle. The Weatherby Vanguards are really great shooting rifles for the money. I would not spend the extra coin for a Weatherby Mark VI. I had one and didn't care for it. The Vanguard I had was a really nice rifle. It's really hard to beat a Remington model 700, but I was looking at a Sako A 7 the other day and really liked the rifle. They are guaranteed to shoot a five shot one inch group and for 700-800 bucks you can't beat that. Hell, lots of custom guns won't shoot that well.
Be real careful with picking out a scope. Don't buy something because someone tells you it's a good scope. Pick it up to your eye and see which one seems to work for you the best. I am a Leupold man and don't like the Nikons much - they are very crisp and clear but I find that when I look through one it looks like I am looking through a paper towel tube. The Leupolds tend to have longer eye relief and don't have as much of that boxed in feel to me. That being said, the Nikon Buckmaster is getting rave reviews. Depending on your budget, I'd also consider Zeiss and Swarovski. Also, the Elite series from Bushnell are said to be some of the brightest scopes ever made. Me, I just like my plain jane Leupold - I've had the same scope on my rifle for 23 years now. As for caliber I shoot a .264 Winchester Magnum. It's a great caliber, just not very popular any more. If I was in your shoes I'd probably pick up a .270 or a 7mm-08. I have a brother that has killed about 75 deer with his 7mm-08 from anywhere from 5 yards to 350 and he simply loves it. If you do happen to purchase a magnum, I'd get something in 7mm because the recoil is less and the down range energy is just tremendous. You could probably pick up a great rifle and scope for less than $1500, the high dollar rifles really don't shoot any better than the much less expensive good quality rifles. Good luck and let up know what you choose.
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