[tahunua001]

hello all,
I am gearing up for elk season and am getting pretty psyched about it but I have one small problem.
I hate my rifle. don't get me wrong it's a great gun. weatherby vanguard in 300 weatherby mag. however I do not like the stock and I HATE the recoil. I have lots of other guns that are capable of taking elk but nothing that I'm capable of making those 350+ yard kill shots with.

I am looking for something that will not break the bank and has a good reputation for accuracy and rugged construction. hoping to keep everything under 700 after optics(we'll say under $200 for optics selection)

I do not loath the recoil of the 7mm rem mag quite as much as the weatherby so I figured that would be a good step down without sacrificing the flat trajectory needed for elk hunting in my area.

if there is any way to upgrade to a heavy thumbhole stock and still come in under budget that would be great but is not terribly imperative but I would still like the option of doing so later on so good aftermarket support is preferred.

I have an old remington 700 in 243 that I love but it seems that a lot of the cheaper 700s I see in the store have those lightweight synth stocks(more recoil in a magnum which is what I am trying to get away from) and that nasty gritty black coating on the bolts.

anyone know the availability and price range of a 700 ADL in 7mm RMag or a similarly decent rifle?