What I look for in a bolt action rifle are a few things...
1. Are they upgradeable, do they have spare parts available, and are there guides/others experienced with this rifle in case I were in need of some assistance?
Therefore, the UTG mk96 is a great option. Very upgradeable with a ton of spare replacement/upgrade parts available. However, I would steer away from buying this from Airsoftgi. Its wayyyy overpriced. Check out evike.com for a price more suitable and reasonable. This will give you some extra cash to save/spend on other parts of the rifle.
Also, the JG bar 10 is another great option that answers all the questions for number one. Its 100% compatible with the VSR 10, and has a wide range of upgrade parts/replacement parts.
2. Is it new to the market? Is there only a small availability of information?
The ECHO1 m28 fits this category. Its new and a lot of people are running into problems with little info available to help them out. If you are just starting out, this might not be the rifle for you. You want a rifle that has information at the ready, as things will go wrong down the road. In addition, if you ever plan on upgrading, you hardly have any parts that are ready at this time. Its new to the market, so give it some time, and parts will start to creep up and start selling.
3. Compatibility?
The ECHO1 ASR is known for being slightly confusing as far as upgrades go. Its compatible with a few different types of parts. Bob or Ronin will be able to give you more detail.
Basically, the UTG mk96 or JG Bar 10 are the two top choices that I would be looking at. They are compatible as they are 100% clones, have a huge selection of upgrade/replacement parts, and have a ton of information on the web. Very user friendly for a first rifle.
Also, I see you are new to the boards. Please make an intro post so we can get to know you a little better.
And I almost forgot, welcome to the boards.