Congratulations, on every front. The 7mm-08 is, what I and many others consider, the ultimate cartridge for whitetails. As for the scope, the Nikon Monarch 3x-9x-40mm not only has the ideal magnification range for most big game hunting, but the Monarch has excellent optics (95% light transmission) and its mechanics are very durable and reliable. As for the rifle, I myself have never warmed up to Ruger bolt-action rifles, but I do think that the Hawkeye is going to be a good seller for Ruger because it seems to be a slimmed down version of their standard model. To me, at least, I consider the Hawkeye to kinda be a Ruger "T3".
Once you get a chance, please give us a report on how the gun shoots, cycles its ammo, and handles.
Zachary
