Reddit mentions of Harris Engineering S-BR Hinged Base 6-9-Inch BiPod

Congratulations!

• Personally I would recommend either a Remington 700 over the 783. There's nothing wrong with the 783, but the 700's fit, finish as well as the overall quality is just superior and I'm a firm believer in the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, especially with firearms. If you buy the 783, my bet is that as you get a little more serious about shooting, you'll end up buying a 700.
  
  
• With all that said, if you're not hell bent on buying a Remington, I personally would go with a Tikka T3 (there are many, many models). Overall it's about the same as a Remington 700 in terms of quality, but the bolt action is just silky smooth and the trigger pull is wonderful. I'm biased because I'm a bit of a Tikka fan, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
  
  
• In regards to the .308 calibre, again I'm a bit biased because my rifle is in .308 but regardless, I think .308 is the way to go. It's easily found, and comes in a variety of weight from (approximately) 120gr to 200gr so you have a choice of choosing a lighter bullet for smaller game or a heavier bullet for larger game.
  
  
• To pass the time while your PAL/RPAL is being processed, I strongly suggest buying high quality safety equipment You don't have to break the bank, but don't skimp. Apart from that I'd say buy a good soft case, and later down the road you can buy a hard case (my personal favourite is the Pelican 1750). Here's a little list....
  
  
• Ear protection: Howard Leight Impact Sport and Howard Leight earplugs (Personally I use both-- you only get one pair of ears!)
  
  
• Eye protection: Smith Aegis Arc (DS Tactical is a great company to deal with)
  
  
• Hard case: Pelican 1750 (Production Case is a nice Canadian company with prices way better than anywhere else and great customer service)
  
  
• Bipod: Harris Engineering (widely considered the best bang for your buck product-- I use the 9-13 inch because I'm a bit taller, but most people like the 6-9)
  
  
• Soft case: Cabela's drag bag-- great product at a great price.
  
  
  
• Torque wrench: VERY important in my opinion, as I see way too many people over-torquing their gear (i.e. scope mount screws) and messing things up. Wheeler Torque Wrench-- this is what I use. It's reasonably priced and I use it all the time when I'm working on my rifle. I know plenty of people say they're not necessary, but they'll save you from major headaches in the future.
  
  
• Bonus: When you buy your scope, DO THIS to level it. I've tried all kinds of methods, but this by far the best (assuming your rifle is levelled first). It's so simple, but so effective.
  
  
  Anyway, I hope this helps. I'll check back in a little bit (studying for finals right now) if I think of anything else.
  

Ohh boy. You surely opened Pandora's box for me with this choice of yours. CZ or Tikka... both are amazing rifles in my experience (I want a T3x Varmint in .223, and eventually re-barrel my Tikka Xtac in 7mm-08) and will serve you well for whatever you plan on doing.

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As a first rifle, I would say go with a .22 LR. Why? Because you can buy 500 round bricks for $35 or less which will last you hours and hours of shooting/training getting used to how things are. Also figure out what type of rest or bipod setup you'll use. Harris bipod and Wiebad rear bag helps me out.

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I started at 50 yards with my CZ 455 Varmint, but have shot at 100 yards and depending on the ammo the rifle is pretty darn accurate. If I do my part I can get around 1 MOA or slightly more at 100 yards, but it all depends on the ammo you use.

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When I bought my 455 Varmint Tikka did not have their .22 LR out, but whichever rifle you would choose will be amazing.

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You can also consider a .223 bolt gun in the future to get more recoil / range, but I would save that for later after you put a few rounds downrange.

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As a first rifle I don't think it is the best to go with a .308 or similar due to ammo cost, recoil, and learning the basics. Recently a guy came to the range I frequent with a Rem. 700 .308 and said it was his first rifle. It didn't help that his scope wasn't placed correctly (too far forward making it unable to utilize his 3-9x optic at higher power), and the fact he only brought around 40 rounds of ammo didn't help either. The recoil was pretty substantial on that thing, he had no rear bag or rest, just a cheap $30 bipod, and he was experiencing scope issues at higher power.