This is going to be the final chapter of the "Starting from scratch" series because here I am basically getting to a point of wishful thinking and stuff that I hope I will have some use for some day.

If you have not seen the earlier installments, here are Phase1, Phase 2 and

Optics and Accessories:
https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/post/3998909/if-starting-from-scratch-phase-1
https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/post/4088654/if-starting-from-scratch-phase-2
https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/post/4127257/if-starting-from-scratch-optics-and-accessories

By the time I get to Phase3, I pretty much have everything I normally do worked out.

This mostly covers the "wishful thinking" type of stuff in case I end with some discretionary income.

Starting with hunting oriented bolt guns...

The one part of hunting that I had not covered was big/dangerous game. There is comparatively little chance I will ever get to do that unless I start writing for a hunting magazine that would send me on fancy hunts, but I can still dream.
General North America hunting and western mountains were covered in Phase 1 and 2, so it is time to turn to what I would feel comfortable taking on a cape buffalo hunt. Armored personnel carrier would probably be ideal, but I'll settle for a rifle. Conventional wisdom states that it should be something like a 375H&H or bigger. In theory, Strasser RS14 would cover a ton of stuff for me, but the truth is that I just can't afford it and won't be able to for the foreseeable future. It is also not a long enough action for 375H&H. While I can get it with a similar 375Ruger, I kinda like the classic cache of the H&H.
Let's look at commonly available 375H&H rifles. There is a lot to choose from, but most have longish barrels of 24 or 26 inches. To me it seems counterintuitive for a rifle that might need to be used quickly and close ranges on stuff that can stomp me into the ground without slowing down.
Sako used to make a 375H&H with 21" barrel called Brown Bear (blued) or Kodiak (stainless), but as they are switching their entire rifle lineup to the new 90 (rethought boltgun) and 100 (switchbarrel boltgun) platforms, it is not clear what exact configurations will be available and at what price. Sako Brown Bear rifles can still be found, but we are looking at around $4k. At that price, might as well stretch to a Strasser.
Christensen Arms and Kimber both make 375H&H guns in the $2500 range, but I do not trust either company.
In all likelyhood, I would likely be looking for a used CZ550 Safari in 375H&H or Sako 85 Kodiak. I like the idea of having iron sights on a rifle like this.
As far as optics for this rifle go, a durable LPVO of some sort would suffice, preferably with a bright dot. However, a larger objective is nice to have. I would be tempted to put Delta Titanium HD 1.5-9x45 on it. It has a very bright fiber dot that is surprisingly fast on 1.5x. With LPVOs, either Delta Stryke 1-6x24 or Tract Toric 1-8x24 would be at the top of my list. They offer a lot for the money at a reasonable price.

Then, we move into the old western world with a levergun and a matching revolver. The reason I say matching is that I would like them to be of the same caliber. I have several revolvers and while I generally like them, the one revolver I do want, I do not have. I accumulated a bunch of double action revolvers while going through my "firearms learning" phase, but I barely ever shoot them these days. The revolver I really want is a single action Freedom Arms M97 single action. They are incredibly well built and make for superb hunting revolvers. They are also eye wateringly expensive (which is why it is in phase 3). The specific version I want is a Model 97 chambered for 45Colt with a 5.5" barrel. Maybe some day...

To match the revolver, I would look to pick up a takedown levergun from Taylor's Alaskan 1892 line chambered for the same 45LC.
Next on the list would be a true long range gun that I do not need, but really want. This would be built around TacomHQ's structured barrel and I am leaning toward 300NM as the cartridge. This build would be an interesting exercise in that I am not really sure what action and chassis to go with, but I will work it out eventually. I am leaning toward Curtis Axiom, but there are several good options.

The scope choice here is easy: Tangent Theta TT525P Yes, it is expensive, but ELR means looking through a lot of mirage. Tangent sees through mirage better than anything I have tried to date

Muzzleloaders: never knew I wanted one until I needed one. I have an Encore with a spectacular Brux barrel from Arrowhed rifles. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the exact same thing. 275 gr aluminum tip bullet launching at 2400fps does fun things to plates at 600 yards. The looks you get at the long distance range when you show up with a muzzleloader are priceless (for everything else, there is Mastercard). Muzzleloader hunting in New Mexico is now iron sights only, so no scopes. I use a rear aperture sights from XS on mine.

Handguns: I like weird designs, so once the basic defensive use is covered, I am going for Bond Bullpup. If you do not know what it is, look it up. Somewhere in there, I'd be getting a semi-auto 22LR of some sort and probably not the CP33 Keltec. Pardini SP would be very tempting. However, an integrally suppressed Ruger Mark4 is more likely.

Shotguns: I am really not a shotgun guy. As far as tactical shotguns go, Beretta 1301 is probably the way to go.