"Have you held a new Winchester 70 lately? They are as nice as anything with the Winchester name on it in a LONG time."
Yup. As far as cookie-cutter "anyone can buy one that's identical at Cabelas" rifles it's fine.
BUT: It's not a classic. It's a modern cookie-cutter rifle worth less tomorrow than when you plunk down your cash today. And it'll continue to depreciate for decades.
For me... I buy *real* classics, not faux-classics. I had a few hours last night to browse a few of the sales sites looking for a hypothetical rifle to meet the needs of the OP here (I like hunting down nice rifles and this was a good excuse), and found a bunch of German prewar and immediate postwar Mauser sporters in the price range specified, several beautiful commercial FN Mauser sporters, and a bunch of other nice *true* classics. Why in the world would I buy an immediately depreciating new rifle that has nothing "special" about it, when I can buy what to me is a more pleasing real classic, with old world craftmanship, which will be unique, and which carries the gravitas of the ages in its genes?
Here's an example of a r
eal classic, one that I purchased myself. It's still listed for sale, I guess Champlin leaves things up as advertising. It's out of the OP's prioce range, and is in an African caliber, but when I calibrate my brain to "Classic", this is what I am thinking of. This came back to the USA in the hands of bapist missionary named JS Garlow, on the Lloyd Trieste passenger liner "Neptunia" for the voyage from Calcutta to Naples, based on the stickers on the case. A little Google-Fu shows that Garlow set up churches in India, but must have been a shootin' preacher.
http://www.gunsinternational.com/RO...ORIG-TRUNK-CASE-ORIG-GUN.cfm?gun_id=100489173
I guess you either appreciate
really classic things, or you don't. I'm all about things made in Suhl and Liege. They don't cost any more, are appreciating, and are the real deal.
Back to .30-06's... (noting that if you opened up the caliber choice to 8x57 that there would be a HUGE number of gorgeous prewar and immediate postwar Mauser sporters suddenly available), let's look at some nice stuff for the OP that stays within price range and will provide accurate performance, classic looks, and investment appreciation potential:
The most vanilla of the REAL classics is the pre-64 Model 70. You simply can't go wrong with one.
http://www.gunsinternational.com/WINCHESTER-70-PRE-64-30-06.cfm?gun_id=100497667
Things like this are the "easy choice" for someone wanting a real classic, but who does not know enough to really discriminate amongst the no-name custom rifles that range from beautiful down to awful. You can't go wrong with a shooter-grade pre-64 Model 70:
Here's a beauty in a FN Sporter:
http://www.gunsinternational.com/FN...-Lyman-48-receiver-sight.cfm?gun_id=100496544
Here's a sleeper: H&R had FN make sporters for their label back in the 60's and 70's. Who would go searching for a Harrington & Richardson rifle? Folks that know what they are looking at is who. Sears also had FN put rifles together for them.
http://www.gunsinternational.com/Harrington-Richardson-Ultra-FN-30-06-caliber.cfm?gun_id=100493374
And then there are the GOOD QUALITY no-name sporters. Got $400? BUY THIS. It's a beauty.
http://www.gunsinternational.com/FN-BARREL-AND-ACTION-SPORTER.cfm?gun_id=100492501
Here's "Willies Eclectic Choice" of the night. Might add this to my own own rack.
http://www.gunsinternational.com/CUSTOM-MAUSER-30-06-MANNLICHER-STOCKED.cfm?gun_id=100480680
Just start looking and researching and poking thru used gunracks...
Willie
.