Hello All,
I grew up shooting pellet guns and loved having competitions with my friends. Upon recently going shooting with some family and friends, I decided it was time to invest in my own rifle. I am relatively new to this so please forgive me if I sound like a beginner, though I have been doing a bit of research.

Essentially, I am on a quest for a rifle of the absolute highest quality and precision I can afford. Unfortunately, as a college student, that is not a ton. I am looking in the $1000 ball park and the primary type of shooting I will be doing is target shooting (though it would be nice if my future rifle is capable of hunting deer or other animals as well). I will most likely be shooting at targets ranging from 200-600 meters on the average.

Based on what I know, it seems as though the 6mm BR, and 6.5 Creedmoor, would be the best calibers for me. Things I look for are of course accuracy, long barrel life (optimally at least 3k rounds when cared for properly), and the ability to reload economically (remember, I am a college student). Reloading my own cases won't be a problem though I'd like to be able to do it for optimally less than $.50 a round (bullets, powder, primers) .

I've heard good things about the Savage Model 12 rifles in those calibers but would definitely appreciate some words of wisdom from you experienced marksmen about both the caliber I should shoot as well as the rifle I should use as again, I am a new-bee
Thank you, Phillip