There's the rub, as they say. The OP doesn't appear at this point to know quite what he wants to do with it, so answers will be all over the place, reflecting what others like to do, as well as their tastes. My idea is that he should get something best suited for what he's doing now, then deal with future needs as they come. A fast-twist .223 in the platform that he likes or that has features useful to him as regards magazines, sighting options etc will do lots of stuff, won't beat him up, be cheap to shoot, and last a very long time. A bonus is that very nearly every bolt action made can be had so chambered.
