guns

I've got a few! For context, I'm a middle aged guy who grew up in a suburban family where guns weren't really something we engaged with. I've been interested / curious for a long time, but the wife was very opposed so I set the notion aside. With all that's going on I broached the subject for the first time in a long while (like, 20+ years), with an eye to arguing that it might be a good idea to be able to legally own and safely operate and maintain a firearm. To my surprise she was already on board, having come to similar conclusions on her own. Acquiring and gaining proficiency with a firearm is going to be a couples project for us this year.

I should mention that we're Canadian. We have strict firearm rules here in Canada, so that puts some hard limits on what sorts of firearms we can acquire. No high capacity magazines, no suppressors, nothing full auto, no pistols (it's technically still possible to get an RPAL, but handgun sales have been frozen for years). No "assault style weapons" either, meaning no AR15 platforms or a raft of other types of semi-autos. All of which I'll live with, I'm not looking to fight the system or get myself in any legal trouble.

Here are my questions:

• In broad strokes, our initial plan is to get a .22LR bolt action rifle as a starter. My thinking is that it's a good option to practice the basics (safety, maintenance, marksmanship, etc.) without breaking the bank (holy hell, larger calibres can get expensive to practice with). Bolt action mainly because it seems like it has the lowest chance of getting snaffled by any future Canadian gun regulations. Does that strike you as a sensible course to start?
• In terms of make, I'm leaning European, probably Tikka or CZ. Both have a reputation for good out of the box accuracy. Not the cheapest, but also not the most expensive. Frankly I don't know enough at this point to make changes to a firearm, or even know what changes might make the gun shoot better. Out of the box accuracy will reduce the temptation to blame the gun when the issue will almost certainly be the novice shooter! Happy to entertain any alternate suggestions.
• If I get a 22 bolt action, I'll likely need a scope. Most of the models I'm looking at don't have iron sights. I've done some research, but the variety of options for scopes is incredibly broad. Would be happy to hear any advice on how I might go about narrowing down the field of candidates. For context, I'd likely be shooting the 22 exclusively on a range, almost certainly 100 meters or less.
• Speaking of iron sights, do you think there's value in learning to shoot with them? I've been mostly focused on scoped rifles as I don't see much value in iron sights for target shooting and hunting. I could see iron sights being of much greater value for home defense, but legally speaking, home defense isn't really a tenable thing here in Canada. Let me know if you think I'd be missing valuable knowledge / skill by omitting iron sights.
• Longer term, assuming I enjoy shooting as much as I anticipate, I'd want to get something with more oomph. The idea of longer distance marksmanship appeals to me, and I'd also consider hunting. Likely deer, but possibly elk or moose at some point. So that's got me thinking about caliber for an eventual second rifle. 6.5 Creedmore seems popular (and appropriate for target shooting and deer, I believe), though I'm not sure how much of the popularity is marketing hype. Thoughts on calibers for longer distance shooting and hunting?

Ok that was more than few... If you read all that, thanks for taking the time!