This is turning into a great thread....just to try and help on some points...Mac mentioned he was considering saving up for another Rem 700 in .308...what is useful to know is that the Bolt Face for the .270 is the same size as for a .308 so what you can do is simply get a custom barrel done for the .270 in .308 and save yourself the money on a whole new rifle. The .270 is on a long action and one of the benefits here is that a long action can always be used for short action bullets but not the other way round. You will need a few other tools...an action wrench and barrel clamp but the gunsmith you choose to re-barrel the rifle will show you how to swap out the barrels if that is the way you choose to go. However there is nothing wrong with the .270 and before buying other barrels or rifles I would go more for a learning curve with the .270. I would certainly try and learn re-loading so you can shoot cheaper than using factory ammo and with that skill base you can develop loads specifically for your rifle which will be much more accurate and satisfying.

Recon was thinking about a 7mm Rem Magnum....my advice is avoid belted magnum cases...if you start to learn reloading you will learn about the benefits of fire forming your cases so they perfectly fit the chamber on your rifle and the ability to re-load by using a neck sizing die with the further improvement in accurate load development for your specific rifle. When fireformed a normal none belted case will be able to be seated in the chamber using the shoulder of the case and you will get a very consistant seating of your rounds....a belted magnum case seats off the belt and is quite tricky to get them to seat on the shoulder. These are small points but they are relevant to getting the rifle to perform at it's very best.

Learning these skills saves money on ammo and enables you to shoot more and with much better ammo. Hunting rifles have light barrels which with the heat created by multiple rounds will open up in group when the barrel is "hot"...but they will deliver good 3 shot groups. The secret is to let the barrel cool if load developing and wanting to shoot a number of rounds at one sitting.

Scopes and rings and bases are expensive and for this reason alone I would master one rifle before buying another....a 30-06 or a .270 both have high round counts on barrels before they are "shot out"...so you will have a good ability to develop skill without worrying that the barrel might not last.

One of the best things in my view when looking at a telescopic sight is to look at one with external sniper or "target" turrets which encourage you to dial in corrective changes on the scope rather than aim off because you have a hunting scope with dust covers which restrict your ability to correct for distance and wind conditions. As a "first" scope this may seem an unusual suggestion...but it makes all the difference on developing skill...people who say you might have the knobs move forget that if you are trained properly you can check for this when taking the rifle out of the case...it is totally easy to do. Before buying a scope consider reading a bit...the best book for my money is "ultimate sniper" by Maj Plaster...a great reference book for basic skills through to advanced skills...it covers it all.

Value for money on scopes Leupold do some nice ones with their Mk IV turrets which are good target/sniper turrets...their warranty is good as well...my favourite though is NightForce...either their Benchrest Models or the NXS...although I probably spend crazy money on scopes...as I have US Optics custom scopes and custom Zeiss, S&B and March scopes which I now use for my competition shooting...but I have won more comps with Night Force scopes than anything else. After trying them all...NF is for me the best money/performance mix. Do not be put off spending more on your scope than your rifle...but at the same time...go with what makes sense for you...I am probably too much into this sort of thing for most people's needs/wants and am possibly suggesting equipment far too expensive for what most would consider spending.