bakerb - one advantage to buying a Searcy is that you can pick up the phone and call him in Boron, CA at any time. He'll build you most anything that shoots up to and including a 4 Bore. I'd stay with the advice here - go for a medium caliber for your first one. I did just that in 1995. Bought a Remington 700 in .416 Rem Mag; took it to Botswana and shot five heads including a buf. In 2010 money I was in the gun under $1500.

Then I bought a Westley-Richards 450/400 that was built in 1910. $6500 in 1995. It went to Africa in 1998.

Loved that rifle.

Sold that rifle

I never said I was smart.

I've now got a Ruger Hawkeye in .416 Ruger that's going up by the Limpopo in August. It's not very romantic, but it only set me back $800, plus $400 for the Leupold 1-4x20. The money I saved by buying the Ruger is now in a money market account.

Yup, I want, and will have, another Westley Richards. This time, I won't sell, ever.

BTW: The Ruger does cloverleafs at 50 yards with Hornady factory 400-gr. DGX. Little feller DO kick a tad, though.